Box turtle UVB lighting

Question
I bought a zilla slimline desert fixture. It has a desert 50 UVB T8 fluorescent bulb. Will this suffice for a UVB light for my box turtles? Or would I be better off getting another one and use reptisun 10.0?

Answer
Hi Johnny,

I personally prefer to use a mercury vapor all-in-one bulb because they give off better UVB and it's just easier to use one bulb instead of two.  I use the T-Rex Active UVheat bulb.  A little more expensive, but worth it IMO for the superior UVB and convenience.

I would also consider building an outside enclosure in the spring for your box turtles (assuming you can) and letting them live outside all year round.  Box turtles do well outside anywhere in the U.S., and can hibernate safely if given a good pile of soil covered with leaf litter or straw.  You can have a really nice, planted enclosure and watch your turtles hunting for bugs and enjoying the sun outside.

Here's some links that will give you more information on bulbs--

Link to UVB output of various bulbs:
http://russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm

Link to information on photo-kerato-conjunctivitis:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-discussion.htm   

Link to the T-Rex bulb:
http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=...