T5HO UVB bulbs in the US yet?

lauraleellbp · #1 10-18-2011, 03:33 PM

Has anyone found any UVB T5HO bulbs here in the states yet? I've been looking around, but all I've come across thus far is UVA for reef tanks, no UVBs. I'm hearing that some are on the market already over in Europe, though...

hexentanz · #2 10-18-2011, 04:19 PM

The only thing I have noticed is these - Zilla Desert 50 UVB Fluorescent T5 Bulbs at PETCO

lauraleellbp · #3 10-18-2011, 05:25 PM

Thanks, Maureen! My PetCo doesn't carry those in the store, but now that I know that Zilla is making some I'm gonna have to see if I can get someone to stock some for me, or get them online from Petco... hmmmm.

ajb28221 · #4 11-05-2011, 03:35 PM

I wouldn't waste your money, I've heard nothing but bad things about these bulbs. Google zilla t5 review and see for yourself

hexentanz · #5 11-19-2011, 07:15 AM

Great news! You can now get Arcadia lamps in the USA

lightyourreptiles.com

daggekko · #6 11-19-2011, 05:18 PM

Holy crap those are expensive!!! Glad to know about them. I just realized how much you meant by "fortune" in regards to upgrading!

hexentanz · #7 11-19-2011, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daggekko

Holy crap those are expensive!!! Glad to know about them. I just realized how much you meant by "fortune" in regards to upgrading!

Yeah and they cost me more than it would cost if I got them directly in the states (my bank account is back home in the usa). :/ But they are so worth it for the fact alone that you do not have to change them for a whole year unlike most others bulbs which need to be changed out every 6 months (*cough* exo's). In UVB tests done here Arcadia bulbs always came out on top!

lauraleellbp · #8 11-19-2011, 06:17 PM

Yeah, plus you can get one of the longer fixtures and place it over multiple tanks. I figured out the cost and it's much, much cheaper going this direction and getting just one 36" fixture with a UV and a plant grow bulb rather than getting and running individual fixtures for 3 of my 12x12x18 vivs (six fixtures + bulbs adds up fast!).

I'm trying to figure out if these bulbs do in fact need to be run in a T5HO fixture (that's what it says in the ad, even though the ad does not specify T5HO?), or is just a T5NO fine? B/c I can buy T5NO fixtures at my local hardware store for pretty cheap...

hexentanz · #9 11-19-2011, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lauraleellbp

Yeah, plus you can get one of the longer fixtures and place it over multiple tanks. I figured out the cost and it's much, much cheaper going this direction and getting just one 36" fixture with a UV and a plant grow bulb rather than getting and running individual fixtures for 3 of my 12x12x18 vivs (six fixtures + bulbs adds up fast!).

I'm trying to figure out if these bulbs do in fact need to be run in a T5HO fixture (that's what it says in the ad, even though the ad does not specify T5HO?), or is just a T5NO fine? B/c I can buy T5NO fixtures at my local hardware store for pretty cheap...

Yup they should be run in a T5HO fixture or you risk burning out the bulbs and not really getting the full impact from them.

chelseagrin · #10 11-20-2011, 03:42 PM

i know for reef tanks that t5 bulbs are some of the brightest you can get besides led and halides. i dont get why you would need such a high output fixture for a vivarium. why not just use standard flourescent?