Weird lighting behavior help please.

[Bschucher]

A lil backround on setup. Was using a T8 fixture with a 10.0 reptisun bulb along with a separate jungle dawn led plant light. All seemed fine. Wanted to find a single dual bulb solution and found a "aquasun" t5 ho dual fixture. Put in a 6500 plant bulb and a repti t5 5.0 ho bulb. After putting in the new fixture, my cham spent days in very low portion of cage. For the heck of it I put back the original setup and he was back on all his high branches as before. Any thoughts on what's happening here? Is the new bulb overdoing the uvb somehow? Thanks folks.

 

[Beman]

A lil backround on setup. Was using a T8 fixture with a 10.0 reptisun bulb along with a separate jungle dawn led plant light. All seemed fine. Wanted to find a single dual bulb solution and found a "aquasun" t5 ho dual fixture. Put in a 6500 plant bulb and a repti t5 ho bulb. After putting in the new fixture, my cham spent days in very low portion of cage. For the heck of it I put back the original setup and he was back on all his high branches as before. Any thoughts on what's happening here? Is the new bulb overdoing the uvb somehow? Thanks folks.

Lighting is something they have to adjust to... Kinda like living in Washington where it always rains and then suddenly getting sun. It makes you squint.
Different types of lighting puts out differently then we do. They are able to see ultraviolet light. Also your T8 is much dimmer then the T5. So basically it can take a few days for them to realize they are safe and resume usual activities.

Also make sure if your using a dual that only has the one reflector for both. Meaning the reflector does not drop down in between bulbs it just sits above it without separating the bulbs then you will have different distances to basking then a single bulb fixture.

So with a 5.0 or 6% you would have to have basking branch 5 inches down from the screen below the fixture and with a 10.0 or 12% you would have to have it 8 inches down. A dual fixture with a single reflector lowers uvb out put.

If it has individual reflectors your going to base your distance on a single bulb fixture and use the lower output bulb, so 8-9 inches to basking.

 

[CasqueAbove]

What strength is the bulb

 

[Bschucher]

Thanks for your quick and knowledgeable reply as always. It's a single reflector. I have to leave town for five days and have a friend coming to take care him so I think I'll leave old setup until I'm back then redo it and give him time. Was just making sure I wasn't harming him by overdosing uvb somehow

 

[Bschucher]

Sorry.. Corrected to note the uvb was a 5.0 repti in new fixture

 

[Beman]

Sorry.. Corrected to note the uvb was a 5.0 repti in new fixture

ok so you will need to use the close distance I gave you with that dual single reflector or switch it and use the 10.0 with the farther away distance. Which honestly I prefer. I do not like them to sit right on the bulbs.

Just let me know if you have any questions when you come back and reset it up