Lighting

jajeanpierre

jajeanpierre

Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm setting up a bunch of new cages so need some new lights.

I currently have ZooMed's terrarium hoods with red, blue and bright white LED lights and one of their tube UVB lights Reptisun HO 5.0.

Is this a good light?

Arcadia is one I see people use.

Suggestions on which lighting system to buy? I want bright lights for plants.

I'm thinking of buying a solar meter. Which one?

Thanks for your advice.
 
Reptisun bulbs are great. You just have to change them about every six months

From what I hear those arcadia bulbs are good for 9 month to a year.. once my bulbs are outdated I'm going to get some of them.

I just got a few 24" odyssea t5ho 4 bulb fixtures about a month ago. And have 3 6500k bulbs and a reptisun 5.0 in them.. they look awesome and the fixtures are only like $60 or $70 I forget honestly lol

As for a solar meter I'm curious to hear opinions too because I'm on the market lol
 
I highly recommend HO T5 lighting as it is absolutely the best form of artificial lighting you can have for them. I use double or quad fixtures for all my setups.

Arcadia bulbs will last a year without testing them but if you have a meter you can easily go longer.

I would get a Solar Meter 6.2 if you want to get a meter that works and is accurate. It is pricey but it is really the only one on the market that works. Arcadia bulbs can add up quick so if you can use them longer and save some money by testing them and not just buying new bulbs it will pay for itself very quickly.
 
NHenn said:
I highly recommend HO T5 lighting as it is absolutely the best form of artificial lighting you can have for them. I use double or quad fixtures for all my setups.

Arcadia bulbs will last a year without testing them but if you have a meter you can easily go longer.

I would get a Solar Meter 6.2 if you want to get a meter that works and is accurate. It is pricey but it is really the only one on the market that works. Arcadia bulbs can add up quick so if you can use them longer and save some money by testing them and not just buying new bulbs it will pay for itself very quickly.
Click to expand...

What about the 6.5 meter? It is a bit more money, but is it better?
 
The 6.2 and the 6.5 are both good meters. The difference is the 6.5 reads in UVI (UV index) instead of micro watts. I have one of each, I bought them used on ebay. I like the 6.2 when I'm comparing readings to what other people are getting. I believe there's a math formula to turn the UVI reading into a micro watt reading, but I don't know it without looking it up. By buying them used, I was able to get both for less than the price of one new one. :)
 
That tropic blaze quad fixture from light your reptiles is my favorite. I have 1 of those and my other two cages just have double T5 HO fixtures. The quad is awesome, you can have the two sets of double bulbs go on and off at different times to have a step up and down in lighting sort of like sunrise and sunset (by plugging each in to a seperate timer) then I have the blue LEDs on for about 30 mins after for a moonlight effect briefly.

The cage lighting looks great and plants love it. Eventually I want to replace my double T5 HO with the quad T5 HO. I say go for the best one if you can.
 
That setup would be prefect for growing plants in your cages. They put off a ton of light and once you have one you will never go back to the T8 lighting.

I use them for all our cages and we have to continuously cut back the plants in our living vivariums as they become overgrown all the time.
 
I would suggest you contact Todd at Light Your Reptiles and talk to him about your orchid plans, he is very knowledgeable, and can help you get the right fixture with the right bulbs.:D

CHEERS!

Nick
 
I also highly recommend lightyourreptiles.com. Todd provides excellent customer service. I have the tropic blaze dual fixture and it's great.
 
I can't recommend the LYR systems enough. The difference it made in the quality of light and color rendering was amazing.
 
MelissaB said:
The 6.2 and the 6.5 are both good meters. The difference is the 6.5 reads in UVI (UV index) instead of micro watts. I have one of each, I bought them used on ebay. I like the 6.2 when I'm comparing readings to what other people are getting. I believe there's a math formula to turn the UVI reading into a micro watt reading, but I don't know it without looking it up. By buying them used, I was able to get both for less than the price of one new one. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for their input. It really helped me.

Just to be clear about the solar meters--the 6.2 is going to give me actual numbers that will be more useful for what I want it for?

If price didn't enter into it and you were only buying one, would you get the 6.2 or the 6.5?

You all have helped me tremendously. Thank you.
 
The difference you'll see from the reptisun fixture to a LYR fixture is a night and day difference! I got the quad fixture with the 6% UVB, and the brightness lights the entire cage up! You won't regret getting that light! :)
 
As always guys, thank you for the nice feedback and kind words.
I do try the best I can to have the best lighting for all reptiles.

as a side note--

FINALLY... after a 2 MONTH DELAY at the factory--

the new load of 100's of tropic blaze double bulb fixtures will be in in about ONE WEEK.
I will post here to let everyone who has been waiting know the second the 18 wheeler pulls up!:eek::rolleyes:

pssst....

I have a new designed fixture in this shipment that uses DUAL POWER COMPACT Arcadia Flo. flood bulbs. The U shaped High Out-put German made ones.
:D
It is specifically designed (by yours truly:eek: aww shucks) to fit 18" - 24" screen cages and the UV is totally adjustable by :

1.
raising or lowering on the 3" legs

2.
By sliding in the perforated "shade slide" to create the "light and shade" effect for chams.

word to ya motha' ...:eek::D:D... LOL

I am super crazy excited.

plus I feel 100% better...
I know this is kind of personal, but I have so many friends on this forum (more than any other)
I just want to say:
as many of my forum friends know now that I have had the artificial hip in me that was CORRODING-- and I had surgery 3 weeks ago so it has been removed and a new non metallic parts put in.
And now I am officially off crutches and the walker.
yea.
Plus--
It sure is much easier to pack everyone's lights when I am not on a walker. LOL-- it has been challenging but I have tried to persevere through it and I thank EVERYONE for their patience and support.
(can you say "good bye pain and metal poisoning"?)
(err.. and "hello lawyer". (!))


Thank you all so much for your business, patience and support.

Todd.
 
xraygirl said:
The difference you'll see from the reptisun fixture to a LYR fixture is a night and day difference! I got the quad fixture with the 6% UVB, and the brightness lights the entire cage up! You won't regret getting that light! :)
Click to expand...

Wow--if it is possible, that is an understatement!

One bank of lights arrived today all wrapped up with notes from Todd. (Thank you Todd for installing those hangers.) I'm afraid it is going to blind me.

I have the Tropic Blaze H.O T5 Quad (for my Quads!)with Arcadia 12%, two 6.5k Daylight Bulbs and plant bulb.

The empty box for the UVB bulb says it is a 12% for Desert Reptiles. Is it too bright for a montane species?

Now, this is just anecdotal, but I swear both veileds perked up when I turned on the new lights. The male veiled had lost much of his lighting for the past couple of days to the new wild-caught quads I just bought. He was left with one measly basking light so it is pretty dark. I turned the Arcadia lights on and he immediately started moving around. I offered him a handful of silk worms, and he snatched more than I've ever seen him eat--he had already been fed his fill this morning. The female veiled also just sort of perked up. No excuse for her--she had a Reptisun tube light with LED lights and all the bells and whistles.

You were right. I am really happy with the lights.
 
CaptainNemo said:
Here are the two lighting fixtures I have been looking at :

http://lightyourreptiles.com/trblhot524qu.html

http://canvaschams.com/product/24-ho-t5-quad-light-fixture-arcadia-6-6-5k-daylight-bulbs/

Or do I go with a twin dome fixture with a uv and basking bulb?

Pros & Cons would be greatly appreciated, or any other fixture that I may have missed. Will have live plants in the enclosure (24x24x48). One other question...... would a dual fixture do the job? Thanks for all the help in advance !!
Click to expand...

I just bought basically the same lights but with a 12% bulb. I'm not clear on the difference between 12% and 6%, but as I mentioned in my post after I turned the lights on, I did see a difference in the activity level of the two Veileds I put under it. The only time I've seen my male Veiled move around much is when I put him outside. I thought his increased activity was in response to a little extra stress being out in a new environment, but I'm not so sure now.

I'm going to use my light meter on all the existing lights that I have and just see what the readings are. I've got dome lights; aradia lights; and ZooMed's bank of lights with all the bells and whistles of UVB tube and LEDs. The Aracadia is the light that produces the most light that I can see. My cages seem very dark that use any other lighting. I was surprised at the difference. Tropical jungles are not dark places, especially high up in the trees.
 
How does one get a hold of Todd at LightYourReptiles.com ? Other than email............ although I have sent an email off.
 
CaptainNemo said:
How does one get a hold of Todd at LightYourReptiles.com ?
Click to expand...

you just did. :D:D
Thank you.

plus...
I always remind folks, I am not "secretive" :cool: like many other online merchants--

My web-site has a "about us / contact us" section with my address, phone number and e-mail.
http://lightyourreptiles.com/info.html

E-mail is probably the best way:
[email protected]
As LightYourReptile.com customers know, I always try and respond to e-mails in just a few hours or less.

Thank you.

Cheers!
Todd
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Kaylee1
UVB brand comparison
Replies
3
Views
317
Kaylee1
Kaylee1
StevensUneven
Looking for advice before getting my first panther chameleon
Replies
15
Views
292
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
avionfreak
Wanted to get some opinions on my enclosure/husbandry
Replies
11
Views
482
elizaann2
elizaann2
Rasta
Finished Cage. Would love feedback
Replies
6
Views
305
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
M
Husbandry Review For Male Panther
3 4 5
Replies
87
Views
3K
Mitcchar
M
Back
Top Bottom