the3hornedjackson42
Member
Hi so I need a uvb lightbulb for my Jackson chameleon and I wanted to know what uvb number to use and what type of watts to use thank you so much for the help
Help with buying a uvb light
- Thread starter the3hornedjackson42
- Start date
the3hornedjackson42
Member
Also I'm using this light as a basking light. What would you recommend for a basking light? A regular light bulb or uvb? I need a basking spot for it thank you
Fluorescent tubes seem to be a favorite. I use them on my 2 cages while my brother uses the compact fluorescent type. I dont see any difference besides the tubes covering more area. I use 100 watt regular incandescents for the basking lights. For a jacksons you might want to use the 5.0 uvb I dont know much about jacksons but would love to get one in the near future.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
A few thoughts from me:
5.0 or 6% (depending on the manufacturer) should be fine.
Most prefer the long tube over the coiled kind. The tubes come in two sizes: T8 (fatter) or T5 (skinnier). Make sure to buy the right bulb size for your fixture.
You may want a double fixture so you can add a plant grow light. It made a big difference for me, but I have a very large cage (6-ft tall).
My experience with the Reptisun 5.0 vs the Arcadia 6% bulbs is that the quality of light from the Arcadia bulbs seems much nicer - brighter and better color rendering.
The UV bulb produces very little heat - you need a separate basking light. Use a standard house bulb (or you can get a halogen reptile basking lamp) and adjust the basking spot vertically to get the right temperature. Don't use a red light.
I first bought the cheap Zoomed T8 fixture and later upgraded to the Light Your Reptiles T5 fixture. LYR is very nice quality. If you can afford something a little nicer than pet-store brand, do it.
All lights go off at night. All of them. Unless it drops into the 50s or below, you chameleon will be fine. A temperature drop at night is normal and healthy.
Good luck!
5.0 or 6% (depending on the manufacturer) should be fine.
Most prefer the long tube over the coiled kind. The tubes come in two sizes: T8 (fatter) or T5 (skinnier). Make sure to buy the right bulb size for your fixture.
You may want a double fixture so you can add a plant grow light. It made a big difference for me, but I have a very large cage (6-ft tall).
My experience with the Reptisun 5.0 vs the Arcadia 6% bulbs is that the quality of light from the Arcadia bulbs seems much nicer - brighter and better color rendering.
The UV bulb produces very little heat - you need a separate basking light. Use a standard house bulb (or you can get a halogen reptile basking lamp) and adjust the basking spot vertically to get the right temperature. Don't use a red light.
I first bought the cheap Zoomed T8 fixture and later upgraded to the Light Your Reptiles T5 fixture. LYR is very nice quality. If you can afford something a little nicer than pet-store brand, do it.
All lights go off at night. All of them. Unless it drops into the 50s or below, you chameleon will be fine. A temperature drop at night is normal and healthy.
Good luck!
the3hornedjackson42
Member
Ok thanks so I have 1 light right now it's a day light blue light bulb. So for my basking spot should I get a normal flourecent light or an actual UVB light? Thank you
the3hornedjackson42
Member
Ok thanks. Also for Jackson chameleons I heard a UVB of 5.0 would do. Can UVB 5.0 13 watts work or do I need a higher watt? Thank you so much for the help!
The wattage depends mostly on what size fixture you have and weather it is HO or VHO. You need 1 uvb bulb and 1 regular household bulb for basking, most use a 60 watt. You can get a double fixture and use a uvb and a 6500k bulb for the plants. Remember the fluorescent tubes are the long skinny tubes and incandescents are the round screw in type you put in a lamp at home. Compact fluorescent are the curly ones. Fluorescent lights do not put off much heat that is why you need an incandescent bulb. They get much hotter. Hope this helps, if you still need help I can get pictures of different lights.
the3hornedjackson42
Member
Thank you so much! I now know which lights I need for my fixture thanks a bunch!
