Habitat - Indoor :: Unsure of what type of lightbulb...

[LucasTurtle]

I have read the lighting and basking section however, when I went to the local pet store there were SO many different bulbs for reptiles. I'm not sure of the watts and what is the appropriate one to buy for 2 medium sized turtles and a not so large basking platform.

I also found bulbs that said day glow and sun glow etc... I'm very confused on which bulbs to buy. On some of the back of the boxes of the bulb there were charts of UVA/UVB rays, which confused me even more. Please help. Thanks

[scottpkura]

There are several types of Bulbs. For heat you can use a household 60-75 watt incandescent bulb. At the proper distance this should achieve 90-ish degrees for basking. You also need to acquire a CFL UVB bulb. Reptisun 5.0 and Reptiglo 5.0 are the most popular. Price range for the reptiglo is sub $20 in most retailers. Reptisun is $30+ at most retailers, but they are usually cheaper online.

You need 2 Bulbs if you are not going to buy a MVB bulb. MVB bulbs generate UVA/UVB + Heat. MVB bulbs range from $49 to $99. You will need to get a fixture that is rated up to 150 watts, and has a ceramic housing as MVB get quite hot. There are many schools of thought on MVB vs. Incandescent + CFL. Go to the main page and read other threads on this.

Additionally, you need to consider a basking platform that allows your turtle to dry off completely (Top and Bottom). If you are using a floating dock, not many will support the weight of a larger RES, little alone 2.

[jshirleyabc]

I have a 33 gallon tank, that is 1f x 1f x 3f roughly. I am considering a mercury vapor bulb, however I am not sure what wattage to use. Anyone know? The turtle is still small, about the size of my hand. Thanks

[BullDog]

What size is your tank?
You have two options for basking lights:
1. Two light fixtures, one with a UVB bulb (either CFL or tube fluorescent), and one with an incandescent bulb.
2. A mercury vapour bulb (MVB). These combine both heat and UVB. However, they should only be used in tanks 50 gallons or larger, since they can heat up the water to dangerous levels in a smaller tank (this should answer your quest jshirley)

A CFL UVB will fit in a regular light socket. There are two brands that you see frequently, Repti-sun and Repti-glo. They're pretty much the same quality wise. It's suggested that you get the 5.0 (5% UVB) 26W bulb. 10.0 can be too strong, and 13W is too weak.

For heat, you can use a regular incandescent household bulb. Day glo, sun glo, and "full spectrum" lights don't give off much (if any) UVB.

[jshirleyabc]

Thanks for the info. My tank is a 33 gallon. Approx 1foot x 1foot x 3 foot. So I guess Mercury vapor bulb is not gonna work. But thanks, better finding out now before buying it that it isn't gonna work.

[LucasTurtle]

Okay, thanks so much I will look for these today, when shopping.

[jshirleyabc]

For the incandescent bulb, what wattage do you think I should have for the turtle? Again it's a 33 gallon tank.

[BullDog]

jshirley - Usually a 60-75 watt light bulb will do. It's important to measure the temperature of the basking area. The basking temp should be about 10 degrees warmer than the water temp (so 85-90F is a good basking temp).

[jshirleyabc]

Ok thanks so much for the info!