Lighting question
- Thread starter Scrappy
- Start date
Todnedo
Avid Member
Vita lights are a full spectrum bulb very close to sunlight.
How much UV do they produce? I dont know.
Without a UV meter its impossible to tell.
I will be ordering a solarmeter in a week or so to test the T5 lights I am running to see if they put out any uvb. Reefkeepers claim they do.
With an icecap ballast you will be over driving the the bulbs, if you use normal output bulbs of 40w they will run 80-90 watts. More light, less life of the bulb.
A t5 54w bulb is said to hold its spectrum for 20 to 24 months!
I would run t5's if you use an icecap ballast and a zoomed 5.0 on a regular ballast. That would be full spectrum and uv for sure.
The t5's run hot enough to bask under if the chameleon can get 3-4 inches from them.
How much UV do they produce? I dont know.
Without a UV meter its impossible to tell.
I will be ordering a solarmeter in a week or so to test the T5 lights I am running to see if they put out any uvb. Reefkeepers claim they do.
With an icecap ballast you will be over driving the the bulbs, if you use normal output bulbs of 40w they will run 80-90 watts. More light, less life of the bulb.
A t5 54w bulb is said to hold its spectrum for 20 to 24 months!
I would run t5's if you use an icecap ballast and a zoomed 5.0 on a regular ballast. That would be full spectrum and uv for sure.
The t5's run hot enough to bask under if the chameleon can get 3-4 inches from them.
Scrappy
New Member
Thanks for the comments. Hubby has reef aquariums and he swears by the vita lights. He says they would be best for Bubba. Thought I'd get everyone/anyone else's opinion b4 I do this. I just want to make sure I have the best set up possible for him since he doesn't get much (if any) natural sunlight. I live on east coast so we are heading into winter and it's just too cool to out him out during the day. So I'm figuring on a double hood balist to use a zoomed 5.0 or 8.0 and a vita light for the sake of the plants.
Last edited:
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy Scrappy,
If you are going to use a double-tube setup then a Vita-Light AND a Reptisun 5.0 would make a reasonable combination in addition to your basking lamp heat source. The Vita-Light will make an ok "full-spectrum" light which means that it makes light that is visibly pleasing and probably grows plants but should not be considered a UVB source. GE didn't make that light to produce UVB. In fact, UVB would be considered an unwanted byproduct of making the "wanted" visible light spectrum. You may measure 2-4uW/cm2 of UVB at a distance of 3-4" from a Vita-Light but there is no reason to assume that any of the incidental UVB produced is in the best (D3 producing) sub-spectrum of the UVB spectrum. You'll get something like 15uW/cm2 at around 12" distance of the correct UVB spectrum with a Reptisun 5.0 which is a reasonable number to aim for.
And like so many other things in life, if there is an interest in it, there is probably a group formed around it! I'm a memeber of the UVB_Meter_Owners Group
. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/
If you are going to use a double-tube setup then a Vita-Light AND a Reptisun 5.0 would make a reasonable combination in addition to your basking lamp heat source. The Vita-Light will make an ok "full-spectrum" light which means that it makes light that is visibly pleasing and probably grows plants but should not be considered a UVB source. GE didn't make that light to produce UVB. In fact, UVB would be considered an unwanted byproduct of making the "wanted" visible light spectrum. You may measure 2-4uW/cm2 of UVB at a distance of 3-4" from a Vita-Light but there is no reason to assume that any of the incidental UVB produced is in the best (D3 producing) sub-spectrum of the UVB spectrum. You'll get something like 15uW/cm2 at around 12" distance of the correct UVB spectrum with a Reptisun 5.0 which is a reasonable number to aim for.
And like so many other things in life, if there is an interest in it, there is probably a group formed around it! I'm a memeber of the UVB_Meter_Owners Group
. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/
Jordan
New Member
Tonedo I saw in your gallery that you had four flourescents on top of the one cage. The two on the outside appear to be orangish and the two towards the middle appear blue. Are you using two different types of lights one concentrated in the red spectrum and the other in the blue? Or are the blue UVB lighting? I really do not know much about this type of lighting either but am very interested. I have seen these types of lights in the pet store. I have tried to do some research but really not come up with to much.
Last edited:
Todnedo
Avid Member
The orangish bulb is 3000k and the blue is 6500k.
These bulbs produce 5000 lumens each and they run hot.
Sarsippious no longer uses his spot light to bask so I added a 40w 5.0 for uv.
His colors are brighter under these lamps.
This is where I got the bulbs.
https://hydroponicstore.com/catalog/watt-high-output-foot-3000k-p-1292.html
These bulbs produce 5000 lumens each and they run hot.
Sarsippious no longer uses his spot light to bask so I added a 40w 5.0 for uv.
His colors are brighter under these lamps.
This is where I got the bulbs.
https://hydroponicstore.com/catalog/watt-high-output-foot-3000k-p-1292.html
Jordan
New Member
I just breed my male Osama.
View attachment 580
I was hoping with a lighting combonation like that I could keep a hibiscus healthy and maybe it would bring out some more vividness in their colors. I have been holding off for about the past month and a half. I had to do some work with my Caddy $$$. I think I may try those Vit lights if I do go with it.
View attachment 580
I was hoping with a lighting combonation like that I could keep a hibiscus healthy and maybe it would bring out some more vividness in their colors. I have been holding off for about the past month and a half. I had to do some work with my Caddy $$$. I think I may try those Vit lights if I do go with it.
Last edited:
Similar threads
