The proper lighting of your terrarium is a very complex issue as the different animals have quite different requirements and there is no standard lighting suitable for all kinds of reptiles.

By now it is well known that UV light is important. However, this is only half the truth. Often, people concentrate on UV lighting and forget about the other ascpects of lighting, e.g. the light intensity. This is a mistake as the light intensity is as important if not even more important for the well being of the animals than UV light.
In nature animals enjoy a light intensity of 100.000 lux and more. In normal terrariums the light intensity is much lower and most terrariums will probably not even reach 10.000 lux, not enough to allow the animals to show their natural behaviour and nicest colours.
For humans most terrariums might look bright as the human eye is easy to trick. In a normal lit room even a terrarium with only 2.000 lux will look bright. However, as soon as sunlight is shining into the terrarium you will not see if the terrarium lamps are even turned on because the sunlight is much brighter. Also you will realise that the animals will seek the sunlight.

It is therefore important that you do not only concentrate on UV and heat lamps but also install a proper daylight lighting as basic lighting for all terrariums. The more light you offer day active reptiles the better.

To help identifying the right lamps we have marked them accordingly: "daylight", "UV lamp" and "Spot lamp". In the product description you will find for which animals and terrarium type/size the lamp is useful.

Fluorescent tubes are the perfect basic lighting as they distribute the light over a wide area. For snakes, amphibians and invertebrates normally one or two tubes are sufficient to simulate the day/night cycle. However, tubes are also a must for animals that need a high light intensity. Tubes will not be able to create bright basking areas but they light the shadowy parts left over by punctual spot lamps.

The best choice for creating bright basking areas are the new Lucky Reptile Bright Sun UV lamps as they are closest to sun in regards to light output and also give out heat and UV. If only heat is needed spot lamps can also be used to create basking areas.

Metal Halide Lighting
	Metal halide lamps offer light, heat and even UV. Like fluorescent lighting different colour temperatures can be realised. With 70-100 lm/W metal halide lamps belong to the most efficient lighting technolgies and achieve an excellent light output thanks to their relatively small size. These lamps get closest to the characteristics of the sun. A ballast is necessary for operating metal halide lamps.

Low Voltage Halogens
	Low voltage halogen technlogy offer interesting opportunities for the future of herp keeping. For one it is possible to develop safe lamps which can also be used under extreme conditions like in a rainforest vivarium, e.g. the Lucky Reptile Jungle Lamp. Furthermore the development of compact luminaires is possible that allow terrarium construction without a mess of wires in the lid or lamps and sockets pointing deep down inside the cage. Low voltage halogen lamps match the light and heat performance of their 230V relatives but usually achieve longer lifes.