UVB Bulbs??

[Dyesub Dave]

I was wondering if it would be safe to use one of the coil UVB bulbs at a distance for a crested gecko enclosure. I know that there's a lot of controversy about these and certainly wouldn't use them for a full UVB source for any of my reptiles. However I was thinking that to have some light to allow plants to grow in the enclosure and have a bit of UVB readily available perhaps one of these bulbs would be fine at a foot or two away from the top of the enclosure.

I would like to hear any thoughts or suggestions any of you have about these bulbs.

Thanks ... Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[RFB2]

From what I have read the coil bulbs they are only a problem when close to the cage. The bulbs tend to cause eye problems with animals that have a habit of looking directly at the light. I have used them on my cages but with the fixtures angled slightly to diffuse the light on the screen tops. I now use tubes, but only for cost and the ability to light multiple enclosures. Also, if your cresteds are anything like mine, most of the time they sleep curled up tucked in a corner or facing down, or in a hide, etc. I do not think the bulbs will cause any real issues for a nocturnal animal that tends to hide from direct light.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[sschind]

I have deleted my original post on this as my information was wrong and I was corrected by Dyesub Dave. Normally I do not like deleting posts in threads but in this instance, since the information was incorrect, and could have caused confusion I felt it was best to delete it.

I will still freely admit that I was an idiot in this case.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Well when I first heard about this a year or so ago I was directed to this site .... UV Guide UK - Ultraviolet Light for Reptiles - UVB reptile lighting on test. However the Compact Fluorescent bulbs that they used for testing were the elongated types and not the coil types. There is a lot of info on that site but I haven't seen any information suggesting the coil types are not good. However I still wanted to check and find out what the concensus was from the many knowledgable people on this forum.

Now like I said I was planning on putting this bulb at a fair distance away. According the the charts on the website above the level of UVB diminishes the farther away the bulb is. And this was going to be used for crested geckos which don't need much light and I'm not even sure if they need UVB. But I acquired one of these bulbs and was just wondering if I could use it to help the plants grow without harming the cresties.

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[siz]

I don't use UV for my crested. Unless I have been misinformed, they do not need any lighting at all, provided your house is warm enough. Also, on the bulb's box it will tell you how far the UV reaches, it's usually not much more than 30cm. If the bulb is over this distance it is more or less useless except for brightening your terrarium. Hope this helps!

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Thanks for the replies everybody. The consensus I found on another forum was that many use the household CF bulbs to keep the plants going in crestie enclosures so I may just try those. They are certainly cheaper to replace and also don't use very much hydro.

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[sschind]

Well when I first heard about this a year or so ago I was directed to this site .... UV Guide UK - Ultraviolet Light for Reptiles - UVB reptile lighting on test. However the Compact Fluorescent bulbs that they used for testing were the elongated types and not the coil types. There is a lot of info on that site but I haven't seen any information suggesting the coil types are not good. However I still wanted to check and find out what the concensus was from the many knowledgable people on this forum.


Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

You are right. Thank you for correcting my error. It was the compact fluorescent and not the coil UVBs that were causing the problems.

 

[siz]

So the coils are fine to use?

 

[Dyesub Dave]

HMMMM .... I thought the coil bulbs were a type of compact fluorescent .... NO? Now I'm getting confused. :roll:

Yeah ... so basically I was wondering if the COIL type of UVB bulbs have been known to cause any problems? The ones similar to the energy saving bulbs that we get for our homes but with UVB.

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[springtech]

To my understanding the coil tube's are indeed compact flouresent bulbs... now as to their effects on specific species of geckoes?? no idea.
But I am also interested to find out, as I am using a couple at a distance as well.
EDIT: I'm using the average daylight bulb... not sure if thats the UVB your talking about though.. lol

 

[zohariels]

Hello! I do use one coil UVB bulb in my cresties enclosure, not for heat but for the plants and so I can see in the vivarium better. My cresties are usually quite well hidden in the plants during the day, so I the light probably has very little effect on them, IMO. I've had them like this for some time, and so far they are all healthy! =)

 

[Justin]

I'm also considering using a compact UVB instead of a tube so would like to know some opinions, any other breeders use them?

 

[siz]

I have a chameleon and apparently they are pretty subseptible (sp?) to eye problems from staring at bulbs so I would like to know.
I have heard however, if in doubt use the tube lighting!

 

[sschind]

Yes, the coils are a type of compact fluorescent bulb but the ones that were causing the problems according to my understanding of the study were the U-shaped ones and not the coil ones. In fact, if I remember correctly there was even a brand of tube light that was implicated. It is also my understanding that the problems have been addressed. I am going to send an Email to Rolf C. Hagen Corp regarding their Exo-terra brand bulbs and see if I can get a spectral output for them. From what I gathered, any output under 290nm can cause problems and the use of aluminum reflectors can make the problem even worse.