Habitat - Indoor :: Question about bulbs and temperatures

[echopulse]

I've got a 10 gallon aquarium for my two baby red ears, with about 4 inches of water. I've got a large rock for basking. The only thing I'm worried about is the temperatures. I have two sun glo bulbs, one 15 watt over the water, and one 25 watt over the basking rock. But the Sun Glo bulb did not list UVB on the packaging. I looked all over the store for a bulb that was UVB, but couldn't find any that mentioned it on the packaging. The Sun Glo bulb only mentioned UVA. Can someone tell me if it also provides UVB? If not, then what brand of bulb does provide UVB. Also, should I get bulbs with higher wattage? The 25 and 15 watt heat the water during the daytime to about 79, so that's good, but the basking rock needs to be about 90, right? What wattage should I get that will heat the rock, but not raise the water level too high?

I know I'm supposed to get a heater, but after the light is on for 8 hours, the water temp starts to raise to over 82, and I have to take some water out in the afternoon, and replace it with cooler water to get it down to 78 again, so it doesn't seem like a heater would help with that.

[JessicaTS]

It is somethings difficult to get UVB bulbs, especially in large chain stores (Petco) but I can usually find them in specifically herp pet stores or just get one online.

If it doesn't mention UVB, it most likely does not produce it. Why do you have two? You will only need one over the basking area. One above the water is potentially useless since the uv rays gets filtered in the slightest layer of water.

What temperature is the basking area now?

Instead of replacing water with cold water, you can use a frozen water bottle and let it afloat in the tank. This will slowly but surely lower the water temperature

[echopulse]

I have two bulbs because there are two sockets. They are the small tube types. Why would a bulb made for reptiles not have UVB if they require it? So, should I take both these bulbs back, and if so, what should I get to replace them? One for UVA, and one for UVB? Please help. Oh, the water temp is 79, and the basking rock is about 82, not good enough.

If I have to, I'll go online, can you point me to a site that sells them? And I need a brand name as well.

[JessicaTS]

A bulb without UVB will produce UVA. UVA is very essential to turtles because they emit heat to the basking area which lures your turtles to bask. The UVB and UVA collaborates to imitate the sun.
Both of these lights should be above the basking area, not one on each side of the tank.
Petsmart online sells UVB lights, you may want to check www.petsmart.com

[echopulse]

The bulbs I have say they mimick the sun to induce natural behavior. That's why I thought it had both. It's made by EXO-TERRA, so it should be okay. But I think I'm going to take one of the bulbs back to get a higher wattage for the basking area. The only UVB bulbs I saw were 15 inches in length, not short enough for my hood. I don't know what to do! Does anyone make UVB bulbs that will fit in my sockets. The bulbs I have are 5 inches long.

[echopulse]

I remember why I didn't get the Reptisun bulb. I would have had to pay 30 bucks for a different hood, plus 22 for the bulb. That would have added 50 dollars on to the cost. For now, I'm going to take the 15 watt back, and get a 40 watt Sun Glo to put over the basking area. For UVB rays, I'll make sure to take it out into the actual sun for several hours every day, until I can afford the added expense. But at least the basking rock will be hot enough until that time comes. Thanks for the help!

[echopulse]

This morning when I woke up the water temp had dropped to 70. I'll have to pick up a water heater this afternoon after work, since it's gonna be cold for the next few months. Can the turtles burn themsevles if they touch the submersible heaters? If so, how do I prevent that?

[steve]

Burns are possible but usually rare. If you want to be extra careful, they sell heater guards and some people make their own. It's better to buy a good heater to ensure more accurate temperatures.

[echopulse]

Which heater would you reccomend. I was looking at the Accura 100, 50 watt or the Top Fin 50 watt at petsmart.com.

[staman]

I have an Eheim 17" which came without a cover. (don't ask why) After fruitlessly searching for a proper one I just made one out of 1.5" pvc pipe and an end cap. I drilled about 50 holes in it to make sure the water flows over it evenly. Drill two larger holes to put suction cups in and your done. Im not sure if a submerged water heater could actually burn your turt but one of mine loves to sleep on the heater so I didnt take any chances.
I used to use a Tronic which served me well...

[echopulse]

Thanks for the advice.

[steve]

Tronic and Ebo Jager are top brands.. I also like the Visitherm stealth heater. Stores are likely to overcharge on heaters (in my expereience anyway) so try to see if they pricematch (some stores even have it cheaper on their website than in their stores).

[marisa]

Echopulse, all UVB lights produce some UVA. But UVB lights don't produce enough heat, so two lights are necessary (and for the heat you can just use a regular lightbulb). You're lucky you can take your turtle out for some direct sunlight (year round?), but if you're looking for a UVB light, you don't need to buy a special fixture for a Reptisun if you get a compact flourescent, which can be screwed into a regular clamp lamp. Both the Petco and Petsmart near me sell them, but you will pay quite a bit more for them than if you bought on-line (you could try price-matching, but from my most recent experience, neither of these stores will price match anything but their on-line prices or their competitors' prices).

I'm not familiar with the heat you mentioned. I've used Ebo-Jagers and Tronics and like them both. I've recently started using a Visitherm Stealth heater, and it does seem to be working well. My only quibbles with it are that it's not completely round (has a ribbing), doesn't have a very good method for attaching the heater to the tank, and lacks an indicator light to show when it's actually working (I like to see this).

For both the Reptisun compact flourescent and submersible water heaters, check out www.bigalsonline.com (For the Reptisun, type in Reptisun Compact Flourescent in the Search function. You can also buy Tronic heater guards there. They're quite good and fit a number of different heaters, just make sure the length of the heater you buy is compatible with the guard.

[echopulse]

Went to Petsmart after work today. They only had two heaters, one was the Visitherm Stealth, it was 39 dollars. On the website there is a 50 watt Visitherm for 13.99. I figured I would price match it to the website, but I have to bring in a printout. The one on the web site actually has a light, so I guess it's not the stelth. I guess I'm gonna have to buy one online, the prices and selection is much better. but it's getting cold, so I hope the shipping is fast. Had any experience with petsmart.com?

I traded the 15 watt sun glo for a 40 watt sun glo. It's still not heating the basking area enough. The inside themometor reads 80 right now. But that's near the top, so I'll have to move the thermometor one more time to get an accurate reading of the basking area. To get a clamp lamp AND a UVB bulb would cost me at least 30 more dollars, plus the heater! I can't do that much. So I'm just gonna take them out into the sun until I can afford the new hood. Or I might get a UVB bulb if I can find my desktop lamp. Anyways, at least they will have the heat from the Sun Glo.

[sonyj]

Just remember that if it's cold outside (below 70's) you wouldn't want to take them out though. They shouldn't be outside as it begins to cool down especially with them being young as they are more susceptible to illness.

Be sure the heating and basking light are not too far away from the basking area. That may be why it's not heating the basking area enough. It should be close enough without getting splashed with water to heat the area (around 6-10 inches from the basking area is a guide but you'll have to adjust it to get the temps right).