I got the exact same fixture and I just plugged it in with the Reptisun 10.0 light in it and it immediately smelled like it was burning. I’m not sure what the problem was. I broke my emergency back up (which was a coiled Reptisun and I know those suck but I figured I would keep it as a last resort kinda thing) too, so Carrot is out of a UVB light for a couple of days. Anyway, the point of my story was just to maybe warn anybody thinking about putting those two together. Maybe I did something wrong or got a bad bulb.
I got the exact same fixture and I just plugged it in with the Reptisun 10.0 light in it and it immediately smelled like it was burning. I’m not sure what the problem was. I broke my emergency back up (which was a coiled Reptisun and I know those suck but I figured I would keep it as a last resort kinda thing) too, so Carrot is out of a UVB light for a couple of days. Anyway, the point of my story was just to maybe warn anybody thinking about putting those two together. Maybe I did something wrong or got a bad bulb.
I got the exact same fixture and I just plugged it in with the Reptisun 10.0 light in it and it immediately smelled like it was burning. I’m not sure what the problem was. I broke my emergency back up (which was a coiled Reptisun and I know those suck but I figured I would keep it as a last resort kinda thing) too, so Carrot is out of a UVB light for a couple of days. Anyway, the point of my story was just to maybe warn anybody thinking about putting those two together. Maybe I did something wrong or got a bad bulb.
Well, I actually just plugged it in again today and waited to see if it would start smelling again, and it didn’t! So I think it might have just been the new bulb smell? I am keeping an eye on it though. Burning smell = bad usually, but I have the terrarium hood designed for the Reptisun coming as a backup. So maybe it is worth a shot? I just wanted to put my two cents in because I didn’t know if it was my fault or something. Let me know what you do end up getting!
When using a T8 I advise against using cheap fixtures and they should be used with a reflector. If you need to reach further than about 6'' then I would use a T5 bulb instead. They have a higher output that is more like natural sunlight and are better suited for taller tanks. They should sit about 12'' above the basking area.