Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone have any good UV heat bulb stories to share?
My cage will be 24" tall, making fluorescent bulbs useless for externally mounted. I like the idea of combining a heat/UV bulb into one, then adding a standard fluorescent bulb just to brighten up the cage.
Of course every manufacture advertises their's is the best, but I'm just wondering what's worked for you guys in the past, what may have burned out in 3 months, what the Uros didn't like, etc.
Thanks again for all the great help.

For MVB, it's Mega Ray all the way. If you want UVB and heat in one, go for the self ballasted model. They are very, very reliable both in terms of burnouts and decay - and on the off chance something does go wrong, the SB model has a six month warranty. They're busy, busy folks, so getting what you order can take time if they've got a backorder, but the SBs tend to be readily available from what I hear. I use the EB on my uros cages, but my collared cage has the SB. It's great!

Just keep in mind that these are not dimmable, so they put out what heat they put out - you may need more venting or additional heat bulbs to adust your enclosure temps.

My collared cage with SB Mega Ray, incandescent, and strip fluorescent:

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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

24" would only be "too deep" (couldn't resist that!) if climbing opportunities weren't available. Our experience has been that most Uros like a vertical choice & will readily use it. It really simplifies some of the UV questions.
Torey, did you ever use any of the T-Rex UV/Heat bulbs? How do the Mega-Rays compare? The T-Rex's were awful. I'm interested in giving another brand a chance.

The T-Rex is funky because there's different incarnations of them. The old SPOT ones were decent - they actually put out an OK amount of UVB according to reports. The floods didn't put out much. I did use a couple of them before the Mega Rays and I did have a couple of burn outs.

The new version of the T-Rex Active Heat (and I forget exactly how to know the difference) actually IS the same bulb as a Mega Ray - produced by Westron, too. I expect you can read about it on the UK UV guide.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

One of the problems I was having with the T-Rex bulbs (mercury lights in general?) was that everytime the AC kicked in, the T-Rexs would shut down for several minutes. The Uros stayed utterly confused. Is that a problem associated with internal ballasts?

Hmm. That's a new one on me! I don't have AC, though. I've not heard of it being a problem. UVB bulbs like that will stay off for 15 minutes or so if they're switched off - allows them to cool down before restarting. Maybe your AC is doing something funky with your power and causing them to blink off?
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

I haven't tried the new T-rex bulbs, but the old ones didn't last well at all. I've had betrer luck with the Zoomed powersuns. I haven't tried the megsrays. I use the mercury vapors for my chucks.

Is there a recommended way of disposing of these things when they do burn out? I imagine they contain a fair amount of mercury and I've been reading about all the problems associated with mercury pollution in the environment.

-Alice

>>Is there a recommended way of disposing of these things when they do burn out?

MVBs and fluorescent tubes both need to be disposed of like other household hazardous wastes. In my town, you contact the garbage people and they make an appointment with you to bring in things like paints, pesticides, etc. You can call to find out how they want you to handle it where you live.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

If the enclosure is that high, I would definately make it a solid top enclosure (actually, I'd make every single enclosure a solid top enclosure), and mount the lighting inside. This will keep the bulbs closer and make it easier to heat. Also I highly recomend a rete's stack (check out proexotics.com for more info on retes stacks).

As far as getting UV tubes close to the animals, it really doesn't matter in my opinion. I mean, the reptiles are going to bask under the heat lamps, which will already place them more than six inches from the UV tubes, and probably more than 12" (since you'd have to measure diagonally). The mercury vapor bulbs are too expensive, and can be damaging to reptiles if they are constantly exposed to it (remember that almost all reptiles spend the majority of their days in hiding). I don't really use any UV bulbs right now. Just supplements. I have some left-over UV bulbs with my tortoises, but that's just for ambient lighting...they probably don't even emit UV rays anymore.

If I were going to use UV bulbs again, I'd probably just put a regular halogen bulb from the hardware store next to a reptisun compact flourescent. Much cheaper, relatively same affect.

Based on some comments I've recieved to some of my questions, I've decided to change my plans. I'm now planning on going with a standard basking light and a compact flourescent (UVB Mystic from Big Apple Herp). I think I'm going to run the c.f. for 3-4 hours in the afternoon to get the noon-day sun kind of thing going on.
Also, I've decided to vote against getting a pair (see my post "multiple malis in the same enclosure?". I've decided that I will keep it easier for now with just one uro in the enclosure; also if there is a personality conflict I will not have budget to setup a seperate enclosure immediatley. In six months through...
I'm willing to bet Uros will end up being like potato chips: Betcha can't have just one.
Thanks again for the input.

Is there a reason you're choosing the Big Apple bulb? I haven't seen any test results for this particular bulb, but if it performs like their mercury vapor, you might as well not waste your money. Do you have a UVB meter? I'd like to see some numbers on the Big Apple bulb if you do. If you don't - you might consider going with a different brand of CF like the Reptisun or the Arcadia. They have some testing history, and without a meter, that's a good way to judge if you're likely to get decent UVB.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

On the forums (kingsnake and others), the general consensus is they're not to bad. One complaint of eye irritation but this was from someone who left it on all day...
I figured I'd give it a try and see if it works.

Not too bad in terms of blowing out? Or in terms of people with meters having measured their output?

I did some more digging in the archives of the UVB meter owners group I lurk in. There are reports of eye irritations (at more than the recommended distance) with at least two different species. Some people were looking to test the bulbs with a UVC solarmeter, but I can't find results for that. UVC is deadly dangerous, so I certainly hope that's not it. Also, the manufacturer's recommendation is that it be on no more than two hours a day, which sounds like it could put out dangerous levels of *something* - otherwise, why the warning? Personally, this is not a bulb I would ever use or recommend to anyone. If you don't have a meter, I would STRONGLY encourage you to choose a different bulb.

What I've stated is my opinion based on what I've read of other meter owners' experiences. Obviously this is your choice for your animals, so I'll leave it at that. If you choose to go with the Mystic, please post whether or not you experience problems - the basic info like basking distance, hours per day, type of fixture, etc, plus the results you see. Thanks.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

If you're going to bother using UVB producing bulbs at all, it's probably best to stick with something that has been tested to at least be safe.

You can find the reptisun 10.0 compact flourescent cheap as dirt. The good thing also is that if you're keeping it close to the basking bulb (which need only be about 6" away from the basking spot itself) they can get good and close.

Like I've said, I'm not really big into the UVB bulb thing right now, but that's just because it's not all that necessary with the way I keep reptiles. I don't have anything against using them, except that they do cost a lot of money for what you get.