Page 1 of 1

lighting issue

PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:03 pm
by turtledlucas
I am so confused and would aprreciate a quick response. so i have a red heat glo exo terra. that is the heat bulb and it is about 10 inches away but i was reading the lighting basking on this forum and it said it should be 18 24 inches away and the other bulb that provides sunlight and nutrients and all that good stuff is about 13 inches away. they are both lamps which one should be farther away and closer. I am so confused. quick response appreciated thank u. also i am using exo terra glow lights thank u. also i have cought him eating .little bits of sand left over from when i put sand in and took it out(long story) its ok if he is taking little bits of sand and i mean little

PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:44 pm
by marisa
For the heat bulb (you could use a regular incandescent bulb) the distance depends mainly on the wattage and how warm the bulb makes the basking area (a range of 88 - 90F is good). The distance for the UVB light depends on what percentage of UVB it's putting out.

PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:09 pm
by turtledlucas
marisa wrote:For the heat bulb (you could use a regular incandescent bulb) the distance depends mainly on the wattage and how warm the bulb makes the basking area (a range of 88 - 90F is good). The distance for the UVB light depends on what percentage of UVB it's putting out.
well the heat bulb is 75 watt and the other one is one of those twisty bulbs. aren't regular house bulbs not as hot

PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:23 pm
by Daniel3507
regular house bulbs work fine for the heat too. is the other bulb a UVB? it should say on the box what % it is

PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:45 pm
by jozzep
The distance doesn't mean anything at all.......Just put a thermometer on the basking spot and set the distance (as close as you can) to 10/12 degrees higher than water temp (water should be around 76-78 degrees).
Sand is not be a problem as long as it's not A LOT.It actually helps them digest food...It's the small gravel that can cause them to get impacted.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:52 am
by turtledlucas
jozzep wrote:The distance doesn't mean anything at all.......Just put a thermometer on the basking spot and set the distance (as close as you can) to 10/12 degrees higher than water temp (water should be around 76-78 degrees).
Sand is not be a problem as long as it's not A LOT.It actually helps them digest food...It's the small gravel that can cause them to get impacted.
what kind of thermometer do i get and where do i put it

PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:02 am
by turtledlucas
also do i leave my heat bulb on all night thats what the guy at petco told me to do

PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:13 am
by Kemul
turtledlucas,

You can use any thermometer. I guess measuring the basking temperature is a
one time thing. Once you get the right temperature, you don't really need to
monitor it daily. The easiest and fastest is to use a temp gun, though.

For heat bulb, I'd suggest using a timer along with the UVB bulb for 12 hours a day.
That is to simulate the daytime and nighttime of natural environment.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:15 am
by turtledlucas
Kemul wrote:turtledlucas,

You can use any thermometer. I guess measuring the basking temperature is a
one time thing. Once you get the right temperature, you don't really need to
monitor it daily. The easiest and fastest is to use a temp gun, though.

For heat bulb, I'd suggest using a timer along with the UVB bulb for 12 hours a day.
That is to simulate the daytime and nighttime of natural environment.
o ok casue i left in on in the night cause the3 petco guy said to but ill change that