ZooMed T8 10.0 Tube Lighting Question

[margosha]

I am currently using the ZooMed 10.0 T8 18" tube light for my baby Russian tortoise's enclosure. It is about 15" away from him, which is as close as I can get due to the size of the tank. Is that an ok distance or too far? Would a reflector help if it's too far?

Thanks!

 

[margosha]

Still hoping for some advice on this!

Little more info: the UV light is on for 13 hrs and covers half the length of the tank. Should I add a second light to line the length of the enclosure?

 

[SteveW]

One is probably enough, but you really need a meter to know for sure. I’d run just one, allow for some shade, and get some outside basking time.

 

[margosha]

One is probably enough, but you really need a meter to know for sure. I’d run just one, allow for some shade, and get some outside basking time.

Is there a meter you would recommend? And what should the readings be for a Russian Tort if I plan to run it for 13 hrs a day?

 

[Joetheyido]

I got the solarmeter 6.5 after having the same problem as you although it was for Indian stars, redfoot and Herman's. Just to give you an idea, I'm useing a arcadia 12% t5 54w with reflector at 15inches to the top of the shell of the stars and that is just the right amount of uv to be kept on most of the day acording to what I've read. I have a 6% on redfoot.
Not sure if that helps much but might give you some idea.

 

[zovick]

I am currently using the ZooMed 10.0 T8 18" tube light for my baby Russian tortoise's enclosure. It is about 15" away from him, which is as close as I can get due to the size of the tank. Is that an ok distance or too far? Would a reflector help if it's too far?

Thanks!

You need to get a Solarmeter 6.5 model to read the UV output of your bulb. Without that reading, everything is a guess. Make sure not to buy any other model but the 6.5. The others do not read what we need to know for reptiles. I try to get a reading of about 3.0 to 3.3 for my baby Radiated Tortoises and that should be fine for a baby Russian as well. The reading can be adjusted by moving the light bulb closer or further from your tortoise or by adding more bulbs if the readings are too low. Put the bottom of the meter right on the substrate directly below your bulb and push the button to get the reading.

Here is a link to an excellent article describing proper use of UV lighting for reptiles:

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/An-In-Depth-Look-At-UV-Light-And-Its-Proper-Use-With-Reptiles/

 

[Tom]

I am currently using the ZooMed 10.0 T8 18" tube light for my baby Russian tortoise's enclosure. It is about 15" away from him, which is as close as I can get due to the size of the tank. Is that an ok distance or too far? Would a reflector help if it's too far?

Thanks!

A 10.0 T8 usually needs to be about 10-12" from the tortoise to get a low reading of 1-2. At 15" you are likely getting almost no UV to your tortoise. You need a stronger bulb or you need to mount it closer.

This is my best guess based on my experience with those same bulbs in my enclosures and my 6.5 meter. As Mr. Zovic said, the only way to know for sure is to put a meter under your bulb in your enclosure.

 

[Tom]

I got the solarmeter 6.5 after having the same problem as you although it was for Indian stars, redfoot and Herman's. Just to give you an idea, I'm useing a arcadia 12% t5 54w with reflector at 15inches to the top of the shell of the stars and that is just the right amount of uv to be kept on most of the day acording to what I've read. I have a 6% on redfoot.
Not sure if that helps much but might give you some idea.

I'm using that same bulb and I get a reading of around 6.6-7.1 at 20" from my tortoises. This is very high and simulates the mid day summer sun here. At 15" I think the reading would be dangerously high, unless there is something strikingly different about your bulb or reflector compared to both of mine. Because mine reads so high, I only run them 3-4 hours mid day to simulate the UV spike that happens outside each day. I run a regular florescent tube in the 5000-6500K color range the rest of the day for lighting, and a basking bulb, of course.

 

[Joetheyido]

I'm using that same bulb and I get a reading of around 6.6-7.1 at 20" from my tortoises. This is very high and simulates the mid day summer sun here. At 15" I think the reading would be dangerously high, unless there is something strikingly different about your bulb or reflector compared to both of mine. Because mine reads so high, I only run them 3-4 hours mid day to simulate the UV spike that happens outside each day. I run a regular florescent tube in the 5000-6500K color range the rest of the day for lighting, and a basking bulb, of course.

I remember you saying Tom and It confused me. I checked it again and its not as strong as yours. I'm not sure what the difference would be the bulb is brand new the solarmeter is brand new the controller is brand new. If you can see anything wrong in pics let me no.

 

[Tom]

I remember you saying Tom and It confused me. I checked it again and its not as strong as yours. I'm not sure what the difference would be the bulb is brand new the solarmeter is brand new the controller is brand new. If you can see anything wrong in pics let me no.

Thanks for posting this.

Your post illustrates that there is variation amongst bulbs of the same type from the same manufacturer/seller, and that we all need to check our own bulbs in our own enclosures to be sure we are getting it right. Looks like you've got it right in your enclosure at a closer distance than what works in my enclosures.

 

[Joetheyido]

Thanks for posting this.

Your post illustrates that there is variation amongst bulbs of the same type from the same manufacturer/seller, and that we all need to check our own bulbs in our own enclosures to be sure we are getting it right. Looks like you've got it right in your enclosure at a closer distance than what works in my enclosures.

That's ok. Just trying to figure out why it would be different.

 

[Markw84]

That's ok. Just trying to figure out why it would be different.

I have three of these fixtures and bulbs. Two are about two years old. Both of those give me 6.0 at 16”. The other one is about 5 months old. It gives me 3.5 at 16”. All three are Arcadia T5 12.0 HO 54watt (46”). Exact fixtures and hoods.

 

[zovick]

That's ok. Just trying to figure out why it would be different.

The output of different bulbs varies which is what you and Tom have illustrated here. Not only do the bulbs vary but I believe ballasts may also vary in their output which may also affect the UV reading of the bulbs.

I use 4 foot Reptisun T8 10.0 tubes and I have noticed differences in the output at different sections of the same bulb. One end of a bulb may read 3.0 and the other end may read 3.7 at the height I am using. Knowing this, I try to get an average reading of about 3.2 or 3.4 for my baby tortoises and I leave the lights on 14 hours per day. I do provide almost complete shade at one end of the enclosures so that if the tortoises wish, they can escape the UV.

 

[margosha]

Just ordered the Solarmeter 6.5! Thanks everyone, this info was all super helpful!

So, I'm aiming for a 3.0-3.4 for my baby Russian?

The hood fixture I have for my tank is for an 18" 15 watt T8 bulb. Is there a bulb y'all would recommend for that, because I would prefer to keep my existing fixture if possible. I found this one (link below), would this bulb potentially be more effective at 15" up than the one I currently have?

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/arcadia-t-8-euro-range-10-18-inch-bulb-15-watt-super-sale/

Or perhaps this one?

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ar...its-all-regular-18-fluorescent-fixtures-sale/

 

[zovick]

Just ordered the Solarmeter 6.5! Thanks everyone, this info was all super helpful!

So, I'm aiming for a 3.0-3.4 for my baby Russian?

The hood fixture I have for my tank is for an 18" 15 watt T8 bulb. Is there a bulb y'all would recommend for that, because I would prefer to keep my existing fixture if possible. I found this one (link below), would this bulb potentially be more effective at 15" up than the one I currently have?

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/arcadia-t-8-euro-range-10-18-inch-bulb-15-watt-super-sale/

Or perhaps this one?

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ar...its-all-regular-18-fluorescent-fixtures-sale/

As was just discussed, bulb readings may vary from one fixture or one bulb to the next, even if they are the same exact bulbs and fixtures. Either bulb you listed above may or may not be better than the one you currently have. You really need the Solarmeter in order to determine what one is best. Anything anyone tells you about those bulbs would just be a guess on their part as to how that bulb would work in your exact situation.

And yes, I think a 3.4 reading is fine for your baby Russian Tortoise.

 

[margosha]

As was just discussed, bulb readings may vary from one fixture or one bulb to the next, even if they are the same exact bulbs and fixtures. Either bulb you listed above may or may not be better than the one you currently have. You really need the Solarmeter in order to determine what one is best. Anything anyone tells you about those bulbs would just be a guess on their part as to how that bulb would work in your exact situation.

And yes, I think a 3.4 reading is fine for your baby Russian Tortoise.

Ok I see. I just wanted to make sure there weren’t some bulbs that were notoriously better or something. All this UV stuff is so confusing to a newbie! I’m glad I found this forum, I’d be devastated if my ignorance harmed my little one!

 

[margosha]

UPDATE: So my Solarmeter came today, and as predicted, the readings were too low. I've ordered a new HO bulb, but will my tort be ok for a few more days without much UV?

Also, it's my understanding that I need to strive for 3.0-3.4 for my RT, but what reading would be the limit before it becomes harmful? I run the UV 13 hrs a day and I don't want to overdo it.

 

[katieandiggy]

Reading all of this I’m quite worried about my tube now I’m using a Repti Glo 10% T8. Those Solar Meters are really expensive. I will need to wait a while to get one.
I wouldn’t mind so much if my tort got outside but it’s tiny so I don’t think it will get out for long once it’s warmer.

 

[margosha]

Reading all of this I’m quite worried about my tube now I’m using a Repti Glo 10% T8. Those Solar Meters are really expensive. I will need to wait a while to get one.
I wouldn’t mind so much if my tort got outside but it’s tiny so I don’t think it will get out for long once it’s warmer.

I know, mine is also so tiny and it's still way too cold where I live to take him out!

The meter is pretty expensive, but I've learned that it's such a guessing game without it. I can try to help you a little with my readings though. In my enclosure, for my Reptisun 10.0 T8 to read even a 3.0, I had to put the meter about 7" away. Your brand of bulb is different though and I'm sure your setup is too, so like I said it's really a guessing game without the meter. Hope I could help a little though!

 

[katieandiggy]

I know, mine is also so tiny and it's still way too cold where I live to take him out!

The meter is pretty expensive, but I've learned that it's such a guessing game without it. I can try to help you a little with my readings though. In my enclosure, for my Reptisun 10.0 T8 to read even a 3.0, I had to put the meter about 7" away. Your brand of bulb is different though and I'm sure your setup is too, so like I said it's really a guessing game without the meter. Hope I could help a little though!

What are you going to do to rectify it? Will you buy a different bulb or will you change the way you hang it? I’m looking at different options at the moment of maybe lowering it slightly. I also don’t have a reflector so I’ve just ordered one.