Tracie

Do you have some highlights on lights? I would love to know whats up? I understand that there is some opinions concerning the MVB and the reptisun 10-.0. I am always concerned about lighting... thats one of the biggest things with our beardies... I would be very interested. take good care Tracie, Beth

Hello Beth,

How specific do you need?
How large are your tanks? How are they setup? Are they single or stacked?
The flourescent tube that you had bought that was for the kitchen & bathroom is ok however, I prefer that the Kelvin reading be higher. Natural light or sunlight is roughly 5000K to 6500K but anything higher than 7000K starts to get into the bluish hue so you want to stick within that range for the best overall combination of hues of colors.
Mercury vapor bulbs got a bad rap when they first came out in the 1980's. However, technology has come a long way & there have not been any problems associated with the good brands of Mercury vapor bulbs that are out on the market now. The 3 best brands on the market are the Megaray, the T-rex Active UV heat & the Exo terra Solar glo not to be mistaken with the Sun Glo. The Megaray & the T-rex are the higher end bulbs with UVB emissions being at 150-200uWcm2, with the Solar glo being decent around 125uWcm2. The Zoomed Powersun is alos a Mercury vapor bulb, but is low output at around 50-60uWcm2.
The Mercury vapor bulbs are very safe as long as they are used properly & placed at the correct distances. We use a full spectrum flourescent in conjunction with our Megarays just to even out the lighting hue for them.

The flourescent tube bulbs are good. There are several to choose from. The best being the Reptisun 10, then the Reptisun 5, then the Reptiglo 8, & also the Arcadia D3. One problem though is that they do not project UVB emissions very far & have a rapid decay most of the time. They appear bright to our eyes, but to a reptiles eyes they are not bright at all. That is why if enough bright white light is not used in conjunction with a flouescent tube UVB light it can damage their eyes.
When using a flourescent tube UVB light, it is very important to place the basking light directly beside the UVB light focused at one end in order to encourage basking. That way he will get UVB rays along with heat concentrated on one end & have the option for a little on the cooler end but with alot less heating.

I can go into more detail if needed. That is pretty much it simplified.
Let me know if you have any other questions.


Tracie

What about the Sunseeker MVB? You are terrific to help me with lighting. Thanks, Beth

Hello Beth,

No problem happy to be of help.
The Sunseeker is really only a basking light. I don't know why they even classify them as a Mercury Vapor Bulb! They have little to no UVB output.
I would stick with the 4 that I mentioned & you can't go wrong with any of those. While the Sunseeker has not had any reports of adverse side effects, it simply does not supply the needed UVB. Though you could use it as a basking light! :-))


Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tracie

Too good to be true !! I just knew it. I need 60 watt MVBs for 2 of my enclosures and this site has them for 20 bucks...also higher wattage...but they advertise them as UVBs. See Tracie...I just knew you would know. I appreciate your help...which do you use and do you know anyone who has 60 watt MVBs. Take good care Beth

Hello Beth,

Yes, usually when it is that cheap it is too good to be true! LOL
We use the 100watt Self Ballast Mercury vapor bulbs, & we have 4x2x2 tanks. Then we use a bright full spectrum flourescent tube for extra brightness to even out the color hues.
Reptile uv, the maker of Megaray has External Ballast Mercury vapor bulbs that are 60 watts. Here is the link that has them listed, so just click on that & it will give more information about them. The 60 watts don't put out much heat so you will need to use additional heating with the UVB bulb.
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-products.php

Tracie

Tracie- I know about them, really had a trying experience with them...but....I didn't know because I have a resource for 60 watts but after seeing the 60 watt on this site advertized on Rgs I thought there may be someone else that produces these? For higher wattage what brand would you recommend? I have 4 other tanks, LOL. I really cannot believe there is not a bigger market...I just would like your opinion because I want the best for my dragons. B 100 watt is probably what I need. Take care b

Hello Beth,

Unfortunately the good quality Mercury vapor bulbs are hard to come by. With your sized tanks, you would most likely be perfectly fine using the 100watt Self Ballasted ones. They are very easy to use, & they will last 1 year, roughly. The UVB output should be good for that entire time. That will be your best one to go with. They get pretty hot.
There really is not any other wattage of MVB's that are external ballast. Most of the MVB's you will find are the self ballasted ones.
Bob has done tons of research & lots of work goes into his lights in order to get the best quality & UVB output. He calibrates all of his lights to be right on.

Tracie

Thanks Tracie, I have visited the website often. I really am glad that you helped me here and I know he has the 60 watts for my 2 enclosures I need them for. Thanks again for your time and take good care, Beth

Hello Beth,

So which ones did you go with then? I hope everything goes good with your setups!

Tracie