General Care Discussion :: Shell condition

[bover907]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this, but from what I've read, the problem with uvb compact flourescents is not the brand, but the UVB%. It seems the consensus that Sliders need a 5.0% UVB light, and the issues people had were with certain 10.0% lights.

Is that correct? I guess if you're stuck with a 10% light, you could just make sure it's far enough away from the basking area to not cause the eye problems. As far as the 5.0, you're good from just out of turt's reach to 12" away.

Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong, because being fairly new myself, I don't want to give the wrong info out.

[marisa]

In general, I think it's more the brand than the % of UVB output. Of course, a 5% output is half that of the 10% one, and the lower output would create fewer, if any, problems related to strength. But some of the newer UVB bulbs that came on the market were produced using phosphors that had the effect of causing eye problems (similar to snow blindness). This is why you want to deal with a reputable brand.

I speak only for Reptisun tube flourescents---the 5% output can be placed 6 -8 inches from the basking turtle and there shouldn't be any problems. The 10.0 ones should be a bit further back, I usually have them 10 - 12 inches away when they're new. If a bulb is placed in a reflective dome or fixture with an aluminum reflector, it can double the UVB output, and it's good to keep this in mind when deciding on distance (the tube I'm using doesn't have an aluminum reflector).

BTW, I am not "stuck" the the 10.0 UVB light. I consciously chose it, and it has not created any problems for the turtles that are under it.