Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is anyone using these and if so do u use any other surces of light with them? do they make a big difference

I use them!

i have 2 custom built cages. i used to use the UVB fluorescent tubes with regular heat lamps. now i just buy regular fluorescent tubes with mercury vapor lights.

in my opinion, the so called UVB-flourescent tubes don't put out UVB further than 3 inches from the bulb also, you'd have to replace them every month if you wanted your dragon to benefit.

I am a research scientist and i work with UV light all the time. Basically the best producers of UV light (in order) deuterium > xenon arc > mercury vapor >>>>> and possibly fluorescent tubes. Although I've never used a fluorescent tube that clamed to emit UVB light in a lab. If you are wondering about tanning beds....the fluorescent tubes in those mostly put out UVA and almost no UVB.

Since only mercury vapor is available at a reasonable price that is what i use.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

thank u ill be at the store

Sorry I have to disagree with the research scientist.

UVB producing flourescent tubes have been tested by many. Including individuals with UVB meters and well known universities. Documentation is available from many sources.

He says "In my opinion, the so called UVB-fourescent tubes don't put out UVB further than 3 inches from the bulb" This is just incorrect. As a scientist I would think you would just test your hypothesis to confirm or deny others actual tests.

He also says "you'd have to replace them every month if you wanted your dragon to benefit" Again this has been tested. UVB output has been measured on bulbs of various ages. Depending on brand they should be replaced every 6 months or 12 months in the case of Zoomed.

Reptile supply gives the following warning about mercury vapor bulbs.
"We love this light. The differences this bulb has made on animals kept primarily indoors has been nothing short of amazing.
However, there are some things worth noting:
1.) These bulbs get EXTREMELY hot and can kill your reptiles if used on enclosures that are too small.
2.) We do not recommend the use of this bulb with 10 gallon aquariums.
3.) We strongly recommend the use of a high quality "high range" thermometer when using this light."

Believe me. they are in the business to sell products. They wouldn't put a strong warning like this if they hadn't had significant problems with them. They have no warning if you wanted a standard high wattage daylight bulb.

Also I have heard mentioned here before that these lights may be too bright for your reptile if mounted too close and can cause discomfort or eye damage. They are really designed for far distances from your reptile. (3 - 4 feet or more maybe) I have also heard of too much UVB causing burns. Guess you just have to be sure that this is what you really need for your type of setup.

Well, I'm done my rant. I use Reptisun 10.0. If I thought that mercury vapor was better I'd use it. To me cost or hastle is not a factor in the care of my dragons. On the horizontal parts of their basking areas it's about 15" to the UVB light. On the vertical they could get thier heads to about 5".

to keep this short and stop an arguement....

if you want your dragon to be exposed to UVA (with is the band of light that burns) and a blue-hued light, go with reptisun 10.0. oh but if you use these lights you'll also have to suppliment with calcium.

if you want your dragon to be exposed to UVB go with mercury.

BDlver was right...you don't want to use the MVB light unless you have a large cage with a safe distance from basking spot to light bulb.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

Reptisun 10.0 is a UVB flourescent light. You still need to have another light to provide UVA.

90% or more of the light that leaves either fluorescent or MVB is visible light. UV light can be broken down to two categories...UVA and UVB. Visible light is not either form of UV light. both styles of bulb produce all three forms of light (being visible, UVA, and UVB....even infrared light aka heat). One of the bulbs, chemically, is more prone to produce UVB than the other.

on a different note...some topics on this forum are hard to argue...such as this one. some people are not willing to use the MVB lights yet because they don't trust them. what really comes down to is that so long as you are at least using a light that claims to emit UVB light, i guess you are one step ahead of someone who doesn't know the difference.

another topic that will raise and arguement is cage substrate...thats always a fun one too.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

All UVB producing bulbs available for the reptile market produce UVA. They also produce various amounts of UVB. Most of the better brands of UVB florescent tubes produce indicated rating of UVB light (ie ones rated 5.0 produce 5.0 units (that funky u symbol with the longer foot...I am too lazy to figure out a way to produce the symbol here). Mercury vapor bulbs designed to produce UVB do produce much higher levels of it and are capable of pushing the amount further from the bulb than the UVB florescent tubes (florescent tubes effective range is between 6-12", after that, the amount of UVB declines). With MVB, they push it out 18-24" (probably more than that, but I can't remember exactly their maximum effective range). However MVB's can't be less than 18" above the basking sight as they can cause eye irritation in bearded dragons. They also have to be mounted in a completely vertical position (ie mounted straight up and down not at an angle) else they tend to burn out fast.

UVB producing florescent lights loose their effectiveness over time as well, hence the need to replace them every 6-9 months. After this time, their uvb outage is 50% or less. MVB also loose their effectiveness over time as well, but typically 9-12 months is when you need to replace them.

There have been testing done on many common reptile bulbs by people before, who have posted it there or have their results on their webpages. You can buy UVB meters to measure the amount of UVB put out by various lights, including the sun.

None of the common products for reptiles put out anything near what unfiltered natural sunlight does. The sun at high noon produces something like 200 or 250 units of UVB. Hence exposing your dragon to natural sunlight when possible is a great thing to provide. However not all of us have the ability to give an hour of sunlight 3-5 times a week for our dragons, either due to weather, amount of dragons, time etc. so all we can do to ensure the health of our dragons is to provide them artificially produced UVB lights, either florescent tubes or mercury vapor bulbs. Supplemental vitamin D3 is necessary for all indoor kept bearded dragons though care must be taken not to give them too much. It is a fine balance to ensure they have enough uvb exposure for them to naturally produce all the D3 they need to properly metabolize calcium and when we can't be sure they are getting enough UVB exposure, to add a little extra vitamin d3 via the use of supplements.

One website I know where some personal experimentation on how much UVB is put out by several different kinds of UVB producing bulbs is listed at the site below:

www.beautifuldragons.com
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PHLdyPayne

I use Mercury vapor bulbs on some of my larger dragon enclosures and I really like them. They only have to be changed once a year, the UVB is supposed to carry further than their fluorescent counter parts, and I only have to mess with one light/heat source. (Less cord mess and cuts down on over use of serge protectors a bit.)

The bulbs can be damaged easily though, so I would recommend a light stand for the ceramic hood so you aren't moving the bulb every time you want to take your beardie out. Also let the lamps have cool off before you move them or you may damage the filament.

I hope this helps a bit!