BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I was planning on using a 10% UVB instead of a 5% for my easterns because their new enclosures are like 2 feet tall, I was concerned they won’t get the amount they need. I hear its fine but someone else said it’s too much and can damage their eyes.

Who told you 5% was enough , and the context ?


ie compact (curly globe)
13W or 26W compact
Brand

or

T8 tube
naked tube
or
in a reflector hood

T5HO tube
naked tube
or
in a reflector hood

I've been using Exo Terra 26W UVB200 compacts mounted in Exo Terra Nano Hoods , mounted about 8 inches from my eastern BT's basking spots …. never had a problem.

If your tank is 2ft tall and the basking spot will be 12" - 16" from a 10% UVB source , you will need a T5ho tube in reflector hood for good levels of UVA & UVB for an eastern BT.
Only brand I recommend are Arcadia for T5Ho UVB tubes.
if you are going for a T8 tube , good brands are Zoo Med, Exo Terra and Arcadia, but even the highest rated T8 tube will be too weak.

Issues come about if
>>> if you are sold a cheap Chinese clone , these are prone to having poor quality phosphors that produce a bad UV spectrum and poor quality quartz in the tubes that leak UVC , the result is these are harmful to lizard's eyes , look up photoconjuctivitis.
>>> if the UV source is too far away to provide adequate levels of UVA & UVB
>>> if the UV source is too weak (wattage or %UVA and %UVB rating to provide enough UVA & UVB

I’m unsure which type of UVB source they’re referring to but I believe its the tubes?. I haven’t bought the enclosures yet and I’m still kind of unsure whether the fixtures built in are T5 or T8. I think they are most likely T8s. They are also naked tubes and I will def get reflectors like the ones you linked me in the last post.
I’m using a hammock as an elevated basking area because one of them has an identity crisis and thinks he’s arboreal. So he can get close enough to the UVB light. I might also get a hammock for my second bluey too.

Y33T wrote:I’m unsure which type of UVB source they’re referring to but I believe its the tubes?. I haven’t bought the enclosures yet and I’m still kind of unsure whether the fixtures built in are T5 or T8. I think they are most likely T8s. They are also naked tubes and I will def get reflectors like the ones you linked me in the last post.
I’m using a hammock as an elevated basking area because one of them has an identity crisis and thinks he’s arboreal. So he can get close enough to the UVB light. I might also get a hammock for my second bluey too.

If they are referring to tubes , it may well be they made the mistake of using Zilla and Reptile One tubes …. both very dodgey quality.

For a 2 foot tall tank , you have no choice but to install a T5HO 10 %UVB or 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood , or at least with a slip on reflector attached to the tube.

Aaaand, I'm going to come in and advice, as I always do, to go by the directions of the packaging for the bulbs/tubes.
You don't need to just worry about the correct distance, you also need to figure in if there is a screen between the bulb and the skink. 8" from the basking spot through a screen is a whole different thing than 8" from the basking spot without a screen. And what type of screen, how much or little light does it cut, etc.
Buy whatever brand and kind are suggested by others, but after that, you need to follow the directions on the box, or the brand's website.

Thanks I’ll be sure to take note it when I do buy one or two. They are going in wood vivariums so they are inside, no screens in between.