Q: about T5 vs T8 vs regular linear - everyone comment, please.

[trickedoutbiker]

so in a few months, i will be upgrading my chameleon cage to an adult 24 x 24 x 48 cage. at first i was going to just get a couple 5.0 uvb bulbs and put em in a lamp fixture, but lots of reading up sounds like the linear lights are a better option and provide more coverage.

so, first a little background. i got my panthe cham in October 2015 and he was about 2 months old. so now he is about 6 months old, and in another 3-4 months is when im getting his new cage. currently he has a single compact reptisun 5.0 bulb for uvb and a regular 60 watt incandescent bulb for heat.

when his cage is bigger, i was gonan go with the 100 watt incandescent bulb to put more heat through a larger cage.

what i had a question about though is, what kind of linear should i get? there are the regular 24 inch hoods with regular reptisun 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs. the 24 inch hood doesnt matter really, they are all the same. but i did have a question about the bulbs...

there are regular bulbs, T5 UVB bulbs, T8 UVB bulbs, and the super expensive (but only gotta change once a year instead of twice) Arcadia 6% bulbs.

now i did some research... http://www.hoveyelectric.com/hovey-...12-As-Outdated-As-Your-Granparents-Bingo-Game

the "T" is the width of the bulb so the narrower the bulb, the more efficient it is. so a T5 would be brighter and more efficient than a T8, and both would be more efficient than a regular linear bulb.

http://www.hoveyelectric.com/hovey-...ow-Do-You-Know-If-You-Really-Need-T5-Lighting

T5 and T8 are both very close in specs, but a T5 costs 2x as much as a T8.

so like, what should I go for?

and as for the 5.0 vs 10.0 bulbs..... what is anyone's opinion on that? I believe Reptisun 5.0 compact bulbs push light 12 inches down into a cage where 10.0 compact bulbs push the light down 24 inches into the cage, right? that's for compact. is it the same for linear bulbs or do they push the light further down?

reason I ask is because I've read that lots of people use the 10.0 linear bulbs in a 24 x 24 x 48 cage and bigger because it will put more UVB into the bigger cage and it will make sure your chameleon gets required UVB rays. BUT THEN IVE ALSO READ lots of people suggest only using the 5.0 linear bulbs because a 10.0 would put TOO MUCH uvb rays into the cage. if a 10.0 is only pushing light 24 inches down, that's only half my cage. so a chameleon would have the whole other half of the cage to get out of the UVB, and he would also have foliage to hide in too. BUT..... most chameleons typically spend most of their time at the top of a cage, under the UVB and heat lights.

other people have told me to go with the HO T5 Arcadia 6% 65000k bulb. which is super expensive. I'm stuck in a bind because so many differing opinions.....

would that 10.0 light be too much for a panther chameleon? I've never used linear lights before and want to make sure everything will be okay before I decide to purchase anything. I want it to be exactly what I need and exactly what he needs so I dont kill the little guy. and would I NEED a T5 or T8 or would a regular linear bulb work? i know T5 and T8 are more energy efficient but does the added cost of the bulb outweigh the saving's you would save on electricity over the course of 6 months (since u gotta replace them every 6 months)

please help anyone. what kind of UVB linear light should I get for my new panther chameleon cage?

 

[Cheeky]

Hi,

Here is a conversation with responses from Arcadia John on another forum I am on in response to a nearly identical question:

Hi.
I am currently in the process of setting up a larger enclosure for my Veiled Chameleon. It will be 24x24x48. I am looking at a lighting hood plus separate spot for heat basking. My question is what is better linear or compact florescent tubes?
Thanks.
Chris.

Linear lamps will always be vastly more effective in terms of providing light and energy from light over a wide and measured area,

we also now have the D3+ UVFLOOD which uses HO T% power linear compact tech which is ideally suited to your species in that size viv. It will allow UV rich light to the correct index and over an area big enough to provide for the lizard

it is also IP67 waterproof so you don't have to worry about misting.

john

Ok next question. Through the top mesh of a 48" deep enclosure will i need a 6% or 12% D3+ tube?
Thanks.
Chris.

You will need the D3+ 12% and reflector to fire through the mesh, or the D3+ UVFLOOD

Both the same lamp, different application.

then make sure that the basking point is NO CLOSER than 12" from the mesh to the chams head as basking and then dropping off from there

or you can put a reflected D3 6% inside the viv, its six and two threes

john

Personally I think the Arcadia bulbs are great and like how active john is on the various forums, there is lots of good information on their website and they really seem to know their stuff

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I'd have to order Arcadia online if I went that route. Any others have any advice or opinions? Would like to know what I'm doing by the end of Sunday, Jan 10th. Because I have a 20% off coupon at the place I'm planning on buying a light, and the coupon expires at the end of the 10th

 

[mvad]

Lightyourreptiles.com. I think it's the best lighting source for fixtures and bulbs. Get a quad 24 inch T5 fixture or 2 dual T5 24 inch fixtures. Arcadia bulb, 5% or 10% (with a heavily planted enclosure), 2, 6.5k daylight bulbs and 1 plant pro bulb to keep the plants extra happy.

 

[nick barta]

Your questions and research are outstanding, well done. Some considerations...

With the Arcadia bulbs, the replacement being at 1 year verses 6 months for others, I would suggest a cost analysis including shipping, on how long it is for the Arcadia to cost less than other bulbs.

The fixture can be purchased locally at hardware stores, and this would save money on shipping.

Put a 6500k ligt in the second tube position for the plants, they need it to thrive; buy this at the hardware store to save $.

And finally, if a second chameleon is possibly in your future (it is...) buy for that future and get a 48 inch fixture. It may not look appropriate for a 24 inch cage by itself, but 2 24-inch fixtures and bulbs cost more than 1 48 inch fixture and bulbs.

You show diligence and teachability, keep up the good work!

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[Decadancin]

I know I missed your 1-10-16 20% deadline, but when I got my T5 fixture from http://lightyourreptiles.com/, I could not believe the difference in brightness inside my enclosure. I would suggest the Arcadia 6% and a 6500k plant bulb. I actually have an Arcadia 12%, two 6500k bulbs and an Arcadia PlantPro (just to give a different spectrum of light in the enclosure) in my quad fixture that I got from @Venutus1 (Todd) and I have absolutely NO regrets. I change the bulbs once a year and that's it!

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I decided to go with a 24" T-5 High Output Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood - with a 24 watt 22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 HO T5 UVB Lamp in one slot and a 24 watt 22" Zoo Med T-5 HO Ultra Sun Super Daylight 6,500K Fluorescent Bulb in the other slot.

I was gonna get a Reptisun 10.0 linear but because the HO T5 Reptisun 5.0's are 2x stronger UVB output and much brighter than the regular Reptisun 5.0 lamps, I decided I'd be fine with a 5. So many people use the 5.0 lights without failure. And so many people use the 10.0 lights without failure. Some use lamps, some use linear. Some use regular bulbs, some use high output bulbs. I think it all really comes down to a matter of preference. We all try to imitate their natural environments the best that we can, but it's not always super sunny in Madagascar. Light and UVB levels go up and down and fluctuate with the seasons and the clouds.

I read a story here recently about a guy who lost a chameleon for 5.5 months down in Louisiana I believe it was. It was found like 4-5 blocks away, AFTER 5.5 MONTHS!!! The story went on to say about how there was some temps that reached in the upper 30's and 40's some nights during that time. There were also a few days where it rained nonstop. A little chameleon all alone, lost.... no perfect environment like we try to give them or guaranteed food like we give them.... and that chameleon SURVIVED. Through lots of rain, and some very low temps that are WAY below what is recommended in an enclosure, the cham survived.... That right that hit me in the fact that a chameleon may be adaptive in a sense. I mean either that story goes against a lot of odds that it survived (which it does), or chameleons are not always as fragile as we think. Very amazing and unique creatures. Sure... lots can go wrong, even with the best husbandry. It's life. It's just like humans: we can live as healthy as we can, eating right and exercising and not drinking and not smoking and so on and so forth, and yet we can still die of a terrible illness or develop cancer. It's just the amazing circle of life.

I love reading different stories and looking at different setups and seeing different chameleons on here. The community is so diverse in their techniques and there are people all over the world caring for these wonderful creatures. Very very neat.

I will post pics of the new setup in a few months when everything is done and ready.
Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'd have to order Arcadia online if I went that route. Any others have any advice or opinions? Would like to know what I'm doing by the end of Sunday, Jan 10th. Because I have a 20% off coupon at the place I'm planning on buying a light, and the coupon expires at the end of the 10th

The Arcadia are worth the shipping charges. They are just so much better. 12% will penetrate deeper into the cage, MUCH deeper than any ZooMed no matter how new. If you don't have plants, the basic two-bulb fixture, one 12% UVB and the other just the daylight 6500K will be nice and bright. If you have plants, the quad is an option but I find the blue "moonlights" a complete waste of time and have never used them. Alternatively, you could get a two-bulb fixture and a single fixture for the plant bulb. They throw off a fair amount of heat. You might not need the higher wattage basking light.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I decided to go with a 24" T-5 High Output Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood - with a 24 watt 22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 HO T5 UVB Lamp in one slot and a 24 watt 22" Zoo Med T-5 HO Ultra Sun Super Daylight 6,500K Fluorescent Bulb in the other slot.

I was gonna get a Reptisun 10.0 linear but because the HO T5 Reptisun 5.0's are 2x stronger UVB output and much brighter than the regular Reptisun 5.0 lamps, I decided I'd be fine with a 5. So many people use the 5.0 lights without failure. And so many people use the 10.0 lights without failure. Some use lamps, some use linear. Some use regular bulbs, some use high output bulbs. I think it all really comes down to a matter of preference. We all try to imitate their natural environments the best that we can, but it's not always super sunny in Madagascar. Light and UVB levels go up and down and fluctuate with the seasons and the clouds.

I read a story here recently about a guy who lost a chameleon for 5.5 months down in Louisiana I believe it was. It was found like 4-5 blocks away, AFTER 5.5 MONTHS!!! The story went on to say about how there was some temps that reached in the upper 30's and 40's some nights during that time. There were also a few days where it rained nonstop. A little chameleon all alone, lost.... no perfect environment like we try to give them or guaranteed food like we give them.... and that chameleon SURVIVED. Through lots of rain, and some very low temps that are WAY below what is recommended in an enclosure, the cham survived.... That right that hit me in the fact that a chameleon may be adaptive in a sense. I mean either that story goes against a lot of odds that it survived (which it does), or chameleons are not always as fragile as we think. Very amazing and unique creatures. Sure... lots can go wrong, even with the best husbandry. It's life. It's just like humans: we can live as healthy as we can, eating right and exercising and not drinking and not smoking and so on and so forth, and yet we can still die of a terrible illness or develop cancer. It's just the amazing circle of life.

I love reading different stories and looking at different setups and seeing different chameleons on here. The community is so diverse in their techniques and there are people all over the world caring for these wonderful creatures. Very very neat.

I will post pics of the new setup in a few months when everything is done and ready.
Thanks for the input everyone.

That was a great story, wasn't it!

Lighting is not something they really adapt to other than having thinner scales. There is a difference in the scalation between wild caughts and captive breds. The light intensity outside is many many times greater than any light bulb will ever produce, even sunlight from in the north. I've lived for many years in the tropics, and there is an intensity to the sun that is different when you start to approach the equator. I've been in south central Texas for almost four years now and I still find the sun "watery" even mid day in the summer when the temps are over 100F.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

That was a great story, wasn't it!

yes it was a very neat story.

and as for my lights... I think I will be just fine with what I decided to get. If HO T5 5.0 linear UVB doesn't give him enough UVB's then I might go to a 10.0 sometime in the future. Like I mentioned before, people use both with success. I think it's all a matter of preference.