Choosing an ultraviolet lamp for a red-eared turtle

Ultraviolet lamp for the red-eared turtle and other members of this family is a mandatory element that should be placed in the aquarium. Without it it is impossible to ensure the normal life activity of reptiles, so it is worth taking care of this type of lighting in advance.

Features of keeping turtles

Turtles like to stay under a UV lamp for long periods of time.

It is important to understand that when living in the wild, turtles bask in the sun for long periods of time, benefiting from this and ensuring normal metabolic processes and the assimilation of useful trace elements. Sunlight is a spectrum, and not all types of radiation a turtle needs, which makes it easy to choose lighting equipment.

If the turtle is a water turtle, keep it in an aquarium with an area of dry land to create conditions close to natural. In this case, you need to select the optimal size of the container, as well as to ensure that the water temperature is suitable for a particular species of turtle.

Both water and land turtle lamps are needed.

Ultraviolet lamp for red-eared turtles is a must and should be purchased along with the rest of the equipment. But it is necessary to take into account a number of features, so that the bulb gives the effect and provides the right spectrum of radiation. Not all options are suitable, when choosing must take into account a number of recommendations.

Effect of ultraviolet light on turtles

It is worth to understand how the light affects the pets and what indicators of ultraviolet radiation should have the equipment for the best effect. The following should be kept in mind:

1. UVA and UVB rays are most important for a turtle. As for the first option, all UV lamps have it and account for about 30% of the radiation. This is a figure that is enough to provide a normal microclimate. In natural conditions, this radiation produces a tan, it does not penetrate the skin and is practically safe.
2. UVB rays are much more important for animals, so you should pay attention to their proportion when choosing. For adults 7 years of age and older, the value should be at least 5% (labeled as 5.0 or 100). A UV lamp for a land turtle and for small aquatic species should have approximately 10% radiation of this type (10.0 or 150). For sick and pregnant individuals, the level should be about 12% (UBV 200).
3. It is recommended at first to place the lamp a little higher than required, and then gradually lower it to achieve the desired level of ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, it is best to use an adjustable bracket to mount the equipment, this will allow you to find the ideal position quickly and easily.

Example of how the distance from the lamp to the surface changes the ultraviolet radiation.

It is especially important for turtles to efficiently absorb vitamin D3 in order to get enough calcium into the body. And this vitamin is only synthesized when the turtle is in the sun or under a spectrum as close to natural as possible.

Do not believe those who argue that you can replace ultraviolet radiation with vitamin complexes or special nutrition. This helps to tolerate the lack of sunlight, but does not solve the problem.

The lamp cannot be replaced with vitamins and nutrition.

Types of UV lamps

It is best to use ultraviolet fluorescent lamps for reptiles. This option is ideal in its characteristics and it is not difficult to buy in pet stores or large retail outlets that sell electrics. The variety cannot be called inexpensive, but without ultraviolet light, the turtles will develop much worse and will become sick more often. As for the types, there are two and the first is T5 or T8 type tubes. Have these features:

1. Most often the mounts for them are placed at the bottom of the aquarium lid. There is nothing difficult in the installation, the main thing is to determine the exact distance so that the lamp is freely inserted and removed from the seat. If you make a mistake, you will have to rearrange one of the mounts.
2. An improved option is a lamp with a reflector. It takes more space, so it may not be suitable for small-sized aquariums. But this solution directs the light flux in one direction, which significantly increases the efficiency of the lamp and at times reduces the loss of light due to scattering.
   Lamps with a reflector are an order of magnitude more efficient.
3. Tubular lamps are subdivided by power. Depending on this indicator changes and the length: 15 W - 45 cm, 20 W - 60 cm, 30 W - 90 cm and 40 W - 120 cm. This is simple: the longer the length, the higher the UV radiation and the more effective the lamp is. In this case, you need to study the characteristics of the equipment on the packaging, as the figures from different manufacturers can vary significantly.

To reduce radiation losses and direct the light in the right direction, it is necessary to make a simple reflector of thick foil. It is placed under the lamp and slightly bent, to the light was collected only in the aquarium and not scattered to the sides.

The second type of fluorescent lamps for turtles - products under the standard E27 socket. They have their own features:

1. Install this solution is much easier due to the fact that a simple socket can be bought everywhere, and often it is on hand. But it is best to pick up a plafond with a reflector, so that the light flux was directed to the desired area. Ideally, it should be adjustable.
2. Such lamps do not distribute ultraviolet over the entire length of the structure, but direct it to a separate area. Therefore, it is very important to find the right place to install the lamp so that it will have the greatest effect.

Socketed versions are easier to find on the market.

Some people think that this option is also enough to heat the surface. In fact, it is better to do the heating separately, for this you can use different systems, including special lamps.

Lamp operating time, location, whether they are harmful to humans

The use of ultraviolet bulbs has a number of features, which should be studied to avoid mistakes. Here it is important to remember the following:

1. The lifespan of the bulb is 3 to 12 months. This does not mean that it will fail very quickly, during this period, the fluorescent composition burns out and ultraviolet wavelengths change, becoming useless for turtles. Moreover, if the conditions are unfavorable (humidity changes, temperature, impacts, etc.), the life of the lamp will be reduced even more.
2. You should select the height of the location according to the table, which is on the package with the lamp or on a special leaflet in the package. Different models have different values, so you should deal with this, if you bought not the same lamp as before.
3. The spectrum, which emits lamps for turtles, is completely safe for humans and does not have a negative impact on health. You can stay indefinitely in the room with the aquarium, there will be no harm.

Tubular lamps last longer and better tolerate adverse effects.

After watching the video, it will become clear which lamp is better for turtles.

Choose a UV lamp for a turtle is not difficult if you consider the simple recommendations. It is necessary to give preference to the products of reputable companies and change the equipment at least as often as recommended by the manufacturer, and even better a little more often.