I bought a full spectrum light for my turtle (res) does this give off UVB and do I also need a heat lamp?

Question

I bought a full spectrum light for my turtle (res) does this give off UVB and do I also need a heat lamp?

Answer 1

get the yellow pages and look up pet stores and call them and ask them and say, if they do go get it try petsmart

Answer 2

go to the pet store and ask them. i once had a turtle and his shell got really soft and i went and asked the pet store people and they helped me a lot

Answer 3

most full spectrum lights only give off uva. but then, since you have the bulb and the documentation that came on the packaging, you'll know more about it than we do.

yes, you also need a heat lamp.

Answer 4

I would check the pakage for the light to see if it gives off uvb.  You don't necessarily need a heat lamp you could get a heating pad. They have them at almost every pet store and they can stick to the bottom of the aquarium.  These are helpful at night if you turn off your turtles light.  Plus reptiles love them!

Answer 5

If it gives off UVB the package WILL specify so.  Most full spectrum bulbs don't produce UVB.

Also, few full spectrum lights I know give off enough heat for basking.  If it's at least 100W then there might be a chance that it will work although 125-150W seems to work better.  Lower wattages, especially with the "energy efficient" bulbs won't produce the heat needed.  The basking area needs to be in the mid to high 90's (mine's 105 degrees which is high but my turtle loves it).

*BOTH* the UVB and heat producing lamp need to be focused on the basking spot with no glass or plastic in the way.  Having the UVB light anywhere else won't work because it can't pass through the water.

The bulb I use is a Reptisun 125W mercury vapor bulb (MVB) that puts out of both UVB and heat.  I like it because I only need the one fixture.  Aquatic turtles usually only need the basking area lit properly and anything else really for the humans' benefit.  MVB lamps may be pricy ($40-75) but they're far cheaper than the combined cost of the extra bulbs and fixtures needed otherwise.  

To prevent fire hazards and to lengthan the life of the MVB (although it still needs to be replaced every 6 months or so...*before* it burns out) the fixture it is in needs to have a ceramic socket and be designed for high heat-it also needs to hang straight down.  MVB's put out a lot of heat and need to be a little farrer away (12-18").  Place the bulb high enough that the basking spot is under 110 degrees as measured with a good thermometer.