[first post, still figuring some forum things out]

I got into lights via my pet corn snake.

I wanted to give a better approximation of sunlight than is typical, and this eventually led me to HID lamps.

HID lamps aren't unheard of in reptile keeping, but somewhat exotic. Self-ballasted "all-in-one" UVB-emitting MV bulbs are steadily losing ground to other technologies but are still fairly common around the world. UVB-emitting quartz metal halides with a standardized halide chemistry are popular in Germany and neighboring countries. Neither has a very sunlike spectrum in my view. (For UVB I prefer the smoothly contoured spectra possible with fluorescent tubes; until recently, the top brands for UVB T5s were manufactured by Sylvania and Narva in Germany.)

For about a year I've been using a pair of 70W 30/40D Philips CDM-R 942 lamps for the bulk of the radiant "sunbeam", chosen for their sheer illuminating power and their broadly sunlike spectrum. I took radiometric and photometric measurements to help pin down the proportions and grafted the IR spectrum of a 70W 930 version onto the 70W 942's UV-visible spectrum provided by Philips.

The spectrum includes some UVA, which is important for reptile vision. Most reptiles, including most snakes, have a dedicated type of cone tuned to this range, so it’s one of their fundamental primary colors of light. Using data for a species with similar vision as my snake, I calculated an estimated ‘snake-CCT’ around 4000K, which is pretty good for evoking morning/evening sunlight!

There's also significant near-IR in the spectrum, whose shortest wavelengths penetrate and warm deep tissues, so these lamps have a lot going for them. I use them at about 15 inches through 20% block mesh, creating an oblong, dinner plate-sized 'sunbeam' shining at around 30,000 lux and 300 W/m² (1/4 to 1/3 midday levels).

In addition to the Philips HID lamps, I’m using a 24W Arcadia 6% UVB T5 fluorescent for vitamin D3 (UVI ~1-1.5) as well as a 35W LED bulb for additional general illumination from a UK startup called Faunalux whose spectrum also includes some UVA (snake-CCT around 3500K).

My snake seems to enjoy it, basking in 5-20 minute bursts a few times per day. I think I'll use these Philips lamps for a few years more. I've got a small stash of bulbs, replacement ballasts, and HID-rated sockets.


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