General Care Discussion :: UVB Bulb Life Span

[MMC32879]

I am currently using a Reptisun 5.0 UVB Compact Fluorescent Bulb as one of the lighting sources in my setup. I have had this bulb for well over a year now and was wondering if it was still good. I don't know if those types of bulbs loose any of their effectiveness after time or if they are good until the bulb burns out. It is said that UVB stimulates appetite and mating and they seem to be fine in both areas so I don't know if it needs to be replaced or not. Does anyone know?

[jenaero]

On the ReptiSun bulb there should be a spot to write the date of when you started to use it. They should be replaced every six months

[marisa]

They have a limited life, and the amount of UVB rays emitted weakens as the bulb is used, even though the bulb itself is working. This is especially true for the compact flourescents. "Well over a year" is really too long for this type of bulb. If you don't have a meter to measure the output of the bulb, 6 months is a conservative (and safe) amount of time to replace the bulb.

[BullDog]

I use the same bulb, and I write the date I start using it right on it (there's a space for it). It says right on the bulb to replace yearly, so you replace it at least that often...

[marisa]

If the turtle has no access to unfiltered sunlight, I'd do it sooner---at least every 8 months. The Reptisun compact flourescent (at least the 10.0) has a high burn rate, meaning it loses a lot of its UVB emitting strength quite quickly. I have no reason to believe the 5.0 is much different. I was going to mention above that I have gone longer than 6 months with some UVB lights, but that was when I could supplement with outside sunlight.

I don't know how long you've had your bulb, but I'd be curious to know if you really get a year out of it. I don't think I've read of anyone who has---they're pretty fragile. One of mine stopped working recently after 7 months. And I had one that literally fell apart after 1 month (this one I had replaced).