Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Another question I left out from previous post is:

I have a 48 inch power compact fluorescent fixture. It holds 4, 96 watt bulbs. So in total I can have 384 watts of UVB power that is going to go into my 120 gallon tank (48 long, 18 wide, 30 high)
My question is: should I use all 4x96 watts desert power compacts or should i maybe just use 2 or 3? I dont want it to be too much or too little. What is the proper proportion of UVB per gallon?

I can also do 4x55 watts instead, is that better? These are ESU Compact Fluorescents desert 7% bulbs. I just want to make the proportion correct for my lizards.

BAsically, if you had a 4 foot power compact fixture that can hold 4 fluorescent bulbs, what bulbs would you use and how many?

PS: I am looking into keeping uromastyx, just in case you need to know the type of lizards.

Thanks

The number of watts per gallon is really irrelevant because that will be different for everyone based on the type of enclosure and the temperature in the house where the tank will be kept. You really should focus on the temp gradient, get an infared temp gun, and set up your temp zones. You have to have a warm side with a basking spot that hits about 120 degrees for an adult uro, with a cool end around 85 degrees. Check the care sheet on the deer fern farms website for a good description of what temps are needed and how to best achieve them.

OK I think I misread your question at first. I use a single uv bulb over one side of the tank,. others may do it differently, that's just how I've got it set up for my 75 gal tank. One regular flood type bulb positioned over one end of the tank, two other lamps for heat sources. It's still very important to have your temps correct, though.

Thanks for your reply,

however that doesn't answer my original question. I have power compacts, not regular uvb fluorescents purchased at a petshop. Power compacts are 3x as powerful, and I dont know if i need to use 384 watts of it in my 120 gallon tank.
should i cut down the watts to maybe 200 or 250 watts?

Anyone uses power compacts at all in these forums?

Temps or UVB, wattage is still irrelevant. What you need to know is how much UVB those bulbs put out at the basking distance at which they will be mounted. You might consider investing in a UVB meter - around $180 for a Solarmeter 6.2 - which will allow you to monitor your decay, make sure you're getting good UVB, and know when they need to be replaced. They seem expensive, but they're worth every penny.

For uros, I aim for UVB no lower than 100 uW/cm2 and no higher than 300 uW/cm2, but some of my cages make that minimum difficult. And without a meter, there's no way of knowing what you've got. I know nothing about compact fluorescent UVB bulbs, so couldn't even begin to guess how many you should be using to get those kinds of numbers.

You can go here to find out more about UVB lamps. It's an excellent site, plus they have test results for many brands of bulb - maybe they'll have test results for the kind you're using.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Or you could pose these questions to the manufacturer or dealer of the bulbs...

>>Or you could pose these questions to the manufacturer or dealer of the bulbs...

Quite frankly, I wouldn't trust the answer. You could ask....but some places tell you whatever you want to hear - especially regarding UVB. Some places are honest, of course, but not all.

Call me cynical.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Cynical is good. But the questions being asked are more for technical advice & I don't see where the manufacturer can twist them into product promotion. Can't hurt to ask the folks who make the bulbs since they know them best. Having experienced T-Rex UV bulbs, though, I never believe the advertisements...