Equipment Review and Discussion :: UVB Lamps

[Deon]

Hi, i just bought a light and although the store keeper said it kills germs and is a uv light, she did not understand UVB and UVA as she speaks chinese and im in shanghai. (my chinese is not so good). So, i was wondering if anyone knows how to tell the difference between a UVA and UVB light?

[marisa]

Coventional UVB lights are flourescent and don't give off any real heat. It must say on the bulb or package that the bulb emits UVB rays (and you'd want one that emits 5% or more UVB). Not all flourescents, even those that say they're full spectrum, emit UVB rays. A UVB light will also give off UVA rays, but the reverse is not true.

If you get a UVB light, you really only need to use a regular incandescent light bulb to provide heat for basking.