On lighting for Albinos

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

Okay, although fellow frogger Lija (you're so nice, I'm learning more everyday here) as given me her thoughts on lighting but I also found an older post where frogger GrifTheGreat was discussing lighting with frogger John Clare. Link: http://www.frogforum.net/pacman-frog...no-pacman.html

So it got me a bit intrigue, while I understand that Albinos are sensitive to UVB, how sensitive are they really to light in general and to other factors such as UVA and spectrum? Or glass covers and screen tops? Say a 15w Natural Day bulb w/out UVB but UVA? Or a repti glo 2.0? Or even a normal household bulb or aquarium led? Things like this intrigue me and I do enjoy learning the entire shebang about frogs.

[Mentat]

Hello Jerah! I do not think anyone has conducted any research to determine what is safe and what not in terms of light sensitivity on "albino" Pacmans. In the pet frog world, most data is based on owner observations and then spread around. So we know the referred frogs are light sensitive (both skin and eyes); but we do not know what are the exact limits and we rather error in the side of our frog's safety by recommending not using daylight bulbs at all (only red or black moonlight). Hope this helps !

[Lija]

not sure if you want to hear more from me lol but will give it a shot anyway.
we learn every day something when in comes to care, the more people have pacman frogs, the more problems we see and solve, the more we know.
a study on what type of exposure would affect albino and to what extend is not done and will never be, nobody would experiment on animals, therefore we operate on theories and analogy with people/other animals, with something is known and proven.
the studies were done on UVB exposure in general and it was proven that certain species of frogs require UVB for metabolism, while others are adapted live in no to low sunlight conditions and don't need UVB to their body processes. It is only logical to look for natural frog environment to learn about captive care requirements. In wild pacman frogs live buried into the dirt on a bottom on rainforest, they never or very rarely see sunlight and are exposed to UVB, they don't need UVB for their metabolism.
now with albino and UVB. most albino pacman frogs are not true albino, they have very much reduced melanin content, similar to very light skin toned people, now imagine if such a person will go out to the sun without sunscreen... imagining? ouch and fast, right? same with frogs, the less melanin you have the less resistance to UVB you posses.

[GrifTheGreat]

not sure if you want to hear more from me lol but will give it a shot anyway.
we learn every day something when in comes to care, the more people have pacman frogs, the more problems we see and solve, the more we know.
a study on what type of exposure would affect albino and to what extend is not done and will never be, nobody would experiment on animals, therefore we operate on theories and analogy with people/other animals, with something is known and proven.
the studies were done on UVB exposure in general and it was proven that certain species of frogs require UVB for metabolism, while others are adapted live in no to low sunlight conditions and don't need UVB to their body processes. It is only logical to look for natural frog environment to learn about captive care requirements. In wild pacman frogs live buried into the dirt on a bottom on rainforest, they never or very rarely see sunlight and are exposed to UVB, they don't need UVB for their metabolism.
now with albino and UVB. most albino pacman frogs are not true albino, they have very much reduced melanin content, similar to very light skin toned people, now imagine if such a person will go out to the sun without sunscreen... imagining? ouch and fast, right? same with frogs, the less melanin you have the less resistance to UVB you posses.

Don't forget about their eyes. They are half albino. The red or pink pigmented eyes are highly sensitive to bright light and UVB can actually cause blindness in Albino Pacman Frogs. Their eyes are the same as a true albino even though their skin is only partially similar. Lija has hit the nail on the head.

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

Lija, GrifftheGreat, it's always a joy to learn more from the experience froggers. I'm barely a month into it! Thanks for the feedback and lessons. My paccie loves his/her burrow, always goes right to the bottom so I figured there be no use for lighting. Moved the tank closer to the roach tank to help the plants grow better seeing as there's a 15w over that one and it does get a bit of the indirect light.

Thanks again.

[Lija]

you'r welcome, that is good thing you are asking questions, that is how you learn.
Grif - that is because they sit with only eyes sticking out lol and we can see the damage in eyes right away.

[Maverick]

Is this a good light?

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

you'r welcome, that is good thing you are asking questions, that is how you learn.
Grif - that is because they sit with only eyes sticking out lol and we can see the damage in eyes right away.

My momma told me I would never learn if I never asked!

Also, a friend of mine who does hydroponics and planted aquariums suggested using a 2w red/blue led grow light. Little to no heat, zilch UVB and in red and blue only which should not be visible to frogs. It sounds like what is needed for a planted frog tank but I'd like to know what you guys think.

[Jeffww]

I do planted aquariums as a hobby as well. And I can tell you that your friend is correct. Although 2w is still not very much light. I would use an array of around 4-6 x 3w cree blue and red lights. And possibly some warm whites to make it look more natural.


Even daylight 2700k-10,000k LEDs don't have any UV to them. So they are options, grow plants well, and have a natural coloration. I still wonder if their brightness is any problem. Although with proper planning you can have shade giving plants that will make the actual floor of the terrarium quite dim while having a rather lush growth on top.

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

I do planted aquariums as a hobby as well. And I can tell you that your friend is correct. Although 2w is still not very much light. I would use an array of around 4-6 x 3w cree blue and red lights. And possibly some warm whites to make it look more natural.


Even daylight 2700k-10,000k LEDs don't have any UV to them. So they are options, grow plants well, and have a natural coloration. I still wonder if their brightness is any problem. Although with proper planning you can have shade giving plants that will make the actual floor of the terrarium quite dim while having a rather lush growth on top.

Thank you for the input! I'm going to grab a 2w bulb first and see how it goes. And my tank is only a 10.5 gallon with 3 plants in it (an orchid and 2 tillandsias) so I hope that will suffice!