Habitat - Indoor :: Lighting

[IshMaster]

Okay this is going to sound to very stupid but with the lighting, I don't need two UVB light bulbs do I? Like one for the basking area and one for the whole tank? See my tank has a 'hood' I guess you would call it where the flouresent lightbulb goes and thats where I was going to put a ReptiSun UVB Bulb and then I was going to use a standard light bulb and 'clamp-lamp' for the basking area. Is this correct? And also what wattage should I use for the standard lightbulb?

[marisa]

Your turtle needs the UVB light and heat light over the basking area (if you use a tube flourescent it should be as much over the basking area as possible). If you have the UVB light over the water, it will act as a barrier and filter out a portion of the UVB rays--the deeper your turtle swims, the less he will get, at near the bottom, probably none. Regular UVB lights shouldn't be more than 12 inches from the basking turtle, and for most, 6-8 inches is best (check the specifics on the package).

Your turtle needs to have heat along with the UVB light because in addition to aiding in digestion, the heat allows your turtle to convert the UVB rays into Vit. D, which is the point of having a UVB light. You can use a regular lightbulb for heat (put your money into a good UVB light). the basking area should be 88-90F. The wattage you need is the one that gets it in this temp range. Don't guess--use a thermometer to check the temp.

[Brianthedog18]

So you're saying that instead of a tube UVB lamp, you'd recomend a clamp-lamp similiar to the basking light?

[marisa]

I've never used a tube UVB flouresent, but that's just my perference. What I am saying, is that to have a UVB light going over the water and not over the basking area as much as possible is a waste--of UVB rays for the turtle and money for you. Some people do use them with good effect, though (I've read Reptisun 5.0 is good) and what they usually try to do get the light over the basking area. Some have a smaller tube horizontally over the basking area, some have the basking area more in the middle of the tank where the UVB light is, whatever it takes to give the turtle maximum exposure to the light.

My largest tank is a 110-gallon stock tank and has a lot of surface area to light up. I also like to minimize wiring. So for my largest tank I favor the combination UVB/UVA mercury vapor light, which does the work of both bulbs and is hung over the basking area. On one smaller tank I'm using a Reptisun UVB 10.0 compact flourescent, which is in a clamp lamp next to the heat lamp over the basking area. In yet another smaller tank, I'm using a UVB coil light, again clamped next to a lightbulb for heat.

I'm not saying that the tube UVB flourescents aren't good or that they shouldn't be used. They just need to be where a turtle can get maximum benefit from them. (And the initial poster sounded like his turtle wouldn't from the description he gave.)

[IshMaster]

Okay... umm I really didn't want to buy TWO clamp-lamps but it sounds as though I need to. I just spent about $68 on supplies and my mom is freaking out . I tried to explain to her that it was a pet just like our cats, dogs, and horses but she is still like AAH! So I need to buy two clamp-lamps one for UVB and one for a regular lightbulb... or could I just use a UVB light for the basking area? Probably not...

[marisa]

A UVB light is flourescent and doesn't give off heat, so yes you need two lights. You want the basking area to be 88-90F so your turtle will want to bask. The heat/basking light can be a regular lightbulb, though, (that's what I use) so it won't be expensive. If you don't use a tube UVB light and choose to use one that screws into a socket, you will need two clamp lamps. You can get them fairly cheaply at places like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Try to get one that has a ceramic base, especially for the heat/basking light. Whatever bulb you buy for the UVB light, make sure it says the bulb gives off UVB rays on the package--if it just says it's "full spectrum," it doesn't give off UVB rays.

[IshMaster]

Alrighty. I need to get some more money before I go buying a $25 lightbulb o.o;. Anyways thanks for all of your help. One more question though =-P. What wattage do you use for your turtle's basking area? I'm curious because mine is a 40 watt right now and it smells really bad like its burning but I am watching it constantly to make sure nothing catches on fire.

Oh and is it okay that my turtle keeps going under the heater. I am afraid it will burn him. Its a tube and its touching his shell when he goes under it. It worries me what should I do or is it okay?

[marisa]

Ishmaster, scroll down a few posts and look at the one Bulb Wattage Question by jdub1107 from 7/14 (yesterday). I think it answers your question regarding wattage.

If the bulb smells like it's burning, I'd change it and check the socket it's screwed into. If you use ceramic/porcelain sockets, for the heat lamps, it would be much safer...

If you want to be sure your turtle won't get burned/injured under the water heater, you could buy a heater guard (you might find one at a fish store--Tronic makes good ones).

They're not that expensive, but if you can't find one/can't afford one, you could get some PVC pipe, cut it to fit your heater and drill holes in it--enough holes so that the water can circulate freely. Cap the ends, and put the water heater in it (you have to make an opening for the cord on one).

[ohiolobo]

Ishmaster,
You mentioned you use a "hood" in which your UV lamps rests. If this is like a standard aquarium hood, it has glass under the fluorescent bulb. This is OK for fish, but the glass blocks out much of the UVA and essentially all of the UVB. You can still use a hood if you remove the glass (very carefully with eye protection!).

[IshMaster]

Well the hood is no longer a problem it doesn't fit anymore.