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Which UVB lamp is the right one for my animal and my terrarium?
Posted:
March 18, 2020
This blog is aimed at newcomers to terraristics. So you decided on an animal and bought or built the terrarium. When planning, the question of the right lighting always comes up at some point. Basking spot, basic lighting, UV lamps, heat lamps, metal vapor, compact lamps, HID, ... it gets complicated.
In principle it depends on the natural habitat of the animals. The simplest distinction is desert animal, steppe, rainforest or Mediterranean. In any case, I recommend studying the specialist literature - there are usually clear indications for hours of sunshine, UV values and temperatures. Accordingly, a sun-hungry reptile (example bearded dragon) requires higher brightness, heat and UV output than a shadow-loving jungle dweller. The essential 2 factors for the correct lamp choice are the wattage and the distance to the animal. For sun-loving animals you use a higher wattage and a closer distance, for shade lovers it is the other way round. That is the basic principle.
If it just could be that easy! The basking spot must fit perfectly for the animal. The lighting should take into account the size of the animal. With larger reptiles, the UV lamp must hang higher so that the light cone is large enough and irradiates the whole body. In order for enough power to reach the ground, a higher wattage is required. Suppose you have a fully grown Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabra). Then you need a 150 watt UV metal halide lamp at a distance of one meter. Since the vitamin D3 synthesis takes place in the skin layers of the extremities and the head and not on the carapax, the light cone must be large enough. For a bearded dragon, a 70 watt lamp at a distance of 30-40cm will be ideal. For young animals - for example young Greek tortoises - 35 watts at a distance of 20-30cm are sufficient. Precise recommendations can be found in the Reptiles Expert Matrix here on the homepage. Also, the distance should not be too short, as the animals can then be hurt. Chameleons in particular are sensitive to burns. Then choose a slightly larger distance and make sure that the animal cannot touch the lamp. UV metal halide lamps are available in wattages from 35 to 150 watts. So there are lamps available for all sizes of terrariums.
Exact information about the UV power can be found on the homepage of the provider. It is not so easy to predict the exact temperature, because it depends on so many different variables: room temperature, air circulation, background color, other heat sources, light radiation, ... It is best here to measure the temperature and, if necessary, work with additional heat sources.
In my opinion, the question of light temperature is not that important. Most UV metal halide lamps have a pure white light color of approx. 6000 Kelvin. This Kelvin scale is based entirely on human perception and we know that reptiles perceive brightness and light color very differently than we humans. If rainforest dwellers need less UV, I can use a lower wattage and save electricity. I do not need another lamp with a slightly changed light color.
Modern UV metal halide lamps are definitely the first choice. You can find best price offers here in our webshop. For experienced reptile keepers with more than one terrarium, I recommend our bestsellers - the value-pack multipacks. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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