lighting

[tony19]

I have 3 questions for lighting.1st. can anyone tell me if i need a bulb for uvb & uva and basking or is there someone who makes a bulb with uvb & uva and basking. i am cunfused. 2nd. do i need 2 fixture for lighting or just 1(domb or dual top).3rd. does anyone know were i can get a k6500bulb for live plants and does this hurt the Cham at all.

(i am new to Chams and am startin a tank for one and i want everything just right when He\she comes ).

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Your cham needs two lights:
1. UVB (Reptiglo or Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0)
2. Basking bulb, which also provides UVA (a standard florescent white housebulb works great)
They make UVB bulbs that also emit heat for basking, but they emit a lot of heat and it is too much for chameleons in normal size cages.

Your plants will do better with the addition of a 6500k linear bulb (from any home improvement store) and it won't hurt your cham at all.

This will help get you headed in the right direction: Frequently Asked Questions - Lighting

But feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

 

[tony19]

Thanks
For the help.

 

[Nicolas]

They make UVB bulbs that also emit heat for basking, but they emit a lot of heat and it is too much for chameleons in normal size cages.

I would like to know: What do you mean by these UVB bulbs ? What is exaclty this bulbs ?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I would like to know: What do you mean by these UVB bulbs ? What is exaclty this bulbs ?

The mercury vapor bulbs like these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002AQDJK

 

[blackhawk]

The UVB bulb is a bulb that puts out UVB radaion - essential for the development and well-being of the animal. UVB allows the animal to produce Viatamin D which is used for muscle contraction, bone/egg development and more. Bulb types can be either fluorescent tubes or those that screw into typical lighting fixtures. They also come in different "strengths". For animals that live in a forest environment (chameleons) with lots of shade a moderate strength bulb is best. Most chameleon owners use a fluorescent bulb placed about 6" from a perch that puts out 5% UVB rays. UVB strength diminishes greatly with distance so it is important to allow the animal to get fairly close to the bulb. Chameleons can regulate how much UVB (as well as heat) that they need so it is also important to have other perches throughout the enclosure at different heights. Reptisun and Arcadia are trusted names in UVB fluorescent bulbs. For chameleons at this time, fluorescent bulbs are superior to other types.

 

[Nicolas]

That's what I thought.

First, what species are you talking about?
Don't think that the F.pardalis and C.calyptratus live under the canopy.

I use UVB bulb on my F.pardalis and, like many French breeders. Decidely, we keep our chams very differently...

We have fluorescent tubes only on babies. After, we put them under Powersun, Solar raptor and even under vitalux. They are healthy.

How much is your hot point?
Us, for C.calyptratus we have 35-40° celcius.
For F.pardalis, 32-35° celcius.
But the hot point are located so chams have a big thermal gradient.


In France, we don't recommend fluorescent tubes on adults because they don"t emit UV beyond of 30cm...
Take a look: http://dragonsdasgard.actifforum.com/t33133-mesures-uv-powersun-vs-le-reste-du-monde

Notice the bad quality of the Exo-terra bulb.

 

[Venutus1]

That's what I thought.

First, what species are you talking about?
Don't think that the F.pardalis and C.calyptratus live under the canopy.

I use UVB bulb on my F.pardalis and, like many French breeders. Decidely, we keep our chams very differently...

We have fluorescent tubes only on babies. After, we put them under Powersun, Solar raptor and even under vitalux. They are healthy.

How much is your hot point?
Us, for C.calyptratus we have 35-40° celcius.
For F.pardalis, 32-35° celcius.
But the hot point are located so chams have a big thermal gradient.


In France, we don't recommend fluorescent tubes on adults because they don"t emit UV beyond of 30cm...
Take a look: http://dragonsdasgard.actifforum.com/t33133-mesures-uv-powersun-vs-le-reste-du-monde

Notice the bad quality of the Exo-terra bulb.

Just a reminder that Arcadia Flo. T8 12% and especially the New HO T5 tubes emit ample amounts of UV....
LOTS, as much as even a 160w Merc Vapor.
Cheers!

 

[PenelopeLove]

I was just about to start a thread to ask about lighting.. If I get a dual canopy and but a zoomed reptisun (UVB) and naturesun bulb in, do I need a basking lamp as well????

 

[nightanole]

you want a repitsun and a ultra sun (fish) if you want a uv and a normal light. The basking light is for heat since they cant side on a hot rock like other lizards. Though for some reason mine likes to sit on the ballasts...

 

[PenelopeLove]

you want a repitsun and a ultra sun (fish) if you want a uv and a normal light. The basking light is for heat since they cant side on a hot rock like other lizards. Though for some reason mine likes to sit on the ballasts...

Haha what a cutie lol! At the moment Pennie is not well and had taken a liking to sleeping in her pot plants (she's definitely not gravid!) maybe she'll be the only Cham ever to use a heat rock if I got her one lol. Thanks for the advice!

 

[nightanole]

 

[PenelopeLove]

Yep.. She'd be on that in a flash for sure!

 

[Nicolas]

Just a reminder that Arcadia Flo. T8 12% and especially the New HO T5 tubes emit ample amounts of UV....
LOTS, as much as even a 160w Merc Vapor.
Cheers!

But how far?

 

[Carlton]

Don't think that the F.pardalis and C.calyptratus live under the canopy.

Yes they do end up in partly or mostly shaded areas for a lot of the day as they move around through their habitats. They are not exposed to full intense sun all day. Even desert species that have no shrub cover don't just sit out in full sun once they have warmed up in the morning. They would overheat. They move in and out of the sun as necessary to maintain their body temp.

 

[tony19]

I have another question..... i plan to go with the fluoesent tube lighting for my cham....do i need a a special fixtue Or can i use one from say lows ect.... if i do need a special fixture what typre is best to use and were can i find it

 

[nightanole]

But how far?

Your thinking wrong, you should be asking how far away can get and still meet minimum light recommendations.

With a refector a T5 HO will put out 150+mws at 38cm. contrast that to an older model T8 bulb that would only put on 45mws at that distance. Your min for a happy cham is about 20mws. If the world was perfect, then at 76cm you would still be getting 75mws.

 

[nightanole]

I have another question..... i plan to go with the fluoesent tube lighting for my cham....do i need a a special fixtue Or can i use one from say lows ect.... if i do need a special fixture what typre is best to use and were can i find it

If you are going T8 then you do not need a special fixture, but i recommend a clip on reflector or a fixture with a reflector built in. It would give you 2-3x the light, and drastically increase the sweet spot. A lowes model would work fine, and id shoot for an electronic ballast version. Most are electronic, but you might find a super cheap old school one by mistake thats the old magnetic start version.