Bulb for best looking cham
- Thread starter Bizzle90
- Start date
brooklynelizabeth
New Member
try to find a clear bulb
clarkrw3
New Member
Some people use Reveal bulbs which do bring out the colors. Also using a "sun" bulb for your plants 6500k helps. But nothing makes them look like they do outside
I wouldn't recommend clear bulbs because they are more harsh and can cause hot spots. Use the same watt bulb clear and frosted and the clear will burn your plants
Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
My girlfriend and I have been spending hours lately researching exactly this. There's lots of discussion about lighting and color at the Phelsuma (day gecko) forum:
http://phelsumaweb.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1202
Basically, you want to color the full spectrum. IMO baby reptiles will reach their peak coloring within a few weeks of age when exposed to the right lighting. After this, that peak is just maintained by the proper lighting. IF they were not exposed to this lighting early on, they will be colorful but not VIBRANT like we want.
It's kinda like Galileo said once "Wine is Sunlight held together by water." Wine and water can be transposed by color and scales
So one day in a few hundred years I may be quoted as saying:
"Color is Sunlight held together by scales."
Thank you.
I think the colors in our chams are really influenced by the right lighting. You want to get some T5 lighting that has a CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 95. You want a color temperature (measured in Kelvins or simply K) of 6500.
That would be your main bulb on all day other than the heat light.
And then you want a timer on a T5 UVB bulb of 8.0 or 10.0. to go on for 4-6 hours throughout the middle of the day.
Your basking light should be as bright as you can possibly find for the lowest wattage and still produce the heat you desire. We use 60-75watt halogens. They can get quite hot, so be careful of placement. If you can, a PowerSun, Mercury Vapor, or Metal Halide would be the best. They are all fairly expensive (Metal Halide is cheapest), and require some precautions and sometimes special fixtures. That's why we just use Halogen.
The basking light can also be on a timer for 6-8 hours if you want.
This will basically activate and exercise the natural color pigments in your chameleon's scales, and mimic more natural lighting qualities.
A variety in diet should help too. We use SuperPig made by Repashy as a supplement a few times a week. That's what makes flamingos pink, salmon flesh so red, etc.
Honestly though, I believe the best potential color that's possible per individual specimen is established between birth and 1 month of age. But doing all this will help.
Now I feel like going and drinking some Sunlight.
http://phelsumaweb.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1202
Basically, you want to color the full spectrum. IMO baby reptiles will reach their peak coloring within a few weeks of age when exposed to the right lighting. After this, that peak is just maintained by the proper lighting. IF they were not exposed to this lighting early on, they will be colorful but not VIBRANT like we want.
It's kinda like Galileo said once "Wine is Sunlight held together by water." Wine and water can be transposed by color and scales
So one day in a few hundred years I may be quoted as saying:
"Color is Sunlight held together by scales."
Thank you.
I think the colors in our chams are really influenced by the right lighting. You want to get some T5 lighting that has a CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 95. You want a color temperature (measured in Kelvins or simply K) of 6500.
That would be your main bulb on all day other than the heat light.
And then you want a timer on a T5 UVB bulb of 8.0 or 10.0. to go on for 4-6 hours throughout the middle of the day.
Your basking light should be as bright as you can possibly find for the lowest wattage and still produce the heat you desire. We use 60-75watt halogens. They can get quite hot, so be careful of placement. If you can, a PowerSun, Mercury Vapor, or Metal Halide would be the best. They are all fairly expensive (Metal Halide is cheapest), and require some precautions and sometimes special fixtures. That's why we just use Halogen.
The basking light can also be on a timer for 6-8 hours if you want.
This will basically activate and exercise the natural color pigments in your chameleon's scales, and mimic more natural lighting qualities.
A variety in diet should help too. We use SuperPig made by Repashy as a supplement a few times a week. That's what makes flamingos pink, salmon flesh so red, etc.
Honestly though, I believe the best potential color that's possible per individual specimen is established between birth and 1 month of age. But doing all this will help.
Now I feel like going and drinking some Sunlight.
byrnesr
New Member
My girlfriend and I have been spending hours lately researching exactly this. There's lots of discussion about lighting and color at the Phelsuma (day gecko) forum:
http://phelsumaweb.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1202
Basically, you want to color the full spectrum. IMO baby reptiles will reach their peak coloring within a few weeks of age when exposed to the right lighting. After this, that peak is just maintained by the proper lighting. IF they were not exposed to this lighting early on, they will be colorful but not VIBRANT like we want.
It's kinda like Galileo said once "Wine is Sunlight held together by water." Wine and water can be transposed by color and scales
So one day in a few hundred years I may be quoted as saying:
"Color is Sunlight held together by scales."
Thank you.
I think the colors in our chams are really influenced by the right lighting. You want to get some T5 lighting that has a CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 95. You want a color temperature (measured in Kelvins or simply K) of 6500.
That would be your main bulb on all day other than the heat light.
And then you want a timer on a T5 UVB bulb of 8.0 or 10.0. to go on for 4-6 hours throughout the middle of the day.
Your basking light should be as bright as you can possibly find for the lowest wattage and still produce the heat you desire. We use 60-75watt halogens. They can get quite hot, so be careful of placement. If you can, a PowerSun, Mercury Vapor, or Metal Halide would be the best. They are all fairly expensive (Metal Halide is cheapest), and require some precautions and sometimes special fixtures. That's why we just use Halogen.
The basking light can also be on a timer for 6-8 hours if you want.
This will basically activate and exercise the natural color pigments in your chameleon's scales, and mimic more natural lighting qualities.
A variety in diet should help too. We use SuperPig made by Repashy as a supplement a few times a week. That's what makes flamingos pink, salmon flesh so red, etc.
Honestly though, I believe the best potential color that's possible per individual specimen is established between birth and 1 month of age. But doing all this will help.
Now I feel like going and drinking some Sunlight.
Your last paragraph, color is established by 1 month, What has lead you to believe this? Secondly, why then do I see comments indicating that around the 5 to 6 month mark is when intense colors come on?
ataraxia
Avid Member
i know it is your opinion. peak coloring in 2 weeks, simply not true. i have had drab 1 month even 2 month old bearded dragons turn into some of the prettiest dragons ive ever seen. you cant gauge color on a few weeks. now it can make them feel better or liven up because of proper lighting and or temps and in return you will get better coloring but your light wont put new colors on your dragon or reptile.
i also have koi pond inside. a guy that has more knowledge than anyone should ever have on koi told me without full spectrum lighting on my koi colors will fade out and they will look like crap. 3 years later my koi are just as vibrant as ever.
op: temps, genes and health will determine your chameleons colors.
edit: i would say the reveal bulb would be best or something that says natural sunlight. all it is doing is casting light to make it "look" more intense.
i also have koi pond inside. a guy that has more knowledge than anyone should ever have on koi told me without full spectrum lighting on my koi colors will fade out and they will look like crap. 3 years later my koi are just as vibrant as ever.
op: temps, genes and health will determine your chameleons colors.
edit: i would say the reveal bulb would be best or something that says natural sunlight. all it is doing is casting light to make it "look" more intense.
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xanthoman
Avid Member
halogens vs incandescent
this thread might be useful;
https://www.chameleonforums.com/halogen-basking-bulbs-38300/index2.htm
the previous poster is correct, no light is going to put colors on your cham that arent there, however, that being said, imo, some do a better job at bringingout/ showing colors than others.
it could also be argued, that a happy, thriving cham is more likely to display its max color potential than it would if it werent as well kept.
my personal preference and the one shown in post #5 of the above thread is a ge reveal halogen, par 10 (2.5"diameter) 35watt flood beam (not spot) with thick front face, was about 8$ at home depot.
chams really like this light, in my experiments, when used side by side a similar wattage regular household incandescent the chams pick the halogen almost all of the time, even when they are both distanced to the same 84*temp.
please note the precautions for halogens mentioned in the above post. also note, halogens are a uva basking source and not a replacement for uvb. jmo
this thread might be useful;
https://www.chameleonforums.com/halogen-basking-bulbs-38300/index2.htm
the previous poster is correct, no light is going to put colors on your cham that arent there, however, that being said, imo, some do a better job at bringingout/ showing colors than others.
it could also be argued, that a happy, thriving cham is more likely to display its max color potential than it would if it werent as well kept.
my personal preference and the one shown in post #5 of the above thread is a ge reveal halogen, par 10 (2.5"diameter) 35watt flood beam (not spot) with thick front face, was about 8$ at home depot.
chams really like this light, in my experiments, when used side by side a similar wattage regular household incandescent the chams pick the halogen almost all of the time, even when they are both distanced to the same 84*temp.
please note the precautions for halogens mentioned in the above post. also note, halogens are a uva basking source and not a replacement for uvb. jmo
Last edited:
summoner12
Avid Member
There is a quote out there and I can't remember the exact persons name... but I think it might be Bob Mac from Reptile UV.... Or one of the cofounders of UV Guide in the UK... but it goes something like this ; 'lighting isn't a light bulb, its a process'
You can't just place a UVB lamp and a heat lamp on top of your cage and be done with it. You need to have more light than that. These animals live in natural sun all day. They aren't directly in the suns rays all day long... but the sun provides the full spectrum of light they are supposed to have. Light is broken up into colors when fragmented and each color will have it's own intensity. You can fragment a light bulb just as the sun, but you'll notice each color isn't as intense as the next light bulb, or compared to the sun. So you have to use lamps that produce good spectra, similar to the sun. This might take two or three different types/brands of lights.
A good basic thing to do is use a 6500K lamp in a dual fixture with your UVB lamp and then use a halogen flood PAR20 (50w, so you don't cook your cham) lamp as your heat lamp. If you can use more UVB and 6500K lamps, go for it.
I have 9 chameleons at the moment and my electric bill has been pretty intense these last couple of months. This month the highest, $266..... lol So lots of lights isn't cheap But do the best you can. Disclaimer... My bill is so high MOSTLY because of the AC we've been having to run. It's been a bit warm lately, and this is expected in the summertime for us. I think my lowest bill has been around $75 in the winter when I am only operating lights and maybe a fan or two to move the air around.
You can't just place a UVB lamp and a heat lamp on top of your cage and be done with it. You need to have more light than that. These animals live in natural sun all day. They aren't directly in the suns rays all day long... but the sun provides the full spectrum of light they are supposed to have. Light is broken up into colors when fragmented and each color will have it's own intensity. You can fragment a light bulb just as the sun, but you'll notice each color isn't as intense as the next light bulb, or compared to the sun. So you have to use lamps that produce good spectra, similar to the sun. This might take two or three different types/brands of lights.
A good basic thing to do is use a 6500K lamp in a dual fixture with your UVB lamp and then use a halogen flood PAR20 (50w, so you don't cook your cham) lamp as your heat lamp. If you can use more UVB and 6500K lamps, go for it.
I have 9 chameleons at the moment and my electric bill has been pretty intense these last couple of months. This month the highest, $266..... lol So lots of lights isn't cheap
But do the best you can. Disclaimer... My bill is so high MOSTLY because of the AC we've been having to run. It's been a bit warm lately, and this is expected in the summertime for us. I think my lowest bill has been around $75 in the winter when I am only operating lights and maybe a fan or two to move the air around.
Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
I never said the color was established within a month, that's ridiculous. I said the POTENTIAL for vibrant colors is established within a month, or at least very early on in life.
You can see it in wild caughts and the chameleons from breeders who keep their animals outdoors (Florida, California....)
There's no doubt that early exposure to proper lighting has a significant impact on how vibrant the adult coloration will be, and how that vibrancy is maintained into and during adulthood.
An interesting example of this is peacock day geckos. Wild caught specimens often have very vibrant blue tails. In captivity, they never have blue tails. Most people don't even know that they are supposed to have blue tails.
A wild caught specimen will retain the blue tail for several years under poor, normal captive lighting, and longer under optimal lighting. So whatever it took to lead to that blue tail between birth and capture, the effects are long lasting.
Whereas a CB hatched and raised in captivity under normal lighting will rarely have even a hint of a blue tail.
If a CB is raised under optimal lighting, he is much more likely to have a blue tail and retain it.
Is this genetics? Absolutely not. It's 100% lighting.
This is just people's experiences along with my own. Take it or leave it.
Chameleons are colorful enough.
You can see it in wild caughts and the chameleons from breeders who keep their animals outdoors (Florida, California....)
There's no doubt that early exposure to proper lighting has a significant impact on how vibrant the adult coloration will be, and how that vibrancy is maintained into and during adulthood.
An interesting example of this is peacock day geckos. Wild caught specimens often have very vibrant blue tails. In captivity, they never have blue tails. Most people don't even know that they are supposed to have blue tails.
A wild caught specimen will retain the blue tail for several years under poor, normal captive lighting, and longer under optimal lighting. So whatever it took to lead to that blue tail between birth and capture, the effects are long lasting.
Whereas a CB hatched and raised in captivity under normal lighting will rarely have even a hint of a blue tail.
If a CB is raised under optimal lighting, he is much more likely to have a blue tail and retain it.
Is this genetics? Absolutely not. It's 100% lighting.
This is just people's experiences along with my own. Take it or leave it.
Chameleons are colorful enough.
