redearslider.com

hey everyone,

After buying many of the wrong products I finally got a lightsource with both UVA and UVB but I have a question. the light fixture i got is a hood, a long fixture that goes on top of the aquarium lid. my question, is it ok that the light is over the entire tank or is it only supposed to be over the baking area? should i put a regular light bulb to add extra heat near the basking area?

It is fine to have it over the whole tank, although you may have a little algae growth. If it is just a florescent tube light, then you will need a heat source to entice your turtle(s) to bask. Just make sure you have UVB over the basking area, and have the basking spot temp ten degrees warmer then the water. Also makes sure you don't have anything in between the bulb, and the basking spot, unless it has holes that are at least 1/2" wide.

here s a link to copy and paste showing exatly what kind of bulb i got. sitting on top of the cover which is somewhat like a screen, and yes it is fluorescent.

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx? ... yID=14564&

So your turtle gets the most benefit from it, try to have as much as possible/a good portion of it over the basking area. He'll get a lot more of the UVB rays when he's basking than swimming in the water.