Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is the Reptisun 10.0 or 5.0 better for most species of tortoise? I think the 10.0 might be too high of a output, but I would like some second opinions.

Thanks

They're both good. It depends how high you will have the light. 5.0 is good if the light is within 12 inches from your tortoises. But choose 10.0 if you're putting the light more than 12 inches away (up to about 18 inches I think...)

The lights are within 12 inches, so do you think if I put in a 10.0, that would be overkill?

Thanks

Reptisun 10.0 would not be overkill at all. If your tortoise is a hatchling or juvenile, I would recommend the 10.0 for the higher output. Even for an adult, 10.0 would be better, but the younger tortoises are the ones that really need high UVB exposure to develop. If you live in a climate where the days are warm, try to give your tortoise natural sunlight; natural sunlight is much better than any light you can buy.

Michael

Yeah, I've read that there's no such thing as too much UVB. I agree with Michael that natural sunlight is the best thing. 1 hour in natural sunglight is better than a whole day of artificial UVB lighting. Just remember to change the UVB about every 6 months (even if the light is still good, it may lose the effectiveness after the recommended period.)

There is such a thing as too much UVB and can lead to burning of the eyes. This is usually the result of bulbs like Mega Ray (very high output mercury vapor) being used for 24 hours a day (which is not its intended purpose). The 10.0 should not be produce enough UVB to cause any damage, even if used for 24 hours, which is a practice I do not use for any of my reptiles or recommend (some do). The new Reptisun fluorescent lights are mercury vapor based (the gas medium for the fluorescence), but do not have the extreme outputs of the Powersun and Mega Ray type mercury vapor lights.

Reptisun should be good for 1 year, which is what Zoo Med recommends, after which its UVB output will degrade slowly but surely.

Cheers,

Michael

I just found this thread and wonder if someone can confirm that what I'm doing is OK. I just replaced my worn out ReptiGlo 5.0 tube with a Reptisun 10. It is about 10" above the substrate. With my old tube I had a reflector on the back of the tube to maximize the rays, and I have continued to use the reflector with the Reptisun 10. Will this be too strong (i.e. should I remove the reflector)? I have a Horsefield that's between 2-3 years old.

I should say I noticed an amazing difference in his behaviour when I put the Reptisun in. Since he's been indoors for the winter he has only been awake for about three or four hours a day, although he's eating well and has been lively enough while awake (I'm not hibernating him this year). But today I put the Reptisun 10 in and he was awake (except for a short nap) for 8 or 9 hours and seemed much more active. I just want to make sure that I'm not giving him too much UVB with the reflector, as I know it has a marked effect on the amount of UVB reaching the tortoise, and I don't want to damage his eyes.

Nina

Nina,

Your tortoise should do fine with Reptisun 10.0, which is what I use on the days that that my tortoises have to be indoors. I also have reflectors on all my tube lighting and mine are also placed about the same distance above the substrate. What I wrote was in response to the post stating that you can not have too much UV (you can). There are a few cases of problems with reptiles when using the mercury vapor lighting (the higher output models), but more often when using lights that were not designed for reptile use, like blacklights used for geology or entomology. For those type of blacklights, there have been numerous cases of partial blindness reported with no other factors that could have contributed.

Your results show what UVB does for your tortoise; it is of great benefit, as long as you do not over expose it. Not living in the US, I went through a great deal of trouble acquiring quatlity UVB lighting for my reptiles, but the increased activity, more vibrant coloration (Saurians) and increased appetites have made the effort aquiring the lighting well worth it.

Sorry for any concern my post may have caused you. It was mostly to point out that there is such a thing as too much UV. Hopefully, this clears up any misunderstandings you and other people may have from that post.

Cheers,

Michael

Thanks, Michael. That's really reassuring. Your original post didn't cause me concern, as I'd heard about possible eye damage from other sources. It's good to know that I'm doing the right thing. I live in the UK, so UVB is at a premium at most times, but I'm not hibernating my tort this year (have only had him since June and he had a few health problems at first), so I was especially keen to make sure he had adequate UVB indoors this winter.

Nina