Photo Gallery :: Can a fluorescent bulb get wet?

[shawna]

Hi, all! I'm new here and have what may be a dumb question. I have a long tube light for my turtles' UVB light and, since I've read that UVB can't travel through glass or plastic, I'm guessing I need to remove the clear plastic shield that's under the bulb (it's part of the tank hood). But before I do that, thought I'd better check: Is it OK for the bulb to get wet? My turtles are big splashers. Thanks so much!

[sonyj]

No they don't need to get wet. Hoods for aquariums are made for fish and not really ideal for a turtles habitat. You will have to do some maneuvering to get the majority of the UVB over the basking area and at a safe enough distance from the water to not be splashed on.

You are correct that barriers (plastic, glass, some screens and even certain depths of water) block the majority of UVB rays. It's extremely important for them to get direct UVB rays while they are basking.

[steve]

For additional safety, have your equipment plugged into a GFCI outlet. How high is the water level in your tank? Are you able to get a basking light (or a heat source) in there?

[marisa]

Yes, remove the plastic. How far away from the water is the flourescent tube? If you've got it going the length of the tank, it would be better to position it so that as much as possible is over the basking area near the heat source (your turtles would benefit more from it this way).

Since flourescents aren't nearly has hot as incandescent bulbs, they won't break as easily if some water gets on them, but it can happen.

[samandnelly]

Oh, get a screen with mesh. Ya, ya, I know you've heard it can't travel through mesh, but if the mesh has 1/2 inch or more squares, it doesn't block the helpful rays!