# REPTILE LIGHTING! discussion



## TheGodOfKahn (Feb 23, 2011)

I work in a pet store. And a rep from exo terra gave me a few copies of the exo terra reptile lighting guide. i read it. and now im panicking... lol


Some one help me break this down into easy to understan...-ness.

UVA= Visible light (320-400nm). How your reptile sees what it sees.

UVB= Visible light of a slightly lower wavelength (290-320) That is required for photosynthesis of vitamin d'3 in the skin.

and ultra violet light is boken into three categories.. Long wave ultraviolet light A which is of significant importance for reptiles... UVB medium wave ultraviolet light which is the MOST important for reptiles. and UVC which is dangerous to all living organisms....


So all this makes me think that a UVB bulb *such as reptiglo 5.0" covers the visible light as far as how the reptile perceives its food and surroundings as well as covers the need for generation of vitamin D'3 in the skin.

so as far as all the light my reptile needs to see and generate D'3 that bulb covers it all, correct? 

and granted i have an external heat source such as a ceramic heat emitter i only need the one light bulb correct?

This lighting guide is telling me it's a good idea to have 3 DIFFERENT light bulbs... one for D'3 production, one for visible light... and one for heat..... Or did i misunderstand some thing?


SOME ONE HELP ME CLARIFY!!


:bang :bang :bang :bang :bang :bang :bang


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## james.w (Feb 23, 2011)

The repti glo 5.0 is fine for viewing light and UVB (although not a very good UVB source from my understanding). It has to be fairly close to the animal. 

In my 5x2x2 enclosure I use a Solar Glo MVB, 48" 10.0 UVB bulb and a 75W basking to get the basking spot up to temp if needed.


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## TheGodOfKahn (Feb 23, 2011)

my enclosure is small at this time, he is within 8 inches of it * from my understanding after 12in away it virtually doesn't work any more*


But this lighting guide that im reading is... too complex... i understand exo terra is just trying to help, but having worked customer service retail in a pet store for 3+ plus years, i know that people like explanations as complete as possible, as simple as possible. My plan is to read and understand this lighting guide so i can explain reptile lighting in a very thorough, understandable, quick manor..


and it's kind of confusing me... its saying that reptiles need UVA which is 320-400nm, but UVB is more important and is 290-320 NM... then its telling me that radiation above 310 NM destroys vitamin D'3 that has already been synthesized...

This lighting guide is making me scared to use any light source other than the sun itself... but living in portland oregon... that'd be practical MAYBE 2 months out of the year.... 


I usually tell people to get a 5.0 bulb for tropicals... and a 10.0 for high desert reptiles.. as well as a Day basking bulb and a red night basking bulb.... 


this guide is making me scared of light!!!!! *loL*


i hope some one gets what im saying and can deduce this answer for me.... until then im telling people to get a UVB bulb and a ceramic heat emitter......... as i usually do but ceramics are so expensive people always pass them by....


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## chelvis (Feb 23, 2011)

Most bulbs will not put out UVC waves except those use in UV Sanitizers which are not ment to be seen or touched. 

A 5.0 bulb is fine for animals that are not basking. But for most animals they need the 10.0 serises. The basking bulb is mainly used to more so people know where the heat is going. A cermatic heater is great but it does not creat a basking spot (an area that is much warmer than the surrounding area) like a flood or spot light will make. A cermatic heater is a better alternative for night time heating as it does a good job at keeping the abiant temp up. 

As for a third bulb for lighting, that is all sales my friend. For larger cagesi would just go with a Murcery Vapor Bulb all in one, does lights, heat and UVB/UVA all in one. But these have to be kept 12" away from the animal to pervent health issues such as burning. 

The tube lighting has its own issues. It is often said that the frist and last 6" of the bulb do not produce UVB and that its only the most center of the bulb that does, combine this with the fact the screening and glass can deflect some of the UV and that they have to be with in 8" it can make some of the UV tube bulbs useless.

If you really want to take a head spin in the world of UV for reptiles read up on the topic at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.reptileuv.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.reptileuv.com/</a><!-- m --> . This is the creator of the frist MVB or the Mega Ray and there is alot of info on UV in reptiles on the site. 

Also the exoterra lighting guide is a great markting tool. The shop i worked at got one and my boss was freaking out that we didn't keep heat bulbs in stock, enough though we had a hardwear section with bulbs over there... In other words, it has some good info but make sure to not get swept up in the marketing.


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## Toby_H (Feb 24, 2011)

Don't ever take advice from someone who earns a living off of you following their advice... in any realm of life...

The salesman did exactly what he hoped to do. He confused and overwhelmed you so that you let go of all the information, facts and intelligence you have gained over the years and clung to his advice (and his advice is to buy his product). Fortunately you have a resource such as Tegu Talk where you can discuss this topic with reptile nerds 


Yes it is true that Tegus absolutely need A) heat, B) UVA & C) UVBâ?¦ yes it is completely true that all three of these are typically supplied by lightingâ?¦ but where he mislead you, it is not only possible, but it is typical, for more than one of these needs to be supplied by a single bulbâ?¦

Take a minute and walk over to a typical incandescent bulb in your home. Now touch it. Burned didnâ??t it? 


UVA-
That bulb supplies both light (UVA) and heat, all with the same bulb. UVA is required and quite literally UVA is more than just â??visible lightâ?? but for all practical matters, any source of visible light will supply all of the needs of UVA your reptile has.


UVB-
Any UVB bulb much be placed correctly for proper use. This is because, very simply, UVB degrades as it travels through anything including air. The UVB from florescent bulbs â??worksâ?? the first millimeter away from the bulb, but at around 6â? it gets the effect of full crossover. This â??crossoverâ?? effect is much less of a factor in MVB bulbs as their surface area is much smaller.

UVB degrades very quickly as it travels through air. Florescent bulbs are designed so that their ideal range is 6~12â? from the bulb (measure to the animals surface, not the substrate surface). MVB bulbs have a â??higher concentrationâ?? of UVB thus they have a different ideal range (varies per brand/size). Being too close can â??burnâ?? your animal not only with too much heat but with too much UVB, being too far allows the UVB to degrade. So these bulbs also have an ideal range that must be achieved for safe/optimal use. 

UVC is not a concern as reptile bulbs do not emit any UVC (though I have personal experience/knowledge of UVC as Iâ??ve worked with many UVC clarifiers/sterilizers for aquariums over many years). Just like UVB, UVC also degrades as it travels through air but at an even greater rate. 

There are Vitamin D powdered supplements, but these are not a fair replacement for UVB. They definitely help IF the animal has inadequate UVB lighting, but supplying proper UVB makes the Vit D additive unnecessary. 


Heat-
Heat can and is supplied through lighting, but lighting is not the only possible source. Though keep in mind each source has both pros and cons. 

Incandescent bulbs are the most common. The higher the wattage the brighter the light AND the more heat they produce. But keep in mind the energy that is converted to light (instead of heat) is â??lostâ?? where heating is your goal. 

Ceramic heating elements can be used in place of bulbs in the same fixtures. These are great as the energy is converted only into heat and not light, thus making them much more efficient, though they are quite expensive in comparison to a typical light bulb. 

Under tank heat is great for many reptiles, but in my opinion they are a bad choice for Tegus or other burrowing animals. In nature, Tegus burrow to cool themselves and bask to warm themselves. Using under tank heat reverses that which is not only unnatural for your tegu, but denies you the opportunity to see your Tegu through the large part of the day when he is warming himself. 

Heating panels are â??the new hypeâ?? and while they surely have some advantages, unless the enclosure is insulated their efficiency is quickly lost. This is not to criticize them at all as they are a great new approach in many situation or for many animals, but in my opinion they are not the best choice for basking animals (such as Tegus) and users need to be encouraged to think about insulating a lot more than they typically are. 

Heat Rocks are notorious for having hot and cool spots and are the cause of numerous animals getting burned. Please do not use theseâ?¦



Summary-
Your Tegu NEEDS heat, light and UVB from your lighting. It is important to find a bulb, or a combination of bulbs, to supply all threeâ?¦

My personal approach to lighting is to use a long florescent bulb placed 10~11â? from the substrate (thus a bit closer to the Teguâ??s skin) and to have heat lamps (100W bulb/s) at one end of the florescent bulb. This allows my Tegu to bask in UVB only, UVB & heat, or heat onlyâ?¦ with UVA/light permeating the entire tankâ?¦


Best of luck at finding your own logical balance. Lighting is more complicated than some think, but itâ??s still fairly simple once you get a solid grasp. And do yourself a favor and never take advice from a salesman


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## TheGodOfKahn (Feb 24, 2011)

I myself am a salesman. But unlike representatives from wholesale companies that want me to buy their product just to buy it, I actually care about animals and want people to buy the right products. Also, I do enjoy getting their money ~~lol~~ BUT in doing so, it is my responsibility to provide them with accurate helpful information.





SO a UVB bulb and a ceramic heat emitter, cover all types of radiation my reptiles need, correct?



Your answer helped me clear up a lot. But i just want to be clear.


Thanks much :woot


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## james.w (Feb 24, 2011)

a MVB will cover everything, a CHE will give you heat that you can use at night if needed.


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