Reptile & Amphibian Forums

its 14'' above my rhino at the moment , but i only get around 95 deg . I do have another basking area that's 115-120 deg but its under a halogen bulb with no UVB . should i get another halogen bulb bulb and put it next to the Mega ray and bring the temps up ? On the box it says to have the bulb around 12'' /- to get 150-200 MW of UVB. I guy on another forum tested his and he got around 300 MW of UVB at 12 "

so not sure how high it should be .?? go buy what's on the box or ?? . I am going to get a solar meter soon so i can test my own bulbs .

Here is what i have in my 3'x 8' cage , basking area #1 100 watt Mega-ray 14 ''above , basking area # 2 ( middle of cage ) i have 100 watt halogen bulb, i also have two 48'' T8 bulbs down the middle , one is a 10.0 zoo-med the other is a 5000k daylight bulb for fill in . I have extra of each . I also have a 75 watt c.h.e. on the far right side of the cage over a water bowl . The rest of the cage is 75-80 deg and i keep it at around 50-60 % humidity during the day and 70 at night .

thanks .

one more thing , he has spent very little time under the Mega ray since i got it . is he getting too much UVB , he stay on the floor off to the side or under the other bulb . He loved the zoomed power-sun that i had at 12'' and was it was 115 under it .

here is what they say it should be set at . not sure why he doesn't seem to like it . ??

MINIMUM distance setting of 12" will produce approximately 150-200 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB and 900-1200uW/cm2 of UVA.

Like i said i have it at 14'' above his rock so it around 12'' above his body .

Does it really say 12"? That seems really close to me...maybe i am thinking about this wrong...I have a mega ray at 19" and I don't like going closer. Shoot, maybe I am remembering wrong... I am not home right now but that sounds so close.

How are you measuring temps? Are you measuring the temp of your animal's body with a temp gun, or...?

The prevailing wisdom around here seems be less emphasis on UV and greater emphasis on the getting temps right, SO I might consider getting a point and shoot temp gun not a uv meter if you don't have either one.

Having said that, I am interested to hear what other more experiences voices have to offer...

Twelve inches is totally good with a 100 Watt Mega Ray. I talked to Bob and 12 inches is fine. Minimum is 12 and maximum is 20. Keep in mind that the new Mega-Rays don't get quite as hot as the old ones. The 160 Watt should be a bit further away.

this is what the Mega-Ray 100 watt wide says on the box . isn't 150 the ideal MW of UV to shoot for . My basking area is 14'' below , but My Rhino back is 2'' /- higher . I can lower it further if you guys think it should be .

'' MINIMUM distance setting of 12" will produce approximately 150-200 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB and 900-1200uW/cm2 of UVA.''

Thanks !

The optimal range for the natural sun is 285-315 or there abouts. Not sure about the bulb, but remember some statement that there lights don't need to give out that much because there absorb better or something along that line.

It just seems like there are more lights, CHE, than needed. 3 sources of UV? Its your elec bill so good on ya. Funny he sits under the Hal light, cuz its about heat, Bayzow is right. He doesnt need multiple basking spots. Sounds like he has one he likes and eats like mad.

jf

Only two UV , The mega ray and the 48'' 10.0 tube , but it is 15'' above the nearest basking area so it doing nothing ( i think ) . should i replace it with another 5000K t8 sunlight tube for fill in , and only have the mega ray then for UV ? I moved the halogen bulb over text to the mega ray and added a rheostat so i can fin tune the temps if needed . Its now 110-115 , depending on the room temps , 110 in the morning and 115 /- in the afternoon on the basking , spot under mega ray and 100 a little to the left , measured with a temp gun .

thanks for all the info !!!!!!!!

yeah that would work. Since he sits under the heat put the uv there. Which uv? I dunno, I think uv lights are mostly bs. Use the one with the most output. I would think that would give you enough ambient light too. Can you use your house' ambient as the low temp for you enclosure? 65-68 ish?

jf

JF, do you seriously get your house temps in the 60s in the summer???? What on earth is your electric bill like???

Why do you think UV bulbs are BS? What would you advise for people who can't get their animals outside regularly?

I try to get my house up 60 in the summer...you know, use the oven a lot, try to let in the sun without opening the windows.

But I live in San Francisco.

Seriously? It stays that cool in San Francisco in the summer? I'm envious. It's in the upper 90s outside right now here in SE Texas and I'm struggling to get the house below 80...

No in the winter. Whats the coldest your house gets. In the summer its not a problem. If you keep your house in the mid to high 60s in the winter I dont think you need a CHE in your enclosure at night as long as your temps are hot enough in the day. Here my house is 78-80 and its nice. Back in SF if my house was 78-80 I'd be sweating in there.
UV is like religion or politics, we can argue all day but no one changes their mind. What it important is heat, the proper heat and temps and the right diet.

jf

The winter was easier keeping the temps right , as my basement stayed close to the same temps form day to night . Right now the summer heat is kicking in and the room temps go way up as the sun comes into the basement window . dropping the seound basking area and having just one helped . its still hard getting basking area in the 110-120 and keeping the cool side down . Humidity i not a issue right now , i have a swamp cooler going so its in the 55-60 range without adding anything in the cage .

thnaks Again for all the info !!

Oh, okay. In the winter (what few days of winter we get) we can keep it in the 60s in the house. I don't think it's ever dropped below 60 unless the power went off. I'll use a CHE on my greens and maybe on Sebastian this year since he is so young, but I don't generally use a CHE on Kismet except for the one of two nights a year where it drops into the 20s outside and I worry about the room being too cold.