Opinion and/or advice...

[maxttu]

I just got a new enclosure: https://www.chameleonforums.com/huge-enclosure-84838/

I also just bought a 48" double light fixture. I'd like to know if I should get the Reptisun 5.0 or the 10.0. I will have perches ranging anywhere from a couple inches down to at least 3 feet.

The 5.0 states that it's good up to 12" and the 10.0 is good to 20". If Chazam is parked up high, should I be concerned about getting the 10.0? Thanks!

 

[maxttu]

I hope to get out later today and pick one up. Does anybody have their .02 on this?

 

[ChamMan7]

You should still go with the 5.0. The 10.0's have been known to cause some issues with vision later in life and have been reported to lead to blindness and issues with depth perception. Even though they penetrate further in the cage there are some possible issues that can arise that outweigh the benefits of a further cage lighting penetration area. Hope this helps!

 

[Wykd]

I think you will get mixed replies on this...

I have seen people say that if the enclosure is 48 or over to get the 10 and for under get the 5. I can see the logic in that statement because the penetration to the lower parts of enclosure is going to be greater with the 10.

The Distance of the light to the basking spot is suggested and thats across the board, and at that spot the 10 will be blasting out light vs a 5. So does it matter for the depths of the cage is the question and if so then you would need to increase the distance between the light and highest basking spot I would think to counter the strength of the 10 over the 5. /shrug

 

[maxttu]

You should still go with the 5.0. The 10.0's have been known to cause some issues with vision later in life and have been reported to lead to blindness and issues with depth perception. Even though they penetrate further in the cage there are some possible issues that can arise that outweigh the benefits of a further cage lighting penetration area. Hope this helps!

Thanks! That's what I was looking for!

 

[bradley]

Well im going to give the opposite end of the spectrum! I would go for the 10.0. I personally use the 12% T5 lamps from arcadia for my chameleons.

The 5.0 really dont give off alot of uv at all! They also have to penetrate through mesh.

I would use the 10.0 which will penetrate into the cage more but not 20 inches due to the screen.

10.0 still dont give out masses of uv so have no danger for the chameleon and if used with areas in the cage where the cham can get away from uv you will have no problem at all!

 

[maxttu]

I think you will get mixed replies on this...

I have seen people say that if the enclosure is 48 or over to get the 10 and for under get the 5. I can see the logic in that statement because the penetration to the lower parts of enclosure is going to be greater with the 10.

I dunno the answer, but alot of ppl reply because in "their" setup they use X, sadly unless their setup is the same as yours then its all ball park/hit or miss imo. Distance of the light to the basking spot is suggested and thats across the board, but from there the size of the cage dictates the bulb I would think. /shrug

well dang, that just messes everything up, don't it? Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?? ugggghhhh... Thanks for your input Wykd!

 

[maxttu]

Well im going to give the opposite end of the spectrum! I would go for the 10.0. I personally use the 12% T5 lamps from arcadia for my chameleons.

The 5.0 really dont give off alot of uv at all! They also have to penetrate through mesh.

I would use the 10.0 which will penetrate into the cage more but not 20 inches due to the screen.

10.0 still dont give out masses of uv so have no danger for the chameleon and if used with areas in the cage where the cham can get away from uv you will have no problem at all!

does it matter if my enclosure is not mesh? It's 3/4" plastic coated hardware cloth...

 

[bradley]

does it matter if my enclosure is not mesh? It's 3/4" plastic coated hardware cloth...

Whatever the enclosure is made of will still be blocking out some uv. Even without anything blocking the uv tube I still would use a minimum of a 10.0.

 

[maxttu]

Whatever the enclosure is made of will still be blocking out some uv. Even without anything blocking the uv tube I still would use a minimum of a 10.0.

ok, thanks. Also, the enclosure is 31" deep. If I place it say, towards the back, he can escape the uv's by being towards the front end? The uv's will go down and not spread, is that a correct statement?

 

[ChamMan7]

The mesh definitely makes a difference and you can do a google search for how much UV light penetrates the different kinds of safe mesh commonly used and there should be a few charts with that info. You could probably use a 10.0 in a cage of that size with those perch distances but if you are being very cautious then I would suggest investing in a spectrometer from light your reptiles. This way you can find the exact ranges of UV your scaly little friends are being exposed to.

 

[Kmw]

Well im going to give the opposite end of the spectrum! I would go for the 10.0. I personally use the 12% T5 lamps from arcadia for my chameleons.

The 5.0 really dont give off alot of uv at all! They also have to penetrate through mesh.

I would use the 10.0 which will penetrate into the cage more but not 20 inches due to the screen.

10.0 still dont give out masses of uv so have no danger for the chameleon and if used with areas in the cage where the cham can get away from uv you will have no problem at all!

This is what I was told to do. And it makes sense to me! :3

The 10.0's start to fade after some use, and i hear it's roughly half UVB that is lost because it can't penetrate mesh.

If people use 5.0's in free-ranges, A 10.0 seems to be the equivalent for a mesh cage.