Such a thing as too much UVB?

[Brokenwings]

i got 2 10.0 reptisun UVB bulbs, but they shipped me the wrong ones, so now i got 2x 5.0's and 2x 10.0's.
is is bad if i put a 10 and a 5 at the same time? my fixture a dual one, idk, it gives my viv more light.

but can this affect him in any way orrr? Please let me know! thanks ^^ (or should i just keep 1x 10 and...yeah?)

 

[spurlee01]

There is definitely such thing as too much UVB. What portion of the length of your tank would 1 10.0 cover (1/2, 1/3, etc)? Also, how close can your beardie get to them?

 

[Brokenwings]

The fixture is at 16" from his head when he is on his log, 20" when on the ground.
and its a 36" bulb, its enough to cover 3/4 of the cage, the other 1/4 is his basking basically.

 

[RedInkAus]

Too much UV in my opinion NO, no man made light will equal the spectrum outout of the SUN so if it's not to much for them out in the middle of OZ a place with one of the highest UV index readings on the planet then the answer is NO.

 

[Brokenwings]

Im confused about your reply lmao,
so i guess there is not?

 

[spurlee01]

Well you're beardie isn't getting anywhere near enough UVB right now. He needs to be able to get within 6-8 inches of the light.

There can be too much UVB because of the small space and the fact that the man made light IS different from the sun.

 

[HKzForDayz]

Your basking light should Overlap your Uvb.

 

[RedInkAus]

There can be too much UVB because of the small space and the fact that the man made light IS different from the sun.

Yes man made lights are diffrent from the sun but man can also not bend the laws of physics no matter how hard they try or how much a marketing department says so. The spectral output in the UVB range as in its nanometers and wave amplitude will not change just beacuse it's man made. What changes is it's intensity that's why they need to get within 6-8 inches of the light. In terms of UVB out put (not the visible part of the spectrum) they can be touching that bulb without any ill effects as on contact the output of a man made bulb still does not compare to the sun. What affects them is the visible spectrum, as in white light (UV spectrum can not be seen by humans). The sun's output in UV is the same at 10 inches from the ground or 100 meters in the air.

You can filter out the visible light from a UVB source by using what is known as "woods glass". It will only pass the IR and UV part of the spectrum and a dragon will still get UVB and heat (heat +IR), though it will not have any visible light to a human.

So to the OPs original Q, NO you can not provide too much UV to a dragon as you would need a lot more specialised lighting systems than you can get from a petshop to out do the spectral output of the sun, which is what they are actually adapted to. Hence we provide them with supplements such as vit D3 and calcium as they are not getting enough UVB in their enclosure to ensure a proper methabolic rate in production of calcium based on diet and UV exposure. (this was the specific question)

The question in between the lines as I see it (could be wrong) is "can you over light an enclosure"? the answer is yes.

 

[spurlee01]

Yes, that was the question. However the OP was asking about putting 4 different UVB bulbs in the tank, which could be potentially harmful.

 

[Screamin99]

Your dragon needs to be able to remove his or herself from the UVB at their disposal. lets say your tank is 48" in length, you would want one UVB bulb at least 24inches in length on one side with the bask on the same side. On the other side you would want nothing but maybe an ambient light just to help keep the tank well lit and to provide stimulation remember that outside its pretty bright so you want to keep the tank bright too all while providing your UVB.

What you should do is setup a log or spot where the bask light is on the log and then the UVB needs to be within 6-8 inches of that same spot.


My tank is 48" in length and has a 48" strip light on the back with a regular house bulb in the fixture.. its a daylight color temp of around 5.5k On one side I have a 24" reptisun and a 65watt housebulb to provide the proper bask temp.

Thats it. works well temps are normal and the UVB is not overpowering for the tank. He can totally escape the UVB range if need be.

 

[Brokenwings]

My 36" has been there for 3 years and right beside it is the 100 watts basking bulb, i went for a checkup on my beadie yesterday with a fecal exam and the vet said he was in perfect condition all around and never had any problems, so whatever i AM doign right now must be working either way. on the Reptisun bulbs it says "not closer than 12" ", so that must mean something?

Also, he's starting to brumate i think so he's basically staying hidden under his log right now. the temps and everything else int he cage is perfected, says the vet who took all the info i had to give out as well. I replaced the 5.0 with a normal cheap ass old Reptil Glo, not wanting a difference, but just to keep the lighting in the cage.

 

[nair88]

on the Reptisun bulbs it says "not closer than 12" ", so that must mean something?

where does it say that? i just looked all over one of my reptisun 10.0 boxes and i didn't see that anywhere. i saw where it said that the uvb can extend up to 20", but i didn't see anything about a minimum distance.

 

[Brokenwings]

Hmmm i'll check once home, maybe i misread. but if thats the case ill simply raise up the ground a couple of inches