UVB upgrade

[Shanar808]

Hi everyone, I just upgraded to the reptisun t5 10.0 (next to a 6500k in a dual fixture about 8-10 inches above basking thru mesh) from the tropical Zilla 25 and I’m wondering if it’s good or bad that my chameleon has been basking for hours. It might be due to her finishing up this shed but I’m curious if anyone else has noticed this behavior after changing their light?

 

[Pearl Fields]

woah what kind of chameleon is that?

 

[Shanar808]

Alexa is a Jackson’s chameleon (Hawaii bred)

 

[Anisa.corp]

Well I wouldn't say it's bad I've read that chameleons can sense the uvb levels but just wondering why did you upgrade to a 10?

 

[Shanar808]

Thanks for your input. Actually, I went thru a few forums on here to figure out which one to get and being that my enclosure is >30” tall, my light fixture hangs above my cage not directly on it, goes thru fine mesh (reducing output up to 50%), and is adjacent to another linear tube (reducing output by 25%) I ended up getting the 10.0 instead of the 5.0 ?

 

[Beman]

Hi everyone, I just upgraded to the reptisun t5 10.0 (next to a 6500k in a dual fixture about 8-10 inches above basking thru mesh) from the tropical Zilla 25 and I’m wondering if it’s good or bad that my chameleon has been basking for hours. It might be due to her finishing up this shed but I’m curious if anyone else has noticed this behavior after changing their light?

Hi there is your fixture a single reflector for both or does the reflector like drop down in between the two bulbs creating two?

She is basking more because she is loving her uvb... The zilla is a T8 and the output is not nearly the same as a T5.

 

[Shanar808]

Thank you, I hope she likes it, the fixture I have doesn’t have a separation between the bulbs so I guess it’s a single, 7” wide? Adding picture of the item.

 

[Beman]

Thank you, I hope she likes it, the fixture I have doesn’t have a separation between the bulbs so I guess it’s a single, 7” wide? Adding picture of the item.

Perfect so your lurking and reading paid off. The 10.0 is the right type of bulb for that fixture. Your height range would be right too. Great job!

 

[Shanar808]

Yay!! ?it’s soo great to hear.. been rereading the 5.0 vs 10.0 debates over and over. This forum is awesome and it’s great to talk to others who are knowledgeable in chameleon care. Sometime the debates get rather heated tho lol but it’s only cuz everyone is soo passionate. Thank you ? for your reassurance!

 

[Beman]

Yay!! ?it’s soo great to hear.. been rereading the 5.0 vs 10.0 debates over and over. This forum is awesome and it’s great to talk to others who are knowledgeable in chameleon care. Sometime the debates get rather heated tho lol but it’s only cuz everyone is soo passionate. Thank you ? for your reassurance!

Your welcome hun! Glad we did not scare you off

 

[Kaizen]

One more thing to add: at the elevation where Jackson’s live, they see much higher uvb levels than their lower level cousins. Several keepers believe that higher than usual uvb levels for high altitude species is a good thing, provided you supply a good photo-gradient.