Right UVB Light Size?

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Hello. Me and my dad are building a new enclosure for my boy JoJo and I want to upgrade to a tube light from Zoo Med (the T5 10.0, right?). The thing is, I'm not certain which size would fit the enclosure the best, because of the "2/3 rule". The enclosure will be 120mx60cmx60cm (4x2x2 aprox.) and I'm having trouble finding the right bulb size/wattage choice according to these measures.
For example, the 25 W is 30 inches long and the 30 W is 36 inches.
Since they are both very similiar, which option should I go for?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
It is up to you --- others would probably opt for the longer one- my tank is a 4x2x2 as well and I am using the Zoo Med fixture 24" w/a Arcadia 14% bulb and its mounted inside the tank approx 12-15 inches about basking area
Karrie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
TurnipFish":2ejut8uk said:
Hello. Me and my dad are building a new enclosure for my boy JoJo and I want to upgrade to a tube light from Zoo Med (the T5 10.0, right?). The thing is, I'm not certain which size would fit the enclosure the best, because of the "2/3 rule". The enclosure will be 120mx60cmx60cm (4x2x2 aprox.) and I'm having trouble finding the right bulb size/wattage choice according to these measures.
For example, the 25 W is 30 inches long and the 30 W is 36 inches.
Since they are both very similiar, which option should I go for?

25W 30" Is a T8 tube.
A T8 tube even in reflector hood and with no obstruction even if it's rated 12%UVB will be too weak.
The basking spot will have be very close to the T8 tube for a bearded dragon to get enough UVA & UVB.

compare_uvb_w_reflectors_distance_curves.png

ARCADIA-T5-PERFORMANCE.png


A good UVB tube for the tank you have will be an Arcadia T5ho 24W 12%UVB tube (in a reflector hood), this will be a 55cm long tube and will be ideal for a 1.2m L x 0.6m H tank.

The other option is an Arcadia T5ho 39W 12%UVB tube and matched reflector hood, this is 85cm long. This is 85/120 = just over 3/4 the length of the tank, so the area of very low UV will very small.
 

TurnipFish

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":1vwxq8kw said:
It is up to you --- others would probably opt for the longer one- my tank is a 4x2x2 as well and I am using the Zoo Med fixture 24" w/a Arcadia 14% bulb and its mounted inside the tank approx 12-15 inches about basking area
Karrie
kingofnobbys":1vwxq8kw said:
TurnipFish":1vwxq8kw said:
Hello. Me and my dad are building a new enclosure for my boy JoJo and I want to upgrade to a tube light from Zoo Med (the T5 10.0, right?). The thing is, I'm not certain which size would fit the enclosure the best, because of the "2/3 rule". The enclosure will be 120mx60cmx60cm (4x2x2 aprox.) and I'm having trouble finding the right bulb size/wattage choice according to these measures.
For example, the 25 W is 30 inches long and the 30 W is 36 inches.
Since they are both very similiar, which option should I go for?

25W 30" Is a T8 tube.
A T8 tube even in reflector hood and with no obstruction even if it's rated 12%UVB will be too weak.
The basking spot will have be very close to the T8 tube for a bearded dragon to get enough UVA & UVB.

compare_uvb_w_reflectors_distance_curves.png

ARCADIA-T5-PERFORMANCE.png


A good UVB tube for the tank you have will be an Arcadia T5ho 24W 12%UVB tube (in a reflector hood), this will be a 55cm long tube and will be ideal for a 1.2m L x 0.6m H tank.

The other option is an Arcadia T5ho 39W 12%UVB tube and matched reflector hood, this is 85cm long. This is 85/120 = just over 3/4 the length of the tank, so the area of very low UV will very small.

Thanks a lot for the repplies!
So basically, either choice will be good and do no harm to the beardie?
And is the Arcadia better than the Reptisun?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I personally use the Arcadia 14% bulb so I am not sure -- the T5HO is a good bulb both of these need to be changed out yearly-- its up to you
Karrie
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I like the Arcadia a bit better, but ReptiSun is good too. The 10.0 (or 12% Arcadia) is sufficient in most cases. The 22'' is a good length to allow for even basking for an adult. The 34'' is good for larger enclosures but you want to be sure to allow for areas that have little to no UVB as well. These options should sit about 12'' above the main basking area for best results. The 14% is quite a bit stronger and is better suited for taller tanks (16-20'' above the main basking area).
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Arcadia guarantee their T5ho uvb globes for at least 12 months. I think the others only guarantee for a max of 6 months .
 

TurnipFish

Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":2pwfetme said:
I like the Arcadia a bit better, but ReptiSun is good too. The 10.0 (or 12% Arcadia) is sufficient in most cases. The 22'' is a good length to allow for even basking for an adult. The 34'' is good for larger enclosures but you want to be sure to allow for areas that have little to no UVB as well. These options should sit about 12'' above the main basking area for best results. The 14% is quite a bit stronger and is better suited for taller tanks (16-20'' above the main basking area).

Thx a lot for the help.
I guess Ill go with th 55 cm then (also yay, its cheaper! :lol: )

About the distance from the basking lamp, should it be at 12 inches then?
 

TurnipFish

Member
Original Poster
kingofnobbys":1xzvrd5m said:
Arcadia guarantee their T5ho uvb globes for at least 12 months. I think the others only guarantee for a max of 6 months .

Oh that’s good to know! I thought they needed to be changed every 6 months too.

Thx for the help
 
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