Lighting question

[green_man]

Hi all,
I am currently building Rasputin a new enclosure. It was originaly for my BCI but I got the dimensions goofed up and thought it would work better for a beardie.
It is 5'L x 2'W x 3'H
Could some one recomend a good UV light that will reach him? The one I have now is a 12 incher...
thanks in advance

[The_Godfather]

They sell UV lights that are like 4 feet long. That'd be awsome.

However, from all I've heard they only work at a distance of no more then 18 inches.

In my basement we have this massive metal florescent fixture. It drops down a foot because a chair is hooked to some of those screw in hooks. You could buy a big fixture like this and drop it down so your beardie can get a ton of UVB.

[green_man]

That sounds great Godfather. You wouldnt happen to have a picture of it would you? Thats what I meant by 12 incher, the UV only travels aobut 12 inches so I need to figure somthing out...

[Cthulhu]

Look into the PowerSUN type bulbs, they're heat and UVA/B all in one. And they reach a lot farther than 12".

--Maarken

[JLC]

I'm soon to run into that same problem. I've got a massive 75-gallon tank that Shaggy will move into in a couple months. Trouble is, it's pretty tall, too...so if I put the UVB lights on top, they won't reach him very well when he's down on the floor. I'm either going to have to find a way to suspend the lights from inside the tank...(I have to customize my own lid anyhow)...or make some really tall basking platforms and branches for him to climb up on. Not sure yet which way I'm going to go.

Maarken, I have two problems with the PowerSUN bulbs. One: It's a spot, like a basking lamp...so you don't get a good UVB exposure throughout the enclosure...which is ok in a small one, but not so good in a large one. And Two: They can get really hot. If you have to use a dimmer switch to control the temperatures, then you are also dimming your UVB exposure. So, my personal preference is to use two different sources for UVB and heat.

[gozetec02]

I say you should use a powersun bulb in conjunction with a flourescent bulb. That way you have UVB throughout the tank. They are a little expensive but you lizard will thank you for it.

[CTReptileRescue]

Hi guys, this thread got me thinking, so I put a thread up in the general forum (didn't know where to put it). But it explains some things about UV bulbs etc. Maybe it would help out.
Thanks
Rusty

[JLC]

Here's where that thread ended up:
"UV Lighting" by Rusty

THANKS for this, Rusty. It's very helpful and might even help me revise my opinion of combining UV and heat in one bulb!

[green_man]

Thats awesome Rusty!
Thank you very much!

[CTReptileRescue]

No problem, I'm glad it could help.
Rusty