Guide to UVB Lighting: What Bulb Do You Choose?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- UVB lighting is something that is so important to reptiles and is one of the key aspects to truly successful husbandry. I have made videos on why snakes need UVB lighting and why every reptile should have access to it. That’s great, we have established how important UVB lighting really is, but we haven’t actually tackled the topic of how you should provide it, or how to choose what bulb to use.
I’m going to aim to make this the most detailed guide on UVB lighting on TH-cam , so bear with me, we are going to go into some serious detail here, By the end of this video I hope to have explained the topic well enough for you to make an educated decision for your animals, to make this video a easier to use tool in the future I will break this video into chapters, you should see the segmented timeline bar at the bottom of the video as well as timestamps in the description.
First of all, lets go over some of the things you are commonly told about UVB lighting in pet shops. One of the things you are told is that a 12% desert tube is for a bearded dragon and a 7% Tropical tube is for a chameleon. But what does that actually mean?
Bulb percentages
The percentage listed on a bulb, is the percentage of the bulbs output that is UVB. So for example, a 7% UVB Arcadia shade dweller is also 17% UVA and 76% visible light. So the higher the percentage of UVB listed, the higher the intensity of the UVB available. This is why people refer to these 12% UVB bulbs as being used for sun baskers like bearded dragons.
So that’s it were done right? Well no, its not as simple as that. This isn’t taking into account the distance between the bulb and where the animal will be able to bask from.
The strength of the suns ultraviolet radiation is expressed as the ultraviolet index or UVI for short. The stronger the radiance, the higher up the indices we get. For example, a really clear sunny day in the UK we might get a UVI of 4 and on a cloudy not so sunny day we may have a UVI of 1 or 2.
So, each species has a preferred UVI they bask at that both meets their needs and is at safe levels.
This can be measured with a solarmeter, which is a handheld device with a sensor, when you press the button it gives you a reading. This is exactly what Gary Ferguson et al used in 2010, that UVI that wild reptiles in the wild were basking at was recorded as well as the habitat and light availability, species were then divided into four UVB zones which we now know as Ferguson zones.
These zones are:
• Zone 1 - crepuscular or shade, thermal conformer.
• Zone 2 - partial sun or occasional full sun basker, thermoregulator.
• Zone 3 - full sun or partial sun, thermoregulator.
• Zone 4 - Mid day sun basker, thermoregulator.
You will notice each of these zones represent difference ranges of UVI. It is the correct UVI at the basking spot that we desire, not what percentage is listed on the bulb and creating some arbitrary link to a certain species.
So how does percentage link to UVI? Well the higher the percentage, the higher the UVI is at an equal distance to the basking spot than a lower percentage bulb.
So lets say we had a reptile that needs a UVI of 4. A lower percentage bulb would need to be at a closer distance to achieve a UVI of 4, but a far higher percentage bulb would need to be much further away to achieve a UVI of 4, or we risk a much higher number than we want.
The Arcadia lighting guide:
www.arcadiareptile.com/lighti...
ZooMed lighting guide:
zoomed.com/wp-content/uploads...
Exo Terra lighting guide:
www.exo-terra.com/download/lig...
Reptile Systems:
www.aquariumsystems.eu/fergus...
Support the channel: / reptilesandresearch
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Percentages on the bulbs?
1:29 Ultra Violet Index
2:03 Ferguson Zones
2:50 How does percentage link to UVI?
4:18 Shade & Sunbeam method
5:38 Different bulb types
6:13 Different brands
6:34 Arcadia Reptile
6:47 Exo Terra
8:02 ZooMed
8:35 Reptile Lighting FB group
9:00 Reptile Systems
9:23 Mesh affects output
10:04 Glass blocks UVB
10:11 Selecting bulb position
10:49 Solarmeter 6.5
11:54 Summary
12:44 Thank you Dr Baines
References:
Baines, F. M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., ... & Swatman, M. (2016). How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 4(1), 42-63. ww.jzar.org/jzar/article/view...
Ferguson, G. W., Brinker, A. M., Gehrmann, W. H., Bucklin, S. E., Baines, F. M., & Mackin, S. J. (2010). Voluntary exposure of some western‐hemisphere snake and lizard species to ultraviolet‐B radiation in the field: how much ultraviolet‐B should a lizard or snake receive in captivity?. Zoo biology, 29(3), 317-334.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
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Excellent no nonsense video my friend! Im currently building a massive indoor enclosure for my one year old Marginated Tortoise, I bought a 40 inch 12% t5 tube but when i started building it I realised that i would have to have it 200mm lower than i first though in order to make some of the climbs that go to higher levels levels not to steep. When i was scratching my head in the workshop i came to the conclusion that it would be fine if I used a weaker bulb, thank you for confirming that!! i have also made non transparent hand rails on the sides of the climbs so my tortoise doesn't end up getting horizontal glare from the tube. My tortoise will be able to climb over a bridge right over the top of the light canopy and then end up finding another mercury vapour basking zone and a rockpool with a water feature, i just hope he like it, I am a professional woodworker and making this for my little buddy is the most satisfying job I have done in a very long time. Thanks again for a great video, James
I am glad it was helpful 😁
Really Great Video learned so much :D
I'm glad you touched on Mesh at 9:23! Many people don't realize how mesh can affect lighting. I plan to do a video on this sometime soon
Thanks! Its very important, sounds exciting the more knowledge shared the better!
this channel is awesome. this is the content I was looking for. subbed 👍
Welcome, glad it’s useful 😀
Thank you for your video explanation here. Keep it up!
You are welcome!
This is really helpful and well explained!
Thank you! Hope its useful to people.
Really liked this video, especially the sunbeam vs shade comparison and diagrams.
Thank you! I really enjoyed making them
Another great video well done
Thanks Chris!
Fantastic video! 👏
Thank you
Amazing well done
Thank you!
Sooo helpful!!
Glad you think so!
I be binge watching your vids in class its crazyyy
Don't get caught 😂
@@ReptilesandResearch I wont Sensei🥋😂🐒
Great video. Really easily and understandably explains what is UVB, different fergusons and how to use a UVB bulb correctly at the distance and ferguson zone required. Well done 😁👍🏻
Thank you glad you enjoyed it
@@ReptilesandResearch No problem, your welcome 🙂👍🏻
@@ReptilesandResearch What do you think I would need in a large and high viv for BOA constrictor? It will be 140cm(~4.5feet) in height and two meters long(~6.5feet). There will be two long shelves, one running almost the whole length of the viv at 35cm height(also serving as hide) and another one 35cm above that but shorter, finishing further away from hot side(she loves to try and dismantle heating elements and she is huge girl)
This is very good and I'll save this for later to show to people that have a hard time understanding it, as it's well explained. Also, may I add, where I live Repti Planet is the most common brand and their bulbs come with charts on the box referring to how much distance you need for different species and such. It's nice that even their heat bulbs tell you what wattage and distance you need for certain temperatures.
Where is that may I ask? I have never heard of repti planet before.
@@ReptilesandResearch I live in Romania but the company is based in the Czech Republic, so they probably sell around Eastern Europe and the Balkans. From my experience, they're good and cheaper than products imported from farther away, like Exo Terra or Zoo Med.
Great video and loved the explanation between shade and sunbeam method as I had not found that anywhere else. Would love a Solameter, have asked for one as a birthday pressie so let's see if the missus was listening in a couple of weeks time!
If she doesn't we riot
@@ReptilesandResearch I am still a firm believer of happy wife - happy life. A riot may send her over the edge of reason :-)
brilliant!!! very well explained a rather complicated issue espcially when ur first starting out in the world of reptiles.
It was very interesting u compaired the tube and vapor. i am using a tube and think in the tegu world its mayb a 50/50 which is the better choice. But its more expensive to run T5 and 2 halogens than an all in one bulb! i dont own a solar metre yet, but when i do, i want to see which is providing the greatest amount of uvb as common sense says the T5 is a better choice interms of uvb availablity.
Thank you! Glad you think it is useful! Basking spots definitely get trickier with larger animals
Hi! Thank you so much for the content you share! I’m considering an Arcadia IluminIZE system. I have a question, if you don’t mind: For a 4x4x2” ball python enclosure, with mesh top (lights on top of the mesh), basking spot around 12” from the top, which one of the bulbs would you recommend? Thank you in advance!
Cool ,,,,, nice to know about ,,, thanks '
Glad you enjoyed it
nice one, that was very informative. i'm busy at the moment building a guard for my corn snakes uv tube ready for its new viv. she has a really annoying habit of trying to climb on it. i'm hoping it wont interfere too much as its 6mm hole mesh. the new viv design is very much based around shade and uv so this is a welcome video. i am putting the tube along the front edge and will be building up the decor so its got a mix of heat and light, heat and shade, cool and light, cool and shade, which taper off towards the back, plus climbing right through. this should give a gradient of heat and light going along the viv and a gradient front to back (30" deep). combined with fairly dense branches and climbing this should offer a three dimensional space to regulate in. she has utilised the decor in this way in the current viv so i am really keen to see how she interacts with much more variety.
That sounds brilliant!
匯
Excellent presentation & consolidation of information!
Thank you!/ bookmarking this for reference..
__
curious about howto best protect reptiles that could climb/crawl near lighting fixtures, sharp edges, etc.
(which) bulbs get hot enough to cause contact damage?
___
Also:this gave an idea to have a basking surface on top of a hide; reducing distance to UVB/C
Thank you! There are now lower percentage arboreal bulbs on the market by Arcadia for that very issue
My corn snake is a zone 1-2(0.6-3.0 uvi) species, So what I need is a arcadia d3 Forest bulb or shadedweller max.
the number on the side for the arcadia lighting guide is that not the size on the bulb?
I love this video but I am so confused. I am getting so much conflicting info an just feel a bit overwhelmed. Right now my BP is in a 20g (soon to move to 40g while I work on plans for her adult enclosure). I have a 5.0 repisun 12" from her basking area on one side. But I don't have space/money yet for the florescent and was planning one of those for adult enclosure. Is what I have now okay? I know BP (at least according to zoomed chart?) Are Ferguson z1 but what does the .7-1.4 range mean in correspondence to the uvb% in different brands?? Sorry this is just not my strongest area of husbandry. :( I really appreciate this info though! I am just trying to wade through it all lol
I bought a 50 watt uvb uva bulb for my young king snake.it says it’s for a Viv of 70cm size.mine is 65cms.I intend to get a 4 ft viv when it grows larger.the bulb comes in a cage.you can adjust the dimmer and have it come on for 2 4 or 8 hours at a time.is this ok in your opinion?merry Xmas.✌️
*Thank You!* Really Nice Info, much more than i had many Years ago when Reptile Family was here. _truly miss them_
Seeing this kind of Wakes Up that 'life' in me - _again._ and Yes, Snakes, Geckos DO need UV light. 7:17
Never understood Why Single Bulb Fixtures do Not come with Reflectors. maybe they do now, or, how did i miss them?
Glad it was helpful! Depending on the bulb some do come with reflectors now. Arcadia t5 kits do.
@@ReptilesandResearch lol Figures. Had to make my own. Thanks Cheers!
Thank you so much Liam! I had been looking forward to this and checking back on your channel for it.
So, for the Ball Python, did you say it would be a lower UVI?
I know none of the long bulbs will have information for them on there.
Height from the top of the enclosure to bottom is 16 inches.
And I plan on putting the UVB in the mid front of it so it touches some of the branches but not all. So, more towards the front. I would like the long bulb that you suggested. Did you know of a specific one over here in North America that would suit Ball Pythons?
You could look for a exo terra tube that achieved 1 or 2 stars at 16 inches
@@ReptilesandResearch Okay 1 or 2 stars, got it. Thank you!
Brilliant video! I've been looking to get a snow corn snake but I'm not sure what uvb to get for it as it is an albino morph and I heard that they are sensitive to light. Do you know what would be the best way to setup uvb for an albino animal? Would it be best to just give the snakes lots of cover?
Both lots of cover and perhaps drop it slightly lower than usual so if you were going for uvi 1 go for uvi 0.5
@@ReptilesandResearch thank you :)
What’s the difference between the Arcadia floodlight and spotlight? I assume the spotlight is directed more to a single area? In this case would it be more suitable for small enclosures?
It’s beam angle, so the heat is spread wider in the flood
Thank you very much! However, I have some particular questions. I have a small terraium for my baby sulcata so I can't use a uvb tube as even the smallest ones are more than 50% of the terrarium. Arcadia says I can use the"corresponding linear compact" but I don't find any. ZooMed chart says a compact uvb should be very close to a sulcata in order to get what it needs but couldn't it cause blindness? Help!
You could use a compact, like in the graph example. You could just get a stronger compact thats further away, i know arcadia has some. Light your reptiles is an arcadia distributor in the US
@@ReptilesandResearch I'm from Europe but thanks!
@@guancho9142 Oh great, Arcadia should be much easier to get hold of.
@@ReptilesandResearch Actually, all I see is Expo Terra
@@ReptilesandResearch Also (sorry for asking so much) is a reflector going to doble the UVI index or percentatge or something similar? Like is a 7% uvb going to work for a desert species if I use a reflector?
I tried entering Mexican black kingsnakes into the lighting guide but it yielded no results. Do you think I could use the same results that show up for a Cali kingsnake instead? Or would that be overgeneralizing them?
I use the same for both 😁
@@ReptilesandResearch thanks!
Have you done any research into albinism and uvb? I have a snow corn snake and I’m wondering if it is safe to give her uvb
Albinos still require uvb, they just bask differently to normal snakes, they cryptically bask which means they will expose a small or partial amount of themselves instead of fully basking. They often hide their head but expose a coil or something. If you are concerned go for the shade method as its less intense then offer lots of clutter for the snake to get out of uvb or cryptically bask. Hope that helps 😁
@@ReptilesandResearch yes that helps, thank you for the info!
Question. Why do you recommend doing a 50w, as opposed to 80 or 100w for the shade method?
For halogen. Sorry.
@@MrsWashko if you are talking about the positioning section it’s just a placeholder example, use whatever wattage suits your set up 😊
@@ReptilesandResearch Thanks for the clarification!
I have a ball python and i’m going to be moving her into a 4x2x2 enclosure. Can I use UVB lighting as my main light source, or would I have to also purchase LED lights?
You CAN just have UVB lighting, but its good to have a full spectrum LED. If its one or the other because of budget i'd choose the UVB every time. But if you can add the LED thats super!
I just got my Arcadia fixture And I don't know what happened It was fine for one day and then out of a sudden it doesn't want to turn on It was flicker one time and an hour said and then just want her back on
thats strange, how is it now?
Could you share a link to where you got the UV meter for £180? Thank you
I purchased it from my local reptile shop. I got it ordered in
I want to use the uvB for my goldfish aquarium how do u think?
I used it on my fish for a year, I didn’t see them come to the surface to bask or anything, although I don’t think it’s any harm in trying to see how they react, might get the algae growing though. I know marine tanks use uv
Ic, cause i wonder the goldfish colour and body will better if i used the lamp to replace sun 😆
Does every t8 bulb emit UVB?
No you can get t8 bulbs that just emit light
Why would anybody skip forward, traitorssss!!! Lol
Yessssss
Are these UV light bulbs are dangerous for humans? Is there any study that shows potential risk of skin cancer in humans?
Well yes, if you overexpose yourself for extended periods of time that's certainly dangerous. It's no different from going to the beach with no sun screen on and getting sun burned.
@@ReptilesandResearch I see. Well, I always pun on sunscreen in the summer, without or without being at the beach. It's very dangerous to get sunburned.
@@ReptilesandResearch But what does exposure mean? Sitting directly under it or having the enclosure in the same room you stay all day? Also, is the glass from the enclosure a barrier against UV?
So I mean being under the bulb, if you are not under the bulb you aren't really exposed, glass would act like a barrier yes
@@ReptilesandResearch Thank you.