Uvb light question

[bobbydigital]

Hi all! I am going to purchase a linear tube tomorrow to replace my current reptisun 5.0 coiled bulb. I have a 18x18x36 enclosure for my one and a half year old male veiled. I am going to purchase a reptisun t5, but I was wondering if I should buy a 14" or 24" fixture. The 14" would fit perfectly but i was wondering if i should buy the bigger one and run it diagonally across the top of the cage. Also is a 5.0 sufficient or should I buy a 10.0? I've been using 5.0 the whole time but I recently read that the level of uv drops as it passes through the screen mesh and that 10.0 is better than 5.0 because of that.

 

[Goose502]

Glad to hear you’re replacing the compact fluorescent bulb(they are junk). The linear tube is a much better choice, and will provide much better distribution of UVB. It’s hard to tell if the 5.0 or 10.0 is better without testing with a solarmeter. Personally, I use a 6.0 from Arcadia. Without the screen, I get readings of 2.5-4 at different areas within 8 inches or so. The screen roughly cuts those numbers in half. If your chameleon spends time near the top of the cage (most will), I’d go for the 5.0. As far as the size, I recommend you first purchase the 24 inch fixture, then purchase the larger 24x24x48 inch cage. An adult male chameleon should be housed in a cage with these minimum dimensions. This way you have a perfect size fixture for a much better sized enclosure.

 

[nightanole]

Id replace the 5.0 with a 10.0 on the next bulb swap. a 5.0 through screen is only good for about a foot into the cage, the 10.0 would be good for at least half the cage height, which is ideal.

 

[Graves923]

I use a 10.0 bulb on my 24x24x48 cage that is heavily planted. 5.0 hardly put out enough UVB unless my cham stays in the top 8-10" of the cage 24/7.

Definitely look into a large enclosure and get the 24" fixture. My cham grew out of my 18x18x36 cage before he was a year old.

 

[bobbydigital]

Thanks everyone for the input so far. We actually have a 24x24x48 enclosure from a previous veiled that passed, but I've been hesitant to upgrade his enclosure because he has had gout since last Feb, and he falls quite often (or used to I should say). Not so much if at all the past couple of months as he has the previous months. I put a safety net for him but i just didn't want to worry about him falling with that extra 12". I'm gone for most of the day working now and I'm not home as much as I used to and can only give him his natural sunlight on the weekends which is one of the main reasons im switching my uvb setup. I was about to pull the trigger on the 14" last night but figured id run it by the forums and get all the opinions I can first.