RGB LED Strip Light for Ambient Lighting

[JohnLillywhite23]

Good evening, y'all.

I mainly use a 100wt Powersun for my beardies. They are all in 40 gallon enclosures, and since there is only that one Powersun lamp, the cool side of their enclosure is relatively dark.

I have a ton of RGB LED strips sitting around, and was wondering if I could use those for ambient lighting. I would set it to a warm(ish) color only (no crazy weird colors, since it can mess with their eyes).

These are the exact strips I have. https://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart-9-8-ft-RGB-Color-Changing-Dimmable-USB-Powered-LED-Black-Strip-Light-with-Remote-Control-LR431U-7-2X7IR3/325224207

Would this be okay to have, since I only need ambient light, or should I stay with the 30watt regular home lamp on the cool side? Are there any downsides to using LED strip lights? I've got 6x 40 Gallon enclosures (5 beardies and 1 savannah monitor).

Thank you!!!

 

[Claudiusx]

The link you posted isn't working, so I can't see the specific LEDs you are using, so I will speak in general terms.

Typically, what you would be aiming for with supplemental lighting would not only be lumens, but a cohesive lighting spectra. Dragons are very sensitive to lighting and are very well adept at picking up on changes in the lighting spectra in their enclosures.

Most typically, owners use a basking bulb and a florescent UV tube. UV tubes are usually on the cooler end of the spectra they put out (around 5000ks), thus, a warm colored (3000-3500k) basking bulb compliments the cooler output of the UV bulb quite nicely, and produces a lighting spectra in the tank that is similar to natural sunlight. In these types of setups, since the UV is the dominant light source, additional lighting sources usually are best selected in the warmer range too, to help fill any gaps in the spectra that the UV bulb is lacking (the goal with spectra being to mimic natural sunlight).

With your setup, the Powersun is already a warmer colored bulb, so you are likely lacking in the higher end of the spectra and missing some of the cooler light. If you are able to adjust your LED lights to be more in line with the spectra output (at least for visible light, of course) of a UV florescent, you'd help fill that gap in.

The problem with your setup is I doubt you are going to be able to find a spectra graph for your LED lights. And unless you have a spectrometer, you'll be only guessing, which is OK, but not ideal.

Personally, I'd go with a bulb where you know the spectra graph for (or at least know it's color output or can generalize based on similar bulbs outputs). That way you can use it to not only add lumens, but to fill in the gaps of what is likely a very warm colored spectra in your enclosure.

PS you posted your question in the Advanced Discussion section so you get the nerdy answer.

-Brandon

 

[JohnLillywhite23]

The link you posted isn't working, so I can't see the specific LEDs you are using, so I will speak in general terms.

Typically, what you would be aiming for with supplemental lighting would not only be lumens, but a cohesive lighting spectra. Dragons are very sensitive to lighting and are very well adept at picking up on changes in the lighting spectra in their enclosures.

Most typically, owners use a basking bulb and a florescent UV tube. UV tubes are usually on the cooler end of the spectra they put out (around 5000ks), thus, a warm colored (3000-3500k) basking bulb compliments the cooler output of the UV bulb quite nicely, and produces a lighting spectra in the tank that is similar to natural sunlight. In these types of setups, since the UV is the dominant light source, additional lighting sources usually are best selected in the warmer range too, to help fill any gaps in the spectra that the UV bulb is lacking (the goal with spectra being to mimic natural sunlight).

With your setup, the Powersun is already a warmer colored bulb, so you are likely lacking in the higher end of the spectra and missing some of the cooler light. If you are able to adjust your LED lights to be more in line with the spectra output (at least for visible light, of course) of a UV florescent, you'd help fill that gap in.

The problem with your setup is I doubt you are going to be able to find a spectra graph for your LED lights. And unless you have a spectrometer, you'll be only guessing, which is OK, but not ideal.

Personally, I'd go with a bulb where you know the spectra graph for (or at least know it's color output or can generalize based on similar bulbs outputs). That way you can use it to not only add lumens, but to fill in the gaps of what is likely a very warm colored spectra in your enclosure.

PS you posted your question in the Advanced Discussion section so you get the nerdy answer.

-Brandon

Gotcha! I looked at what the strip thought was "white" and was more blue, so I am not doing that.

I have 6 enclosures. All with a PowerSun. 3 of them have a 5watt 5,000k bulb for the cool side, 1 has an old UVB strip I had laying around, and I just ordered 2 more 5watt 5,000k bulbs for the other 2 that need light.

Thank you for the response. I love the "nerdy" answers lol!