General Care Discussion :: White shell

[slapjack413]

ah thank you for all the information. I will have to get another bulb. Do you think i could buy a mercury bulb if i put it far enough away from my 40 gallon tank?

[SpotsMama]

Well, I wouldn't say it's impossible. However, here are some things to consider:

1. Eventually you'll have to upgrade the size of your tank. When that happens people usually wind up upgrading the rest of their major equipment -heaters, filter and lighting. That might be a good time to upgrade to the MVB.

2. What you're missing now that has to be added is a UVB provider. That means you need to add either a UVB flourescent or an MVB. The UVB flourescents are not cheap but they are a lot less expensive than the MVBs. A flourescent compact is not too bad - maybe in the $20 range (?? I don't use it so I'm not sure) and it will work with a conventional clamp light fixture that can be acquired inexpensively at a place like Home Depot.

If it were me, I'd probably get a UVB flourescent bulb (have to get these at a pet store on from an on-line pet supply place). You could get a tube style bulb with a tube fixture or a compact style bulb with a clamp-on fixture.

I am personally apprehensive about clamp light fixtures falling into the tank so don't use them - it's probably irrational, everybody else seems to use them and they haven't burned up yet.

[steve]

I think a mercury vapor bulb (100 watt) should be OK to use in a 40 gallon. Just make sure you follow the instructions and carefully monitor the temperatures. Make sure water can't splash on it and your turtle cant bump into it.

[slapjack413]

alright....thank you I will try that out. So the light bulb I use right now (basking spot lamp 75 watt) is what? Is it a heat light or a UVB bulb? I am so confused as to why they would sell a basking spot lamp that does not have all of the qualifications for a basking spot lamp! ahh wierd.

[SpotsMama]

The bulb you're using now is a heat bulb. What you're missing is UVB. When the bulb you have wears out, you can replace it with a common household incandescent bulb.

Why would they sell that light with misleading information? Probably because it sells better that way. And probably there are some sorts of creatures that would find it adequate - but not a RES. For the first two years of Spot's life I assumed like you that the "basking lights" that offered "full spectrum" light were sufficient, and all that time Spot's shell got worse and worse until it turned almost completely white. I went to two vets and they didn't know what was wrong. Finally, finally I found this site and fixed the light and fixed a bunch of other things and now Spot is much, much better. His shell was so damaged it will take years before it's really beautiful, but it's definitely headed in the right direction.

Turtles have to have heat on their basking area to entice them to bask. If all you have is a UVB bulb with no heat, they'll just stay in the water. So, in a sense, it's the heat from the heat bulb that causes them to bask, so it's a basking bulb. Problem is, it just isn't sufficient for the turtle's health. You have to have both - heat plus UVB.

[marisa]

I'm using a 100 mercury vapor bulb in a 40-gallon stock tank without a problem (the stock tank has a greater surface area than a glass tank and doesn't trap heat as much). Check the temp over a period of time to make sure it doesn't get too hot.

[slapjack413]

Steve that makes a lot of sense! Thank you for your input. I will order a mercury vapor bulb so Milton's shell can get pretty again Oh and he can be in good health!