Thought the reptisun 5 an 10 t5-HO are good for a year. Not liking changing bulbs out 4-6 months since first used. Then Arcadia 100% are good for a year. Arcadias are just harder to find an get in the states. With that said seems zoomed are waste of money. An would think if no output under a 1 year. They would have a warranty. But zoomed doesn't respond by email most of the time. Looking to get a uv meter soon. Just overwhelmed on spending 250 for one.
Then finding a chart for status on if the bulb is good or bad with output for chameleons. Even on reptisun box says good for 10-12 hours for 12 months. If that's incorrect think zoomed needs to look into that. Uvb is most important thing to keep reptiles. An hear this no wonder reptiles get MBD. When you think your pet is getting what it needs an isn't. Plus these bulbs are costly. Seem to get more expensive more years go by. Reason I switched from t8 to t5-H0. Was for stronger output an lasting. Only brand that seems reliable is the mega-ray. They even last over a year. Just even with 70watt give off way to much heat.
Just overwhelmed an really need find way check output monthly. Just dont get how the reptisun vary. One last 4 months an another a year. There all made the same I assume.
I'm sorry, I don't understand some of this—it could be me.
Reptisun and Arcadia have the
same warranty—1 year, and I've had the Reptisun warranty honored—no questions (except providing a copy of the receipt, which is pretty standard).
https://zoomed.com/reptisun-5-0-uvb-t5-ho-high-output-linear-lamp/ (5.0)
https://zoomed.com/t5-ho-reptisun-10-0-uvb/ (10.0)
Arcadia Lighting Product Warranties
MBD doesn't set in overnight either—it usually takes months to develop.
Other aspects:
When brand-new,
all T5 fluorescent UVB bulbs have an initial "burn-in" period when they put out significantly higher UVI numbers. This burn-in period usually lasts for between 50-100 hours (4-8 days of use), after which the UVI will level out for about a year. Some folks choose to "burn-in" their bulbs before putting them into service, or adjust basking distance during that periiod.
When T5s do eventually wear out, it's not instantaneous like flipping a switch. After 12 months, output begins to wane—
slowly—over a period of several months. There is still substantial output, so prematurely pitching a bulb after
any length of time just doesn't make sense—
until the output falls below the lower limit of a chameleon's requirements.
Panther, and Jackson’s Chameleons [are] in Ferguson Zone 3 which is
UVI [of 1 to 2.6] with a maximum of UVI 7.4.
(If you are interested in the discussion about Ferguson Zones, a thorough paper by Dr. Francis Baines discusses UVB in the captive environment.
https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150/89)
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/
I recommend anything/everything written by Dr. Baines.
Lastly, the
possibility of insufficient UVB is why we supplement with D3, so we have
that insurance as well.
I use a little trick to extend the life of my UVB bulbs up to an additional 2 months.
As the Sun rises & sets, the atmosphere that UVB light must penetrate is much thicker (about 3X thicker) at Sunup & Sundown than when overhead, and very little/no UVB gets through anyway.
So, while it is recommended to run enclosure lights 12 hrs on/12 hrs off, I turn my UVB on an hour later, and turn it off an hour earlier (10 hrs). My plant lights stay on the full 12 hours, as less than that long can affect some plants' natural cycles. (I recently read a study that it's the length of the
dark period that counts, but in a zero-sum 24 hour day, comme ci comme ça.
)
Anyhoo, my basking light stays on for 12 hrs unless the ambient temperature at the basking site rises to or above the target basking temperature, in which case it turns off.
Richardslusser111,
I agree with you that, "Uvb is most important thing to keep reptiles," and I can appreciate the sticker shock of a Solarmeter (as I went through it myself, but with a difference
). Many/most articles detailing the costs of owning reptiles (while updated in
most respects) date back to a paradigm before these meters even existed (except in academic/commercial/research laboratory settings) and are remiss in including them as a cost of keeping reptiles. If "UVB is most important" in keeping reptiles, why
aren't meters included in the articles and lists as mandatory/required just as the lighting itself is? Shouldn't meters be an integral part of reptile lighting just as much as the fixtures & bulbs?
I've seen enough anecdotal evidence about
both Arcadia and Reptisun bulbs burning out prematurely and lasting longer than one year that IMO they cancel out. I own some of each—they're both good bulbs, and IMO are qualitatively equal.
.
