# Lighting 101



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

*Lighting*

*What type of lighting do my frogs need?*
In most cases the lighting we put over our tanks is more for the plants, and us than the frogs. The plants need light to grow and we need lights to see our amazing frogs. So in most cases any lighting will do, but most people will say go with a standard fluorescent aquarium light with a 5000k to 6500k bulb. Many people who keep larger numbers of frogs use inexpensive shop lights with "day light" bulbs, which can picked up from various hardware stores. Some others also prefer "Repti Glo 5.0" bulbs, which come in standard aquarium hood sizes.

*What about UV?*
Well in has been long debated if the frogs benefit from UV or not, but in most case we do not have a easy way to supply UV or manage UV. Since we need to keep the humidity in our tanks high and most people do this with glass lids, we really do not have a lot of UV choices. Most glass blocks the majority if not all UV and many people's frogs have been doing very well in captivity without UV. Now there have been cases where UV has helped a sick frog, or helped people with tadpole rearing issues, but again this can be expensive and hard to manage.

*Heat!*
This is a topic many people do not think of when they are looking into lighting, but with these sensitive animals you must. Most lights generate heat either from the bulb or ballast, and in many cases they can heat up vivariums to a temperature that is too hot for the frogs. This is one of the reasons standard fluorescent bulbs are commonly used. They generate a lower amount of heat than other types of lighting. The best way to protect yourself on this is to do testing on your enclosure prior to adding the animals. Run a digital thermostat that keeps max and min temperatures this way you know if your enclosure is ready for frogs or not. Also do not forget to manage your room temperature when working with heat issues.

*More indepth lighting information:*
Vivarium Lighting
Vivarium Lighting Links - Doyle's Dendrobates Den

*Some good sources for lighting:*
HerpSupplies.com - Reptile Supplies, Vivarium, Reptile Accessories, Reptile Habitat, Reptile Lighting, Zoo Med, Reptile Supply, Lizard Supplies, Reptarium, Rep-Cal, Flukers, Reptile Bedding, Fresh-Air Habitat, Reptile Heat Pads
Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits
Aquarium supplies for your tropical fish tank, saltwater fish tank, saltwater aquarium fish, freshwater aquarium fish & reef aquarium. Aquarium filters, aquarium lighting, aquarium tanks, protein skimmers & more for your reef tank.
Aquarium Lights Hellolights.com 

If you have anything you would like to see added or changed in this guide please send me or a mod a PM.


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