Habitat - Indoor :: heating lamp

[drpepper177]

i have 2 RES and there names are bowser male and koopa female so my brother is brining a snake heating lamp tomorrow will that be good for my turtles? and i have a 30 gallon tank i might get a 75 gallon tomorrow thanks

[emma]

You will need a UVB lamp. They provide good vitamins for their shells. So no matter what you will need to get that. And make sure that the box says UVB on it otherwise it is not a UVB lamp. And for the snake heat lamp you are talking about, how many WATTS is it? It might be to hot for turtles. Anyways, for heat, you can just use a regular house bulb. And that is about all you will need to lights.

[drpepper177]

oh thx i have no idea about the watts but ill have to see tomorrow but my tank came with a UV8 or wateva so it will be fine im sure

[drpepper177]

i found out it was 150 watts is that to hot?

[emma]

No, i wouldnt think so. I think it would be OK. Your turtle obviously wouldnt go up there if it was so hot. But maybe it doesnt matter how hot it is...try it and see.

[emma]

It would though, be a lot cheaper just to use a regular house hold lightbulb for heating. Keep the wattage between 75-100 WATTS. And make sure that the light isnt to close, maybe 6-12 inches away from the basking area.

[drpepper177]

thanks im getting it tomorrow so i dont know yet

[Starchick]

What's emmanelson has said is good advice, but no matter what the wattage and the distance, you'll need to take a thermometer and check the temperature of your basking spot.

150 watts is a pretty hot bulb, that's what I'm using in Napoleon's tank, and it's about a foot and a half from the basking spot and still heating it to about 93.

You'll probably have to play around with the distance to get it right. For adult turtles your water should be around 76 degrees, and the basking spot should usually be about 10 degrees above that, although my turtles like it warmer. If you start with the 'correct' temperature and your turtles start basking, then you're good, otherwise start inching it closer to the basking spot just a little each day, and eventually you'll find the sweet spot that they like.

[drpepper177]

i got a 150 watt lamp but the light bulb is 75 and there up there the whole time i have it on thx

[N4784N R4613]

Awesome!!! You do have UVB over the basking spot too, right?

[drpepper177]

yea it came with the tank i bought at petco its 30 gallons