Questions about lighting for albino pacman.

[xQuinnx]

Hey everyone,
This is my first time posting here, but I've been lurking for awhile reading as much as I can, especially about pacman frogs. I think that I would like to get an albino pacman, but I would like to understand their lighting needs a little better first. I've read many different things about how much light is safe for them and it has gotten a bit confusing, so I thought I might as well ask.

From what I've gathered (please correct me if I have any of this wrong) they don't particularly -need- to have a light if the room they're in is bright enough to give them a good day/night cycle. I feel like my room is probably bright enough to give them a reasonable day/night cycle, but not quite bright enough for me to see my frog very well or have live plants. So, my main reason for wanting a light is kinda more for me than my frog I guess.

I've read about using blue lights, which I've personally never seen before. I'm assuming these are the proper blue lights? Zoo Med Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb at PETCO if so, do you think these would work well for viewing the frog and keeping some plants alive?

Alternatively, could I use a basic fluorescent aquarium light set on top of the screen top? If this would be a bad idea let me know, I only ask because I already have it and know it will keep plants alive. If the fluorescent is alright, is there any reason why I would need to replace the bulb every 6 months? I've read that several times while looking up lighting for frogs, and it seems kind of unnecessary..

Another thing I am wondering about is using red lights at night vs. using a heat mat for an albino frog. Are there any advantages/disadvantages to either of these?

I would really appreciate your thoughts and advice. I'm trying to get all this figured out now so I don't do anything wrong once I get my pacman.

[GrifTheGreat]

The daylight blue bulbs are good if they are of low wattage because the albino pacman frogs have extra sensitive eyes and skin and these could be damaged. If you have large enough plants to filter out a lot of the light getting to the frog then they are fine. Fluorescent lights are extremely bright so they could really damage your frogs eyes. There are a lot of albino owners on here that will be able to give you more info on what to use than I because I have a Ceratophrys Cranwelli and their eyes aren't quite as sensitive as an albino's but can be damaged by bright lights. The daylight blue bulbs do stimulate appetite and also plant growth. They come in both fluorescent and incandescent. Fluorescents are much brighter and I believe the incandescent produces more heat. Information you find and read about can be confusing because some of it is contradictory and a lot of owners do get frustrated. I've been there a lot lately. I'm sure someone with more experience with the albinos will answer you shortly and provide more than I. Good luck.

[John]

Grif, that whole albino lighting thing is overstated at best. The only thing I wpuld worry about when it comes to albinos is not to expose them to a full on UV bulb.

Nikki, the short answer is that unless you are trying to grow plants or use the light as a heat source, a regular aquarium light, like you propose, would be just fine.

[GrifTheGreat]

Grif, that whole albino lighting thing is overstated at best. The only thing I wpuld worry about when it comes to albinos is not to expose them to a full on UV bulb.

Nikki, the short answer is that unless you are trying to grow plants or use the light as a heat source, a regular aquarium light, like you propose, would be just fine.

Thanks for the insight John. I'm just a novice when it comes to frogs. I'm just going by what I've read online and in books. Kind of sad really that most info I've read gets over shadowed by actual owners. This forum has the most concrete info on these guys. You just can't find credible info on these frogs unless you know or talk to someone who actually has one or raises them. Sorry if any of what I said was wrong.

[demeteraurion]

I have an albino I use a small heat mat on the side plus a 25w blue part bulb, it was only $3 at Home Depot which is better than the expensive ones at the pet store. Stay away from UV lights and he should be fine. I have some plants hung under my lamp to block out a lot of the light. Really bright lights do irritate their eyes, sometimes my frog has large pupils but if he gets right under the light they shrink tiny. At my pet store they have a poor albino under two bright lights, one is UV and he looks practically blind.