Can a T5 HO 5.0 be used?

I know for the T8 the 10.0 is recommended so I'm unclear on whether or not a 5.0 T5 HO can be used.
Thanks in advance.

The T5 5.0 is higher output than the T8 10.0 but less than the T5 10.0. It can be used without a problem. I haven't tested it so I'm not certain on the exact optimal distances but it's fair to say it would fall somewhere between that of the T8 10.0 at 6'' and the T5 10.0 at 12'' so maybe around 10-12'' would be no problem. Just be sure to offer a gradient so you have the basking area about 10-12'' away for quite a bit of UVB and some shade areas and hides offering little to no UVB exposure.

Thank you. I have a 36x18x18 with a T5 10.0 and was using the T5 5.0 in my 36x12x18 as the minimum distance there didn't meet the requirements of the HO 10.0. Then I started rethinking it and how the 10.0 is always recommended. I have a gradient so that's ok. Just want the best for my babies.

One other thing....I have a 22" NEXT to the basking bulb so when they bask, UVB is adjacent to the basking spot. That's ok right? They are also on top of the screen which I read was ok as the T5s were stronger.

Yep, that's fine.

Thanks again!

I'm not sure if you need to be a member of the group to read the conversations or not but a while back there was a discussion basically about this. The 5.0 will do, but the 10.0 is still recommended since you really want to try and keep lights 10-12"+ away. In which case you'd need to elevate the bulb away from the cage a bit more. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UVB_Meter_Owners/conversations/topics/8479

(Fran's data also puts the 5.0 significantly weaker than the 10.0, not much different than a T8 10.0 in a reflector... not sure if that's just her test sample or if its consistent across the board...)

That's a good discussion thread. I haven't come across that one before. Thanks for posting it!

This is my first post on here, and I haven't used any kind of forum in a very long time, but I'm having some trouble figuring out how to set up the lighting for my terrarium. I hope this is the right place to ask about it, haha.

I have a 36x16x18 terrarium that I recently ordered a 22" T5 10.0 UVB tube for, along with the T5 hood. I was just a bit concerned after looking at this chart:

http://zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBFiles/UVB-Reach.pdf

Would having this fixture be unsafe for my dragon considering the height of my terrarium and the minimum lamp to animal distance for the T5 10.0? I have a basking site about 10" away from a Nat. Geographic basking bulb, which I heard some bad news about but it came with my starter kit so I have it on there for now.

I don't have my beardie yet because I'm trying to make sure everything is safe before we bring one home, so any help is appreciated.

Welcome to the forum! It's best to start your own thread with new discussions so your questions don't get tied up with older ones going forward. This place is pretty friendly so don't be afraid to start your own threads/discussions =).

As far as your lighting goes, you have the right size and type of bulb for that enclosure (I have the same one). The T5 10.0 bulbs have an optimal range of 12-14'' above the basking area so build your basking spot up to about where the black piece of plastic is just below the doors and that's perfect.

As far as the basking light goes, what temperatures are you measuring in the basking area? I haven't used the Nat Geo basking light but as long as it's bright white with no neodymium coating and gets the correct temps it should be OK. You'll want 100-110 in the basking area with 90s around that and a gradient down to 75-80 on the cool side of the tank.

Thank you I'm excited to finally ask my own questions about my set up.

This is my enclosure



In person the lights don't look like that, but the UVB's gonna be replaced anyway. So I'm assuming my basking spot is too high? When I put the thermometer at my current basking spot I get a temperature just under 110F. I don't exactly know if it has a neodymium coating.

Also, do you know the dimensions of the T5 24" hood? I've read that it's a good idea to place the UVB and basking bulbs side by side, so I'm trying to figure out how I would set that up. My domes are about 8.5" in diameter.

If you have any additional tips about how to set up my terrarium that would be cool as well!

I'd move the habba hut over near the basking rock and maybe add some other shade areas using sticks or fake plants to create some additional shade areas but that's not urgent. You can put the UVB fixture right on top on the basking side. I've found that having an adjustable lamp stand for the basking fixture is helpful for getting the temps just right but it sounds like you're getting good temps as-is.

Here is a photo of my setup with the UVB across the front, basking bulb on the left and CHE (winter overnights only) on the right.

Awesome, thank you so much! It seems like everything should come together soon, I really appreciate your help