Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've just read a post from August about these bulbs and thought I would pass on what my retailer told me when I had two bulbs blow in three months.

" ............ Also the 100w we don’t use as they do tend to be less reliable than the 160w, the 160w bulbs tend to last between 12 – 18 months, where as the 100w tend to blow within the first year, Zoo-med have just changed there guarantee also on the 100w to 6 months as they were getting back so many returns."

I thought the above may help - better late than never.

Colleen

I had to laugh at the 12-18 months line. Unless these bulbs are affixed in a secure and vibration-free permanent, vertical ceramic base, you'll be lucky to get 3 months out of them. The 160 watt may be somewhat better than the 100 watt, but they're both crappy. Sometimes they'll light but you'll find by using a UVB meter that they are not emitting any appreciable UVB. If your herps are in a private room you'll never notice that the bulbs are kicking on and off periodically. I continue to use MV because I feel that they are the best for my herps, but I always keep back-ups and monitor UVB output monthly with a meter. My most reliable out-put is from the Mega-Ray externally ballasted set-up, but I have to use an additional heat source in this enclosure. My largest enclosure has both MV and a 36" Reptisun 5.0 tube. Supposedly, Westron Lighting (newer T-Rex and Mega-Ray) has developed a new filament design which is more reliable. Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago
Valentino, Veiled Chameleon
Chyam, Nosy Be Panther Chameleon

I've always been using a single 160W powersun and a 110W basking bulb (usually just a back up).

I don't run both at once, because temperatures get very high, and the humidity drops dramatically. Both bulbs are fixed permanently, free of most vibration, in vertical ceramic fixtures. Usually they last about 8-14 months (in terms of the visible spectrum). I don't have a UV meter, but would like to get one, where did you purchase yours?
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www.mplionhearts.com

I just found this website:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourfloods.htm#zoomedpowersun

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapournarrowfloods.htm#reptileuvmegarays

That particular page has information about the Powersun's. But is data for all the major UVB sources on the market, including the Mega Ray Mercury Vapor lights.

Mega Ray lamps are far superior to the Powersun's, the effective UVB distance is nearly doubled, and the decay is less than 30% (or even less than 10%) over its lifetime. Powersun's decay 50% in their first week of use. I think I am going to replace my powersun with a Mega Ray.

Some of the more powerful fluorescent tubes compare to the some of the Mercury Vapor bulbs.
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www.mplionhearts.com

You can find Solarmeters and UVB info here:

Reptile UV

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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago
Valentino, Veiled Chameleon
Chyam, Nosy Be Panther Chameleon