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so, i found some RES a few months ago, put them outside for a few weeks every day till i found a different forum and learned what else i needed to keep them indoors. right now i have 4 RES a little under 2 inches long in my 10 gallon tank. im upgrading to a 60+ gallon in a few days, don't worry. when i bought everything i needed from petsmart, i was told i didn't need UVB, only UVA was important. so they sold me the lamp and a 2 pack of Repti Basking Spot Lamp 75w bulbs from Zoo Med. The package says that it provides beneficial UVA Rays for the turtles psychological well being. after lurking around here i gathered that this is basically a rip off right? any old lightbulb would do for UVA right? and i now need to get a special lamp for UVB?? im really confused because all i have right now is the one lamp about 6-7 inches away from their basking spot that is only UVA apparently. they seem happy and healthy with no problems so far and it has been about a month and a half since they were out in the sun. i also read somewhere that if i take them outside for just 5 hours a week then i don't need the UVB. is this true?? i prefer to get something that will require the fewest lamps and not get ripped off for something that i dont need like special reptile bulbs. i dont want to have to take them outside. i also dont have a heater, but i make it so the water temp is 10 degrees less than the basking area. they are young turtles about 4-5 months old and i have them on a diet of Wardley pellets and Wardley Dried Shrimp Treats. They need the extra protein right? Thanks for any help you guys can offer, I really need it and will post a picture soon of the new tank when I get it so you guys can help me fill in the blanks.

First off, you really need a UVB bulb. Any lightbulb will do for heat/UVA, but a special UVB bulb is crucial to your turtle's long term health. Once you get the 60 gallon tank, you could invest in an MVB bulb, they are expensive, but they last longer than a flourescent UVB bulb, and they provide heat too so that's the only bulb you would need.

Secondly, you also need a heater. Especially for little turtles, a stable water temperature in the upper 70's is the best defense against respriatory illness. They aren't expensive, don't worry.

Thirdly, i believe that Wardley pellets aren't the best in terms of nutrition. Get them a jar of Reptomin, and start offering them some greens in a veggie clip. They might ignore them for a while, but keep offering them, eventually they will start to eat them. It's easier to get them to eat thier veggies if you intorduce them early on.

Lastly, don't listen too much to what they say at Petsmart, or most other pet stores for that matter. 99% of the time they will give you incomplete/just plain wrong information.

Good for you for asking questions and learning, i'm sure you hook your turtles up with a great life.

Btw, you may need to separate them at some point or get a reeeealy big tank.

Yup, what she said. There's nothing better than natural sunlight but if you don't want to have to worry about getting them outside every week, then a UVB light is needed.

Welcome to the forum! Take some time to look at the guides in the links at the top of the page. There's a lot of really good information up there about caring for RES. Cya' around!

thanks, yeah i have been lurking around and reading everything. i found out while reading another thread that i was probably overfeeding them. thanks for the info on the bulb. i'll probably look for a MVB bulb right now online. unless anybody knows any good suppliers.

ok i have been looking around for MVB on the internet. i found this one page at bulbs.com that is a bit overwhelming. how do i know what wattage to use and which one is for turtles. and also, would it be ok to use with my current lamp, (the $25 lamp they sold me for the UVA bulb)?

http://www.bulbs.com/Mercury_Vapor-High_Intensity_Discharge_(HID)-Light_Bulbs-Category/results.aspx?cm_mmc=google-_-light%20bulbs-_-hid%20bulbs-_-mercury%20vapor

You'll need to get your MVB from a reptile supply place to get one that provides UVB. I recommend the T-Rex 100 watt flood. Just be sure your tank is big enough. You're not supposed to use one if your tank is less than about 55 gallons as the MVB's are too strong and hot for a smaller enclosure.

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... cts_id=435

It's important to be careful with the distance the bulb is from the basking area. If this is the bulb for you, you will love it. You only have to have one bulb and you only have to replace it once a year.

Just so you don't feel too bad, your turtles are most likely getting more UVA from those basking bulbs than they'd get from a regular lightbulb. But, once again, they do need a UVB light as well, especially if you can't get them outside for some natural sunlight on a regular basis. A MVB light would work well in that 60-gallon tank.

thanks alot guys for all the information. ill wait to get the MVB until i upgrade the tank in a few days. until then they can watch me clean the pool, and ill do an introductory post for them in a few days.

Petsmart was having a really nice sale on MVBs last week at the store, might be worth checking if i's still on?

Check out the online deals section. There are usually filter and lighting deals going on.