When to replace uvb lamp

TheGreenLing

Member
Beardie name(s)
Lizary
Good morning,

I bought a uvb tester, It is reading 36 uw/cm2. It is an electronic tester and can test it right at the basking spot. I have read that 40 is fine.

Should I replace the light or is it fine for a bit longer?

It is a arcadia T5 HO 14% 54 watt, I bought it in April 2024.

Let me know what I should do,

I'll try to order one so that I'm ready to change it if it drops lower.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Good morning,

I bought a uvb tester, It is reading 36 uw/cm2. It is an electronic tester and can test it right at the basking spot. I have read that 40 is fine.

Should I replace the light or is it fine for a bit longer?

It is a arcadia T5 HO 14% 54 watt, I bought it in April 2024.

Let me know what I should do,

I'll try to order one so that I'm ready to change it if it drops lower.
Not sure on that I am flagging @CooperDragon he can help here
 

TheGreenLing

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Lizary
I rearranged my lights and got 46 on the basking spot, but pretty poor everywhere else like 20, think likely need to order one, but happy to hear if I dont need to.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
I rearranged my lights and got 46 on the basking spot, but pretty poor everywhere else like 20, think likely need to order one, but happy to hear if I dont need to.
I rearranged my lights and got 46 on the basking spot, but pretty poor everywhere else like 20, think likely need to order one, but happy to hear if I dont need to.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

What is the distance at which the bulb is from the basking spot where you are measuring the UVB uW/cm2
readings?
I normally like to have a little higher of a reading, but 40 is acceptable. I usually have at least 80 uW/cm2
or higher on readings. Though, I have never used an electronic tester, so I'm not sure exactly how accurate
they are. I have always used Solar tech Solar meters which are extremely accurate. I would have to double
check my notes to see what the numbers would be. You could always move the tube slightly closer to get a
higher reading.
Cooper does lots of readings so I'm sure he will chime in!

Tracie
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I think the UV testers are good for a couple of different things. One is to check your bulb over time which will help you determine when to replace it as the output drops off. I've found that several of my Arcadia T5 bulbs lasted much longer than expected in this regard. So keep watching the output from the same distance and replace the bulb if output is decreasing.
The other thing that they are helpful for is adjusting the distance to help create a proper gradient in your enclosure. Ultimately, the adjustments should be done in response to an individual dragon's basking behavior which will reveal their preference over time. The main thing is to offer plenty of options in terms of heat and UVB output and let them choose what they want at a given time. I've found that they tend to bask in spurts but don't spend all of their time in high heat or high UVB areas. Sometimes they just like heat with less UVB, Sometimes they want more UVB with less heat etc. To address that, you can try to set up some areas with high heat/low UVB, low heat/low UVB, high heat/high UVB, and low heat/high UVB. This is where it becomes helpful to have as large an enclosure as possible. There is more discussion about this sort of thing in several old threads like this one.

To answer your question more directly, The Solarmeter 6.2 is better at monitoring UVB output from a single source - great for detecting deterioration of your bulb over time. I prefer the 6.5 which uses UVI to more closely detect the basking/D3 production range for a reptile and can be used to compare sunlight output to bulbs. I typically suggest 3-6 UVI for basking, but on the 6.2 I'd shoot for more around the 120-180 μW/cm² range across the basking area and a gradient down from there through the rest of the enclosure. At 36 μW/cm² I think your bulb is either too far away from the basking area or needs replacement. How far from the bulb did you take the reading? Was anything intercepting the output from the bulb like a mesh top or other object? Once changes are made I'd just observe for a while. If they avoid the most intense UVB area, reduce the output a bit or try the opposite if they are spending a ton of time there etc.
 

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