Purchasing an under-the-counter fluorescent fixture

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

Hey all!

I've been looking for an under-the-counter fluorescent fixture to mount my repti sun 10.0 tube light on in my beardie's home. Walmart only had the LED fixtures (which i bought mistakenly, now i have to go return that :roll: ) so where else should I look for one? Did I just maybe miss where they were in walmart?

Claudiusx · Sep 30, 2019

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

Claudiusx · Sep 30, 2019

Hi there,

I'd probably just go online to buy it. Amazon has lots of choices.
Is this for a t8 bulb or t5?
You might have better luck with a home improvement store also.

-Brandon

Scion19801 · Sep 30, 2019

look on amazon for sunblaster t5 ho fixture with reflector. it the best for the price and used by many on this site. i currently have 3 in service. love them

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

It's the Reptisun t8 10.0 uvb tube light. I've tried Amazon but this is my first time having to buy something like this so I'm all sorts of confused as to what to look for.

Scion19801 · Sep 30, 2019

if you can, try to take back the t8 and go with t5. t5 is a more powerful bulb and only a couple dollars more for close to 2.5x's the uvb power of the t8.

this is for fixtue:
https://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-9...d_r=NP7FPRWEEXNYT2GEXG7B&psc=1&qid=1569874503

this is for bulb:
https://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-9...d_r=NP7FPRWEEXNYT2GEXG7B&psc=1&qid=1569874503

or even this for all in one, and will come with bulb above:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-2605...fix=reptisun+t5,lawngarden,851&sr=1-6-catcorr

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

The t5 is better? I was under the impression that the t8 was better from other posts I've read (not trying to say that you're wrong by any means, that's just what I read so I went with that) I'll definitely try to bring it back but I bought it off of Chewy.com so hopefully I can bring it back and get the t5 instead.

Thank you for the links! I know what I need to get now!

Actually another question I have now is is the 24 inch light too big for my 40 gallon tank? If it is too big, what size would be appropriate for a 40 gallon?

Claudiusx · Sep 30, 2019

They are both only better if they work for your enclosure.

The t5 is better for larger tanks, or tanks that require the bulb to be on the screen. But in small tanks the t5 would be worse, as it's much too strong.

So if you tell us about your setup, we can tell you which bulb you should go with and which fixture to get

Mainly:

Are you going to mount inside the tank, or ontop of the mesh?
What is the distance to the basking surface from the top?
Height of tank?

-Brandon

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

Sure thing!

I have a 40 gallon tank, 36 x 18 x 18. It's a tank from one of those bearded dragon kits PetSmart sells. It has a sliding mesh screen on top that splits in two and can lock.

From the top of the tank to the highest point of his basking branch is about 6-7 inches

I want to mount it inside the tank as I've read that mesh screens will block uvb rays if the light is sitting on top of the screen (but then there are fixtures that you can mount on top of mesh screens so that doesn't make sense to me as to why that would be a problem)

Claudiusx · Sep 30, 2019

Ok for your setup you could do either then.

If you want to mount inside, you will have to use the t8. If you want to use the t5, you will need to mount it ontop of the mesh. The mesh does cut down the uvb a bit, but that's why youd use the stronger one on the mesh, to make up for that.

So really it's your choice, but if you're set on inside mounting, the t5 will be too strong.

-Brandon

Scion19801 · Sep 30, 2019

personally id go with the t5 as later on down the road you may want to build a bigger 4x2x2 tank. if you follow this path the 2ft t5 bulb will be plenty for the uvb and no need to buy another lighting setup. but you'll be fine with the t5 ontop of the screen top.

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

Thanks everyone! I definitely feel better about all of this now that I have a definite answer.

I think I will go with the t8 for now and get the fixture you linked me to earlier to mount it inside the tank. Do you think the 24 inch bulb will be fine for my 40 gallon? I know there is also an 18 inch t8 bulb as well which I can look for but if the 24 inch is okay that's perfect

Scion19801 · Sep 30, 2019

NOOOO! The link I have earlier is for a t5 setup. It will not work for a t8 bulb.

arcadia1216 · Sep 30, 2019

I'm not putting the light on top of the tank, though. I know that's feasible but personally I like the aesthetic of the light inside the tank; I've read several posts about it on here on why it's better for the beardie if the light is on the inside anyways. I'm planning on mounting it inside the tank which is why I'm asking about all of this. Will I change my mind eventually and make the t5 purchase? There's a good chance, especially if the inside light ends up not being what's best for my beardie.

Edit again: Haaa sorry sorry Scion you linked me to those links. I'm sorry, my apologies.

Scion19801 · Sep 30, 2019

Which link as I only see the three links I listed in this post. Just wanna make sure it's the right fixture for you. A lot of t8 fixtures require you knowing how to wire a cord to it for power.

Yes all my links are t5 related

Purchasing an under-the-counter fluorescent fixture

arcadia1216

Member

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko

Scion19801

Hatchling Member

arcadia1216

Member

Scion19801

Hatchling Member

arcadia1216

Member

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko

arcadia1216

Member

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko

Scion19801

Hatchling Member

arcadia1216

Member

Scion19801

Hatchling Member

arcadia1216

Member

Scion19801

Hatchling Member

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Forum statistics

Share this page