Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everybody. If you didn't read my post a ways down....I found my anole...I'm so relieved! Anyway, about the lights. Currently I'm using the ESU Reptile Slimline as a strip light and either Zoo Med's Repti Basking Light or Reptile Rays Neodymium Basking Light (50w). My question is...in your opinion...do any of those really work or do what they say they do? As you probably know, these are inepensive bulbs. I'd like a mercury vapor bulb...however I think the prices are pretty outrageous. I'd get one for Gordo though, if he absolutely needed it. What do you think?
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1.0 Beardie, 1.0 Green Anole, 2.0 Green Tree Frogs, 3.1 Hermit Crabs, 2.1 Hamsters, 2.0 Bettas, 0.1 cat

if your dragon is in a large cage i would go with a merc vapor bulb all day. they are cheap if ordered form asome place like big apple or something don;t pay pet store prices. i think big apple has them for like 30 bucks.

what size tank / enclousre do you have ?

mat

i do howerever use repti sun tubes on all my small tanks up to 30 gal. and they do a great job i have never had problems with my iggies even before merc vapor bulbs using them. i just like the merc bulbs better.

He's in a 15L right now because he's only about 8 inches long. But...he is getting bigger and I plan on moving him to a permanent enclosure soon. I'm wondering on the uvb/uva worth of these bulbs.
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1.0 Beardie, 1.0 Green Anole, 2.0 Green Tree Frogs, 3.1 Hermit Crabs, 2.1 Hamsters, 2.0 Bettas, 0.1 cat

well first the two heat lamps your using have no uvb output the slim line probably has some but is defiantly not much. i would go with the repti sun in an 18 inch bulb unless your moving to a much bigger tank soon than use the merc vapor

my $0.02 worth:

I have a reef tank, high quality special use lights can cost a bundle!

if they work they are worth evey penny!

from what I have heard the Mercury bulbs are a good deal....

I am ordering about 3 from the local herp shop this week.

but I'd say that a sugjestion I saw on alinked site makes for good peractice:

don't count on one type / brand of bulb, use a combonation of two or more. as an example:

I have a UVB 8.0 that will still be used even with the new bulbs.

and I will add another UVB flourecent tube on the other side of my setup soon also.

as UV is short wave length and with the inverse square law of light..... we would be hard pressed to re-produce the light they would get in the outback....

to give you some idea of what I mean:

for every foot of distance from the light source the amount of light energy landing on a one square foot area is 1/4 of what it was before

so if you had 1 foot candle from a light at 1 foot then at two feet the same area gets 1/4 of a foot candle

so at 2 square feet the same area gets 1/16 th of a foot candle.

at one time I had a collection of south african plants called "Living Stones" to grow them indoors under fourecent plant light tubes I had to put them at about 3 inches to get the high strength light they needed to look good and grow good.

my point in telling you this is this was with "Visible Light" which is a much longer wave length.....

I have heard ( but do not have proof ) that UV will be reduced by many things such as even a sheet of glass.

this does make logical sense as radio waves in the low frq. range bounce off the layers of atmospere but microwave must be line of sight, it won't bend or bounce.

and if the natural tropical UVB is like 400% more than our bulbs are rated for .... do you get the picture ?
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Yes, I understand. He does get to go outside about twice a week...but I will look into better bulbs.
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1.0 Beardie, 1.0 Green Anole, 2.0 Green Tree Frogs, 3.1 Hermit Crabs, 2.1 Hamsters, 2.0 Bettas, 0.1 cat

As for the incadescent bulbs for heat your better off using regular house bulbs for heat. They do the same thing as the expensive pet store bulbs for reptiles. As for the flourescent uvb bulbs. I believe that uvb lights are very important for growth and to provide proper calcium levels in reptiles. I'm not to sure about the esu light you mention though. I do recomend and most others who use these type bulbs that repti-sun 5.0 are very good, and provide good uvb levels. For a 15L the mercury vapors would be to powerful, and hot. I do use the mercury vapor bulbs myself, but I do have large enclosures. I know that reptile direct sells them for a great price. I think it's like 33.95 for a 100 watt powersun.
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Thanks Mattman. What wattage would you recommend for a 75 gal? I found a good deal on one and plan on moving him into it soon. I actually think he's closer to 9-10 in. head to tail. I've only had him for a month and he's grown at least 2 inches. He just finished his third shed!
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1.0 Beardie, 1.0 Green Anole, 2.0 Green Tree Frogs, 3.1 Hermit Crabs, 2.1 Hamsters, 2.0 Bettas, 0.1 cat *NEW* 1 male Takydromus sexlineatus

Wow he's growing good for you. For a 75 gal glass tank I would suggest the 160 watt. If it's a closed tank with not a lot of ventilation I would use the 100. My glass tank is 48 long 18 wide and 21 high I use a 160 watt. For my melemine tank that is 48L24w24h I use the 100 watt because of the lack of ventilation I need a lower watt bulb. Also depends on if your house is hot or cool in the winter I use 160 in one of my cages and in the summer I need a 100. Good luck with him sounds like he's on his way.
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Thanks...it's because he eats like a pig. He'll scarf down 30 or 40 crix in a sitting and still have room for worms. My house gets pretty cold in the winter so I'll being using a higher watt bulb then and an undertank heater at night I guess. Anyway...thanks for the info!
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1.0 Beardie, 1.0 Green Anole, 2.0 Green Tree Frogs, 3.1 Hermit Crabs, 2.1 Hamsters, 2.0 Bettas, 0.1 cat *NEW* 1 male Takydromus sexlineatus