Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got a repti-glo 8.0 for my new beardie. everything appears to be wired up correctly (as per dragonsbynatures instructions heh). but uh...the bulb should give off visible light, yes? when i turn it on the ends get a little reddish and i can feel heat (and managed to electrocute myself screwing with it) but no white light.
am i incredibly stupid or what?
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

hhhhhhhhh

Not a stubid question. I'm in about the same spot with my beardie. Just got an 8.0 and hooked it up...the desert kind...and it is very bright...especially with the lens off. The charts seemed really good on it and was 2.5x the amount UVB and nearly 5x more UVA than the bulb the slimline came with.

im afraid maybe my bulb is defective. unforunately, the only other hood i have, for my other beardie, is a different size so i cant switch em out to determine whether the problem is the bulb, fixture...or me
im not so concerned about brightness...with two beardies with basking and uvb lights in my room, if the light is gonna awke me up one more uvb isnt gonna be the culprit
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

make sure its not a night time bulb... i don't know just a thought...

t's not getting enough power or the bulb is screwed up. Mine do that for about 5 seconds before it lights up. Check the wiring again. Turn the power off don't fry yourself please
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Mystical Dragons

i just redid it all and still no go....light orangish light on the ends but thats about it. *sigh* where is my electrician exboyfriend when i need him?? did he really have to go visit his girlfriend in scotland righ tnow?
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

whats the bulbs wattage and how much wattage is your hood set to take. that might be the problem. you could also check the starter.

alissa
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2.2 chinese water dragons
1.2 bearded dragons
0.2.1 leopard geckos
1 african clawed frog, 1 african dwarf frog, 1 california newt
1.4 english setters
2.2 breeder mice
tons of fish

theyre both 20 watts, all good there
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

>>i got a repti-glo 8.0 for my new beardie. everything appears to be wired up correctly (as per dragonsbynatures instructions heh). but uh...the bulb should give off visible light, yes? when i turn it on the ends get a little reddish and i can feel heat (and managed to electrocute myself screwing with it) but no white light.
>>am i incredibly stupid or what?

Most fluorescent light fixtures have a starter.
If you turn the hood over you will see a hole with a little round starter in it. This is about 1 inch in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches long. Make sure it is locked in securely.
You can usually wiggle it and watch the light go off and on.
If the light still doesn't work take the starter out an go to your local hardware store to get another. Lowes, Home Depot, Ace all carry them. I beleive that most hoods use an F2.
Worth a try.
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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)
My Snakes

hrm...is that inside the ballast?
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

no..do you have a shop hood or an aquarium hood. if it is an aquarium hood then it will be a cylinder shaped object in the midddle of the fixture.. try jiggling it or taking it out ans putting it back in .. if it a shop hood i would think it would be internal..since i can't find it on one of my shop hoods
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2.2 chinese water dragons
1.2 bearded dragons
0.2.1 leopard geckos
1 african clawed frog, 1 african dwarf frog, 1 california newt
1.4 english setters
2.2 breeder mice
tons of fish

its a home depot undercabinet fixture...i was trying to save money by not buying an actual hood. its basically just metal, wires, and the ballast
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

>>its a home depot undercabinet fixture...i was trying to save money by not buying an actual hood. its basically just metal, wires, and the ballast
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Can you take it back to home depot?
It sounds like the ballast could be bad.
I just assumed ( I know, I should know better ) that it was a normal aquarium hood with a starter.
Sometimes saving a little extra money can cost more in the long run....lol
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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)

*sigh* how typical.

7) The other day I purchased a few items for a Bearded Dragon enclosure, one of which was a 24" Repti Glo bulb. I installed it in a strip light that I picked up from a local hardware store and it would only fluoresce if I spun the tube. Is an incompatibility with the strip I bought, or is it a faulty tube?

The problem is an incompatibility between the light fixture and the light tube itself.

Most high intensity aquarium and reptile bulbs require a fixture that is often termed as a "fast start" fixture. These fixtures will have an electronic replaceable starter that essentially boosts the current of the fixture upon starting enabling the bulbs to fluoresce. Most fluorescent fixtures, at one time, had starters in them but with the advent of energy efficient devices the home market has moved to a straight ballast loaded device that is not compatible with most pet industry fluorescent bulbs. Some hardware stores do sell fixtures that will get this bulb to fire but you would have to experiment and find one with an electronic starter.
http://www.pettraders.com/faq.htm
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

i have homedepot under cabnit lights on all my tanks.
more than likely what the problem is a bad contact between the bulb and the ends try tapping the bulbs and squeezing the end cap towrd each other that will probably get it on. if the bulb lights but not fully it is not a starter problem like others have sugested. it could be a bad fixture but i doubt it. try those things if it does not work go to the store and ask to the guy working to try your bulb in a fixture to make sure your bulb isn;t bad

Mat

actually, i turned the bulb a little and voila, let there be light it actually is a 24" repti-glo 8.0 like in the faq. so it seems to be working for now. not sure how this is gonna work with a timer though (if i can even figure out how to get it on a timer....timers are two prong, my fixture with my wiring is grounded. have to et one of those power strips with a built in timer i suppose)

so the bulb works, the fixture works...theyre just not happy about working together it seems
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.0.0 leopard gecko (sebastian),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.0 bearded dragon (kaipo and dulce), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

i bought a regular surge protector and a grounded timer at target and it only cost me 15 bucks or so.. you can get just the timer at target fot 8.99 i believe..i've used that for awhile and haven't had a problem
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2.2 chinese water dragons
1.2 bearded dragons
0.2.1 leopard geckos
1 african clawed frog, 1 african dwarf frog, 1 california newt
1.4 english setters
2.2 breeder mice
tons of fish

hehe so i was right... the reason is i have one that does the same thing. i have it on a timer and sometimes it takes a few min before it will come on. if i am home when it clicks on i just tap it and it comes on. try to make sure your ends are puashed on the bulb tight that will help