krknieriem
New Member
I had an idea about using aquarium high output T8 tubes as my growlight in my enclosure and was wondering if anyone had tried this before and if so what was the results
aquarium bulbs as grow bulbs
- Thread starter krknieriem
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krknieriem
New Member
I am surprised there has not been a discussion about that here yet, I currently have a t8 plant bulb from home depot and its pink, I want to get another for a 18 and a 24 hood that is safe and supports the plants in the enclosure
seanUTD
New Member
Most ALL of the aquarium lights they sell at Petsmart work and are safe... honestly it's just bright light, its compacts we worry about but there are certain spectrums that even in linear form are too strong but normal aquarium hoods just don't use that kind of spectrum if memory serves me right
drcrossfire
Avid Member
t8's add good light to make your chameleon POP-- just make sure you are still supplying the recommended UV and heat lamp
krknieriem
New Member
i was thinking about going with the ultra-sun t8 bulbs
krknieriem
New Member
oh yea I definitely am using a separate 5.0uvb tube, I have dual fixtures and I wanted the second tube to stimulate plant growth without it being a pink bulb from home depot
SonTigerPantherCham
New Member
I have been really trying to research and understand Cham lighting since I received my uv meter. Is it my understanding that the "t" means its a tubular/ linear and the 8 is the circumference of the tube? The t8 and t5 are the most efficient, but the t5 is higher rated in lpw's but cost more?
drcrossfire
Avid Member
yes, the 5 and 8 refer to the diameter. 12's are even bigger still!
I dont want to recommend anything though because i haven't read enough that proves one thing or another. I dont want to be torn apart for pretending to know about chameleon t5 lighting--- i just kind of go by aquarium knowledge-- but make sure to have the chameleon standard 5.0 and 60watt heat lamp
SonTigerPantherCham
New Member
Hi Dan!,
Do the t8 aquariums put out any heat or uv? This might seem like a silly question. I used my meter on plain t8 florescent linears and they had no discernable uv
do our uv lights help plants, or is a grow light neccessary
Do the t8 aquariums put out any heat or uv? This might seem like a silly question. I used my meter on plain t8 florescent linears and they had no discernable uv
do our uv lights help plants, or is a grow light neccessary
Ultra Suns
Yes, these are a good bulb and produce nice "day-light" colored light,
but do NOT produce any UV B... so make sure you use a Repti Sun 5.0 bulb with them in a 2 bulb fixture. (Like a shop light)
Cheers,
Todd
LightYourReptiles.com
Yes, these are a good bulb and produce nice "day-light" colored light,
but do NOT produce any UV B... so make sure you use a Repti Sun 5.0 bulb with them in a 2 bulb fixture. (Like a shop light)
Cheers,
Todd
LightYourReptiles.com
SonTigerPantherCham
New Member
Hi Todd!
Love, love, love my solartech 6.2!!!
I have become obsessed with learning all about lights!!
Never give a new toy to a type A person!!!
Anne
Love, love, love my solartech 6.2!!!
I have become obsessed with learning all about lights!!
Never give a new toy to a type A person!!!
Anne
SonTigerPantherCham
New Member
P.S. Todd
I used my solartech 6.2 uv meter( I know, enough already!)from light your reptiles and on the brand new bulb inside the cage it only read 18!, outside the screen, same distance and angle...60!
So I made small holes(just stretched) all along the underside of my light fixture(an idea from another member) and it went up to 34!
and I know you are LYR, just giving you a shout out!!
I used my solartech 6.2 uv meter( I know, enough already!)from light your reptiles and on the brand new bulb inside the cage it only read 18!, outside the screen, same distance and angle...60!
So I made small holes(just stretched) all along the underside of my light fixture(an idea from another member) and it went up to 34!
and I know you are LYR, just giving you a shout out!!
clarkrw3
New Member
I have a DIY light fixture for dual t8 light bulbs and am running a 5.0 raptisun and a aquarium 6700 bulb. Not sure if it is perfectly safe for chams but it is what I am running. I also have my basking bulb a Reveal 40 compact incandescent bulb so that it is farther away from the screen.
Yes, you are right!
The so called plant lights (like Gro Lux or Aquari- Lux bulbs) do NOT produce any UV B. Those bulbs have extra "punch" in the red and blue spectral range, making them look more purple-ish.
This is because plants have photosynthetic requirements that utilize red and blue wavelengths of light more so than the other colors of the spectrum.
So the bulb manufactures add an extra kick in those wavelengths of light for bulbs designed for plant use.
Personally, I avoid using any plant purple-ish "Gro Light" over any herp.
Also, those actinic blue bulbs that come with aquarium fixtures (like those T5 fixtures with actinic (blue) bulbs intended for reef tank use) are not designed for herpetological use either, btw. (Replace them !! arrgh
)Why avoid them...?
Because they produce light that has a spectral curve that is un-natural for terrestrial animals.... including reptiles.
(plus the fact they produce no UV B.)
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
Todd
LightYourReptiles.com
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drcrossfire
Avid Member
Yes, you are right!
Also, those actinic blue bulbs that come with aquarium fixtures (like those T5 fixtures with actinic (blue) bulbs intended for reef tank use) are not designed for herpetological use either, btw. (Replace them !! arrgh
Why avoid them...?
Because they produce light that has a spectral curve that is un-natural for terrestrial animals.... including reptiles.
(plus the fact they produce no UV B.)
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
Todd
LightYourReptiles.com
Actinic bulbs are bad for plant growth either way... Never even considered them for reptiles. Do you have good references for this information? How about daylight bulbs or 10ks for reptiles?
Cheers!
Sure.
Actinic blue bulbs are what is included in most t5 fixtures for salt tanks, Allot of folks are buying these fixtures for all kinds of herps now days. The actinic blue bulbs are used for corals. But people are not taking them out and replacing them with 6.5 full spectrum bulbs. The thing one must understand is that actinic blue bulbs are used to simulate sunlight as it passes through 10-30+ feet of water. Water filters out red and orange wavelengths... so there is a "blue shift" to sunlight as it reaches corals and saltwater fish on a coral reef... (think: the ocean appears is blue. that's why) Light reaching corals is bluer-er and what makes natural & proper lighting for corals is very un-natural lighting for terrestrial animals.
You said "Never even considered them for reptiles".
Good. Don't.
Unfortunately they are getting used allot in some segments of the herp hobby by default since they are comming in these fixtures. They should be removed.
Now.. lets see... what else did you ask...Oh... references.
The reference one needs to be familiar with is what the natural spectrum of sunlight is. Thats it.
Just google it. Since you can't improve Mother Nature, the (visual) spectrum of light that one should shoot for when lighting animals is one that most closely duplicates natural sunlight light.
The "k" color of light is referring to the Kelvin color temperature of the light. That topic is way to much to go off on in on a short post....I suggest if anyone is still reading this far and has more interest ... just use our friend Google and type in Kelvin color Temperature of sunlight...and they will see the light--- hahah
Seriously, I think Wikipedia comes up as one of the first options. It is a good choice to read.
The short of it is that the Kelvin color temperature of Natural Sunlight is between 5.6K - 6.8k. (Depending on the time of day, overcast or not, etc ... and where you are at on the planet.)
I ask, why would anyone want to deviate from using the the closest thing to what natural light is... and put some light with an un-natural spectrum over your pets?
(Now I know, NO light bulb or fluorescent tube is perfectas far as exactly duplicating sunlight... but that could be something to debate in a different post.)
As far as Grow Lights go.. first Google: "Spectrum of natural light" or "Daylight" to see what the natural spectrum of sunshine is all around us--- and then Google: Spectrum of Gro light, or some such thing. Compare the 2 graphs.
Oh yea. 10K bulbs. Folks seem to like the look of 10K bulbs. They are ok, and have a crisper white look to the light... but they still are "whiter" than natural sunlight is.
Some people think they tend to look bluer. Again, I think they are better suited to a fish tank to simulate sunlight light as it passes through say 5 - 10 feet or so of clear water. (thus having the longer, redder wavelengths filter out by the water.)
Remember, sunlight striking us & all around us is 5.5 - 6.7-ish Kelvin... give or take.
That is what all life on earth has evolved under for million & millions of years.
Including your Chameleons.
Anybody who says something different is somehow better to light your Chams with is, well... full of
Hope this helps and was not too technical.
Cheers.
Todd
www.LightYourReptiles.com
[email protected]
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OrangeCrush
New Member
I am pretty sure I remember reading something about the plant growing bulbs. They have a few different kinds of these bulbs that do different things. I know the true indoor plant growing bulbs are very expensive. They have plant bulbs that just produce a good spectrum lighting that really have no UVB in them. If I were you I would play it safe then sorry. You can order the reptisuns online for less than $30. It's better to know he is getting the proper amount of UVB then not. You wouldnt want to risk him getting a case of MDB. It just not worth it for $30 since you have spent so much time and money on him alredy $30 is not worth risking the health of the Cham.
drcrossfire
Avid Member
Sure.
Actinic blue bulbs are what is included in most t5 fixtures for salt tanks, Allot of folks are buying these fixtures for all kinds of herps now days. The actinic blue bulbs are used for corals. But people are not taking them out and replacing them with 6.5 full spectrum bulbs. The thing one must understand is that actinic blue bulbs are used to simulate sunlight as it passes through 10-30+ feet of water. Water filters out red and orange wavelengths... so there is a "blue shift" to sunlight as it reaches corals and saltwater fish on a coral reef... (think: the ocean appears is blue. that's why) Light reaching corals is bluer-er and what makes natural & proper lighting for corals is very un-natural lighting for terrestrial animals.
You said "Never even considered them for reptiles".
Good. Don't.
Unfortunately they are getting used allot in some segments of the herp hobby by default since they are comming in these fixtures. They should be removed.
Now.. lets see... what else did you ask...Oh... references.
The reference one needs to be familiar with is what the natural spectrum of sunlight is. Thats it.
Since you can't improve Mother Nature, the (visual) spectrum of light that one should shoot for when lighting animals is one that most closely duplicates natural sunlight light.
The "k" color of light is referring to the Kelvin color temperature of the light. That topic is way to much to go off on in on a short post....I suggest if anyone is still reading this far and has more interest ... just use our friend Google and type in Kelvin color Temperature of sunlight...and they will see the light--- hahah
Seriously, I think Wikipedia comes up as one of the first options. It is a good choice to read.
The short of it is that the Kelvin color temperature of Natural Sunlight is between 5.6K - 6.8k. (Depending on the time of day, overcast or not, etc ... and where you are at on the planet.)
I ask, why would anyone want to deviate from using the the closest thing to what natural light is... and put some light with an un-natural spectrum over your pets?
(Now I know, NO light bulb or fluorescent tube is perfectas far as exactly duplicating sunlight... but that could be something to debate in a different post.)
As far as Grow Lights go.. first Google: "Spectrum of natural light" or "Daylight" to see what the natural spectrum of sunshine is all around us--- and then Google: Spectrum of Gro light, or some such thing. Compare the 2 graphs.
Oh yea. 10K bulbs. Folks seem to like the look of 10K bulbs. They are ok, and have a crisper white look to the light... but they still are "whiter" than natural sunlight is.
Some people think they tend to look bluer. Again, I think they are better suited to a fish tank to simulate sunlight light as it passes through say 5 - 10 feet or so of clear water. (thus having the longer, redder wavelengths filter out by the water.)
Remember, sunlight striking us & all around us is 5.5 - 6.7-ish Kelvin... give or take.
That is what all life on earth has evolved under for million & millions of years.
Including your Chameleons.
Anybody who says something different is somehow better to light your Chams with is, well... full of
Hope this helps and was not too technical.
Cheers.
Todd
www.LightYourReptiles.com
[email protected]
I understand what you're saying--- but you still didn't touch on the fact that there is no empirical evidence to show that the statement "actinic lights are bad for reptiles" is true. Nor your other references to spectrums.
Though your logic is one that is safe, to say that you are the lighting expert because you analysed a graph about naturally occuring light spectrums seems flawed. As I stated earlier, I am not an expert so I didn't want to give advice on the matter, and I would venture to say nor are you~
It bothers me that you assume to know better without anything that would prove you to be correct (ie, studies to show that actinic blues cause some damage to reptile herpetoculture). Making these statements as if you know they are true may lead some to believe it is fact, and not speculation.
Regards,
Dan
