Having trouble deciding what UVB bulb to get for your reptile? 💡🦎 In this video, Matt will teach you everything you need to know about each one of the UVB bulbs we carry at our store!
You, sir have put UVB explanation in to the most digestible way I’ve ever seen, outstanding! I’ve been working with reptiles for about 8 yrs now and I still get tripped up on how to explain this part of lighting. I’m so excited to share your vid with others :)
@@j_ddm4v737 based on my research and discussion with others over the years, for most setups linear uvb is the best. But always research for yourself and compare your own husbandry when making this decision. :)
you see? these are the people we need in our petcos, not the people that dont know the difference between a crested gecko and a house gecko edit:ik this isnt a petco just sayin
Dude this video is top notch. Really, awesome job explaining everything and showing the different products, without any fluff or filler. Super interesting!
Wow! Thank you Matt for a great lesson on lighting. I was so confused with all the bulb types out there and what exactly I would need. Your clear and concise video really helped. Nice looking store too. Thanks and take care.
This was an excellent video on uvb lighting. It should be required viewing for all starting the reptile hobby. Super duper easy to understand. If there were academy awards for youtube this should get nominated. Great job guys.
Finally! I understand the differences in the bulbs! Ive been keeping reptiles for 7+ years, and honestly the lighting aspect has never been my strong suit. Ive had to rely on reputable internet care guides(heavy emphasis on reputable), vet and breeder advice. There arent many clear, factual, explainations that arent sponsor biased that I have found. Thanks so much!
Ok this was probably the best video I’ve seen on the difference of UBV bulbs! I got my bearded dragon that’s my first reptile about 6 months ago and tbh I’m learning as I go!
I think in the 1year that I have been a beardie owner, this has been the most informal video that actually helps me to understand the uvb levels and numbers. Thank you for this!!!
I'm new to this reptile world especially bearded dragon and planning to get one soon, and i Can't find any better videos about uv lights thn yours ! This is by far the best explanation about uv lights for reptile , thank you so much !
This video is less than 10 minutes long and you managed to cover pretty much everything in a thorough but digestible manner. Damn I litterally could have saved so much time if I just watched this video first. Thanks!
I've seen a lot of videos about reptile lighting and this one is on point. I've had my baby beardie for two days. I purchased a 20 gal tank kit for now. I was clueless about what type bulbs to get for a bearded dragon nor did I understand what the 5.0 meant. Thanks, your video was very helpful and informative
I just called this place and the lady was amazing!!! I wish I lived so much closer but its not that far. She told me about lighting and offered to help me when I came in. Awesome place!!!
Great Job Matt!!!!!! Great facts! Watching this video of Matt being a reptile genius literally just made my day, just fell and busted my lip open on ice in my back yard😂 -Noah
Matt - I have to thank you so much for posting/making this video! It literally saved my Chams life! I am new to reptile keeping and have always wanted a veiled chameleon. I recognize they are not recommended as a first reptile so I did so much research and thought I was well informed, educated and prepared to raise one. I bought one from a local pet store (which I know is always advised against doing) but this particular one called to me. She is such a sweet girl. About a month into having her I noticed one day she was super shaky and weak while trying to walk. I immediately started researching MBD and your video popped up when I was researching lighting. I went out and purchased the mercury vapor bulb and made some other changes to her enclosure and she is improving nicely in a weeks time!! I really didnt understand the difference and how much different they actually are AND since I changed those things she has been bright green!! I am so thankful to you for providing this (and in layman's terms) easy to understand and vital information! Thank you from me and Zuri!! 🦎❤
@@11SEXMACHINE She is doing beautifully!! Thanks for asking. I just upgraded her enclosure so I think she will be happy about that once I get it all set up. I have a question maybe you can answer. She always wants to come out of her enclosure to just sit on my hand (or my head ha ha ha). How long is it safe to keep her out? I cant seem to find that info anywhere?
I have a 100w MVB for my juvenile beardie who is in a 40g breeder with one of those double domed fixture. But it definitely didnt give a warm enough basking spot so i put a basking bulb in the other socket.
Great video man!! Been looking to see which bulb is best for my bearded dragon in a 40 gallon tank. Only for now I know he needs a much bigger tank to be content.
I have a melamine type of enclosure for my bearded dragon. Intend to hang the reptisun 24" fixture with its uvb bulb. The height will be 60cm. Will it be uvb ray be sufficient to reach the bottom?
I need an UVB light for my red eared slider. Would you recommended a 3 in one like solar glo or a mental halide lamp? Does the metal halide provide enough heat so I don't have to use an additional heat source?
Hello, I have a specific question. I have a 2 years old hermanni-boatgeri tortoise. I was going to use the Exo Terra Solar Glo 80W - last year I used a ReptiZoo Solar Sun 125W but It seemed like it was too strong, and from what you tell me it might have too much penetration (its terrarium is 33"x12", I made it myself watching other people's ideas here on RU-vid) . Now, aside from the fact that I ordered these off of Amazon and they both arrived with a part of the internal coil hanging & that they wouldn't turn on on my ceramic socket (the ReptiZoo still lights up perfectly so I don't think it's my socket, these only turn on on the top with a slight blue-colored light, but the rest of the lamp remains off), do you think they might still be too strong for a tortoise? Suggestions are very welcome, around here where I live shops don't even have mercury vapor bulbs and don't treat reptiles.... I just wanna make sure that the little guy is as good as it could be. Thank you very much!
I'm still not sure which strength/brand uvb bulbs to use for my aquatic turtles. In one tank the basking area is 8-10 inches away from the light fixture with a hatchling slider in it. In another tank the basking area is 7 inches with a hatchling cooter and in the third tank the basking area is 9 inches from the light fixture, with a hatchling musk turtle. These distances are perfect for the temperature and I am using a dual 5.5 dome reflective fixture. Thank you in advance for your help!
If i have a beardie in a 120 gallon tank and he basks on top and hes pretty close to the mercury bulb all in one u said its up to 3 feet what if hes basking but the bulb is 5 inches away from him? Do i change it ??or put moreheat in the tank? I also use in all in one mercury bulb for my russian tortoise and hes 12 inches from the bulb and is basking by it is that good or is he too close too it meaning i have to change it or hang it up is becasue im trying to make sure he stays warm but i dont want alot of uvb penetration either
Would it be ok to have a solarglo 160w and a 24in reptisun terrarium hood with a 22in t5 10.0 linear bulb or is this to much uvb for a 4x2x2 enclosure for bearded dragon? Someone in a fb group said the solarglo 160w will fry my bearded dragon and that I need a 36 in hood they said I need a 150w or 100w flood light but you seem really knowledgeable so please advice me correctly. Thanks
Hey Matt, does UVB penetrate water (talking about aquarium, so not deep, no mesh). Cause if it does, unlike glass, my RES can absorb it under water as well. And i need only heat bulb for basking spot. meanwhile i place a UVB over the water portion, unobstructed with mesh or glass.
Hello Sir, and thank you very much for uploading this video. If you don't mind, can you please tell us, what's the ratio of UVA to UVB on the 160 watts mercury vapour bulbs or the 70 watts zoomed powersun bulb? In other words: "the sun emits around 95% UVA and 5%" what are the proportions that those mercury vapour bulbs have? Kind regards, Dan George ( from Ireland )
hey matt i have 2 juvi green iguanas under a year old. they are housed (temporary )in a 35gallon hex tank with crape myrtle branches running across diagonally to give them a high place to perch , we also have a metal screen top cover . at the moment i have a cheap uv/60 watt sitting on the mesh along with a heat emitter( i leave on 24/7 for temp) the depth is 22" top to bottom should i shoot for the upper half of the enclosure for depth penetration (ie bake them with a 5.0 or mercury vapor ? i dont want to over expose them or should i get the 10.0 and get to the bottom of the tank as well. thanks
Usually when we measure for target heat and UVB, we measure from wherever they have their basking spot set up. So if the basking spot, like a branch, is up from the ground, that's where you'll make sure you would hit your ideal temperatures and UVB readings.
I’m a first time owner of a bearded dragon he kind of just got landed on me so I plan on buying him a bigger tank but I’m not sure if I should get 2 UVB lights and 2 basking for 120 gal tank
so i can use a t5HO 5.0 uvb on a 40 gallon breeder? Ive been trying to order a 10.0 online for a week now but the bulb keeps coming in broken. The T5hood came with a free 5.0 bulb but i havent been using it because i thought bearded dragons needed the 10.0 .. please help!
I use the Exo Terra UVB 150, 26 watt coil bulb (10.0) for my Russian tortoise, and it's about 18 inches from the substrate. Is that correct, or should it be lower? Trying to decipher the box and the website, but it's really confusing for some reason... I'm having a very hard time finding info on just how far away this bulb should be for him. Any suggestion I would really appreciate it, thank you.
For my 48 x 18 x 18 bearded dragon tank will the reptisun t5 ho fixture with a 10.0 tube provide proper uvb when placed on top (screen lid)and what should the length be I’ve gotten mixed advice some say the full length and others say 2/3s the length ?
Yes, for a bearded dragon, the 10.0 tube is recommended. Make sure you have a raised basking spot for him as a mesh screen will dramatically cut down on your UVB output. On our enclosures where we use UVB tubes, we do the full length of the tank. Not only can they get the benefit no matter where they are in the enclosure, it looks a little nicer.
you said you wanted to be 25-50 microwatts for desert, but in that display tank you were getting a reading of around 250 mW ? that is 5x too much right?
It's absolutely necessary. In the wild, they'd have exposure to the sun, that allows them to regulate bodily functions and Vitamin D synthesis. We have to do our best to replicate it in captivity. Without it, they will eventually stop eating, suffer from metabolic bone disease as they can no longer absorb calcium, and eventually, death. Reptiles, for the most part, are essentially solar powered.
do they have a datasheet with the spectrum? i am looking for a light bulb that delivers a lot of power in the wave length of 295-320nm because that is the wavelength where the body produces the most vitamin d
We do not have a concise data sheet for every single bulb we have available. What we can say is that providing the bulb recommended for your animal and a basking spot at the proper distance will give them adequate UVB levels for D3 production. Any data that the manufacturers have provided about wavelengths is usually available on their individual websites.
Also I made a homemade fish filter. I used a submersible pump and I'm forcing water through the INSIDE of the carbon filter. I put an aerator directly underneath it stuck to the glass and the spin of the pump wheel...is hyper oxygenating the water. Fun little breeder and store owner tips tricks hints and pointers. I'm making a pvc grid with a tank liner over the top of it then up the corner of the tank to a halo, that's been Bernoullied. So the holes near the exhaust of the water tube at the top of the tank are smaller and gradually get larger to spread the pressure and output of each outputhole the same g.p.h. all the way around the tankhalo. Really only aquaculturiats use stuff like this but I'm a modfreak. I believe strongly in products that function PROPERLY. Simile, gracefully, like 3M. ;) and if I ever didn't thank you. Thank you.
Funny how there's so much information at our finger tips and yet not one thing I've read has helped me understand this UNTIL I FOUND THIS VIDEO HAZZAAHHHH
Thank you for a straightforward, simple way of understanding all this. Now, I know that UVB lights can be checked with an expensive meter to see if they're still making UVB, but do you by chance know of a type of rock or everyday household item that we can hold under the flouresence UVB bulb to see if it's still emitting UVB rays? I'm googling and can't find anything yet-- but surely there is! To maybe use instead of a pricey meter that would let us check from home?
Unfortunately any of the objects marketed as reading UVB like the cards or stickers, etc. on a color scale are not very accurate. They may read there is still UVB output but it may be at a much lower (or even higher) level than what your reptile requires. The only way to get an accurate measurement on UVB bulbs is with a Solarmeter. The meters can often quickly pay for themselves however, as you can replace bulbs as needed and not just on a 6-12 month schedule.
question.. so between the t5 & t8 varieties do you recommend one over the other? i keep hearing that the t5 doesn't flicker so therefore its better.. im building a 4'x2'x2' enclosure for my beardie & will be mounting im guessing a 34" (since the bulbs come in weird lengths) im worried that the t5 may be too small for such a large enclosure.. what would you recommend? any input would be greatly appreciated! originally i was just going to put a mvb for day & a ceramic heat emitter for night.. i have since decided the tube uvb would be a better route & to just keep my house above 65°[sigh] im just struggling on deciding which fixture to buy for the uvb. its going to be mounted inside the enclosure. if anyone could chime in it would be appreciated. thanks!
For a desert animal, you may have better luck with the T5. They are higher output and the stronger bulb out of the two, and being that it is smaller along with the better output, gives you more flexibility.
