General Care Discussion :: 150 watt uva light overdoing it?

[wartortle]

my dad freaked out when he saw the uva light i purchased was 150 watt. is it too much for the baby turtles and should i return it for a 75 watt? thanks.

[Caphits]

UVB is really what is really needed.

What brand is the bulb, and what type is it(MVB(Mecury Vapor Bulb), CFL(The twisty kind), Florecent tube)?

[theartbook35]

150 watts is more than necessary.

However, to avoid getting the tank to warm, if possible, you can position the bulb further away from the surface where they bask.

If it's easier for you, you can take the 150 watt back for a 75 watt. You might get some money back too, which you can spend on a UV bulb, if you don't have one.

[SpotsMama]

You need two bulbs:

1. Heat bulb. You can use a standard household bulb (75 watts is typical). Your objective with this bulb is to heat the basking area to around 90 degrees to entice your turtle to get up on the platform and bask.

2. UVB/UVA bulb. This one will be a compact fluorescent bulb. It will burn cool but will provide the vital UVB that turtle must have to metabolize calcium. A good brand is Exo Terra Repti Glo 26 watt 5.0 UVB bulb. This bulb will also hang directly over the basking area so that when the turtle basks, he'll get the UVB.

How large is your tank?

[wartortle]

UVB is really what is really needed.

What brand is the bulb, and what type is it(MVB(Mecury Vapor Bulb), CFL(The twisty kind), Florecent tube)?

it's a mercury vapor bulb & the brand is all living things.

i'm going to the pet store tomorrow to pick up a uvb light. does it matter which type of bulb i get? because i don't have a fixture for a florescent tube at the moment.

150 watts is more than necessary.

However, to avoid getting the tank to warm, if possible, you can position the bulb further away from the surface where they bask.

If it's easier for you, you can take the 150 watt back for a 75 watt. You might get some money back too, which you can spend on a UV bulb, if you don't have one.

i think i'll do this since my dad is afraid the 150 watt will bump up the hydro bill by a lot . thanks

You need two bulbs:

1. Heat bulb. You can use a standard household bulb (75 watts is typical). Your objective with this bulb is to heat the basking area to around 90 degrees to entice your turtle to get up on the platform and bask.

2. UVB/UVA bulb. This one will be a compact fluorescent bulb. It will burn cool but will provide the vital UVB that turtle must have to metabolize calcium. A good brand is Exo Terra Repti Glo 26 watt 5.0 UVB bulb. This bulb will also hang directly over the basking area so that when the turtle basks, he'll get the UVB.

How large is your tank?

i currently have a heat bulb in place. when you say uvb/uva, do you mean there's a bulb which emits both uvb and uva? or should i get both uvb and uva bulbs?

thanks for the replies all

[Caphits]

A MVB produces both UVB and UVA AND heat. It is sort of an all in one bulb. You should be good to go.

I have never used a MVB though. I use the reptiglo 5.0 26W UVB bulb + An indoor/outdoor floodlight (will never shatter because of splashed water).

[SpotsMama]

Wartortle - is this the bulb you have?



I'm afraid this isn't the right kind of bulb. It's a strong bulb and produces good UVA and heat....but not the good UVB that your turtle must have. Different kinds of reptiles have different lighting needs, and for turtles and some lizards, UVB is a must.

Interesting factoid: Any light bulb that produces UVB will also produce UVA because UVA lies on the spectrum between UVB and visible light. So when you get a UVB bulb, you've also got UVA covered. (But not vice versa.)

If your tank is 50 gallons or larger, you may be able to use a mercury vapor bulb in lieu of the two bulb set-up I described above. How big is your tank?

[mike hill]

The 150 watt sounds a little much however, the proof is a thermometer and keep the temp at 90 to 91 degrees for basking. If it over heats the water that is another question. Good Luck !!

[theartbook35]

Okay...

I wanna make sure you are getting this. You sound a little confused to me...

UV bulbs produce artificial sunlight. Turtles require UVB in addition to a heat bulb, which you already have. (My 50 watt heats to the water already to 75-76 degrees, so, a 75 watt work just fine for you.

MVB, produces both ulta violet (UV) rays, and heat. I can't wait until I can get that 75 gallon in the future, so I can use MVB.

[SpotsMama]

MVB is the way to go if your tank is big enough.

[wartortle]

@spotsmama, i'm using a 10-20 gallon container at the moment but i'm hoping to pick up a 50 or 100 gallon rubbermaid tank tomorrow(i'm taking the cost effective route when it comes to aesthetics haha)

@theartbook35, thanks for the elaboration, i think i have a good understanding on it now.

so should i trade in the 150 mvb if i'm going for a 50/100 gallon tank? also, is my dad correct when he says the 150 watt bulb will bump up the hydro bill by a lot? i haven't reached my 20's yet so i don't know much about paying house bills.

for reference, i think this will give you an idea of how big the tank is they're living in at the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl_AnUxaVXs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln45zi2QHaU

thanks everyone for the replies.