Aquatic freshwater turtles

Question
QUESTION: What is the best lighting to get for pet turtles?
I know you need UVB and Infared but i am not sure what wattage or what form (bulb or linear) to get, or to get a mercury vapour bulb? how close does the light have to be to the basking area?

ANSWER: Hi Jack,

You don't need infrared lighting.  I'm guessing someone told you they needed that for night heat, but generally speaking you don't need to provide night heat unless your house is very cold (low 50s).  A night drop in temps is not a bad thing for reptiles.

You need to provide basking heat, first, and then UVB.  The basking heat can really be anything that will produce heat, including a regular floodlight or even a CHE.  There are two brands of UVB bulbs I can recommend (and only those two; the rest are unreliable at best):  the ZooMed Powersun and the ZooMed Reptisun 10.0.  The Powersun is a combo (MV) bulb and will provide both heat and UVB.  It needs to be replaced yearly, and should be a minimum 12" from the basking surface.  The Reptisun is a tube UVB bulb, and needs to be replaced every six months.  It can be placed 12-20" from the basking area.

This will give you more information:  http://russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm

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QUESTION: how many wattage should the mercury vapour lamp be? my pet shop said not to go for one. my species of turtle only needs a 90 degree basking area.

I thought a infared was just a heat lamp, i meant a basking lamp. should i just go for a mercury vapour? they are more powerful so when the turtle grows i will have to get a lower wattage heat lamp and a UVB lamp because the basking area will be higher from the depth of the water so closer to the light..

ANSWER: Hi Jack,

Pet shops aren't always the best source of information on turtles.  The ZooMed Powersun MV bulb is safe and a good source of UVB--the problem is whether you can actually obtain it where you are, and unfortunately I can't recommend another UVB bulb other than the Reptisun (not sure if you can get that there either).

A 100w MV bulb should be sufficient for most situations.  You can always move the bulb higher if necessary, although in terms of heat, a MV bulb really doesn't heat more than a regular bulb of the same wattage.

It would help if I knew what species you're keeping, tank size, etc.

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QUESTION: What do you mean whether i can obtain it? where i would buy it from they only have 125w. I am Australian so i would get a Macleay river turtle. My tank is a 50 gallon tank and 3 foot wide, 18 inches high and 18 inches deep. the turtles only grow about 15cm length in shell. when i get them should i put the lamp on top of the mesh a fair bit away from the turtles requiring a higher wattage heat lamp. Or should i go for a 50w and clamp the lamp so it is inside the tank and closer to the basking area (just while they are babies). when they are adults i will put the lamp on top because the water will be deeper and the basking area will be closer to the lamp. It is just when they are babies that the lighting is hard. How far should a UVB lamp be from the basking area if i was to get a separate one?

Answer
I meant I wasn't sure if you can get the Powersun where you are.  The Powersun comes in 100w and 160w.  If you can't get the Powersun specifically, I would get the Reptisun 10.0, which you should be able to get there.  I know the Exo Terra Solarglo is also available there, and is 125w, but its UVB output is poor (I get UVB data from people who have solar meters and test bulbs), so I would avoid that bulb.  The Powersun should be at least 12" away, and the Reptisun 12-20" away.

I have heard of McCleay river turtles reaching as long as 20cm, and 17-18cm isn't that uncommon.  Keep in mind that turtles require a lot of room, so for two turtles at maturity you'll need a 100+ gallon tank (a reasonable rule is 10 gallons for every inch of shell, or 10 gallons per 2.5cm).  A 50 gallon tank is fine for two hatchlings to juvenile size, so your tank should work for a few years as long as your filter is adequate (filter should be rated for 3 times the tank capacity, so you'd need a 150 gallon filter).

Don't use a mesh lid on top of the tank--for one thing, it will reduce the UVB that reaches the turtles.  ZooMed makes a adjustable hanging lamp stand, or you can rig up something yourself or simply hang the lights from the ceiling on chains.  You'll have to play around with the height and temperature, but I would go with a 100w bulb.  A 50w isn't going to give off enough heat unless it's very close to the turtles.  DO NOT USE A CLAMP LAMP WITH A TANK unless you also have it secured in another way!  Clamps loosen very easily, and if this happens, the light will fall into the enclosure with disastrous results in an aquatic tank.  I think the basking light is better if it's hanging directly over the basking area anyway, and rigging it this way is much safer.