So I don’t really spend any time at all any more reading up on reptiles and thought perhaps someone else could point me in the right direction.
I recently decided I need to upgrade my Bearded Dragons light and swore I had seen some new T5 fixtures advertised for reptiles. Thought I would try to find out if they worked well or what would really work best. I’ll try to post info about the enclosures I use for my Bearded later.
I also have a Leopard Gecko I need to get new lights for soon. Headed to premium today crossing my fingers they have night heat bulbs. It is in a standard 15g tank with a wire lid.(currently two clamp lamps, but may replace with something else)
Jon - the popular consensus these days seem to be that the mercury vapor bulbs are the best. switching to them was the best thing i ever did. they are a little expensive but provide full spectrum lighting, UVB, and heat in one bulb. Also, the bulbs UVB is supposedly active for up to 2 years, but most people suggest changing them at 1.5. Most T12s and T8s UVB bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months. The have an internal ballast and will fit in your generic home depot style clip on reflector. However, its suggested that you upgrade to a ceramic socket instead of the plastic ones.
I actually have a brand new relfector and bulb that i thought i was going to install on the turtle tank but created too much heat. Its never been used. Here is a link. Also, petmountaint is without a doubt the cheapest place to get reptile bulbs…kind of secret!!
I also have a two brand new 48" reptilsun 10.0UVB T12 bulbs still in the box. They are the ones i used to use before i switched to mecury vapor.
there are two other really good brands for mecury vapor bulbs, one is trex and i forget the other. supposedly, the third one is the absolute best to get but is never in stock. its a very small hobbyist ran company.