General Care Discussion :: Can UVB be put above water?

[vieniebebe]

So,I bought Vien an ESU UVB,and some cuttlebone.She ate the cuttlebone in no time,but I have a lil proble.She won't bask,since the UVB doesn't produce any heat..I tricked her into going up there yesterday,and she was deciding for about 5min. if she should stay,or jump.So,I was wondering,if it is useful to put UVB above water?Will Vien receive any VitD?If not,how can I make her bask,I'll try to talk my mom into buying another lamp,so I could screw the heat lamp i..Should I lower the water temp,or something for right now?Also,Vien looked so sad when I was eating cheese,and I was just wondering if it's OK if I give her some?

[cam722]

The UVB bulb you have doesn't produce heat as you said, that's why you need a UVA bulb also, you can use a regular lightbulb for this. both should be pointing at the basking area. What is her water temp that you think it should be lowered?

[marisa]

You need a light to heat the basking area. A basking area temp in the range of 88-90F would be good (water temp about 78F). If you use a lightbulb to do this, use a wattage that will get the basking area at that temp (check with a thermometer), and adjust the between the bulb and basking area if necessary.

[vieniebebe]

Apparently I couldn't fit 2 lights in,but I do have a basking lamp.The water is about 82,Vien is a hatchling.Alright,I'll see what I can do.Tnx for help.

[Buslady]

This is the reason I went and got the heat/UVB combo bulb....having two hoods on the tanks drove me nuts.

[vieniebebe]

Yea,it's killing me too.My mom,said,that on sunday,i can go and get another lamp,also I have a really cool idean,which I will probably post when I'm done.Also,next year,I will probably get a combo.

[cam722]

All you really need to do is go to like Home Depot and by a clamp lamp.. they cost about $5.. and use a regular light bulb. It's not really that expensive to take care of the heating part of the basking area..

[sonyj]

And remember that the combo mercury vapor bulb that takes care of the heat and UVB is not recommended for tanks smaller than 50 gallons due to the amount of heat it produces.

[marisa]

vienebebe, do you have a 10-gallon tank? If so, a MVB (mercury vapor bulb) is too strong for your set-up...

I have one 10-gallon set-up with the ESU UVB light and a lightbulb for heat. The lightbulb is the kind that you use for track lighing and is frosted around the sides so the light/heat is focused downward. I have not found it necessary to use a reflective dome with it, and it's just clamped to the side of the tank. The ESU light is clamped next to the heat lamp, but is in a fixture that's shorter than the clamp lamp, which lets the UVB light be closer to my turt than the heat light; the lights are next to each other over the basking area.

[vieniebebe]

Thanks for the $5 lamp tip.Yea,I have a 10 gallon tank,and UVB ESU and a basking lamp,but UVB seems to make her rock even colder.

[cam722]

The UVB bulb doesn't emit heat that's why you need the other light or your turtle won't go up there to bask and they need to get out and dry off completely.

[marisa]

That's why you need a lightbulb next to the ESU light...

[vieniebebe]

Bad news,my mom doesn't let me get another lamp,because she says it wastes to much electricity.Any suggestions on what else I can tell her so she'll let me get it.

[cam722]

Hmm other than if he doesn't have it, the whole setup and turtle is going to be a waste because it will more than likely die? It's just a regular lightbulb nothing special.

[steve]

Also, the UVB bulb is fluorescent and they use very little electricity.