Is it o.k. to use a tank light?

[meluchja]

By tank light I mean one that is meant for a fish tank? I have an 18inch dalbarb light that I used to use for my fish, that I have been using on my crabs, but is this o.k? The pet store said it's fine, but I have lately been doubting their knowledge.

Thanks.

[Foxydiva3]

I have a tank light on my tank and its fine to use. But this is Not my heat source! So make sure you have some sort of heat source for them to keep them warm and the humidity up. There are special hoods you can buy with day and night lighting I believe in the reptile section.
Good Luck!
C

[CrabbyJo]

Also, do not leave it on at night as it can disrupt the crab's day/night schedule. They need natural light during the day and a break from it at night.
If you need a light for heat, there are some good suitable bulbs out there, but you have to be careful what you choose.

[meluchja]

Oh thank you this forum is great

So what light bulb is safe to use as a heat source?? I nearly bought one for reptiles today at the pet store, but wanted to check in here first.

Or should I use a heat matt?? And just use the light during the day? I did a moon light, that glows blue that is surpossed to replica the moon glow, would this be safe?? I wonder if they would heat??

So many questions, sorry

[CrabbyJo]

It's okay, there's a lot to learn about taking good care of your hermit crabs. I pounded the forums with questions myself not too long ago when I started crabbing in December. They still get hit with questions from me.
One thing you can do when you have a question is select the forum that relates to your question (such as heating) and use the search box up in the right hand corner and search the term that best relates to what you are trying to find out. Then you can gather some info and if you still have a question about it you'll be a little more informed and know what best to ask.
A moon glo bulb is great, and it will heat as well, I use it on my tanks as I live in Alaska and the temp in the house does drop below 69*F at night (sorry I don't convert to Celcius well lol). I use an UTH too, but I don't know that it's necessary. I would say try the bulbs if you need heating and see how they do without the UTH.
A UTH can be tricky, you have to temp the substrate above it if your crabs will ever possibly be able to burrow down to it. You do need to keep it from getting too hot, and this can be controlled with a thermostat. A hermie can burrow down on top and overheat himself and not realize it, which can be deadly to them.
A sun glo bulb can be good for daytime if you still need heat, you may have to play around with wattages to find out how hot a bulb you need for your tank in your climate.
I use a 75W sun glo and a 75W moon glo on my 55 gallon tank, but a 50W max on my 10 gallon iso tank.

[ladybug15057]

Sometimes with a light as the only heat source depending on how cold it gets where one lives, keeping the humidity in the proper range can be tricky depending on the wattage size of the bulb.
For the UTH and hermies burrowing, one is to place something over the UTH that the hermies cannot burrow through to prevent them from getting on the glass above where the UTH is located.
Regardless however, whether one uses a light or an UTH as a warming source, one MUST monitor the substrate temp. as well as the air temp of the tank. It is also recommended not to have the light over more than 1/2 of the tanks top.