Finally found a reptisun 18" 5.0....but not very bright?

[Jared355]

I purchased the reptisun 10.0 and the 5.0 for my 24x24x42 screen cage. I had the exo terra compact bulbs on there but i only have a aquarium head that holds one of my 18" lights so should i go with the 10.0 for how tall it is or the 5.0? i also have a pothos plant in there and a japaneese aralia. On another note when i put the light in, it was not near as bright are the repti sun bulbs suppose to be very bright? or is my fixture for the bulb to weak to power it?

thanks for any replys
jared

 

[MEPOKEU]

Use the 5.0 blub.
Keep it right over the basking spot. Anything farther then 12 inches wont benefit from the uvb..


Also go buy a basking light fixture/bulb.
I use a 60 watt bulb, but it wall depend on your species and what temp you're trying to achieve..


The 5.0 isnt very bright so its not your fixture being weak

 

[Jared355]

I added pictures of his cage, lights, and basking spot. obviously the blue light is the reptisun please tell me if it looks right to you. Feel free to tell me if you like the cage or if there is somthing else i need to do with it.



thanks

 

[Todnedo]

Mepokeu it might be the pic but that 5.0 looks way overdriven what kind of fixture/ballast are you using?

 

[MEPOKEU]

Mepokeu it might be the pic but that 5.0 looks way overdriven what kind of fixture/ballast are you using?

i didnt use a flash and thats the only light source in a dark room.

i did that so you could see the inside threw the mesh

 

[summoner12]

The UVB tubes aren't there to light the room..... They provice UVB. If you'd like more light I would suggest a normal house hold lamp along side the UVB lamp. A grow light is a better way to go since they will help your plants grow, and they are bright.

Edit: adding aluminum foil to the fixture to help reflect more light down into the cage is a good idea.

check out this link... Che

 

[Docility]

Mepokeu it might be the pic but that 5.0 looks way overdriven what kind of fixture/ballast are you using?

they have higher blue output so it looks normal to me

 

[jojackson]

Just a note that visible brightness does not correlate to uv strength. These are of different frequency wavelengths. I have found additional non-UV Flourescent lighting for a brighter light in the visible spectrum also seems to benefit my animal. He appears more alert and active.

 

[Eric Adrignola]

could also be that the bulb is a t12 and the fixture a t8 - or the other way around. Supposedly, the t8 fixtures are lower power, and t12 bulbs put out less light in them.

Also - compact flourescent UVB bulbs have been proven to cause eye damage in reptiles. I'd ditch it.

 

[Jared355]

I already had ditched the compact bulb I'm using the 10.0 reptisun now, both the bulb and the fixture are t8 so it's just me being use to brighter lights, I don't care how bright it is as long as he is getting what he needs

Thanks for the help

 

[MEPOKEU]

The UVB tubes aren't there to light the room..... They provice UVB. If you'd like more light I would suggest a normal house hold lamp along side the UVB lamp. A grow light is a better way to go since they will help your plants grow, and they are bright.

Edit: adding aluminum foil to the fixture to help reflect more light down into the cage is a good idea.

check out this link... Che

guess its my fault for not clarifying.

Only light source in a dark "during the time i took the picture"..
I turned the lights out so you could see through a mesh cage.

The UVB lights dont illuminate the room

 

[summoner12]

guess its my fault for not clarifying.

Only light source in a dark "during the time i took the picture"..
I turned the lights out so you could see through a mesh cage.

The UVB lights dont illuminate the room

I know they aren't really going to illuminate the room... I was being facetious.

I meant that they aren't very bright. So if you need more light the best way to do it is with a grow light or normal household tube lamp or household CFL.

 

[jojackson]

23watt household CFL (=125watt) is what im using. Even plant flouro lights arnt that visibly brighter. I thought of adding one but my plants are growing well at this stage, but I may in future.