Lamps
Proper lighting is vital for the animals in our care. Lighting provides the animals with a day and night cycle, heat and UV radiation. Wildlife and captive animals kept outdoors have the advantage of the full spectrum of sunlight. In the terrarium/aquarium, natural sunlight can be approached by combining different lamp types.
Mercury vapor lamps
Mercury vapor lamps have an internal ballast. They emit heat and light that often also contains a small proportion of UV. They are only available in higher wattages and less suitable for smaller stays.
HID lamp
HID lamps release the more heat at a lower wattage compared to mercury vapor lamps. They also release more UV. The down side is that these lamps need a ballast (VSA). Also, there should be sufficient distance between the animal and the lamp, because these lamps often have a high UV index.
Hallogen lamp
Hallogen lamps emit light and heat, in the form of visible light and infra-red. Some brands also emit a small amount of uva. They are available in low wattages and high wattages and are therefore applicable in both small and large enclosures. They are an great source of infra-red a, which is very efficient in rasing the body temperature of an animal.
Compact UV lamps
Most of these lamps emit a moderate amount of uvb. The lamp should hang quite close to the animal to provide any benefit. There are also lamps of this type that emit a bit more uvb, but for animals that need a high intensity of UV there are better alternatives (such as the HID and mercury vapor lamp).
These lamps a suited for animals that need only low levels of uvb and need cooler temperatures
Fluorescent lamps
Fluorescent tubes can be used to illuminate the enclosure of an animal. There are fluorescent tubes for sale that emit UV in addition to visible light. These tubes are useful for animals that need a moderate intensity of UV. The size of the tube can be chosen in such a way that the enclosure or only the baskinspot is suppied with uv radiation.