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Hi! I am new to red eared sliders and I can't figure out what kind of UVA and UVB bulb I should use. Any suggestions?

Hello, Welcome to the forum. You need either 2 bulbs or one bulb. The cheapest way to go is one bulb for heat and another for uvb. The heat bulb can be a regular old frosted light bulb the other needs to be a uvb bulb such as reptiglo or reptisun. The 2nd option is what they call an MVB Mercury Vapor Bulb. They provide both heat and uvb. Such bulbs as a Powersun or Megaray. Mvb bulbs tend to be expensive so a lot of people go with the 2 bulb setup. What kind of setup do you have? Tank size etc.

Kansasslider wrote:Hello, Welcome to the forum. You need either 2 bulbs or one bulb. The cheapest way to go is one bulb for heat and another for uvb. The heat bulb can be a regular old frosted light bulb the other needs to be a uvb bulb such as reptiglo or reptisun. The 2nd option is what they call an MVB Mercury Vapor Bulb. They provide both heat and uvb. Such bulbs as a Powersun or Megaray. Mvb bulbs tend to be expensive so a lot of people go with the 2 bulb setup. What kind of setup do you have? Tank size etc.

I didn't get a res yet but I have a 40 gallon long tank and that's all I have right now. Also so uva is just heat?

Yes uva is pretty much just a heat source. Don't forget a water filter,water heater,basking area,thermometer etc.
All about light... http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/uv ... va-and-uvb

Kansasslider wrote:Yes uva is pretty much just a heat source. Don't forget a water filter,water heater,basking area,thermometer etc.
All about light... http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/uv ... va-and-uvb

Thanks Also I don't know what filter to get. I am just looking for a basic one

Canister filters are best for turtles. Fluval makes good filters. Odyssea makes affordable filters. You can also look on E-Bay.
http://www.redearslider.com/filters.html
I know its a lot of information to take in all at once I'm just trying to cover the basics..

Kansasslider wrote:Canister filters are best for turtles. Fluval makes good filters. Odyssea makes affordable filters. You can also look on E-Bay.
http://www.redearslider.com/filters.html
I know its a lot of information to take in all at once I'm just trying to cover the basics..

I am trying to look for one that's not pricey. Maybe 20.00 up to 60.00

Your looking at buying a used one or looking on e-bay for a sunsun type filter. They have them for $39. Just keep in mind they don't have a great reputation.

Kansasslider wrote:Your looking at buying a used one or looking on e-bay for a sunsun type filter. They have them for $39. Just keep in mind they don't have a great reputation.

I was looking for UVB and UVA bulbs today. How many watts should a UVB bulb and how much should a UVA bulb have? I have a 40 gallon long tank and I would be using both of them.

When I first started I had a 40 gallon wide tank. I used a 60-75 watt incandescent bulb. You want the basking area to be around 90°. For uvb what kind of bulb are you looking at? Cfl or tube? You will also need some type of light fixture. If you use cfl bulbs clamp light fixtures work well. I have used both 13w and 26w bulbs. You want to make sure the food you feed your turtle contains vitamin D3. I like omega one. You can also dust the food with calcium powder. Vitamin D3 is important for your turtles shell. Your turtle can get D3 from the Sun (Best) From Food or uvb lights. My gf takes the turtles outside when its warm to get sunlight every couple of weeks. I'm not saying you want your tank in the sun because you don't. It will only cause algae problems. I feed good quality food use uvb light and let them get some sun. I have 4 healthy turtles.

Kansasslider wrote:When I first started I had a 40 gallon wide tank. I used a 60-75 watt incandescent bulb. You want the basking area to be around 90°. For uvb what kind of bulb are you looking at? Cfl or tube? You will also need some type of light fixture. If you use cfl bulbs clamp light fixtures work well. I have used both 13w and 26w bulbs. You want to make sure the food you feed your turtle contains vitamin D3. I like omega one. You can also dust the food with calcium powder. Vitamin D3 is important for your turtles shell. Your turtle can get D3 from the Sun (Best) From Food or uvb lights. My gf takes the turtles outside when its warm to get sunlight every couple of weeks. I'm not saying you want your tank in the sun because you don't. It will only cause algae problems. I feed good quality food use uvb light and let them get some sun. I have 4 healthy turtles.

I was looking at the Zoo Med ReptiSun Tropical Compact Fluorescent UVB Lamp its 26 watts . Then for UVA I went to Home Depot and I didn't know how many watts to get.

That should be just fine.

Kansasslider wrote:That should be just fine.

How many watts should the UVA bulb have And would this be ok-Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent (13 watts)

That should be OK. Is there a 26 watt version?

All this talk about bulbs reminded me I need a new one. 26w 5.0 on E-bay for $13. I think he has 1 left!!