Question Please Patsey B???

[river-7]

I have a question about UVB-I have a 40-tank and I have the high out put uvb and I actually have 2-of them. 1-is a 40-inch and 1-is a 24inch-1-have been reading most of the day yesterday and most of last night and driving myself crazy with all these different posts. Which one is more better for my baby.I forget whether they are t-5's or t-8's- I do know they are repti-sun 10.0 both. So please advise me on these 2-My opinion is to center 1-of then[24-inch] in the middle of the heat dome.Any one else please chime in your opinion counts as well [baby dragon 110.hot side-cool side 75-80-My screen top is large wire top so uvb could go threw easily.but I believe I have to raise up her basking log. I have slate tiles in her tank that keeps the heat up perfect. And should I hang it inside tank-or leave on outside of tank which would she get more benefit out of??-thanks to all that respond-river-7

 

[PatsyB]

I'm no the best with lighting but let me try. Reposition 10.0 is a good bulb in both the T8 and the T5. With the T8, if you are going through a mesh top, your beardie needs to get at least 6 inches from the light maybe even 4 because the mesh filters out a lot of the UVB. They also need to be changed at least every 6 months. I used to have to change mine about every 5, I would notice my beardies would start to act different when it was time to change. The T5 bulbs are better because they last longer and I think they can be 16 inches away and still get full benefit (I may be wrong about the distance). If you decide to mount the light inside the tank just make sure that it's overhead so it doesn't hurt her eyes. Note though the T5 bulbs are thinner and don't fit in a T8 fixture.

You want the light to cover at least 2/3'rd of the tank. Your beardie should have places that they can get away from it if they want. You also want to overlap the basking and the UVB light in the basking area so they can soak up both. You're temps sound spot on, 110-115 is good.

 

[river-7]

I wish I could remember if they were t8-or t5 I must look on the bulb. I had a baby bearded last year and I had it mounted in the tank and she was always sqinting[sp] and that's why I asked but I will look on bulb but I bought both of these and they were just new on the market I wish I had the box they came in, I have a habit of throwing out boxes as soon as I know it works well here's hoping I find it on the bulb or find the post I made about them sometime ago when I first bought them.Thanks river-7-ps I know they are both high-out-put

 

[PatsyB]

You can tell right away. The T8 bulb is fat and the T5 is very thin. If the light was mounted on the side of the tank that is probably why she was squinting. The light was going right into her eyes. Having the light above them is best because they have the little ridges above their eyes that protect them from getting too much light in the eyes.

 

[river-7]

ok, then it is the t-5 both of them neither have been really used. Do they lose strength when they are just stored. As I used the large one for about 2-weeks then I was moving so rehomed my dragon as I didn't know I could have him here. And here we are.river-7-the light was above her

 

[PatsyB]

I hope they don't lose strength when stored, I have about 4 bulbs that I bought on sale that I'm holding on to! The T5 bulbs are good and give off good light. As soon as I started using them I noticed a difference in behavior. They are both more active and alert.

 

[river-7]

Sorry -Patsy; My computer was updating so I was off for awhile. She has the t-5 lights so I think I am good for a couple of months yet, but I will replace it on fri this week.I have a 24 inch and a 40 and the 40 covers the whole tank so I thing I will get the t-5 24 inch.as you said she will have 1/2 the tank to get out of it. and I do supplement with d-3 and without when I p/up a new bulb for her. but she seems active and eating even got a bit of her salad by mistake.Thanks Patsy; river-7

 

[Matzahs_dragons]

You can tell right away. The T8 bulb is fat and the T5 is very thin. If the light was mounted on the side of the tank that is probably why she was squinting. The light was going right into her eyes. Having the light above them is best because they have the little ridges above their eyes that protect them from getting too much light in the eyes.

Hello PatsyB and river-7 - the easiest way to identify which size bulb you have is to measure the diameter of the bulb. The number after the T indicates how many 1/8 inches there are. For example, a T5 is 5/8th inches in diameter, while a T8 is 1 inch in diameter (eight 1/8ths).

Here's a link with a few examples of what each bulb size looks like. It may be helpful in the future.

http://www.newlighted.com/what-does-the-8-in-t8-mean/