CFL lights vs Flourescent lights

[kobe24]

Sorry if i spelled flourescent wrong lol. I have a question. I have a reptisun 10.0 uvb floro bulb with the hood and everything on it and i was wondering if these lights are better to use than the cfl uvb bulbs.
I am going to get a 40 gallon tank so i was wondering how much light i should use in a 40 gal tank. Thanks guys

 

[Germ]

You only need one UVB Bulb to cover the basking spot, There should be a side\portion of the enclosure without UVB coverage so they can get out of it should they feel the need, in the shade, so to speak. This is generally the Cool Side in most setups.

Either the CFLs or Tube (Both Fluorescents) UVB bulbs will do the job. My preference has always been the tubes, as they cover more & are easily mounted inside the enclosure, under the screen (also my preference), so that a big part of the effective UVB is not filtered, blocked or reflected by the screen. The screen can block as much as 50% of the effective UVB from ever entering the enclosure, so if mounted above the screen, the basking spot must be much closer & the UVB bulb must be changed much more often, at least every 6 months to make up for it.

 

[ianedward1]

I don't trust the CFL's because of old reports of them causing eye problems due to producing the wrong UV spectrum

 

[Germ]

@ianedward1 - That is completely your prerogative & personal preference, to base decisions on Product issues that occurred in 2006-2007 & that have long since been rectified by using different phosphors in their manufacturing process.

 

[ianedward1]

Yes but I also have other recent reports from fellow Herpetologists who took measurements of the UVB produced and found that the CFL's were less efficient than the tube and MVB counterparts. In my opinion from my research, CFL's are just not the proper design

 

[kobe24]

Thanks a lot for all the help guys, I'm sure of what i want now for my baby. I always thought the cfl's werent good for dragons, they are good for growing specific things though lol. Thanks again guys