LEDs for reptiles

[duke62]

just curious.have they come out with a LED to replace the UVB bulbs that certain reptiles need.my son has around 8 different species of lizards that require that supplement light.will be cheaper to run then 60 to 100 w of UVB.and the fixture would be small

 

[anthony27]

I am def comming over to your house.

 

[greenycrew]

No led's for reptiles yet... I run a 100 watt mercury vapor from reptileuv.com Solves both the heating and the uv needs of my herp and will save you a bit if you are currently running multiple lights.

 

[ryangrieder]

well most those bulbs also give main heat supply. leds give off pretty much 0 heat

 

[SevTT]

just curious.have they come out with a LED to replace the UVB bulbs that certain reptiles need.my son has around 8 different species of lizards that require that supplement light.will be cheaper to run then 60 to 100 w of UVB.and the fixture would be small

I know that there're UV-generating LEDs out there, but I don't know whether they put out enough UV-B to keep a reptile that needs it healthy. You might try firing that question at the woman who runs anapsid.org, which is an excellent site for info on various reptiles.

 

[SevTT]

well most those bulbs also give main heat supply. leds give off pretty much 0 heat

Not really. Most people use fluorescent lights to provide the UV-B needed to produce vitamin D in these reptiles, and then use incandescents for light and heat, or more fluoros for light and a ceramic heater-bulb for basking heat. And, of course, serious herp junkies will just heat a whole room and provide spotlights in the tank for basking.

The problem with the UV-B fluoros is that they're expensive, running about $30/per due to the special materials needed in their construction (they're made of quartz, which is UV-transparent, not glass,) and they need to be replaced about once every year. Plus, because they need to be relatively close to their charges, they can be a breakage risk in some enclosures. Being able to use LEDs to supplement UV-B for reptiles would make life -so- much easier, assuming their price point was comparable to current LED types and that they would hold their mojo for as long.

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Hey duke long time no talk..I have 2 Female Leopard geckos I am looking to rehome and plenty of deco and stuff if your son is interested PM me.