UVB lighting Fire bellied toads!!!

[jasonm96]

Cleared some space again, haha!

[alane]

I kind of think that the "reptisun 10.0" light is a little severe for my application. But it's all my local store had.

The aqueon deluxe hood is flexible enough for me to insert something in between the light and the tank. I put a paper towel in there. The fluorescence in the tank is still there but it appears to be half of what it was.

My understanding is that fire belly toads need only a little bit of this UV. Most of these frogs live in lowland watery areas, and that environment has UV light such that you would get at a zero elevation in a humid environment...which is rather low.

I wonder what the cheapest way is for me to measure actual exposure. You are probably correct that it isn't worth the expenditure for this one application.

[jasonm96]

I always buy online, I find it's a wider selection and cheaper prices, so with delivery it works out about the same but you get exactly what you want and need.

I'm no expert when it comes to UV lighting but i'm sure paper towels would block the UVB. You could half the output by placing thicker mesh over your existing, and this would really help reduce the UVB but to what the results would be I'm not sure. Whilst amphibians really do benefit from low-level UVB too much can be just as bad as none.

A good pet shop would actually have a solarmeter themselves since they have so many animals and should be able to tell you. Maybe even allow you to burrow one if you put down a deposit. I would just recommended contacting Arcadia and then getting one of their lights they recommend online, they're good for support so you don't buy the wrong product.

[alane]

So I got access to a real UVB meter with enough accuracy to measure my tank. UVB only. Not UVA.

*SURPRISE*

The glass in my hood is absorbing almost all of the UVB light.

It does not matter how strong of a UVB light I am running, it does not matter whether or not I block a bit of light with paper towels, UVB just won't penetrate this glass appreciably. Maybe a 5% transmission based on the difference between measuring with the hood glass versus without.

It seems that if I want the recommended amount of UVB light, I must remove that glass. I am a little concerned about the condensation on the light fixture if I do that. But it seems like there is no other way. A big plate of fused silica is impractical.

If you read up about UVB, lots of sources do mention you must remove the glass or plastic in your hood.
I just measured this and found it to be very true.

[alane]

It was a difficult and messy job removing the glass from that hood. It did not come out easily, I had to smash and pick it out. Took forever and was very messy. But I managed to do it without lacerating myself and without destroying the hood.

Now my UVB measurements are exactly where they should be. I am using a Reptisun 5.0 and i've got about 35uW up top and about 13uW at the bottom.

I also discovered, by using the meter around the house, that a few of my "white" spiral fluorescent bulbs put out rather a lot of UVB. Most do not put out any. Some do a little bit. One puts out a lot: 30uW at a distance of a few inches.

[privet01]

I also discovered, by using the meter around the house, that a few of my "white" spiral fluorescent bulbs put out rather a lot of UVB. Most do not put out any. Some do a little bit. One puts out a lot: 30uW at a distance of a few inches.

It's the phosphor coating of the fluorescent bulb that determines the amount of UV or any other spectrum to come out of the bulb. In fact if the bulbs didn't have a phosphor coating, then it would give off mostly light that is invisible to us including UVa, b and I suppose c. However the phosphor coating is able to convert the invisible light to the visible spectrum.

The lighting manufacturers used to make it easy to find the spectral analysis graphs on their website for the different coatings on their bulbs, but in the last few years it's gotten very difficult to find them. But surprisingly many bulbs marketed for home and office use do give off UVb in as decent amounts as the specialty bulbs. But without knowing which you are getting you just can't be sure because some coatings block the UV entirely. You'd think that for home and office use you'd want the UV blocked, but evidently there is some reason they don't. But they sure don't disclose that in their advertising either.

The top of my viv is screen which I estimate blocks 50 to 60 percent of the light, so I just doubled up on the bulbs awhile back when I became more concerned about it. And the plants do better too from the extra light.

[Pop Alexandra]

You could also try fire rated pot lights. They work great for bellied toads inclosures.

[Froggie85]

you must be popular lol... I forgot what I said now It will come back to me lol.. but while im thinking about it , what do you think about the tanks that open from the front ? are they a hassle to take care of was thinking of getting one in a few months