TORTOISE TABLE

[Misterthomas]

Morning all, here's the reply i had from Hagen when i re-emailed them yesterday regarding my Repti-Glo 8.0 tube.

Dear Angela,

Thank you for your email. Your bulb will need to be replaced in 8-12 months, depending on usage (length of time light is on). Fluorescent bulbs lose their UV radiation and about 50% of their lighting output quality within one year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Kind regards,

Angelique Christian

Hope that helps you out folks, my interpretation of this would be that if your tort is outside for a few months then the bulb is good for 12 months due to reduced usage in the summer months and a healtheir tort for getting more natural UV rays outside.

[nina]

Originally Posted by sandy

Hi Nina

I know you can get metres to check the UV levels, but they are quite expensive.
I didnt know they had now got repti sun 10, maybe they do last longer.
Do you know if the cost is higher please?
Just as a comparison to the UV lamps.

Hi Sandy,

I really like the reptisun 10. It's a few pounds more, but it does give off more UVB and the manufacturers say it is good for up to a year and also up to 20" away (as opposed to the Reptisun 5.0 which needs to be no more than 12" away). I bought mine from a petshop for £28.99, but I just looked on
http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z358538.asp
and they have an 18" Reptisun for £24.99 (and their Reptisun 5.0 is £21.99).
Here's an interesting comparison of the output of the various fluorescent tubes, including the Reptisun 10:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttuberesults.htm

They also do a self-ballasting 10.0 compact lamp (check out this site)
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/default.php?cPath=31
which I'm thinking of getting for my new ibera's indoor enclosure. I don't know much about these compact lamps, but I assume that I don't need a starter unit and can just put them in an ordinary desk lamp that I focus into the enclosure. Do you know if I'm right?

I know everyone likes the combined lamps, but I just like the flexibility of being able to separate your heat and UVB sources (so that if for some reason it's hot, you don't have to raise your lamp so high that the UVB is less effective.

Nina

[sandy]

I agree Nina, my spotlights are used with a dimmer switch, which allows me to drop the heat if too much.
But they still have the UV.
I also like the combined too. So I get the best of both worlds.

[Misterthomas]

I know everyone likes the combined lamps, but I just like the flexibility of being able to separate your heat and UVB sources (so that if for some reason it's hot, you don't have to raise your lamp so high that the UVB is less effective

Same here - recently i have not been using my spotlight as the heat in our living room is plenty for Charlie, plus being out all day he gets all his basking done outside. I think when i biuld him a permanent outdoor area i would use the combined - but until then i'm all for two seperate sources