Reptiles need UVB light and thermal radiation in the terrarium

Both are important for vitamin D3 synthesis. The lighting should also emit a bright, natural light in the visible range. All of this is provided by modern high-pressure gas discharge lamps. There are also low-pressure gas discharge lamps (also called energy-saving lamps) on this later.

There are 3 types of UVB lamp technologies:

  1. Modern UVB metal halide lamps - today the first choice for reptile lovers
  2. Energy-saving UVB Compact lamps for animals with a lower UVB requirement
  3. The already older UVB mixed light lamps (also called mercury vapor lamps)

UVB technologies for the terrarium

Here is a short historical description with the main developments.

In 1934 the first high-pressure mercury vapor lamp was introduced. Developed primarily for the medical treatment of skin diseases, this lamp became a household name under the name Osram Vitalux. It is a combination of a gas discharge lamp (a gas mixture ignites in the burner) and a traditional incandescent filament - which is why it is also called a mixed light lamp. The light quality and stability of this lamp is not comparable to today's modern metal halide lamps. It does not require a special electronic ballast, but has a higher power consumption due to the incandescent filament. There are the following abbreviations for this technology - HID: High Intensity Discharge Lamp; HQL: High pressure mercury vapor lamp

30 years later - in 1964 - the first metal halide lamp was introduced. This was a huge technological leap forward as these lamps had a much better light output and color rendering. The burner was made of quartz glass, which is why these lamps are called HQI lamps. This is short for "Hydrargyrum Quartz Iodide" - an Osram brand name. These lamps require an electronic ballast to start and operate.

Again almost 30 years later - in 1992 - the next improvement came. Metal halide lamps using ceramic glass instead of quartz glass were introduced. This made the emitted light even brighter and more color stable. Longevity has also improved significantly. Today this technology is state of the art and has replaced the old metal halide lamp with quartz glass. Nevertheless, the old designation HQI is still used for this technology. Other abbreviations are CMH / Ceramic Metal Halid Lamp; CDM / by Philips or HCI / by Osram). We also use MH for metal halide lamp. Today, this technology is the first choice for modern terrarium lighting in the reptiles' sunbathing area.

But what about the low pressure gas discharge lamp mentioned above? This technology, in the form of a fluorescent tube or a compact energy-saving lamp, is used for animals with a lower UVB requirement. In other words, the UVB radiation is significantly lower than that of metal halide lamps. These lamps also emit very little heat - they only get hatchwarm at most. The visible light is not as bright and the light spectrum is not as balanced as with the higher quality metal halide lamps.

Reptiles Expert offers all of these UVB technologies.