Plant lighting

[Leilaskeeper]

Perhaps someone could give me some more info on what a 6500k linear tube is used for. I spoke with someone briefly about it but my husband, being an electrician and all, thinks that a UVB linear tube can provide the same purpose as this light.

I need to know it's exact purpose and what does the 'k' stand for? Why is it 6500? .. Can I go without using one? I have some real plants in both of my enclosures but I want to make sure I'm providing my plants with sufficient a light source.

Any info is always appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

[summoner12]

6500k is a good spectrum for plants to grow.

K stands for kelvin. it is a measurement of the color temp. google: kelvin scale wiki.

 

[jamncristian]

if you have a reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 would you need a plant light for your plants??

 

[draetish]

if you have a reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 would you need a plant light for your plants??

If your cage is not close to a window and you see them going down hill, this light will make all the difference. Your preference.

 

[Leilaskeeper]

If your cage is not close to a window and you see them going down hill, this light will make all the difference. Your preference.

Thanks everyone - so my next question would be, Exoterra provides a 2.0 UVB light 13w that also has 6700 k .. would it be okay if I put that in with my 5.0 UVB light? .. Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH UVB? I'm guessing not .. but perhaps someone could give me their opinion ...

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I think you will be fine but you can buy a plant grow light cheaper.

 

[draetish]

Thanks everyone - so my next question would be, Exoterra provides a 2.0 UVB light 13w that also has 6700 k .. would it be okay if I put that in with my 5.0 UVB light? .. Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH UVB? I'm guessing not .. but perhaps someone could give me their opinion ...

"Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH UVB?" - Yes, if you have a small cage and the cham cannot get out of the UVB. Their bodies tell them when they've had enough and they will move away from the UVB. When they bask outside, they do not stay in the sun all day. I noticed my chams will bask directly under the UVB for awhile and then move away. The UVB stimulates the sun which provides Vit D which is needed to absorb calcium. That is not to say that you shouldn't supplement with Vit D twice a month though.

 

[bridgofaith]

Thanks everyone - so my next question would be, Exoterra provides a 2.0 UVB light 13w that also has 6700 k .. would it be okay if I put that in with my 5.0 UVB light? .. Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH UVB? I'm guessing not .. but perhaps someone could give me their opinion ...

Here is a thread with a similar discussion regarding a Zoo Med 2.0 bulb. Good info.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/zoo-med-6500k-lamp-34554/

I believe this would also apply to the Exo Terra 2.0, someone will correct me if I am wrong. A 2.0 bulb does NOT provide enough UVB to be beneficial to chameleons, which would require an additional UVB source. So, using a 2.0 bulb WITH a 5.0 would be fine. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Leilaskeeper]

"Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH UVB?" - Yes, if you have a small cage and the cham cannot get out of the UVB. Their bodies tell them when they've had enough and they will move away from the UVB. When they bask outside, they do not stay in the sun all day. I noticed my chams will bask directly under the UVB for awhile and then move away. The UVB stimulates the sun which provides Vit D which is needed to absorb calcium. That is not to say that you shouldn't supplement with Vit D twice a month though.

I've seen my girl behave this way. Moving from the basking lamp to the UVB light. At least I know that I should provide her with an area in the enclosure without the UVB light. I will definitely still supplement. Thanks Donna!

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Here is a thread with a similar discussion regarding a Zoo Med 2.0 bulb. Good info.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/zoo-med-6500k-lamp-34554/

I believe this would also apply to the Exo Terra 2.0, someone will correct me if I am wrong. A 2.0 bulb does NOT provide enough UVB to be beneficial to chameleons, which would require an additional UVB source. So, using a 2.0 bulb WITH a 5.0 would be fine. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.

Great link - this totally answers my question. I'm confident your answer is right. How much of a difference could their be from Exo Terra and Zoo Med 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 UVB lights? If anything, it's subtle.

Thanks everyone for all your help

 

[bridgofaith]

Great link - this totally answers my question. I'm confident your answer is right. How much of a difference could their be from Exo Terra and Zoo Med 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 UVB lights? If anything, it's subtle.

Thanks everyone for all your help

The ReptiSun is better than the ReptiGlo. Here is another link that explains it very well. https://www.chameleonforums.com/repti-sun-5-0-repti-glo-5-0-a-13239/index2.html Read post #14.

 

[summoner12]

Heather is on it with the links! LOL nice work!

Zoo Med has better life expectancy than Exo Terra lamps. The output of a zoo med is stronger and lasts longer.

yes there is such a thing as 'too much UVB' To learn about UVB and UV in general with reptiles check out the UV Guide website. This site will give you a run down of what your animal needs from UV rays. It is more than you might expect.

 

[bridgofaith]

Thanks Kevin, LOL. I had the link to the UV Guide as well, but, thought it might be to much. Thanks for posting it, it's great info.

 

[DGray]

Perhaps someone could give me some more info on what a 6500k linear tube is used for. I spoke with someone briefly about it but my husband, being an electrician and all, thinks that a UVB linear tube can provide the same purpose as this light.

I need to know it's exact purpose and what does the 'k' stand for? Why is it 6500? .. Can I go without using one? I have some real plants in both of my enclosures but I want to make sure I'm providing my plants with sufficient a light source.

Any info is always appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Wow; its so hard to talk about light. As the previous respondent stated, the rating comes from "Degrees Kelvin"; Kelvin is usually used more in astrophysics than plant culture.

Yes, bulbs usually have a rating in degrees Kelvin. Color temp is only one aspect of the quality of light coming out a light bulb or tube. Others aspects are important in their own ways: spectrum, photosynthetically significant output, wattage, overall energy output, etc.

You will often see other terms that refer to light like lumens, lux, and microeinsteins per second per square meter. For plant lighting, you can ignore these. The wattage of the tube is significant. Longer tubes are better than shorter tubes. Closer is better. Direct light is better than filtered light.

Temperature of the bulbs is not critical. A 6500 K. is OK for plant growth, depending on the spectral output. Color temperature and spectral output are not tightly aligned. A "normal" light is a temperature nearer to 5500 K. This is sometimes referred to as a "daylight" bulb, as it is thought to be close to the color of an slightly overcast sky at mid-day.

Most of the bulbs that are optimized for plant growth have very little UV output; that is not what plants need. Plant lights usually have spikes in the outputs of the near-red and near-blue areas of their spectrums, because this type of light grows plants really well. "Gro-Lux" was a well-known brand of plant light. To our eyes, these lights look weirdly pink. For this reason, I prefer a daylight bulb such as "Vita-lite" or "Veri-Lux". They have a very white light. A 6500 K. bulb is a little "warmer", and most people seem to prefer this type of light.

Plants can use different wavelengths for photosynthesis, but they usually use the spectrum that comes from the sun best. Other areas of the spectra are less useful for plants. For instance, almost no plants use green light well. The same goes for mid UV, such as UVb. If the whole light output of a bulb was in the UVb band, plants would not grow well under them. As it happens, most of the bulbs we use for UVb have significant output in the bands that plants use for photosynthesis, so plants *will* grow under them.

With a combination of plant ( or daylight ) bulbs and UVb bulbs, everybody will be happy. This is what I use over my habitats.

Another huge factor for plant growth under lights is the quantity of light. For plants growing under fluorescent lights, more is better. Three or four 48" tubes is best for high-light plants, especially things like hibiscus. I use two or three Vita-lites to one Reptisun. For just plant growth, I use six T-5 tube fixtures; these are stunningly bright, especially before coffee.

For plant lighting, increasing the duration (daylength) can help make up for low light levels. A 16 or 18 hour day is fine for plants under lights. Tropical animals are not so flexible; they need to have a 12 or 12.5 hour day and so the longer period is not an option in their habitats. If you have a separate area for growing plants you might use longer days to get better growth.

The other major aspect of lighting for plant growth is distance from the light source. Light drops off very steeply from the source. Six inches is not half of three inches; its less. Closer is better. A deeper cage requires more light, or stronger lights to reach the floor.

Also, be sure to date your bulbs with an indelible marker with the installation date, and replace them every 6 months. Certain bulbs, like Vita-Lites will go for more than a year, but better to replace most types early. A meter can be invaluable here.

Hope some of that helps. Comments welcome.