what is the diffrence in lights between the repti sun and repti glo?
The reptiglo dies off pretty quick from my understanding....
Link
and Chromachameleon is right... 9 month on a ZooMed is a pretty sure bet.
and like Sandra said.... without a meter 6 months is safe.
The reason it is a good idea to follow the 6 month rule, is if you get a bonk lamp. Say it doesn't output all that well and you don't have a meter, you'll never know. So to play it safe 6 months covers you.
I think this was Cainschams was telling me this... I might be wrong. and I only recommend this if you have a meter... but he operates a Reptisun 10.0 raises it up... gets a good reading and lowers the lamp as it ages and the lamp gets weaker. The reason this is a good method is that A: you can go long between swapping lamps and B: your UVB coverage is great since the lamp is higher up. I do this with my cages as well, works GREAT My lamps are almost more than a year old I think... I should check them...
Edit: I just looked... I didn't mark one of the lamps... but I know I changed them at the same time.. the date on the one marked is 9-8-08. So almost a year old. I get about 22uW/cm² at 6" deep (from the top of the cage) and the lamp sits about one inch from the top of the cage. So roughly at 7 inches through screen without a reflector I get 22uW/cm² from a 10 month old Reptisun 10.0. My next step to increase output as it drops will be to add a foil reflector. You will see in my links below how much it can increase your UVB output.
I HIGHLY recommend using an aluminum foil reflector. I have a thread that shows the importance and the difference.
Some Readings
UVB Swings
New Zoo Med 10.0 T8 readings
Just a note. More UVB is not better. The kind of UVB and the right amount is important. Our animals do not sit in the sun all day. They bask in the sun in the early morning and late afternoon because the amount of UVB is less. Chameleons seek cover from the mid day sun. The reason people suggest the Zoo Med lamp, is because it produces a good range of light in the UVB spectrum that seems to have a higher production yield of Vit D3.
A really good site to read is the
UV Guide
I'm waiting till I get paid £1k I'm owed till I can start it properly! I've tested everything and it's all good to go, just need to buy the materials and stuff. I could afford to do it now, but I'd rather keep the money just in case something goes wrong and I need the cash (you never know what might happen!)
