Which UV Fluro Tube Do You Use? Which Brand is Best?

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OK guys, got my Mercury Vapour Globe, it has been in for about 30 minutes and the temp is only about 35C right under it (basking), the cool end is OK.

Is this going to be enough for my baby beardie to bask in?

Considering today is a warm day in Melb, so I would imagine the basking temp will drop a fraction when cooler.

I purchased a 100W globe.

I will continue to monitor the temp in about an hour.

He is currently outside basking under sunlight.

Thanks,
 
.........................wow, this thread just makes my head hurt.... and i'm glad that snakes don't need UV.... however i was looking at getting dragons sometime in the future...
 
also i thought "ExoTerra Repti-Glo 10.0" where bad as they produced UV-C rays as well... which are cancerous and could potentially cause damage to your reptile......
 
We have had the sunseekers tested and they DO put out UV in the wavelengths required. They are CHEAPER....and they have had a much better performance than any other globe we have tried to date that includes zoomeds powersun which we had blow in under two months

I bought a few last year at the Castle Hill Expo. When I got home and searched forums (all USA) for info the general consensus was they were crap. I'd really be interested in some specific spectral information.

MegaRay are MVB (mercury vapour bulbs) - in Melb you can get them at Animal Attraction in Hopper's Crossing. In fact, I am on my way there RIGHT NOW!

In an attempt to get these cheaper I bought some directly from source;

http://www.reptileuv.com/

This was back in September and the website said nothing about them being on back order. I'm still waiting..........
 
What should be the min distance between the MVB and the basking site?

Also, is a reflector essential??
 
The S.A.H.G had a talk about U.V lighting a few months ago. A UVA and UVB meter and various lights (new and old) were brought by members to be tested. The results were surprising. Most bulbs tested did not put out the UV they claimed at the reccomended distance. Infact, only when the readings were taken at 0-2 cm from the globe, that the readings of UVA and UVB were at an acceptable level for dragons. When the readings were taken from 5 cm from the bulb, the UV levels are almost zero.
MVB were not tested.
So IMO the only way to know what your bulbs are puting out is to invest in some UV meters.

Thank god we have Pythons and snakes.
 
The S.A.H.G had a talk about U.V lighting a few months ago. A UVA and UVB meter and various lights (new and old) were brought by members to be tested. The results were surprising. Most bulbs tested did not put out the UV they claimed at the reccomended distance. Infact, only when the readings were taken at 0-2 cm from the globe, that the readings of UVA and UVB were at an acceptable level for dragons. When the readings were taken from 5 cm from the bulb, the UV levels are almost zero.
MVB were not tested.
So IMO the only way to know what your bulbs are puting out is to invest in some UV meters.

Thank god we have Pythons and snakes.

Do you know where we can find the UV meters (reliable one) not shy on money, so I may just check them out and if I feel it will be beneficial, definately will invest in one. COnsidering it is not around the $500-1000...?? :)

I give him about 1 hour of sun each day, so this makes up for what my enclosure MAY lack.
 
They are around the $300 mark each. You need both if you want to test UVA and UVB as they only test one spectrum each.
 
They are around the $300 mark each. You need both if you want to test UVA and UVB as they only test one spectrum each.

My older Sister is a lecturer and Melb Uni, I could probably have her check to see if she can borrow these for me.
 
I just put together a 12v 1.5 amp transformer with a couple of cold cathode UV fluros (the thin ones) for our fish tank. The lights come with sockets for HDD power plugs, but I wanted them running via 240v. Was just a matter of cutting and stripping the wires from both the little transformer, and the yellow (12v) and black (ground) wires from the light plugs. Pics on request.

Problem with those is, they are only for UV light, I'm pretty sure they aren't going to emit much heat, if that's what you're after.
 
I have a basking lamp, but was told that the MVB will emit enough heat to replace the basking lamp as well as taking care of UV.
 
I have a basking lamp, but was told that the MVB will emit enough heat to replace the basking lamp as well as taking care of UV.

Only if you use the Self Ballasted. I am using an External Ballast for several reasons (longer lifespan being one), and there is minimal heat.
 
mine is self ballasted,.

Anyways, I am going to try and get my hands on a UV Meter.

Today I just bougfht the Repti-Glo 10 UV Tube (24").

ATM shingles is basking in natural sun.. He loves it there..
 
imo the best have to be the sunseekers, there not some bs $70 price tag, (when it costs nearly nothing to make a uvb light)for me they have worked better as well, with higher activity in my herps than using the reptisuns, the only problem i have had with one was when it was bought from the expo, all the others i have bought "cheap" have lasted around 6-8 months
 
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well I now have the Sunseeker, Repti Glo 10 so I will be alternating, a bit of trial and error to see my beardies reaction.

I will keep you all posted.
 
The question of UV lighting is so complex. I keep alot of monitors and I find myself continuously revisiting questions on to use or not to use and then questions over which one will produce the best value for $. That website quoted above is a great site for researching but wish they would update some of the globes available.

First is to decide whether to use UV lights or not. I kind of looked back abit into the past and think many keepers before all the brands came out were using types that produced very little to no UV so it sort of begs to question do they really need it? If they were so successful on these set ups (that produced little to no UV), one has to wonder about the benefits.

I decided to go for UV lighting, more so on the belief that if I didn't Ill probably be the one that loses the alot. So I guess like many keepers its a comfort thing for me not wanting to take the risk. So the next question was what one will produce enough UV and how much is enough? I dont think people are in a position yet if ever to answer how much is enough. Trying to kill two birds with one stone and not wanting to pay extra for set up and regular replacement of tubes I went for the MVBs. I brought a few OzBright globes which at first were great for my needs, produced UV, were very bright light, and allowed me to maintain very high temps on the basking spot. But then they changed the design which changed everything. Not only could I no longer maintain my temps anymore, they regularly blew (after about 2 months). The main problem was that to maintain my temps at the basking spot (65 - 70oC) I had to lower the globe to about 12 cm from the surfaced which put the UV output at that distance to a too high level. I was kind of surprised to find out that these globes and Aussie Sun MVB and Zoo Meds Power Sun are all the same globe produced from china just packaged differently. Sometimes on the Aussie Sun and OzBright globes you would find Zoo med stamped on the neck. As for the Sun Seeker Im not 100% I know a few dragon breeders use it with success but to my knowledge no test to back it up everyone assumes its crap because its cheap. Lately Ive been using Solar Glo but not really 100% happy with, but as I dont own a meter Im only guessing and showing trust into the globe, for all I know it could be producing nothing but so far seen no decline in activity and health.

If you are after the best, top of the line, $$ is no barrier than MegaRay will be your globe. At the moment Im um-ming and arr-ring over whether its worth the extra cost which I find is MegaRays biggest hurdle on the market, especially for me as I have about 9 cages to fit out. The most common problem with all these globes (referring to MVBs) is that they are very fragile and easily blow if the power supply isn't stable and reliable. If say they charged $50 a globe everyone would be moving over to them no doubt. I think the tubes can still be useful but having to replace them at $30 - 70 each every 6 months isn't the best and most efficient way to use your money.
 
We need to fit out 28 enclosures with MVB's, we invested at one stage in Megarays for 10 of them to see how they performed (we have access to UVA and UVB meters). The Megarays put out a decent amount of UV in both spectrums, we then tested the cheaper globes and found they put out almost the same, but still within what a reptile requires. The megarays lasted about 3 months longer but cost 3 times the price, the sunseekers were very reliable and produced acceptable UV for about 11 months......at $33, replacing both heat globes and UV tubes you do the math.
 
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