Turtle Lighting

Question
Can I use a blacklight in my turtles tank?

Answer
Hi Luke,

I'm not sure exactly what you mean.  If you want to use a blacklight as the source of basking heat, the answer is no, because your turtle needs a source of light, heat, and UVB.  Without adequate light, your turtle won't recognize day/night cycles properly and may become lethargic and lose its appetite even if warm enough, and turtles need UVB for calcium metabolism.  If you mean for night heat, the answer is also no unless your house is very cold at night.  A night drop in temperatures is beneficial for your turtle.  Your best bet is to use an all-in-one bulb for heat and UVB, such as the T-Rex Active UVheat bulb.  If you meant using the bulb for supplemental heat for some reason, that would probably work--but with a decent heat/UVB bulb you shouldn't need supplemental heat.