General Care Discussion :: UVB lighting

[crock1120]

Hey everyone,

Quick question: I have been reading discussions about the lighting and a lot of users have said that their turtles bask for quite a long time. My RESs don't seem to like to bask for that long throughout the day so I was wondering if ne one had any ideas. The temperature of the water is around 76-78 degrees and the basking is around 90-92 degrees. The UVA and UVB are both about 10"+ away from the basking section to avoid eye problems. Both turts are about 5" and seem very healthy, playing with each other and eating when they are fed. So, does anyone have ne suggestions on what I should do. Should I try putting them on top of the dock and see if they get used to it? Should the temp be increased in the basking section?

Please let me know what I can do.

Thanks a lot

[rocketright]

The lights should be closer... It can be 3 inches close and it wouldn't effect their eyes, trust me. Thats probalby why... You should move it closer as the UVB will not be getting in as good. You should not force them, that will just make them not wanna go on it... It's okay, because turtles aren't soppost to have to much basking... A couple hours is okay.

[SpotsMama]

Are you sure they aren't basking when you're not around? How long have you had them? Is the basking place easy for them to get up on?

From what I've read on here, different turtles have different preferences as to basking temperature. A difference of a couple of degrees seems to make a big difference to some of them. You might try tweeking the temperature up or down a notch and see if they like it.

What kind of UVB bulb do you have? Is it in some sort of reflective fixture?

[turtle_nz]

my turt will never bask when I'm around, but I always hear a plop when I open my bedroom door

[rocketright]

Yah, That's okay, as long as he basks while your not there....

[marisa]

crock1120, what strength UVB light are you using? If it's 5%, six inches away from your basking turtles would be good (not closer). I wouldn't increase the temp on the basking area if it's as warm as you say it is.

Turtles bask for varying amounts of time. On some days, my RES will sometimes spend hours basking. On some days he doesn't bask at all that I can see (but may be basking while I'm not around, as yours may be). And on some days he's climbing out of the water and going back in like a yo-yo. If the shells are healthy, I don't think you have a problem with the amount of basking they do.

[grey goose]

The lights should be closer... It can be 3 inches close and it wouldn't effect their eyes, trust me.

Not necessarily true. Especially if you are using a compact bulb. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with the straight bulbs, but I'm now convinced my compact bulb has caused problems with my guys.




I started out with a 10.0 compact mounted horizontally in a reflector hood 12" above the basking area, and all three of my turts ended up with swollen eyes. I tried eliminating the reflection, no good. I tried using a 5.0 compact, now just Big Daddy is showing some slight swelling and signs of irritation, so I'm going to try elevating the fixture to 16", and go from there. If that doesnt work I'll try re-doing my bracket to accommodate a regular clamp lamp, mounted vertically (I had a 10.0 compact mounted this way for two months with no problems).
At any rate, look here:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm
Scroll down to "The Dangers of Overexposure to UV Light".

[crock1120]

I am using a reptisun 5.0... 7% uvb... I also have a uva bulb on the basking area which is a 60 watt. The basking area is a standard turtle dock, medium size. I am going to try and move the uva back a little bit because it feels like it may be a little too hot, maybe hotter than 92. Any other suggestions?

Also, do they receive any nutrients from the uvb while they are in the water? because some of the uvb light is directly over the water, it covers the whole length of the tank.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[crock1120]

I've had them going on 3 months

[Pizza]

If your turtles are in the water near the surface, they will get a slight amount of UVB, but nowhere near a good amount, the deeper they go into the water, the less they will receive until the amount of UVB hitting them is miniscule.

So in short, they will not get UVB (they will, but it's so little it hardly matters) while in the water. When the rays of light hit the water, the majority of it will be reflected and refracted off the surface of the water, only a few small rays will permeate into the water itself.

[SpotsMama]

My suggestion is to check the temperature on the basking area with a thermometer. People are always amazed when they do to find out how impossible it is for us warm blooded types to gauge temperature. If we even get close it's just a coincidence! If you want to know what the temp is on the basking spot - don't guess, get a termometer!

[crock1120]

Relax spotsmama, I have a thermometer in the water and the basking area, I said it "feels" warmer than 92 degrees. Next time read the post clearly before jumping to conclusion!

Anybody else have suggestions?

Thanks

[SpotsMama]

Wow! Sorry! So were you trying to say it "feels" warmer than 92 ... but your thermometer says it's 92?

Silly me! when I say something "feels" a certain temperature, that's what I usually mean, not that I used a thermometer.

[Kallistos]

rocketright, I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that UVB bulbs can be 3 inches from the turtles and still be safe. That would be unbelievably close and is by no means okay for almost all UVB lights.

crock1120, I'm sure Spots isn't angry, he's just saying how humans can't guess temperature...it's really easy to skip over a few words.

92 degrees may be a little high. Try dropping it down to 88 and see if your turtles will bask. Adjust temperatures/distances until your turtles start to bask, but don't get impatient. Wait at least a few days before you change the temperature.

Good luck!

[crock1120]

wow spotsmama, why even reply? I asked a simple question about my turts, I wasn't expecting to get responses from anyone like you gave. I'm sorry if you didn't read the first post where I said the basking area IS 90-92 degrees, but please keep your responses to yourself if they are only going to be sarcastic and not help the owner, please