Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know I need to have a UVB day source on my beardie, as well as a heat source. Currently I only have a red heat bulb aimed on his perch. I need to get a UVB source, and I'm curious as to which will work. Does anyone know if a T8 flourescent bulb gives off UVB?? What about the flourescent coil lights you can buy at home depot?? I need the cheapest way right now....just something to get me by for a bit. Thanks...
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My Geckos!!
4.5 Leopard gex
3.2 Uroplatus Sikorae

I very sure they don't give UVB. They are meant for home use and in your house you don't want UV on you all the time.

The cheapest way would be to get a Reptisun bulb and then go to a hardware store and pick up a compatible fixture for it.

Here is what I would do and you can get them from your local Wal-Mart:
1 4-foot florescent fixture $7
2 4-foot tubes for the fixture $3-$4
1 Clamp light $6
1 Pack of 60 watt house light bulbs $1.50
1 Pack of 75 watt house light bulbs $1.50
1 Indoor/Outdoor temperature gage with probe $14

So, for your light need’s, you use the 4-foot fixture and look for the bulbs with the highest “Lumens” for brightness. The regular house bulbs will provide your heat for him. Best thing to do is try the two different bulbs in the clamp light and try to get 105 for the basking temperature, depending on height. Just make sure you supplement him to make sure he get’s enough D3 in his diet. Then, when you get enough cash, you can pick up a 4 foot UVB light bulb for about $20 after shipping and it will fit right into the fixture that you already got.
Good luck,
Steve

Actually you do not NEED uvb lighting. What you do NEED is a calcium with vit. d3 supplement, and you NEED to use it regularly. I have been using regular incandescent bulbs for hot spots and plain old T8 flourescent tubes on my beardies for years, with no ill effects. Here is a link to a breeder that has raised thousands of healthy beardies without UVB bulbs, just plain old flourescents.
Beardies and other creatures

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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

Thanks for the input everyone. I ended up getting a basking bulb and a flourescent coil bulb. I'm using each of them in clamp lights.....
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My Geckos!!
4.5 Leopard gex
3.2 Uroplatus Sikorae