Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Zoo med has a new 10.0 compact fluorescent bulb that is only 7" long and screws into a regular clip lamp. It runs $24.95, but sometimes they have them on sale for $19.95 from LLL reptile. Of course you would still need the basking lamp. Getting back to the self-ballasted MVB, it is very important not to be moving them around. If you have a cage which requires you to move these bulbs for regular cage access you probably should not use them, as it will shorten their life. I have all of mine set up on cages which open with sliding glass doors in the front or in an area that I can hang the bulb above the cage to avoid moving them. In my picture, the top cage has the MVB bulb, but I don't have enough head room for the bottom cage so I am back to using heat bulbs and the 8.0 fluorescent tube in that cage. I also use another light in the 4' cages because the one bulb is just too dark. Good luck!

Pam

Pam,

If you have a package from one of these bulbs nearby could you take a look at it and tell me the breakout (% wise) of the UVA vs the UVB?

I am extremely close to changing everything over in my enclosures to the Westron external ballast bulb (costly startup) so I would be interested in learning more about Zoo-Med’s new compact prior to making that decision.

Thanks!

Hi Debb,

I have not purchased any of the new bulbs, but have seen the breakdown on the reptileguru site. The information given is

10% UVB and 30% UVA.

From some of the things I have read, it seems the Westron bulbs do not lose their UV properties as quickly as other bulbs. It also seems they have a much lower failure rate. It is interesting when you read some of the information out there, as personal experience does not always mimic what you read. The problem with all of this is that no matter which way you go, it is costly and we can only hope we made the right choice. As I said in a previous post, I had terrible luck with the T-Rex, the Powersuns (my first ones) burned out very quickly, (my newer ones are significantly better) and I had the best luck with the Capture the Sun. I'm sure others out there will have different experiences. Be sure to share your experiences once you have decided to make the switch. Good luck!

Pam

Thanks Pam

The reason that I like the Westron bulb is due to the external ballast. The lifespan of the bulb is greatly increased as you will not have the failure rate of a standard filament self ballasted bulb.

Unfortunately, each setup will need its own external ballast (approx $65) in addition to a bulb ($36) so you see my hesitancy on converting all of my enclosures over. If I had just a handful of enclosure it would not be so bad.

Compacts have a great survival rate but unfortunately, I have only found one that I like so far- Arcadia. After using these bulbs for some time now, I find room for improvement on the uvb decay rate.

I will try to find the zoo med compact in my area and do some testing.

Debb-

Everything I've heard about the Westron bulbs is FANTASTIC. If you aren't already part of it, I'd recommend joining the UVB meter owners group on yahoo. Lots of excellent information! I'm moving soon and will be completely re-designing the lizard setups and am thinking of switching to the Westrons as well.
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
0.0.1 Apple Snail
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)