I went to the petstore today and I saw the esu super uv coil lamp, so I did some research on the internet and it sais it produces 50 microwatts at 9 inches is that good?
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ESU super uv coil lamp
veiledcham
Mar 14, 2004 10:50 AM
Replies (3)
epollak
Mar 14, 2004 07:47 PM
I find that pretty hard to believe. I believe that sunlight provides about 50 microwatts/cm2. But even if it is a drastic overestimation I'm pretty sure tht they're quite adequate.
Ed
lilroach56
Mar 21, 2004 03:43 PM
sunlight produces about 250 microwatts cm2
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)
epollak
Mar 21, 2004 07:12 PM
Actually, the amount of UVB varies quite dramatically depending on time of day, latitude & altitude. I was just looking at a UVB chart for Homestead, Florida and on June 1st around noon the UVB levels were over 300 microwatts/cm2, The levels drop below 1.0 microwatts/cm2 by 4 p.m. Nearer the equator and at higher altitudes it's going to be considerably higher. Davis, CA (near Sacramento)had a June 1st reading over 400 microwatts/cm2 at noon on June 1st, presumably because of its greater altitude. In Pennsylvania at sea level it's going to be a lot lower.
UVB is essentially what causes sun burns so think about how fast you burn at a given time of year, geographic region, and state of cloud cover. But another important point to think about when discussing the relevant to reptiles & UVB lighting is this: We usually keep our UVB lighting on for 12 hours/day. That's very unnatural. Also, many chams (especially the rain forest species) may not bask very much during times of high UVB. Many species will bask in the early morning to raise their body temps after the cool night. They'll then spend the rest of the day in the shade either hiding or looking for prey. The point is that UVB meters often tell us nothing about what UVB levels the cham actually gets during the day.
Of course, it can be very different for difference species of chams & herps generally. e.g., Marine Iguanas in the Galapagos don't have much shade and need to do a lot of basking to raise their body temps after spending time in the cold Pacific waters. In contrast, Brookesias & Rhampholeons and many of the rainforest species such as Ch. montium live in areas of heavy shade or live so close to the forest floor that they get relatively little unfiltered sunlight (and UVB) even though UVB levels in the open may be very high.
Food for thought
Ed
