Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just need a compact flouescent that stimulates plant growth and is great for my frogs

Go to wal-mart, home depot, ect. and get the GE "Daylight" CF bulb. It actually says 6500K on the package! I think you can get 23 or 27 watts. I think this is just as good or better than anything you get from the petstore. I put two over my 20 gallon along with one 15 watt flourescent strip and it looks great, plants are doing great.

They are a lot cheaper, too. The 6700K range is the most effective for plant growth, even though plants do utilize some of the rest of the Kelvin spectrum.

I'm not sure of this, but I believe the Repti Glo 2.0 also emits UV, which is wasted if the light is over a glass top, as glass filters this out. You don't need UV for your frogs as long as you supplement with D3. There are reports that some species at least seem to breed better with UV exposure, but those I've read have been subjective, and it's nearly impossible for hobbyists like we are to provide unfiltered UV inside a small tank to our frogs. The most important lighting aspect for them seems to be with the 12 h on and 12 h off timing between light and dark, whatever the range, including normal room lighting.

As for the "fancier" bulbs, as Otis has called them, I think the difference in them price-wise is due to marketing for the aquarium/terrarium pet trade, labeling them as "specialty" bulbs, more than it has to do with their over-all quality, the amount of time they last, or effectiveness. As long as you know what to look for at Wall Mart or a comparable out-let, you are probably buying the same thing of equal quality. I equate this to the difference in price between name brand and generic drugs. No real difference--it's all in the name.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

Ok my calcium supplement says "no vitamin D3" So i might need a UV bulb... i think I'm going to invest in exo terra's new Compact fluorescent canopy and then slap a 2.0 compact fluorescent bulbin...then ill just put a regular compact fluorescent in the other side

Just use Rep-Cal with D3, (the formula with no phosphorus,) plus Herptivite to dust fruit flies. (Total cost from a pet store for both supplements, about $6.00) Or you can use the Dendrocare supplement. This has calcium-D3 and a good formula for the other vitamins dart frogs require, all in one. This is less expensive, far more practical, and more controllable than investing in a special canopy to deliver UV to a single dart frog so it is able to produce its own D3 to utilize calcium. Generally, Reptile vitamins are not formulated for dart frog requirements.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

I was going to get the canopy anyway...i just have a screw in fluorescent bulb screwed into one of those hardware light bulb thingys right now

all florescents are good for plants. i just get the 2$ ones (for a 2 pack) at wal-mart and all my plants are growing great and all my frogs are healthy. the "fancy" bulbs probably work a little better, though i have never used one, but they are really $$$.
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