>>"Lights are two Lumichrome bulbs with a CRI of 98 and a temperature of 6700K, and a ZooMed 10.0 UVB bulb at the basking end. I find that the lizards close their eyes if the UV bulb is left on too long, so that bulb runs only a few hours at a time, a few days each week."

I meant to add here, that the reason your HLs may be closing their eyes, is due to photokerato-conjunctivitis, caused by near UVC transmissions from your Zoo Med 10.0. Tubes are crap in my opinion, and inferior in useful UVB transmission, with many new out of the box tested as only producing 3-13mW/cm2 @ 12". That's pretty useless. You'd be better off setting them next to a window.

This particular Zoo Med and the R-Zilla version are not getting good reviews right now from experienced herp keepers and those who know the UVB lighting industry. Changing to new phosphor coatings by Zoo Med is causing deadly near UVC wavelengths to escape the tube. These are the wavelengths that sterilizations lamps use in barber shops to kill things on combs and clippers. Your lizards could end up blind at the least, or worse, die of burns from harmful UV radiation exposure.

You need to read this:
www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

Then trash the Zoo Med and buy a Mega-Ray instead. Anything that you could find on a shelf in Petco is going to be junk as far as UV lighting is concerned. If you have to buy one off the shelf though like Joe six-pack does, then get a mercury vapor flood, or at least a linear tube...not a compact coil or compact linear. They're dangerous. These manufacturers are trying to put more UVB output into a smaller package to suit consumers who don't understand tubes are inferior to begin with, and this is costing many herps their eyesight, and their lives.


-----
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/HornedLizards
www.youtube.com/user/PhrynosomaTexas
Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue
Harvester Ants

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]