So I back away from the exoterra bulbs. Honestly not at all the direction I recommend. They are lower output. And I have not tested those one specifically. And they do not make them so you can compare them to the reptisun T8. I can tell you with a reptisun T8 10.0 bulb that sweet spot 3UVI level is literally 5 inches below the fixture. WIth the 5.0 version it is 2-3 inches below. Which for a veiled you do not want them on that screen. They will rub their cask on it causing damage and infection. So this is where getting the T5HO fixtures is better with an arcadia bulb. I can give you more of an exact so you know your UVB is on point. Rather then you guessing and hoping it ends up ok.Yeah i thought about that one too, but it wont be much smaller than my enclosure since the lights tube is 45cm and whole light fixture is about 52cm so just right for the space i got. Do you think it won't cover the cage evenly because of the few cms missing?
About the gauge i fully understand it, and i meant it like this. I can either go with UVB100 and less dense screen so it is more equal to T5HO, or i can go with same density screen and UVB150 which is fairly stronger and described as a desert light that can be used in forest terariums with denser screens. This should probably work too with basking still about 20cm from top of the cage right? I think the second variant would be more suitable, since as you said larger gauge will cause more heat too, but i can sort that out with a dimmer for my heat bulb.
I feel lost with so much info available.
I have my heat bulb 10-11 inches above my branch. I would base wattage on what temps you achieve at basking. Males only should be kept 80-85 max and females 78-80 max at basking. Now thermal burns become your risk here. So 100 watt bulbs can be too strong. Any spot or focused bulbs can be too strong. I typically recommend a regular incandescent white household bulb 60-75watt. Now if you have the basking on a dimmer thermostat you could go with a 100 watt because the probe for temp gets placed at the basking branch and secured with a small zip tie. Then the dimmer adjusts based on that temp you set. Thermal burn risk is not an issue then if your distance is correct and your temps are right. Again veileds and their casque... Sits higher and closer to the heat so we have to be more cautious with this species.