Accidentally ordered the Reptisun t5 5.0 instead of the 10.0

LadyLuv":3f37xgap said:

How badly have I messed up?

My lil guy Gratch is a youngin, only 8.5 inches, in a 50 gallon glass terrarium with a steel mesh hinged lid. Not fine mesh.

My UVB arrangement is a 24" sunblaster lamp with reflectors, hung centered inside from the mesh lid, about 8" from the top of his basking spot. Seems to fully cover the whole tank, besides inside his hideaways.

From what my research divined, I figure the 5.0 is better than the 65k plant bulb that came with the fixture, but still not good enough for a desert critter. The 10.0 is needed. But how soon? Can it wait for a new one to ship, or should I scour local shops tomorrow?

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claudiusx":27hnu9pk said:

You have the t5 bulb. The t5 is the HO bulb. The t5 comes in the 5.0 and the 10.0 just like the t8 does.

The 5.0 t5 is about the strength equivalent of the t8 10.0. So, you will want the t5 5.0 to be about 8 inches from the basking site unobstructed. If you can make that work you can continue to use the bulb. Then you can switch to the 10.0 and move it back up higher when it's time to change.
Or, if you like its positioning, you can continue to use the 5.0.

-Brandon

Click to expand...

LadyLuv":28z38bsi said:

My UVB arrangement is a 24" sunblaster lamp with reflectors,

Click to expand...

claudiusx":1f86egee said:

You have the t5 bulb. The t5 is the HO bulb. The t5 comes in the 5.0 and the 10.0 just like the t8 does.

The 5.0 t5 is about the strength equivalent of the t8 10.0. So, you will want the t5 5.0 to be about 8 inches from the basking site unobstructed. If you can make that work you can continue to use the bulb. Then you can switch to the 10.0 and move it back up higher when it's time to change.
Or, if you like its positioning, you can continue to use the 5.0.

-Brandon

Click to expand...