Arcadia 14% UVB T5 HO or Arcadia 12% UVB T5 HO

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I'm trying to find the best light for my bearded dragon. I have a fixture that only works for T5 bulbs, so I was looking for a light that would work. I noticed that there was a 14% UVB and a 12% UVB, I always see people recommending the 12% but I wasn't sure if the 14% would be better or not.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
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Better isn't the right term. The 14% is a stronger bulb, but not necessarily better.

If your tank is only 12 inches tall, the 14% would be a worse bulb as it would expose your dragon to too much uv. So it depends on your situation really.

The 14 is great in that it lets you provide a nice uv gradient in a larger tank. But they both are "better" bulbs, if you get my drift.

-Brandon
 

Cor

Member
claudiusx":2mnm0ol5 said:
Better isn't the right term. The 14% is a stronger bulb, but not necessarily better.

If your tank is only 12 inches tall, the 14% would be a worse bulb as it would expose your dragon to too much uv. So it depends on your situation really.

The 14 is great in that it lets you provide a nice uv gradient in a larger tank. But they both are "better" bulbs, if you get my drift.

-Brandon
Hi Brandon, I need your help once again. I am starting to think I found the cause of my beardie issues. My ho t5 10 reptisun with reflector. I just measured distance to bulb from basking site, it's 9 inches. Is that the issue?
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It could be, especially if the baking spot isn't very far from the ground which would mean the whole tank has a high uv exposure. Do you have a pic of your tank?
As long as your dragon has places to go to escape the uv rays things should be ok. But if the bulb is close to the floor already and spans most of the distance of the tank then you won't have a very proper gradient.

-Brandon
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Cor":2x9stfwl said:
claudiusx":2x9stfwl said:
Better isn't the right term. The 14% is a stronger bulb, but not necessarily better.

If your tank is only 12 inches tall, the 14% would be a worse bulb as it would expose your dragon to too much uv. So it depends on your situation really.

The 14 is great in that it lets you provide a nice uv gradient in a larger tank. But they both are "better" bulbs, if you get my drift.

-Brandon
Hi Brandon, I need your help once again. I am starting to think I found the cause of my beardie issues. My ho t5 10 reptisun with reflector. I just measured distance to bulb from basking site, it's 9 inches. Is that the issue?

Refer to this
decsolstfairweather-800px.gif
from viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234801&p=1806497#p1806497
which clearly shows that in summer in the natural range of wild bearded dragons , UVB flux is routinely in the range of 300 to 450 microW / sqcm for much of the day when dragons are actively foraging and seeking mating opportunities.

And refer to this for similar t5ho tubes (in this case t5ho 12% uvb is relevant) :
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
From the graphs - I calculate (very easily) , at 9" from the unobstructed t5ho 10% UVB tube (if it's new) in a reflector hood the following Flux[9"] = 240 x 5/6 = 200 microW UVB/sqcm which is near perfect for the basking spot for a bearded dragon.

Ideally you dragon will do best with a gradient from about 200 microW UVB/sq to 70 microW / sq.cm (and lower at the "shady" end (which usually coincides with the cool zone.
This give the dragon the opportunity to move from extreme / high UV flux to low / zero UV flux as it needs during the day , much the same as they thermoregulate.

Keep in mind the UV output from the t5ho tube will decay over the next 6 months to a point where it will be somewhere between 0.4x and 0.3x the new tube levels as the phosphors loose activity over time.
 

Cor

Member
kingofnobbys":2dlssv3a said:
Cor":2dlssv3a said:
claudiusx":2dlssv3a said:
Better isn't the right term. The 14% is a stronger bulb, but not necessarily better.

If your tank is only 12 inches tall, the 14% would be a worse bulb as it would expose your dragon to too much uv. So it depends on your situation really.

The 14 is great in that it lets you provide a nice uv gradient in a larger tank. But they both are "better" bulbs, if you get my drift.

-Brandon
Hi Brandon, I need your help once again. I am starting to think I found the cause of my beardie issues. My ho t5 10 reptisun with reflector. I just measured distance to bulb from basking site, it's 9 inches. Is that the issue?

Refer to this
decsolstfairweather-800px.gif
from viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234801&p=1806497#p1806497
which clearly shows that in summer in the natural range of wild bearded dragons , UVB flux is routinely in the range of 300 to 450 microW / sqcm for much of the day when dragons are actively foraging and seeking mating opportunities.

And refer to this for similar t5ho tubes (in this case t5ho 12% uvb is relevant) :
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
From the graphs - I calculate (very easily) , at 9" from the unobstructed t5ho 10% UVB tube (if it's new) in a reflector hood the following Flux[9"] = 240 x 5/6 = 200 microW UVB/sqcm which is near perfect for the basking spot for a bearded dragon.

Ideally you dragon will do best with a gradient from about 200 microW UVB/sq to 70 microW / sq.cm (and lower at the "shady" end (which usually coincides with the cool zone.
This give the dragon the opportunity to move from extreme / high UV flux to low / zero UV flux as it needs during the day , much the same as they thermoregulate.

Keep in mind the UV output from the t5ho tube will decay over the next 6 months to a point where it will be somewhere between 0.4x and 0.3x the new tube levels as the phosphors loose activity over time.

So you say it's perfect at 9 inch away, I guess he's stressed for another reason ?. He has 14 inches to the floor
 

Cor

Member
claudiusx":jy0jz4fe said:
It could be, especially if the baking spot isn't very far from the ground which would mean the whole tank has a high uv exposure. Do you have a pic of your tank?
As long as your dragon has places to go to escape the uv rays things should be ok. But if the bulb is close to the floor already and spans most of the distance of the tank then you won't have a very proper gradient.

-Brandon

https://imgur.com/a/89jC7d7 pics. He's got 9 inch to basking to uvb tube. 14 inch to floor. Tank length 41. Basking bulb at angle to cover more ground better radiant, but if that's bad I can hang it off celling. He can hide in the log, I cut the bottom off right after I took the pic for u. He also hides under the branches
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
You're using readings during a solstice........ where uv exposure is going to be the highest all year. and using that to base what your recommend people to expose their dragon to for 15 hours a day and 365 days a year?

I also don't care what other charts you post cuz I know you're already going to be trying to find some. The goal with uv is to give them the proper dose of it so that it's not damaging but still allows for proper d3 synthesis. unless you can find me a chart that shows how much artificial uv is required for d3 synthesis.

Your charts of UV levels during a solstice are no more useful then me showing a chart of the ground temperature readings in the outback where they live. Both charts would show too high of levels and there's no point in trying to recreate 140 degree temps and summer solstice UV levels in captivity.

Sorry Cor, but he doesn't really know what he's talking about. Especially when the leading expert in reptile uv lighting recommends a uvi level of around 3 at the baking spot followed by basically shade level (0-1) everywhere else in the tank. Some people appreciate the notion that more isn't always better, and damaging uv rays are no exception.

-Brandon
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
You're setup looks ok, it doesn't actually look like you have a reflector on your uv bulb.

The only thing I'd change us mounting your basking bulb directly overhead instead of having it angled like that.

Otherwise, at this point you should probably start your own thread so we can keep all the info consistent in one place :)

-Brandon
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
And a little bit more guidance :
If the tube in a tank with both a MVB and a T5HO is 75% of the length of the tank (75%) ( this is raching the limit considered a good setup , this is fine PROVIDED it has one end right next the MVB ( behind or infront of it like this PLAN VIEW )
optimal_stylised_plan_view_layout_of_lights.png


If it's like this
poor-arrange-when-using-a-MVB-and-T8-UVB-or-T5-HO-UVB.png


Consider for example a tank that's 24" H , 26" W, and 60" L , recent thread elsewhere
Penetration-distances-for-a-24-inch-high-x-26-inch-deep-tank-for.png

A picture says a 1000 words and shows everything succinctly and clearly.

It is likely the UV spread from the end of the T5HO will create a low UV zone (perhaps even a zone at very close to zero UV). If the UV tube is more than 12 inches from the cold end of the tank , the UV in the last 8 inches will be very low (near zero).

This can be confirmed by looking at the iso-irradiance charts published here http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttubereflectortests.htm that look like this :
iso-irradiance-tubes.png
.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
claudiusx":e6xe63fy said:
This thread is over 2 months old. Strong bump.

-Brandon
I bumped to add RELEVANT stuff to it. As I often do to my older threads.

If you haver nothing to add , why did you post other than to troll ?
 
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