New enclosure for my 8 month old panther, need lighting advise.

[macross]

I know this is a topic covered a lot but I need expert opinions, not pet store employee's, My logic tells me that the 5.0 isn't going to be enough, esp if he's regularly 12" (which is the max distance for the uvb on the back of the 5.0 box) away from the bulb. he'll probably be an average of at least 15" away from the top.

As far as everything else, the enclosure is going to have one giant sheffilera abricola. Mist king ultimate value setup. ultrasonic humidifier, the enclosure itself is going to be 24X18X42-44. the tip top of the plant is going to be 8-10 inches from the top.

I'm thinking reptisun 18" reptisun 10.0 with a 100-120watt basking bulb, and possibly just a standard florecent bulb for additional light.

Or possibly one of the solar glo 120 watt mercury vapor bulbs to combine the basking and uvb. my only question about this setup, is, does it give off too much uvb? is there such thing as too much uvb?

Idk, much confusion, I hope you guys can help me.

 

[Lingling]

Mercury vapor bulbs are extremely hot. I used one for about 6 months, but it was over a free range, where my cham could easily move away from it when he need to and find UVB in a cooler location. I use a reptisun 5.0 in addition, so he can regulate his temperature and still get UVB either way.

As for using a MV bulb over a cage, I wouldn't. Some people have success with them, but you have to be extremely attentive to your cham's behavior and have a UV meter, in my opinion. They put off a great deal of UVB along with the heat, and it could be too much for you cham. If you can't measure the UVB output, I wouldn't use one on a cage. I felt safe using one in my free range only because he could get away from the heat, and because he spent less time directly under a UVB light. There is definitely such a thing as too much UVB, and a caged cham under a MV bulb could easily be harmed by it if it's not measured.

I agree with you, the 5.0 might not be enough if the cham will be farther than 12" from the bulb, especially since the screen blocks a good amount of the UVB. I would think a 10.0 might solve your problem, but I will leave that for another member to suggest. I'd be interested to hear what other might say.

Just be cautious with MV bulbs. Most chams need to spend more time under UVB than they do under basking temps, so a UVB bulb that puts off as much heat as the MVs do could prevent your cham from getting the UVB he needs, even though the output is so great. My cham didn't spend enough time getting UVB because he just didn't bask for more than an hour or two at a time, maybe twice a day. Someone with a meter might know if that would be alright. Less time under a bulb with higher UVB output might balance out fine. Just some thoughts.

 

[macross]

Well I suppose I probably will go with a 10.0 unless anyone can give me a compelling reason not to. I'd like to have the security of the 5.0 but with him being regularly 10" or more away from it, and the 5.0 only putting out uvb up to 12" away, i don't have much of a choice.