HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was wondering if anybody knows what kind of lights are likely to be in my aquarium hood? I bought it on craigslist and have been using it during the day (on a timer) for day/night cycle for my crabs. I've been reading in the archives (fascinating, btw!) about very early discussions about lighting, UVA/UVB, moonglo etc and was thinking I would do some cool lighting stuff in the future. My hood has two bulbs and two switches (and two cords w/plugs btw) so I could have them on opposite timers for a day/night cycle with some kind of "daylight" simulation bulb and a moonglo at night.I was told on HCA that hermits don't need UVA/UVB and that it won't pass through the plexiglass of the lid anyway. Thoughts on that?I don't really need extra warmth for the most part - my tank rarely drops below 75 and in fact can get into the 90's on a hot day! I came in after being gone for the weekend during a heat wave and it was almost 100 in there! Will certain types of lights cause more heat?I have a 55 gal so its a big hood - It's the long kind of lights that go in there. I'm not "handy" so I don't know what that means but can I get a long moonglo and UVA/UVB?All thoughts, recommendations and experiences with lights, lighting and light fixtures are requested!Thanks!!

While it is true that plastic and glass lids filter out some of the UV from our overhead light sources it's still very much necessary to have a source of UV light for your crabs as they need this spectrum of light to synthesize and utilize Vitamin D.Hermitcrabs who don't get at least a couple hours of UV exposure tend to be less healthy meaning they don't bulk up as well after molting and in my experience tend to struggle with re-hardening after a molt even when given several different types of edible calcium supplements as they need the Vitamin D to even absorb what calcium they ingest.Synthetic Vitamin D often incorporated into commercial hermitcrab foods do work but not nearly as well as what the hermitcrab can produce in it's own body so some UV exposure is highly recommended which is why I don't get why the people over at HCA would say hermitcrabs don't need UV light it makes no sense.I've been using overhead UV lighting via the 15 watt florescent tube bulbs for nearly five years now and I have to say I've seen a drastic improvement in my crabs overall health and activity levels.This is just anecdotal evidence from my own experiences but I've noticed an increase in body mass gains(bulking up better)in my crabs since introducing a UV light source and I've also noticed a higher molt success rate as well.The florescent tube style bulbs don't use nearly as much energy to work as incandescent bulbs and so don't produce as much heat though some brands of florescent bulbs run warmer than others.As far as I know you can't get Moon Glo bulbs in the florescent tube style though you can get the Repti Sun UV brand in the tube style.

Thanks! Do you think the lights in my hood are the kind I would need or should I look into investing in some others? I got it used and it had been used for a salt water aquarium.I will say I only had one person reply on HCA so it must have just been somebody who was misinformed. I thought they might really like some sunlight - even if it was fake! - and was a little bummed by the response.Aside from being able to spy on them (and maybe some warmth) what is the benefit of the moonglo?

Moon Glo lighting is lighting that simulates the sun light that is reflected by the moon back to earth so it has a very tiny amount of UV in it but the light is mostly used by hermitcrabs to help them see at night to forage since they see in the UV range what little UV that is produced by the moon glo goes a long way.This is also the reason why Black Light bulbs used to highlight light colors at Halloween parties to make them glow aren't usable around hermitcrabs as the light emitted by the bulb is all UV and tricks the hermitcrab into thinking that it is daytime all the time which can adversely effect their nocturnal activities by making them think its always day.The bulb in your hood does have some UV display to it as it was used on a marine aquarium though the problem is these bulbs loose their intensity after six months and need to be replaced as they completely loose their UV broadcasting abilities around the nine month mark making them useless for a UV source.Based on this info I would highly recommend replacing the bulb with a brand new Repti-sun 5 or 6.0.

Ok on my list of "to dos." Moonglo more optional than necessary or pretty good idea?

Moon Glo's are a nice addition to your lighting regimen but not necessary.

Pretty much agree with everything Crabber85 said.For some more reading:"UVA and UVB for Hermit Crabs"http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...961087 ... 019961Some more readshttp://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...171089381#7171089381http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...401058281#6401058281Even though only a fraction of the UV light goes through plexiglass (about 20% or so, and about 2-5% for glass), it's still better than nothing, and that's why we recommend higher output UV bulbs like the Repti-sun 5.0 or higher. The repti-sun 2.0 and 3.0 won't output enough. But with a 5 or higher, you're still getting 5-15% of that UV penetrating into the tank, and the light source is at very close range. So it's better than nothing.Ideally you would create an opening right below the light for some direct light to shine through. But this could hinder humidity, so it would take some experimentation.Moon glos aren't necessary in any way. But if you have heat issues, especially in the winter, they are a highly recommended alternative or in addition to under tank heaters to keep the tank 10+ degrees warmer than room temp, as moon glos and ceramic heat emitters are the only kind that can be left on 24-7 without messing up their day/night cycle.I usually leave a varying amount of moonglos on 24-7 (I have 4 bulbs in 2 fixtures, so in the heat of summer maybe only 1 bulb, but in winter I use all 4 bulbs), and then I use day-glo on timer to provide a light and heat boost during the day. A natural temperature cycle from day to night warmer to cooler is beneficial. A repti-sun 5.0 is also on a timer to provide UV during the day.The flourescents (the reptis-un) don't provide much heat so they are safe to use without regards to overheating, so you can use them all summer long.

Is a repti-glo a moon glo? Here's what I'm looking at: http://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terr...t-Lamp/dp/B00101JH5W

Is 8.0 too strong?

Oy vey, turns out my hood has 55 watt power compact fluorescent bulbs which do not seem to be very popular for reptile bulbs. Sigh. To try and find the right bulbs or get a new hood, that is the question.

Moon glo and repti-glo are completely unrelated things.Moon glo is night-only, repti-gloi day-only.I was actually just looking at CFL UV lights today, thinking that I could solve my shining the UV through glass issue by putting a small CFL in a lamp directly inside of the tank, rather than ontop of it. However, I could not find any full-spectrum ones at the store. They only had UVA-only ones or UVB-only ones. (the UVA ones were listed as "reptile activity, encourages mating, etc)A 8 or 10 would normally be a bit too much for all but the hottest desert reptiles. I'm not sure if trying to blast that through glass is the greatest idea. I'd almost be kind of worried of human or other pet exposure being it's on the outside of the glass. I don't know if any of these levels are dangerous. But honestly I wouldn't look directly into any UVB bulb for more than brief amounts.Here's a 13w Repti-glo 5.0 CFLhttp://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terr...ywords=repti-glo+5.0and repti-sunhttp://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-...-2&keywords=lamp+5.0

Sadly, it's not that kind of CFL. Its a power CFL like this:http://www.catalinaaquarium.co...152&products_id=1235This is the only place I've found with "reptile" bulbs for this fixture. I think I'm going to have to disassemble it so I can use the hood but with a different kind of bulb.