Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Reptile Lighting (petswest.blogspotservice@blogger.com)
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Reptile Lighting
Lighting your reptiles is the most important thing you can do. For most reptiles, you need to have a daytime heat, nighttime heat, and UVB.
First - why 3 lights? Well, the heat bulbs will keeps up the ambient temperature. And the UVB bulbs allow for absorption of vitamin D3.
Reptiles are cold blooded. They need their terrariums heat regulated. Most of them like temperatures higher than our normal room temperature. You’ll need a heat lamp to get this done. It’s best to use 2 (a daytime and nighttime) so your reptile experiences a temperature differential. This often solves problems of reptiles not eating.
All animals need vitamin D3. D3 is really important in regulating calcium. A D3 deficiency manifests in weak bones and shells, and also loss of the use of their legs and major muscle groups. Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin after exposure to UVB rays. We get this from natural, unfiltered sunlight. Because reptiles are behind glass and indoors all day, they need a supplemental source of UVB. Lucky for them, we can use a special fluorescent light bulb.
So I recommend 3 different types of lights. I love using the Combo Dome for your day and night heat bulbs and a Zilla strip light for your UVB. We can help you with those, stop on by and ask to see them.
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Monday, May 2, 2011
Ammonia Kills!
First - what is ammonia? Ammonia, most commonly comes from fish waste and uneaten fish food. It's bad news in an aquarium. Ammonia will damage fish gills and deprive your fish of oxygen. Without getting real picky, you want zero ammonia in your tank.
There are several test kits commercially available. Most of them are under $20, easy to use, and accurate enough to let you know when there is a problem. If your test kit is more than a year old, time to start thinking about a new one. I recommend the Ammonia Alert. It stays in your tank so you can instantly see if your ammonia is creeping up. The Ammonia Alert will last a year inside your tank.
What to do about ammonia? Water changes. You should never change more that 50% of your water though. You can change it for multiple days in a row if you're really having a bad experience. There are also products to jumpstart your biological filter and products that will quell your ammonia siege to help you gain a foothold on it. Either way, come by and talk with us about your problem so we can help you design a solution.
What about those other test kits? Nitrite, nitrate, pH, phosphate, silcate, KH, etc. are all important at very small points of your hobby. Nitrite and nitrate are really not a huge issue if you manage your ammonia and do regular water changes. pH is not worth worrying about - it's high, it's hard to bring down. The other stuff is important to a smaller number of people - chances are its not you. Do I want to sell you some other test kit - yes. If you need them, please by them from me. However, I don't want to end my day by selling you something you don't need. Don't let your opinion be bought and sold by some wacko internet blogger - ask why. We're here to help you with that.