Equipment Review and Discussion :: fluorescent light fixture - for 150 gal + tank

[fultonh]

Hi,
I'm just wondering what is the largest fluorescent uvb light you can get. My boyfriend and I are thinking of getting a 150 - 200 gallon tank custom built with hood...but does anyone know if we can get the uva and uvb lights for a hood this big. Or does anyone have any suggestions?

[octpusgirl8]

The largest one i've seen are 48". It's a bit tricky to use a hood for a turtle tank since you need to have the basking area well illuminated by the flourescent and well as heated up by an incandescent bulb. You also have to make sure there's no glass of plastic between the light and the tank as it will block the UVB. You can make it work, but it might be a bit of a headache.
A nice solution could be to suspend a mercury vapor bulb over the basking area and if you want to light up the rest of the tank you could use a couple of shorter flourescent fixtures (they wouldn't have to be special UVB) perpendicularly over the rest of the tank.

[wezeles]

the tank sizes your looking at range in 48,60,72 inches long

the 48 inch long you use one long 48 inch light fixture or 2 24 inch light fixtures
the 60 inch long you would use 2 30 inch fixtures
the 72 inch long you would use 2 36 inch fixtures

All of these sizes are standard and usually no matter how big you go it will be a combo of these lights. Also standard are the UVB bulbs of these sizes anythign over 48 inches would probably be custom. Most aquariumns are the same standard sizes aswell as there lights and bulbs aswell

this will give you an idea
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... y&keepsr=1

and then just choose the bulbs to match your tank/hood size.