Best Linear UVB Bulbs?

[ReptileLove18]

i'm looking for opinions for what linear UVB to get for my big cham set up. i'm getting a male veiled, he's gonna be 3-4 months old when we bring him home. I have a 2 ft x 2 ft x 4ft screen enclosure and a fixture that holds a 24 inch bulb. so what brands and strength (5.0 or 10.0) would you all recommend for this set up?

thank you

 

[Kaianuanu]

Generally the Zoo Med Reptisuns are preferred in 5.0. Although some use 10.0's I personally would stick to 5.0's for juveniles.

 

[bradley]

I use 10.0 on my panthers and veileds. I feel the veileds would receive more uv in the wild than what a 5.0 is able to give out. The large cage size means he can choose what uv he wants and he will move in accordance to this. I have raised newborns with 10.0 bulbs and have never had a problem.

 

[Kaianuanu]

I use 10.0 on my panthers and veileds. I feel the veileds would receive more uv in the wild than what a 5.0 is able to give out. The large cage size means he can choose what uv he wants and he will move in accordance to this. I have raised newborns with 10.0 bulbs and have never had a problem.

I didn't see that cage size. I have a baby panther in a 2x2x4 also, with a reptisun 5.0, but it is a T5HO, so it is putting out higher levels of UV. In this case, a 10.0 might provide better penetration, or as I said, a 5.o in T5HO may also be appropriate.

 

[Jish an speedy]

I use Arcadia with a 6.0 uvb linear tube in.
Perfect for my enclosure and Cham

 

[bradley]

Yes the 5.0 HO would be fine but probably will not fit in the fixture you have.

I personally use the arcadia T5 HO 12% on my panthers in adult size cages and smaller.

 

[Video Master]

i'm looking for opinions for what linear UVB to get for my big cham set up. i'm getting a male veiled, he's gonna be 3-4 months old when we bring him home. I have a 2 ft x 2 ft x 4ft screen enclosure and a fixture that holds a 24 inch bulb. so what brands and strength (5.0 or 10.0) would you all recommend for this set up?

thank you

I am getting a Arcadia 6% for my next bulb. From what I have read this last longer than the other brands and it has that little bit more output.

 

[pigglett79]

I also use the Arcadia T5 HO and am happy with them.

 

[Decadancin]

I also use the Arcadia 6% T5 HO for UVB. The output compared to a regular bulb was drastically different. (in a great way!) As for the 5.0 vs. 10.0 debate, the common answer is the 5.0, but either should be fine. Just make sure that no matter the choice you give your new cham lots of foliage to get out of the rays when needed. Can't wait to meet your new boy!

 

[ReptileLove18]

thank you everyone for your replies and suggestions!!

i dont think the T5 HO would fit in my fixture either, it is a regular fluorescent fixture and i have read those need a special fixture.

i think for now im going to get a 10.0, probably repitsun and see how that goes! i may adjust it later on, as they do only last about 6 months but i'll see what i think of this first. thanks again everyone!

 

[ReptileLove18]

I also use the Arcadia 6% T5 HO for UVB. The output compared to a regular bulb was drastically different. (in a great way!) As for the 5.0 vs. 10.0 debate, the common answer is the 5.0, but either should be fine. Just make sure that no matter the choice you give your new cham lots of foliage to get out of the rays when needed. Can't wait to meet your new boy!

i will definitely give him lots of foliage and pathways so he can move around and get the heat and UVB he needs!

thanks Deca, i cant wait to get him home!!!!!! i'm making sure my enclosure is perfect before we order him and its gonna be great! im so excited!

 

[ReptileLove18]

while shopping around for my bulb, i read on one of the site sponsors sites to never use 10.0 as it puts out a lot of phosphourus and can be harmful because of that and too much light.. is this legitmate? because i have read of a TON of members using 10.0 with success, as several of you have said on this thread. is there a risk of using 10.0?

 

[Decadancin]

while shopping around for my bulb, i read on one of the site sponsors sites to never use 10.0 as it puts out a lot of phosphourus and can be harmful because of that and too much light.. is this legitmate? because i have read of a TON of members using 10.0 with success, as several of you have said on this thread. is there a risk of using 10.0?

You've just entered the ultimate lighting debate! I will only tell you that if I did not switch to the T5 HO type, I was going to do the 10.0 for my setup. There is no "right" answer to this because there are many variables to consider, but as you stated, many are using them with success! And the chams should self regulate their UVB intake with enough foliage to escape to when needed! Hope this helps, but I'm sure some will disagree .

 

[ReptileLove18]

You've just entered the ultimate lighting debate! I will only tell you that if I did not switch to the T5 HO type, I was going to do the 10.0 for my setup. There is no "right" answer to this because there are many variables to consider, but as you stated, many are using them with success! And the chams should self regulate their UVB intake with enough foliage to escape to when needed! Hope this helps, but I'm sure some will disagree .

it did help, thank you! it seems to me if you are using a phosphourus free calcium and there is plenty of foliage it should be okay

the debates are always quite interesting, i like hearing the different points people bring to the table

 

[Venutus1]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ReptileLove18
while shopping around for my bulb, i read on one of the site sponsors sites to never use 10.0 as it puts out a lot of phosphourus and can be harmful because of that and too much light.. is this legitmate? because i have read of a TON of members using 10.0 with success, as several of you have said on this thread. is there a risk of using 10.0?
You've just entered the ultimate lighting debate! I will only tell you that if I did not switch to the T5 HO type, I was going to do the 10.0 for my setup. There is no "right" answer to this because there are many variables to consider, but as you stated, many are using them with success! And the chams should self regulate their UVB intake with enough foliage to escape to when needed! Hope this helps, but I'm sure some will disagree .
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They do not "put out" or "give off" phosphorus.

They do not magically "sprinkle" elemental phosphorus out of them onto the chams.

that is soooo stupid.

AAAaaaRGH.

sorry. I know I went off on this in another post somewhere before.... but it still freaks me out every time I see this referred to.

I couldn't help it. LOL

Cheers
Todd

 

[Olimpia]

Yea, like Todd said, that's some sort of myth that floats around.

I have used the Reptisun 10.0 exclusively for everyone for over a year now, adults, hatchlings, everyone. I've read all the UV reading comparisons between the two common bulbs (Reptisun and Reptiglo) in the 5.0 and 10.0 versions through screen and done my own readings and there really isn't any competition, the Reptisun 10.0 is the better of the four.

And by better I don't mean astronomical, inhuman levels of UVB. But it is a couple times stronger, which still puts it (with a Solarmeter) at about 35 µW/cm² 12" away in a screened cage vs. about 15 µW/cm² from a Reptisun 5.0.

To put that in perspective, in the shade of a large tree outside you still read something in the range of 70-100 µW/cm² depending on conditions, and about 250 µW/cm² at noon in direct sunlight where I am located. So given those numbers (and given that these bulbs decline over time) I do not think that 30 is an unsafe reading (comparable to UV available outside before 8:30-9am, here), while I do think that 15 is already borderline minimal when brand new.

That said, the Arcadia bulbs are much better still. They output more to begin with and will last you a lot longer than 6 months.

A good cage should always have spots of thick plant cover anyway, so they can choose how much of anything to expose themselves to, but the 10.0 bulbs are not going to fry your chameleons by any means.

 

[Venutus1]

Yea, like Todd said, that's some sort of myth that floats around.

I have used the Reptisun 10.0 exclusively for everyone for over a year now, adults, hatchlings, everyone. I've read all the UV reading comparisons between the two common bulbs (Reptisun and Reptiglo) in the 5.0 and 10.0 versions through screen and done my own readings and there really isn't any competition, the Reptisun 10.0 is the better of the four.

And by better I don't mean astronomical, inhuman levels of UVB. But it is a couple times stronger, which still puts it (with a Solarmeter) at about 35 µW/cm² 12" away in a screened cage vs. about 15 µW/cm² from a Reptisun 5.0.

To put that in perspective, in the shade of a large tree outside you still read something in the range of 70-100 µW/cm² depending on conditions, and about 250 µW/cm² at noon in direct sunlight where I am located. So given those numbers (and given that these bulbs decline over time) I do not think that 30 is an unsafe reading (comparable to UV available outside before 8:30-9am, here), while I do think that 15 is already borderline minimal when brand new.

That said, the Arcadia bulbs are much better still. They output more to begin with and will last you a lot longer than 6 months.

A good cage should always have spots of thick plant cover anyway, so they can choose how much of anything to expose themselves to, but the 10.0 bulbs are not going to fry your chameleons by any means.

Couldn't have said it better.
Thank you Olympia!

 

[ReptileLove18]

They do not "put out" or "give off" phosphorus.

They do not magically "sprinkle" elemental phosphorus out of them onto the chams.

that is soooo stupid.

AAAaaaRGH.

sorry. I know I went off on this in another post somewhere before.... but it still freaks me out every time I see this referred to.

I couldn't help it. LOL

Cheers
Todd

thanks for clearing that up for me Todd! i didnt think it was true and thats why i wanted to ask. didnt seem very logical

Yea, like Todd said, that's some sort of myth that floats around.

I have used the Reptisun 10.0 exclusively for everyone for over a year now, adults, hatchlings, everyone. I've read all the UV reading comparisons between the two common bulbs (Reptisun and Reptiglo) in the 5.0 and 10.0 versions through screen and done my own readings and there really isn't any competition, the Reptisun 10.0 is the better of the four.

And by better I don't mean astronomical, inhuman levels of UVB. But it is a couple times stronger, which still puts it (with a Solarmeter) at about 35 µW/cm² 12" away in a screened cage vs. about 15 µW/cm² from a Reptisun 5.0.

To put that in perspective, in the shade of a large tree outside you still read something in the range of 70-100 µW/cm² depending on conditions, and about 250 µW/cm² at noon in direct sunlight where I am located. So given those numbers (and given that these bulbs decline over time) I do not think that 30 is an unsafe reading (comparable to UV available outside before 8:30-9am, here), while I do think that 15 is already borderline minimal when brand new.

That said, the Arcadia bulbs are much better still. They output more to begin with and will last you a lot longer than 6 months.

A good cage should always have spots of thick plant cover anyway, so they can choose how much of anything to expose themselves to, but the 10.0 bulbs are not going to fry your chameleons by any means.

thank you for the readings Olimpia!! very good info to know
i will look into the Arcadia bulbs! and im glad to know the reptisun 10.0 is a good brand/ strength as well
i will also be taking my buddy outside when the weather is good and after he is settled in, once we get him home! real sunlight is the best for sure!

 

[GrimsbyPatchwork]

Was just going through some older threads and came across this which confirmed my thougts of a 10.0 having a better uvb output and still not as close to a chams natural environment.. I have been wondering though how it would affect montane species such as k.multi and jacksons..what are your thoughts > 10.0 or 5.0?

 

[Olimpia]

I have used the 10.0 with carpets, a Jackson's, dwarf chameleons, and currently my Meller's, if that helps. In a well set-up cage it's still fine, in my opinion.