U.V AND LIGHTS

[Marshie Man]

for my green tree frogs i am going to get a 45 cm exo terra canopy which holds 2 lights but i will only use one good one that will emit UVA and maybe another with UVB. For heating i will just use a exoterra heat globe inside a exoterra lamp.
plz don't be afraid to critisize I NEED HELP IF THIS OK!!

[jesse_d_luffy]

Exo terra Tube and globs emit both UVA and UVB rays..........., dont use a heat globe just use an aquarium heater in the water.. much better way of heating for frogs...

[BigWillieStyles]

just use an aquarium heater in the water.. much better way of heating for frogs...

this is exactly what Im going to do.

But Im a little confused about UVA and UVB. Is UVB just for heating?

[profanicus]

I am no expert but this is what I have gathered, mostly applicable to reptiles but relevant I think.
Basically for our purposes the electromagnetic spectrum consists of 3 areas -ultraviolet light (UV), visible light, and infrared (heat). Check out the attachment for a diagram that shows how these fit together.

UV is split into 3 - A, B & C:

UVC is harmful and no lights should contain this.

UVB is needed for vitamin D3 synthesis (in reptiles at least) to prevent metabolic bone disease, as well as having other potential benefits.

UVA is said to be used for signalling & reproduction, at least in reptiles, since some can see into this spectrum.

Visible light is used for day/night differentiation, plant growth, and also to dilate the pupils to stop too much UV getting into the eyes. And to let you see your pets.

Infrared provides heat.

It is difficult to find a product that combines & balances ALL of this in 1 unit, which is why you generally need to consider 2 lights, and heaters etc if you want to provide the full spectrum.
Bulbs strong in output from one end of the spectrum tend to be weak at the other end. A good UVB light will have much reduced Visible light output for example.
The technology involved will also affect which parts of the spectrum are available, for example fluorescent provides very little heat and incandescent provides no UVB.

I recommend reading the Exo-terra lighting guide, it is very informative about the benefits and uses of various lights, if you can ignore the sales pitch ...
Also lots of good UV info at the UK UV Guide:

[BigWillieStyles]

the above information was great. thanks profanicus. And I actually did get a hold of an old 2008 Exo Terra catalogue and it has some great info in it as well.

There should be a quick summary like this as the first post, rather than having to just read through the whole thread.

[ericdeko411]

the above information was great. thanks profanicus. And I actually did get a hold of an old 2008 Exo Terra catalogue and it has some great info in it as well.

There should be a quick summary like this as the first post, rather than having to just read through the whole thread.

Got the same catalogue and it is very informative. Money is worth the info that I got!

[Dmanishere]

I've gotten around lately and asked some herp vets about UV and some reptile breeders. I was told by Mark Hill who is a very reputable vet that UV lights are very damaging to reptiles and frogs because of the output and proximity. He suggests putting your frogs in a mesh lid transportable container and giving them 5 minutes of actual sunlight every few days. Of course this does not work if you like some people on here have HEAPS of frogs. In that case its best to stick to a lower amount of UV output. I also asked at reptile city when I bought my monitor and had a little conversation I asked him what he recommends and he said "Sunlight is the greatest thing for your animals" So really what I do now is limit the UV bulb usage as I have too many frogs and not enough time to give them all sunlight. What I will be doing in the future is using a very low UVB output such as UVB 2.0

[Phillip]

For my green tree frogs, I am planning on using (in their new house) Day Glo (exo terra) paired with Repti Glo 5.0 (also exo terra) for 12 hours during the day and Night Glo (once again exo terra) for all of the night time. Both night glo and day glo emit only UVA so this is why I am adding in the repti glow which emits only UVB. I am hoping this will keep the frogs happy. Please feel free to criticise, please actually do, I want some extra help.

Regards, Phil

[Marshie Man]

I am pretty sure that repti glo bulbs from exo terra emit UVB and UVA but it just says on the label that it emits UVB.
But I think your plan sounds like a good idea. I am thInking of using night glo but I just wasn't sure if was okay for frogs. Atleast now I know that it can be used.

Alex

[*ADRIAN*]

Im also looking at setting up the same kind of lighting with UVB UVA and a night glo globe (exo terra) so would be interested to see what comments people have on this set up, It will be for GTFs and red eyes

[Phillip]

The GTFs seem to like the night glow, and it keeps them active

[jesse_d_luffy]

well when it come down to it the frogs dont need uv at night.. but with my red eyes i had some blue LED's that where on at night, cheap to run and look great..

[*ADRIAN*]

Just went out and bought a 60cm exo terra compact top which holds 3 globes. Ive also bought a 25w exo terra night glo globe and a 25w exo terra sun glo globe to go in it, im yet to buy a 5.0 uvb globe to also go in it. This set up is gonna be placed on 60x60x90h terrarium with a mesh top. Im looking foward to setting up my new terrarium and just wondering if this would be sufficient lighting for my GTF.

[Marshie Man]

That us a huge tank adrian....how many gtfs are puttin in there?

[*ADRIAN*]

measurements are in centimeters so wouldnt mind it been a bit bigger as there will be a few frogs in there ive got two 11cm GTFs (hopefully female) and three a bit smaller around 8cm and when he/she gets bigger (in with my adult red eyes at the moment) another one, so six all up. Havent bought the terrarium yet but slowly buying all the bits and pieces, just starting with the lighting then gonna look at the backing and waterfall, pump substrate, plants, heating, fish, cherry shrimp ect.

[MrFordEL]

Im in adelaide here, I have 1 WTLF's atm but getting another 7 on saturday.

I know there temps have to be around 28 to 31 of a day and 26 of a night time.
Im running I reptiglo 5.0 the tropical one with a glow reflector next to it with a URS 150watt nught glove in it running 24/7 on a thermostat. Temps are meeting the requirements which is good.
But the only thing is my frogs are a olive colour with brown spots all over them.

Is there a better way I could manage this to get them back to there original colour? Without changing much? once they are away from the night globe they get a little bit of there colour back but not much of it.

This is the outcome off the frogs.

[Harold]

Hello and thank you for this very informative discussion about frog light requirements. For effectiveness and economy, I would like to use black light fluorescent lamps for night viewing of my frogs and geckos . Please correct me if I am wrong or my logic is flawed in some way. It has been stated that black light bulbs are harmful to frogs because the lack of visible light frequencies does not cause their pupils to contract and thereby prevent harmful overexposure to UV rays. It has also been stated that very little UV penetrates glass. It then makes sense that as long as there is glass between the black lights and the frogs, it would not be harmful to use them for night cycle lighting. Anyone disagree?

[Harold]

I am now trying a blue compact fluorescent bulb (60W) pointed towards the ceiling in a clamp lamp. It bathes the entire room in a moonlight-type glow, eliminating the need for individual night lights on each tank. Anyone know of a reason why this isn't advisable?
Some people have written that night lights are not needed for nocturnal frogs and are only necessary for human viewing. I don't believe this is true. Nocturnal animals cannot see in the dark. Some light, about equivalent to the intensity of moonlight is needed for them to see and hunt for food. If the room where they are housed is very dark it would be a problem. Any views on this?

[melcoggio]

hi, i have a 5.0 exo terra repti glow UVB lamp. 26 W.
is this efficient enough.. or too efficient. Should i have the lower wattage. (13w)

on the exo terra website it recommends to pair this globe up with a 2.0 globe also. Is that recommended for red eyes though?

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/co ... _bulbs.php

how long should i be leaving the uv light on per day? in care sheets it says 6-8 hours a day... but some people on this forum are saying only 10-20 mins a day.... im confused!!!!!!!

[melcoggio]

ps. i have a 45cm squared tank

[melcoggio]

My train of thought is to consider the natural behaviour of the species you are looking to keep. If it is normally exposed to U.V., then provide it. A lot of frog species get some UV, even when in hiding as they receive reflected UV from other surfaces. Some frogs, like Litoria fallax, would receive a fair amount of UV as they are always fairly exposed to it in the wild. Burrowing species which only come out at night or when it rains would probably not require it as they would be rarely exposed to it. Litoria caerulea, in my opinion, would not require a great deal of UV, as they typically hide somewhere dark and moist during the day and come out at night. That being said, they would receive a small amount of UV from reflection. Again, this is my opinion. I keep 4 Litoria chloris, and I use a Repti-Glo 2.0 and a Repti-Glo 5.0 in conjunction with each other, typically for 6 - 8 hours per day. The 2.0 gives a more full spectrum light, the 5.0 gives greater UVB. I use these because in the wild Litoria chloris live in the canopy of the trees, which would mean a fair deal of exposure to UV rays.

Are you using the 26 watt or 13 watt globes?

[douglaze]

hey every1, please help i was thinking of doing a vert conversion on my 4ftx2ftx2ft aquarium for my litoria chloris, any idea what kind of lighting would be good for the frogs and plants with that much depth? Thanks

[Christian]

Mr Ford EL wrote:
I know there temps have to be around 28 to 31 of a day and 26 of a night time.
Im running I reptiglo 5.0 the tropical one with a glow reflector next to it with a URS 150watt nught glove in it running 24/7 on a thermostat. Temps are meeting the requirements which is good.
But the only thing is my frogs are a olive colour with brown spots all over them.

Is there a better way I could manage this to get them back to there original colour? Without changing much? once they are away from the night globe they get a little bit of there colour back but not much of it.

This is the outcome off the frogs.

White lips do not have a high UV requirement. I would use the repti-glo for a maximum of 30mins a day. I would change the 150W night light to a blue spot-light (strong enough to maintain correct temps). Dust crickets every third feed with calcium powder. I doubt you will be able to get this frog back to its original colour, although you should see a fair change. Hope this helps! If you are still having problems, please email Cairns frog hospital as they regularly rehabilitate this species. PS: White-lips like a reasonable amount of humidity.

[tomjacksondj]

I still have an adult but by keeping him without other white lips is keeping him quiet. What should I do to make him active again? And it will be exciting to see how many taddies you can get going from one spawning.

___________________
walk fit platinum

[TheBluesMuse]

I'm not sure whether this has been covered or not...I'm still trying to get my head around it.

I am setting up a 60cm tall tank which will be planted. If I used a T5HO 6700k fluorescent light for the plants will this hurt the frog at all or would one of the Grolite 2.0's be ok for the plants?