I purchased a uvb meter and I feel much more confident on what my setups are doing. Expensive yes- $130 or 140 I think when I joined in with other people and got a discount by purchasing with the group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/
But I believe for someone like myself who has 6 setups for desert lizards I will end up saving money on when to replace uvb bulbs in the long run. Changing them not according to a set amount of time but when the uvb numbers actually drop off to an unacceptable level.
This is due I believe to differing decay rates for the same type bulb. I.E. I have an almost 2 year old 5.0 bulb that is still pumping out acceptable levels. I would have thrown it away long ago after 6-9 months not knowing it was still good had i not had the meter.
I am also relieved of taking notes on how many hours are on what bulb.
John Styner
