# Vivarium/Reptile Lighting



## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2012)

Hi folks, I'm looking into reptile lighting for the missis's Bearded Dragon.

Now, companies like Arcaida and ExoTerra etc sell specific tubes that give off UVA and UVB, apparently. What i'm wondering is, is this just a marketing ploy similar to "plant pro" tubes for planted aquaria etc or do I need to buy the over-priced T8s?.....

Any experience would be greatly appreciate.

Cheers, Dan


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## George Farmer (11 Jan 2012)

Hi mate,

This link may help.

http://www.reptilespecialists.com/cares ... nduvb.html


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## Tom (11 Jan 2012)

They genuinely need the UV  Have a look here too:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm


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## George Farmer (11 Jan 2012)

And another specific to Bearded Dragons - http://beardeddragoncaresheet.weebly.com/lighting.html


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## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2012)

Cheers guys, I know the animal needs UV but do I have to get these marketed "UV" bulbs or is a standard T8 similar?

Thanks again.


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## George Farmer (11 Jan 2012)

Good question!

Personally I'd err on the side of caution and get these - http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/Reptile

Some more light reading! http://www.uvguide.co.uk/lightingsurveyintro.htm


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## ghostsword (11 Jan 2012)

I know a guy that has a really massive green iguana, plus maybe 10 small eco terras with colourful frogs and he is using plain lights and tmc leds. 

I will ask him again what is best.


___________________________


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## Morgan Freeman (11 Jan 2012)

Without UV lighting they are at serious risk of Metabolic Bone Disease. UV enables basking reptiles to process the calcium in their diet.

I'd try and get a 12% bulb if you can. It also needs to be with 12 inches of your Bearded Dragon.


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## Morgan Freeman (11 Jan 2012)

ghostsword said:
			
		

> I know a guy that has a really massive green iguana, plus maybe 10 small eco terras with colourful frogs and he is using plain lights and tmc leds.
> 
> I will ask him again what is best.
> 
> ...



Nocturnal frogs tend to be ok without UV lighting, after all they're only really out when the sun is down.

I supplement my dart frogs with Calcium plus D3, but I'm soon switching to low level UV lighting.


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## Dan Crawford (12 Jan 2012)

Thanks for all the replies folks!

I've bought a reptsun tube as suggested by the retailer, the same as they use in their tanks. £27 for a poxy T8 though, I just couldn't get my head round it!

On the subject of frogs, I keep a variety of Dart Frogs. I switched from the standard ExoTerra canopy bulbs to a TMC ND1000 and after a coupl eof months I started losing frogs. They were getting thin limbs and just fading away. I've switched back to ExoTerra bubs and all seems fine since.


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## ghostsword (12 Jan 2012)

Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> Thanks for all the replies folks!
> 
> I've bought a reptsun tube as suggested by the retailer, the same as they use in their tanks. £27 for a poxy T8 though, I just couldn't get my head round it!
> 
> On the subject of frogs, I keep a variety of Dart Frogs. I switched from the standard ExoTerra canopy bulbs to a TMC ND1000 and after a coupl eof months I started losing frogs. They were getting thin limbs and just fading away. I've switched back to ExoTerra bubs and all seems fine since.



Thanks on the tip Dan, I will pass the experience of the led's to Greg, as he is using them with his dart frogs.


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## dw1305 (12 Jan 2012)

Hi all,
I'm pretty sure you could use a combination of a 6500K tube, and any fluorescent tubes with an actinic component. I run a moth trap and that has this actinic black light/6500K combination in it (insects see UV, but I've found I get more moths with a visible light, rather than 2 black lights, and you can see if the time switch is working). 

I get my tubes from here: <http://www.pwbelg.clara.net/mercury/lamps/index.html>

The problem would be to find actual values for the UVB in the 300 - 320 nm range, and then in the 320 - 380nm range. Ideally you wouldn't want too much of the 300- 320nm, (because it  is likely to cause eye damage), but the output to peak below 400nm.

This is from a UV cure printing page. _Actinic — The Philips Actinic 05 tube emits radiation from 300nm to 460nm, with the peak at 365nm, close to ideal for many of the alternative processes._ <http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Light/L2/l2.html> and the lamps they use for curing nail varnish etc. would be another source, they've just banned 350nm peak lamps so they are now 368nm peak.

cheers Darrel


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