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hi!
the bulb for my 29G tank just burnt out... my question is, can i use a 'Repti Glo 8.0' (desert terrarium lamp) that i happen to have on the tank? it has a high UVB output (good for reptiles), will this hurt the fish?

please let me know!

My instinct tells me that it shouldn't pose a problem. For example, goldfish that are placed outside in ponds can be much more vibrant than when they are kept inside at least partially because of sunlight.

Since I don't know anything about lights, the only thing I can think of that'd be a problem is if the light gave off a lot of heat; if I'm not mistaken, that's something that many reptile lamps do. That would not be a particularly good thing for your aquarium.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

The higher UV output of a reptile specific bulb can burn the fish if a piece of tempered glass is not put in between the light and the fish. However, the useable output of a reptile specific bulb diminishes very quickly, so if the bulb is more than 6-8 moths old, it will suffice until you get a proper replacement. They're meant for reptiles, after all

okay, thanks! the bulb is fairly old (that's why i got a new one for my lizard), and the hood that i have on my tank does incorporate a piece of glass, so i guess i'm in the clear!

in any case, i went to take out the "burnt out" bulb, and found that it was not burnt out at all, just not in properly or something... i suspect that the starter on the light strip may be on it's way out though, so i may be in the market for a new bulb or starter before too long.

thanks for the info!

Just as a quick warning, a friend of mine experiemented with a D3 tube mounted in the cieling in her fishroom to simulate sunlight and try to strengthen the rays on her fish. It worked, but many of them also ended up with growths.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Ive used reptile bulbs for fish lots of times, never experienced cancers with them so far, you might experience a little green water , but even then not that much.Water also severely inhibits the penetration of uv, so exposure would have to be constant ie with a surface swimming fish to make much difference. If worried use perspex as a barrier between the bulb and the fish, it stops most of the harmful wavelengths of light far more effectively than glass.

Balanced full spectrum bulbs are unlikely to cause problems, but uvb bulbs like sylvania blacklights are liable to cause eye and scale damage to fish.