# ultraviolet /black lamps good or bad ???



## dazzer2 (Mar 31, 2010)

do ultraviolet strip lights harm tarantula's in any way or distress them :hmmlease help as i would like to put 1 in a tank but worried about harming the tennant ??????


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## TerrynTula (Sep 5, 2010)

dazzer2 said:


> do ultraviolet strip lights harm tarantula's in any way or distress them :hmmlease help as i would like to put 1 in a tank but worried about harming the tennant ??????


Tarantulas are naturally nocturnal and therefore do not require additional lighting.

A fairly dimly lit room will suffice. If you have seen T's in pet shops etc: with lighting it is merely to promote its presence to prospective buyers.

Personally I just keep a table lamp on in the same room and everything seems fine.


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## Ebola (Mar 26, 2010)

I have all my spider pot/tanks inside an old viv with a double strip light fitting, one tube is a soft glow and the other is a black light, since putting it in there has been no difference in my T,s behaviour that i've noticed (and i often sit for hours watching them) the only thing that seems to be happening since fitting and using these tubes is the apparently dead sphagnum moss i use in alot of them ontop of the substrate to help with humidity has started to grow and sprout like mad.


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## rudy691 (Aug 11, 2010)

you mean UV lamps ? i always thought this can harm taranatulas ? they wont benefit from it like reptiles do as they're inverts, but will it harm them ?


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## Ebola (Mar 26, 2010)

I took it he meant those black tubes you can get from B+Q etc the ones that make white things or scorpions glow not uva or uvb tubes, however in practical reptile magazine there was an article about the possible benefits of using such tubes with invertebrates dont think it was very conclusive but in the wild they are subject to normal daylight at times so i cant see it hurting, infact would it not help to instill a daylight cycle if it was to come on at dawn and switch off at dusk which is what i do with mine.


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## dazzer2 (Mar 31, 2010)

rudy691 said:


> you mean UV lamps ? i always thought this can harm taranatulas ? they wont benefit from it like reptiles do as they're inverts, but will it harm them ?


the tube says ultraviolet light / black light 
thanks for replyin


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

Given that most T's are light sensitive, and these bulbs specifically give out the wave they are most sensitive to, I wouldn't.. but each to their own


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## dazzer2 (Mar 31, 2010)

mixed reply's then im none the wiser ha ha


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

Do you have the Tarantula Keepers Guide? If you do, I refer you to page 158.. I will try to find it online for you, but basically their eyes pick up around the 500nm wavelength (blue/green for us), and 370nm (the ultraviolet for us).
UV is specifically discouraged, as it can blind the spider, and is just 'too much' for the spider.
I use a red light, as they can't really detect that.


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## dazzer2 (Mar 31, 2010)

LeviathanNI said:


> Do you have the Tarantula Keepers Guide? If you do, I refer you to page 158.. I will try to find it online for you, but basically their eyes pick up around the 500nm wavelength (blue/green for us), and 370nm (the ultraviolet for us).
> UV is specifically discouraged, as it can blind the spider, and is just 'too much' for the spider.
> I use a red light, as they can't really detect that.


cheers for info can you buy red strip lights bout 12 inch ???


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

Phobia raised the question of UV lighting about 3 or 4 months ago on RFUK and AP. His intention was to collect thoughts on this subject and perhaps write a paper.
I read his draft but wasn't convinced there was anything to suggest that UV was an aid, far more study was necessary IMO.
I took the subject up with Andrew Smith and he suggested that its not strictly true that tarantula are only seen during the night and there could be a level of aid provided by the natural light of the day. Tarantula can be observed with their legs hanging out of their burrows during daylight hours, but that doesnt necessarily suggest its done to receive UV rays. More study is required. I suggested, that with the advent of cheap cameras, motion detectors and solar energy studies could be undertaken to monitor the amount of time a tarantula spends out of its burrow during day light hours. Anyone care to fund a study grant to do so?

IMO there seems little need to spend money providing UV lighting when there's no measured benefit. Phobia suggested plant life obviously benefitted, and colours were more intense, but any bright light would produce better colours.
If we agree with Stan Schultz then the tarantula's vision might be impaired by providing UV lighting.
Personally I'd seek a cheaper alternative, even a low wattage bulb or night light but remember this will create heat too.


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

I go with Stan on this simply for the reasons you give above Pete.. basically more research is needed (isn't that always the case lol), and I would rather not take the chance atm.


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## TerrynTula (Sep 5, 2010)

LeviathanNI said:


> I go with Stan on this simply for the reasons you give above Pete.. basically more research is needed (isn't that always the case lol), and I would rather not take the chance atm.


To quote Stan...... " simple is better ", unquote.


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

Are you saying I am simple??

































:lol2:


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## TerrynTula (Sep 5, 2010)

LeviathanNI said:


> Are you saying I am simple??
> 
> 
> :gasp: I wouldn't dream of saying that -
> ...


( not in print anyhoo :whistling2


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