UVB question

[Vandy]

First timer here with my first bearded dragon. My question is how long is my uvb good for? I've read change them every 6 months and I've read every 12 months. So which is it? How can you tell if they are bad? Also the bulb is a Zoo Med T8 ReptiSun 10.0 UVB 24 inch

 

[kingofnobbys]

Essentially - with UV lighting , you get what you pay for.

Cheap ==> elcheapo Chinese knockoffs often sold as home brands / shop brands , avoid these they are a false economy as they don't perform as well , and don't last as long .

All UV sources exhibit UVA and UVB output decay over time with extended use on a daily basis (in my case all my lights are on a 16hr photoperiod. ( On 6am , off 10pm).

If you have a good quality brand UVB , use the manufacturers guidelines on when to replace. Basically - If in doubt , play it safe and replace every 6 months. I use a permanent marker to mark the installed date on all my lights (UV, spotties, household) so I can check very easily how old they are.

Most will recommend replacing the UVB light every 6 months , the better quality brands (ie Arcadia) might say once per year.
If you have access to a Solarmeter 6.2 microwatt UVB / cm^2 meter, you can check the UVB output and perhaps if it's STILL inside tolerance keep using a while longer than specified by the manufacturer.

I recently bought a model 6.2 meter http://www.solarmeter.com/model62.html and discovered my old 26W UVB200s were now essentially equiv in UVB output to 26W UVB150s.
An excellent investment if you have several pet reptiles and are running a UVB for each.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah the best way to tell is to use a Solarmeter to measure output. The ReptiSun 10 brand is good. The T8 is a lower output bulb and has a shorter life than a T5 would. The general rule for the T8 is to replace it every 6 months and it should sit 6-8'' above the basking area for optimal output.

 

[Vandy]

Ok thank you . Also I noticed you said your lights are on for 16 hours 6a-10p. I currently have the timer for my lights set for 12 on and 12 off (9:30a-9-30p). Should I change this to 16 hours on and 8 hours off?

 

[CooperDragon]

It depends on your schedule. I have mine on at 6a and off at 7p at the moment. I will increase that to about 6a to 8p in the summer. Anywhere between about 12-16hrs on is OK and it should revolve around a schedule that works for you. You can set them to come on an hour or so before you wake up to provide some warm up time before breakfast. That's an easy way to sneak in an extra hour.