Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know anything about the ESU super uv bulb?
Does it provide hermanns with enough of the right uv light?
The reason why I ask is because Ive found a flourescent light fixture with an ESU super UV bulb included.
Thanks.

I've read that those ESU fixtures with the bulbs included actually give off a decent amount of UVB, BUT you MUST remove the plastic protector (that goes over the tube) or it gives off NO UVB at all. Why they sell it like that I don't know, because it's useless with the protector in place.

I would still recommend that you go with the mercury vapor bulb, especially if your Hermann's will be indoors most of the time. They are more expensive, and more of a pain, but I see a huge difference in behavior when I use them vs. a fluorescent.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

You say that you have to remove the plastic protector or else no uv will go through? but you also say it is useless without the protector in place? so does this mean that its useless all together? or am i misunderstanding you?

Did I explain that wrong? You have to remove the protector because it 100% blocks the UVB. Pretty stupid, if you ask me, lol.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

I found this bulb on ebay....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2379051832&category=20706

Is this the kind of thing i need????
If so, Ill jump on the opportunity.

You need a mercury vapor bulb that is designed for reptiles. The regular MV bulbs have glass that is treated or coated to prevent UVB from coming through (it's bad for our eyes). So unfortunately, you can't use that bulb. The MV reptile bulbs are expensive. Here's the info. I've found out so far in my research on them:

ZooMed: blow out quickly
Capture the Sun (Big Apple Herp): blow out quickly
T-Rex: haven't used them, but supposedly they're less sensitive to blow out
Active UVHeat (Wild Inside): what I'm currently using, with external ballast; supposedly much less sensitive to blow out

Westron Lighting also makes MV bulbs that are supposed to be really good, and there's another company that also makes them, but for the life of me I've forgotten the name (something Spectrum Solutions?).

All these bulbs are somewhere between $35-50, depending on where you get them. The external ballast bulbs are only $30, but the ballast itself is another $30 (supposed to last 2 years).

My problem is that my house has wood floors, 2 boys, and a lot of vibration. The internal ballast MV bulbs are sensitive to vibration. I've gone through 2 Capture the Sun bulbs and 1 ZooMed bulb since mid-September. I will say that both companies were great about honoring their warranty, and ZooMed actually sent me a brand-new bulb (I'm just saving that one for emergencies), but having to send back bulbs every month or two is a huge pain.

This is probably really confusing to you, sorry. Ask if you have more questions!
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko