Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was in a local saltwater store the other day and they had a huge reef tank that was lit with LED lighting. The guy in the store said it was the future of lighting for saltwater. Unlike the current lighting options for reefs these systems take a fraction of the power and don't burn out or need bulb replacements due to failing spectrum.

I immediately wondered if there was any development going on for reptiles using this technology. It would certainly revolutionize turtle and lizard keeping if we could get UV lighting that did not need replacement every 6 months and that wont burn out like the mercury vapors. Anyone heard anything about this?

For background lighting with minimal heat generation, you can buy LED lights of different variety at do it yourself stores. They now sell LED lights that screw into normal lamp sockets. 12V LED puck lights are available too. Kind of nice for inside a cage to have 12vdc lights instead of 120vac. They do not give off UV however that I know of. LED lights are low power, so even if they did give off UV, I doubt it would be enough to be very effective.

For heat and basking, LEDs are not where it is at.

I use those stick-on (velcro) LED puck lights, battery powered. I've had one for about 6 months now. I turn it one when cleaning the deepest cage to light up the far back. No wires, no heat, nice.
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Mark

I agree they would be useless for basking and heat. But since they have them producing enough lumens to handle the needs of saltwater reefs I cannot see any reason they could not be made to produce the UV spectrum in sufficient amounts to be used by our lizard and turtles.

I've never kept a salt water aquarium but I do scuba dive a lot so take the following with a grain of salt (probably a very larger grain of salt, maybe several very large grains of salt). Full spectrum light disappears VERY quickly underwater. There isn't much UV underwater period -- you won't get a sunburn underwater even when spending 2 hours in 10-15' of water during the peak of the day. So, given that, I'd say having full spectrum light in an aquarium isn't for the flora and fauna it's for the observer. Lots of flora and fauna look drastically different under full spectrum lighting than they do under "natural" lighting. There are lots of life forms that look very drab in their natural conditions but hit them with a full spectrum light or just a bright light at depth and they "come alive" with color. So, in my opinion, the flora and fauna doesn't need the spectrum because it doesn't get it in it's natural environment. You, the observer, appreciate it because it makes the view more spectacular.

LEDs are made to put out light with as few by-products as possible, thereby reducing power usage while producing lots of visible light. That is why the technology is continually being developed.

Not to say your idea is not plausible. I think however it is analogous to getting a Smart car then dropping in a V6 gas engine for more power. Kind of negates the whole point of the Smart car.
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Mark

I am an electrician as well as a huge herp hobbyist. LEDs are actualy perfect. They're not cost effective yet unfortunately but the have several rated LEDs for up to 100k hours. They do produce amazing uv In a full spectrum range with low heat emission. They are super efficient and due to low heat production they will not affect ambient temps. I have worked with many types of LEDs and some produce uv more than others. It's really best to use a uv spectrometer to determine what scale is being produced but there are companies that make LEDs for uv water sterilization. I have a few types of LEDs in stock and maybe they would be worth getting a uv spectrometer. I'll keep you posted.
-JT

That sounds GREAT! I really hope someone explores this technology. Can you imagine being able to provide sunlight caliber lighting for pennies in electicity and only having to replace your bulbs every 10 years or so? It would certainly make husbandry much easier.