Turtle tank lights??

Question

i understand i need a basking light (heating)

but for the uva/uvb lights

the uva lights are like.. 10 bucks when the uvb are near 40

whats the difference, is uvb necessary??

Answer 1

UVB is needed by a turtle so that it can absorb calcium. It does'nt have to be in your basking light though. You can feed it Vitamin D3 supplements, or you can expose it to sunlight, which is by far the best way to administer it. You can buy fluorescent tubing made by Exo Terra. Basking lights however are a lot more expensive. The best UVA/UVB bulb on the market is the T Rex mercury vapour. It lasts for 6 months, but it has the highest concentration of UVB than any other bulb going. It is around $160.00 though..

Answer 2

YES IT IS NECESSARY!

With out UV (a & b) lighting you are looking at improper growth and development that can lead to death. UVb is needed for the production of D3 which helps to metabolize calcium

look at this

http://board.reptilechannel.com/Topic472...

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/whatisuv.htm

Answer 3

Yes.  UVA is the part of the light spectrum visible to your eye.  UVB is invisible to the human eye, but is required for calcium absorption.  Turtles (most reptiles) need UVB.

Also, just because the bulb is still on doesn't mean the UVB is viable (supplying the UVB as long as the UVA) in the tube light.  You will need to check per manufacture to find out how long the light supplies UVB.

Hope this has been helpful.