Habitat - Indoor :: reptisun vs reptiglo

[Starchick]

A few weeks ago I swapped Napoleon's old Reptisun 5.0 for a new Reptiglo 5.0. The Reptiglo was so much cheaper I figured I'd give it a try. The timing coincided with it getting colder around here. I allowed for a burn in period then moved it to the proper distance.

Since replacing the bulb, I've only seen Napoleon basking once. Up until this point, he had been basking like crazy, going up at some point in the late afternoon and staying there until the lights went out, then spending the night up on his platform. At first I assumed he wasn't doing that because the air was cooler, so I've been moving the bulb back and forth trying to find a temperature he likes, with no luck so far.

I finally made the connection that about the time he stopped basking was when I replaced the bulb. The new bulb is much much brighter than the old one, it's nearly as bright as his basking bulb. I wondered if maybe he didn't like that? He's not showing eye irritation or anything like that. If nothing changes I'll swap the bulbs back and see what happens but I wondered if anyone else had any input?

[DavidY]

Can you measure the temp on the basking dock to make sure it's warm enough? Also how old was the Reptisun bulb? If it was really old it probably wasn't putting out much in the way of UVB anymore and Napoleon needed to bask longer to absorb the necessary amount. With a brand new bulb the UV output would be higher so he may not need as much basking time to get what he needs.

[Starchick]

The reptisun was a little more than six months old. I put it in Moxie's tank because I couldn't afford a new bulb at the same time as all the other stuff she needed immediately, and it burned out about a week later. The basking spot is currently 93, which is usually where he loves it, but I wasn't seeing any basking so I've been varying it a bit to see what happens. Thank you for the advice, that makes a lot of sense.

[SpotsMama]

How many watts is the Repti glo? How close it is to the basking platform?

[Starchick]

The reptiglo is 26 watts, the same as a reptisun I think. Right now it's about 10 inches from the platform, it was closer after a burn in period but I backed it off thinking maybe it would help if it was too bright for him.

[SpotsMama]

If he still won't bask at 10" you might try backing it off another inch or two. The manufacturer says it is effective "up to 12 inches". Let me know how it goes.

[Starchick]

Well, Napoleon's still being lame. He just will not bask, I've got the uvb bulb back as far as it can go, and I've been moving his heat bulb all over the place. I'm almost wanting to go buy a new reptisun to see if he'd go back to basking with that. I was also wondering about mercury vapor bulbs. I've heard that they're too powerful to use in tanks smaller than 50 gallons. Hercules is in a 45, is that pushing it? And I was wondering about Napoleon, because he's got the above tank basking area, so even though the tank is technically too small, not much of the light will actually be hitting the water. What do you think?

[octpusgirl8]

I used an MVB in a 40 gallon breeder tank for a while with no problems. I would think it would be fine, especially if not much of the light will be hitting the water.

[N4784N R4613]

50 gallons is just a guild line we use on this forum, if your close to that, or have an above tank basking spot, then it will be fine. Heck, I used a MVB on a 29 long. It was a "spot" bulb, instead of a "flood" bulb. So I was able to keep it waaaaaaaay back from the basking spot, and water. I think it was three feet!!!

[DavidY]

A MVB should be fine for your tank just make sure to measure the temp on the basking platform and adjust the height of the bulb as necessary. That's really odd that Napoleon won't bask with the new ReptiGlo bulb though.

[marisa]

I'm using a MVB in a 40-gallon stock tank without any problems. I think the "openness" of the container, which would allow heat to escape makes a difference (a 40-gallon breeder is also pretty wide/open). The 50-gallon guideline is given on other forums as well, and is mentioned for safety reasons in case someone with a small tank tried to use one (way back a member did, and found it really hard to position the bulb safely---I don't know if he was able to use it in the end).

Perhaps the color if the Reptiglo is a bit different than the Reptisun (maybe no different to you, but your turtle can tell). I don't think 5 gallons is going to make a difference as to whether or not you can use one, especially the 100-watt UVB.

[grey goose]

Maybe try turning the new UVB light off for a couple of days and see if he starts basking again. Also maybe check the water temp to see if it's too high. I just turned my heaters back on for the winter, and while I'm struggling to synchronize the two heaters, the temp has gone up to 78-79F, so they are loving it a bit too much, not basking as much as before.....

[Starchick]

grey goose, you're right on target with both points. Last night I shut off the uvb light before going out, and when I came back his basking bulb hadn't shut off yet and he was up there basking. He was completely dry, so he'd been up there quite a while. And it's definitely warmer in my apartment right now, I'm trying to balance what's comfortable for me and what'll work for them. I'm thinking I'll just buy him a new reptisun, and give the reptiglo to moxie since her bulb is due to be replaced, and she how she likes it.

[Starchick]

Guess who's basking right now? Little punk!

[grey goose]

I try to keep it at 76F, that seems to be the ideal temp for them. Any warmer and they get lazy, and just like to soak in the "hot tub".