thinking about putting one in a spare bedroom with 2 tortoises, 2 bearded dragons, a shallow pond and a bunch of dwarf banana trees. do hps lights give off sufficient uvb light?
maybe 400 watts?
2007-08-16 12:53:36 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
No
These lamps don't give off vit D3 that the UV does. This D3 is needed for some reptiles so they can digest calcium.
2007-08-16 16:22:53 · answer #1 · answered by Chrisssss 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, they're not the same. Get Reptisun 10.0 or Reptiglo 8.0 from a pet supplier. You want UVA/UVB full spectrum. Plant bulbs are not the same. The lights need to be within 12 inches of the basking area to be effective. They should be over the heat basking light, and on for 12 hours a day. Change bulbs every 6 months, as they will lose UVB potency while continuing to give off light. The tortoises and dragons should each have their own enclosures.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html
http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BD.html
2007-08-16 15:32:30 · answer #2 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The sodium HID's do not produce light in the correct spectral range for reptiles. Because they are sodium based they produce little UV.You need to use the mercury HID bulbs for the production of UVB . The ones marketed for reptiles are designed to emit the UV. The sodium bulb could still be used for general lighting in the enclosure.
2007-08-16 15:53:08 · answer #3 · answered by Thea 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋