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hi! i just purchased a t-rex active uv bulb(spot size), can these be used in a traditional clamp style holder, or should i have gotten a different fixture,like the flukers dome style? the clamp light i have now ive only had for about 6 weeks but this bulb does it all with one, so i decided to get one online, now i'm wondering if this bulb is the kind that is suppose to be suspended over head and not in a regular clamp style, current one is rated for the wattage of the bulb and has a porcelain socket. also, does anyone else use this bulb and if so, do you like it? thanks

That's the only kind of bulb I use. They're hard to find sometimes tho. I just screw mine into the clamp lamp. It produces uvb up to 6 feet

which one is better? A 5.0 UVB light. Or a 2.0 UVB light. The 5.0 UVB light is about twice the price of the 2.0 UVB light, so i am guessing that it is better? is is nessesary to get a 5.0 UVB if you give your turtle vitamin D3 fortified food and cuttle bone? dose one emit UVB rays farther than the other?

Also i measured the florecent bulb in my hood. and it's 23 inches. however they only sell 24 in bulbs. is it the same thing?

I have the T-Rex Active UV Heat light as well, and the directions do say that it should be suspended vertically to work correctly, and it should be in a porcelain/ceramic fixture due to the heat it produces. I use it with a Zoo-Med lamp stand. I've read of it being clamped, but I don't know what the longevity is doing it that way.

GTA, don't get the 2.0--it doesn't emit enough UVB rays. Get the 5.0. Even if some of the food you feed your turtle says it contains Vit D3, I'd still use a UVB light. (Sorry, can't help you with the sizing, maybe someone else can.)

ok i'll jump for the 5.0 then. how far can the light be away from the basking area and still emit UVB rays?


BTW, wat dose "GTA" mean?

she's abbreviating your user name

unless she REALLY likes video games.

ohh ok i got it now. I think gouzy is easyer to say though. or G would be easy too.

Just like some people call me SKF (easier to type)

Yes, I was abbreviating your name (it's rather long and I was getting lazy). From now on you will be "G" to me.

For the regular UVB lights, you should check the package, but most say not more than 12 inches from a basking turtle (the amount of UVB rays diminishes drastically with increased distance). I try to have them about 6-8 inches from the basking turtle.

ok thats good to know because my 30 gallon tank is very high. and i dont want to have the water to high for my turt. but at the same time i didnt want the light to be to far away. i think i can make 8 inches work.

This is "G" out!

ok, i got the t-rex light and bought a 160W spot, insert says it should be a minimum of 36" away, i will have to hang it from the ceiling, ( lol ) should i exchange it for less wattage and a flood, they can be closer, but when i had a different heat bulb lower than 150W, the turtle wouldnt bask cause it wasnt warm enough, so now im not sure what to do, and insert also says to be hung vertically and i have a brand new clamp i pd 25.00, it wouldnt be a big deal to buy a new fixture but this bulb thing is getting irritating,mainly from misinformation given at petstore early on. just out of curiousity has any used a bulb called "sun seeker"?, if so can you provide any information on that one, i'm seeing them all over place now, wondered if they have the same fixture requirement as the t-rex.

Just about all basking bulbs will require a ceramic base so that the heat won't melt any plastic parts (personal experience), I bought a ceramic heater, it looks like a flattened bulb made out of ceramic:


It is about 60 watts so it is kinda low, but it is not low enough to burn my turtles, besides, I am sure they will know to get out of the way before getting burned

I have a 100-watt T-Rex flood, and when I used it in a 55-gallon I used it with a Zoo-Med basking stand. It comes in two sizes, but I'm not sure it goes up to 36", though. (Check the zoo-med site). When I upgraded to a stock tank, the stand wasn't tall enough and I wound up buying a metal flag stand, of all things. Luckily, it came with a detachable round base so I can use it to suspend the light over the basking area. If you're creative, you could also probably get one of those metal stands for hanging baskets and create a base (careful to make it steady) for it. If you don't mind putting a hole in the ceiling, you could also use one of those special screws that allows objects to be suspended from the ceiling.