Uv fluro's, whats suitable and whats not?

[hornet]

I think i have asked this before but i will take note this time lol. What apart from the UV tubes are suitable for use with reptiles? Do the NEC10's produce enough UVA and UVB? Would they be better used in conjunction with a white light?

[millzy555]

This was posted not long ago
The nec 10's are suitable for any UVA/UVB requirements

Someone might want to post the link with the studies done

[herptrader]

This was one of the discussions.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-herps/nec-t10-uv-lamp-test-information-75574

[hornet]

so do people recomend using them with a white light or is the black light ok on its own?

[dee4]

This is about 12 months old now but it will give a bit of info. Hope it helps?

[meshe1969]

I personally wouldn't use them without a source of light, but peoples opinion differ. My reasoning is:

UV can damage the eye, but the eye constricts when exposed to light , letting less u.v in. Without a light source the eyes will dilate allowing to much exposure to the u.v

[herptrader]

It depends a bit on the species.

Most of mine that get UV also get a basking light in the form of a 12 volt halogen but this is for species for which a basking light/hot spot is beneficial.

For our frogs a "normal" light is included for aesthetics only.

NEC T-10's aren't ... dark but give off a a fairly bright purple hue. for most species, such as diamond pythons and jungles aesthetically this would look pretty good on its own.

[Renagade]

most 12 volt halgens have a 'uv block' be aware. this is because they are used in display lighting and the uv emmitted destroys the artifacts. if you can scource ones without i'd also be keen to get some.

[herptrader]

Originally Posted by Renagade

most 12 volt halgens have a 'uv block' be aware. this is because they are used in display lighting and the uv emmitted destroys the artifacts. if you can scource ones without i'd also be keen to get some.

The front glass can be easily removed as it is usually just glued in lightly. (You can prize it off with a bit of care.) That said it is not just their to block UV. Halogens contain halogen gas under pressure. If the glass in the bulb fails for any reason it shatters and without the glass front plate will shower hot glass fragments everywhere. I have a couple that have turned into "rattles" when they ave failed with the front glass in place. (Normal incandescents have a vacuum inside and tend to implode rather than explode if the glass fails.)

Another thing to consider is that halogens need to run hot to function properly. This is to do with the exchange of molecules between the filament and the gas which does not happen evenly if they are not run sufficiently hot. On old globes you often see a layer of dark on the inside. This is filament that has dissolved into the halogen gas and settled in the glass rather than being re absorbed by the filament. The glass cover is probably a factor in helping keep the bulb at the correct operating temperature.

[gomeztime]

Herptrader is absolutely right about Halogens and temperature. If they run cooler than spec they won't last as long. Halogens on dimmers will also have a shorter life span for the same reason.

This aside; when measuring UVB output from naked Halogens (Dichroics) without a "UV stop", I've still not recorded ANY UV-B. This means that the manufacturers have also managed to play with the glass surrounding the gass and filiment to reduce the UV output so I would not recommend using them at all for UV requirements. Manufacturers often make changes so a brand and model of lamp that once did produce UV is no garrantee that it still does in the latest version.

[Ozzie Python]

i got a nec-t10 but the room my lizards are in is fairly dark with next to no natural light coming in and i felt there wasn't enough light from the nec to give them a good day/night cycle. i chose to go for the alot more expensive option and put in a repti-sun 10.0 4ft tube. my tank is 48 cm high so i figured it would be a better option for me at this stage as it puts out a good amount of light aswell as providing uv.

when i can move their enclosure into a room with better natural light coming in i will prob go back to using the nect-10's purely for the price difference.

having said that come next summerwhen they are bigger they are going outside because imo there is too much uncertainty about the whole artificial uv lighting. you only have to read the many threads in aps to see there is too many people arguing the suitability of them and potential risks with certain globes.