Interesting UV article

bradley

New Member
Today I was flicking through an old magazine of mine from a few years back when the arcadia T5 HO bulbs first became available for sale here in the UK. It shows comparative readings between their T8 bulbs and their T5 HO bulbs.

There has been a lot of debate and a few posts recently on here and a few other forums regarding using bulbs higher than 5.0 for uv. I myself (as many people know) use higher bulbs and always have done with no ill effects to my chameleons in the time I have kept them.

What I found interesting about this article is the readings. Many people when switching to the T5 HO bulbs on here have simply went straight for the 6% bulb as it is what they would use in T8 form but these bulbs give out more uv than a 10-12% T8 bulb. In the article it shows the readings at different lengths away from the bulb.

A 12% T8 bulb at 10cm from the bulb with a reflector gives off 252 mws
A 6% T5 HO bulb gives off at 10cm from the bulb 289mws.

Most people would just automatically go with the 6% bulb in the T5 range as it should be close to the 5.0 already used by most but really it is closer to a 10.0.

I know everybody has there way of doing things and many people have had success for many years with 5.0 bulbs for their chameleons but I just wanted to raise this point hoping it will show people just how these bulbs compare.

Here is the article in full written by the man who makes these bulbs and develops them.
http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/058_PRK_Nov11-1.pdf
 
Important stuff to know. Thanks for posting this.

So, anything on 12% T5HO bulbs? Considering this comparison, I would worry about those potentially being too strong if there is a similar doubling of UVB output in relation to the T8 10.0 Reptisun.
 
Important stuff to know. Thanks for posting this.

So, anything on 12% T5HO bulbs? Considering this comparison, I would worry about those potentially being too strong if there is a similar doubling of UVB output in relation to the T8 10.0 Reptisun.

Because there isnt anything really as high output as them there is not really anything to compare. I haven't seen any readings for the HO zoomed ones though which could compare.

I know the mesh will block out some light with each bulb so reading will be reduced. Might speak to John and see if he has any more readings.
 
Readings are all over the place. Arcadia says with a reflector a 6% does 150u at 15" away.

I still say go with the cham. Get the cage bright enough for full sun at one spot, and zero sun in one spot, and let the cham regulate itself.

In my cage, my cham loves to sit 6" away from the dual t5 HO (1 6% 1 6500k) for about 1 hour a day and then just roam around the room.


As ive stated before, ive never had a linear tube problem no matter the output, from the early 90% vitalite T10's (odds are 1.0 by today's standards) all the way up to my brightest setup of dual T5 HO with a 6% and 12% in the same fixure.

It is my opinion you are fine as long as you provide up to terrestrial max AND provide the same amount of 0% full cover, in the same cage.
 
Readings are all over the place. Arcadia says with a reflector a 6% does 150u at 15" away.

I still say go with the cham. Get the cage bright enough for full sun at one spot, and zero sun in one spot, and let the cham regulate itself.

In my cage, my cham loves to sit 6" away from the dual t5 HO (1 6% 1 6500k) for about 1 hour a day and then just roam around the room.


As ive stated before, ive never had a linear tube problem no matter the output, from the early 90% vitalite T10's (odds are 1.0 by today's standards) all the way up to my brightest setup of dual T5 HO with a 6% and 12% in the same fixure.

It is my opinion you are fine as long as you provide up to terrestrial max AND provide the same amount of 0% full cover, in the same cage.

I agree with this completely. Where did you see these readings published?
 
I think it was in the article you just listed also. I think they had 4 sections, and one was like 20cm with reflector. The first 2 sections were without reflector.

Arcadia D3 6% T5
lamp and reflector
10cms. 289mws
20cms. 145mws
30cms. 83mws
40cms. 56mws


Arcadia D3 6% T5 lamp
10cms. 135mws
20cms. 64mws
30cms. 38mws
40cms. 24 mws
 
Oh yes there is one table for reflector and one for without for each strength bulb. I think reflectors are a must have piece of equipment otherwise a lot of uv is wasted.
 
Hello all, I stumbled across your thread while researching T5 High Output lighting. Since your thread is recent I hope you don't mind me reviving it to ask a few questions. I am considering upgrading my lighting to T5 HO when I upgrade my cage to a larger one for my adult male panther. I've read through the thread and the accompanying article and here are the questions I have:

1) I noticed that the Arcadia lights are designated 6% and 12%. However, I am used to the ZooMed designations of 5.0 and 10.0. Are these equivalent? Is a 6% = to 5.0 and 12% = to 10.0 or are these different measurements completely? (I'm assuming that 6%/12% are UK designations maybe?)

2) The new cage I am considering is 30"x18"x40" (or maybe the standard 24"x24"x48"). Will a 6% HO Arcadia bulb or a 5.0 HO ZooMed Reptisun bulb be sufficient UV, too much UV, or too little UV? I certainly want my panther getting enough UVB (he used to go outside in his old home, but since we've had him he's been too scared of us to handle so he's had no outside time yet), but I also worry about the potential harm of too much or too strong of UV.

3) The Arcadia article mentions that when using the HO lights the recommended safe distance of animal to light is 12-18 inches. Does this mean that any closer can be harmful to the animal? This seems like a large amount of vertical cage space would be lost if indeed this distance needs to be maintained. Thoughts on this?

4) As far as a brand, I see the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 bulbs recommended on the forums about 99% of the time and have only recently stumbled across mention of Arcadia. Do you have a preference? I know, there are no product reviews on this site and I'm not looking for a review, just curious what you are using. If this question is not appropriate for the forum please ignore.

Any input is greatly appreciated and I hope none of my questions are naive. I'm pretty new to chameleon keeping.
 
40" tall cage might be pushing it for a 6% HO, the dead zone is 18" or so. So with a 40" cage only the last foot from the bottom will be zero uv, and how many times do you think the cham is going to be hanging out below the plant pot rims...

as far as output, a 6% t5 ho with reflector will put out about double the uv of a t8 10.0 without reflector.

As far as the 12" rule, that is because T5's get hot, just like sitting in a taning booth. I have one stick 12" away from the bulb and the cham loves to "sun" its self there for about 1 hour a day. The whole distance thing is really for bad setup cages. say you have a fish tank style cage that is only a foot to 1.5" tall and then pop a t5 ho on it, thats when the 1 foot rule applies.

4 ft tall cham cages with lots branches and leaves will have no problem with uv zones.

I still will not recommend a 12% without a meter just because i: havent seen the cage, dont know age/health of cham, dont know chams basking habits. I would have no problem running a 12% in my setup, but mine is 6ft tall and ive been doing lizard lighting since the 90's...
 
I see, thanks. Would I want to maybe consider using a 6% HO without a reflector in the 40" cage setup? That would lessen the amount of UV, but I guess it wouldn't eliminate the heat. I could try mounting the light strip higher so it does not rest on the cage and create hot areas. This would lift the entire UV gradient higher as well.

Also, any idea of how 6% compares to 5.0?

If I decide to continue using non-HO lighting do you think my chameleon will be getting enough UV? He's an adult male panther. He currently spends a good deal of time under his current 5.0 Reptisun bulb, but does move about a lot.
 
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