Habitat - Indoor :: UVA light

[kiwigerman]

What wattage should my light be and how far from the basking area do i put it? I don't have a thermometer so its hard to tell how hot. the tank has one of those thermometers stuck on the side to tell water temp, but i can take it off.

[adam85491]

If you want to put the bulb around 8 to 12 inches away, I would go with a 75 watt bulb.

[kiwigerman]

cheers bro! i'll get onto it a.s.a.p

[adam85491]

Your welcome. I use one of those extreme basking bulbs for heat, and it stays around 90 with it about a foot away, so I think that it is all about placement. I occassionally stick a thermometer under to check, you should get a glass one that is about 2 or three bucks, but the digital ones are supposed to be better, though I don't own one myself.

[DavidY]

After you set up the lamp, put your hand on the basking platform for a minute or two. It should feel comfortably warm but not burning.

[Starchick]

adam85491 - in regard to whether glass or digital is better for thermometers, I've found mine to be equal, except in measuring the basking spot. The digital that I have has a black probe, and under the basking light it reads 15-20 degrees higher than the glass thermometer. I'm sure there are others that would be more accurate, but I'd say for a cheap all-purpose thermometer go for the traditional ones.

[SpotsMama]

kiwigerman, I hope you'll go ahead and spring for a thermometer. One of the things I've noticed is that it's impossible to tell by touch what the temperature is, either on the basking spot or in the water. Try it sometime, then check your guesstimate with a thermometer. Since temperature is so very important to the turtle's health, you'll feel better if you know for sure you've got it right.

Whether you get a glass one or a metal digital one, I'd recommend not leaving it in the tank because your turtle will likely try to eat it. Just leave it in long enough to get a good reading then take it out. Those plastic stick-ons are good just to get a general idea of how the temperature is going. I use them too so I'll be able to tell if something gets really out of whack with the heater.

[kiwigerman]

Ok SpotsMama. I'll see what I can do. We're about to go into winter here soon, so I really need to make sure things are right as the heater will be working a lot harder I'm sure. Thank god for you guys and this forum! It takes off a lot of stress when you can talk about issues with people who have similar problems!