Repti sun 5.0 UVB 13 watt mini compact fluorescent light
- Thread starter Meg4433
- Start date
MissLissa
Avid Member
Compact fluorescent bulbs are not recommended for most reptiles, and especially not chameleons as they are hard on their eyes. Instead, the straight tube-type lighting (T5 or equivalent) is preferred. T8 or 10 is too strong in my opinion.
I'd recommend lightyourreptiles.com as a resource. I'm very happy with by Arcadia T5 bulbs- they last a really long time and have good UV output.
I'd recommend lightyourreptiles.com as a resource. I'm very happy with by Arcadia T5 bulbs- they last a really long time and have good UV output.
MissLissa
Avid Member
Honestly. the issue with the CFL's is probably not a big of a deal as it was 5+ years ago. HOWEVER they still only offer a very narrow beam of UV light, and a large chameleon will need to be able to get their entire body under it to benefit. So, a tube light spreads out the UVB over a larger area, meaning it's easier for your cham to get all the benefits from it. Also, in my experience, reptiles are not great at "knowing" when they need to increase their D3, and giving them a bigger area where it is available using the tube lighting means they are more likely to get what they need than if it was accessible only from a small corner of the cage.
OldChamKeeper
Chameleon Enthusiast
Agreed. The CFL's are not as dangerous as they used to be however. Personally I don't reccommend them except for shorter cages and even then only for less complicated lizards. Think geckos or other small lizards that may not need as much from their light source. Todd over at light your reptiles is an expert on these things and I've purchased from him myself.
Meg4433
Established Member
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
The 12% gives more UVB and the UVB penetrates deeper in the cage. I use Arcadia 12% for everyone, including babies. I do make sure they can move in and out of the UVB at all the different levels of the cage. I have the quad fixtures for most cages--they have two daylight bulbs, one UVB bulb and a plant bulb. The quad fixtures throw out more heat than a fixture with just two bulbs, so that might be a consideration. I never use the "moonlight" LED feature--that's just a blue light, nothing like moonlight.
One other thing--I regret not buying the slightly more expensive Arcadia lights in the first place. They are not much more expensive and are vastly superior. Arcadia lights are manufactured in Europe, not China.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Since it is such a deep cage, you will want the 12%. Put the daylight bulb towards the front of your cage with the UVB on the backside. Add a basking light behind the UVB. That gives you the most light in the front. If your cage set up is like most, the front is more open. Putting the daylight bulb towards the front (open) side makes the whole cage brighter. The "daylight" bulb isn't necessary for health, only light. A dark cage will put your chameleon into a less active mode. If they are less active, they also decrease their eating.
The difference between the brightness of Arcadia lights verses the equivalent ZooMed bank of lights is huge. I noticed a huge difference in the activity levels of the chameleons when I switched from banks of ZooMed lights to Arcadia lights. As I said, I regret not buying them in the first place because the price difference is really small.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
Get a dome fixture for the basking light and use a regular house bulb. You may need to try a few different wattages to get the proper basking temperature, so start with a 60 watt and go up to a stronger light if needed. The fluorescent tubes put off almost no heat, so you need a separate basking spot lamp.
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
Absolutely. I couldn't believe the amazing difference in both amount and quality of light when I switched to the Arcadia. The color rendering of the Arcadia lamps is so much better, so the colors in the cage really "pop".
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
You'll be really happy with the Arcadia lights. You just won't know how much better they are after wasting hundreds of dollars on inferior lights. Take my word for it--the difference is huge and the chameleon feels it.
It depends on your temps and your species on whether you have a basking light and what strength. My quads never have a basking light. The fluorescent light banks do throw off a fair amount of heat but with only one bank of lights you might not notice it. A basking light is just a plain old fashioned incandescent light. They are getting really hard to find, though.
