What's the best Mercury Vapor Bulb for a beardie?

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spookynoodle

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I'm looking for a reputable brand of mercury vapor bulb's that'll supply my beardie with all the UVB and D3 he needs

Cheers
 
No light source provides vit D3, this vitamin is produced in the skin through photosynthesis with exposure to UVB light.


Arcadia have some very good MVBs starting at 80W.
https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/d3-basking-lamp/

They also have 12%UVB and 14%UVB t5 tubes that are the bees' knees. Probably the best sources of UV for reptiles made by anyone.

You should consider a nice clear colourless incandescent or halogen par38 spot globe or flood globe for your basking globe and a t5 UVB tube in a reflector hood ( about 2/3 the length of the tank ) , this is a much better setup.

While MVBs are a very good all in one solution , heat, light, UVA & UVB, they only provide strong UV in a narrow focused area , this is fine for a mobile basking spot for a free range reptile who gets some time to wonder about inside the house, or in smaller tanks , MVBs can't be dimmed and wont provide much UV outside their focused beam, hence a domestic flood globe (which is dimmable) and a T5 UVB tube will provide the best set up that's tuneable.

If you go to the Arcadia web site you will find guides for setting up the lighting to give a good basking spot, good thermal gradient and good UV gradient.
https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/full-sun-baskers/

Even Arcadia have gotten onto the UV-index bandwagon lately , IMO their old guide was better (specifically specifying UVB flux rather than dodgey UV-Index values based on the latest even more dodgey yank fad of using "Ferguson Zones" that stop at 4 , where much of Australia would be FZ 5 or 6).

Steer well clear of any UV source that doesn't have the following brands
Arcadia
Zoo Med
Exo Terra

The other brands can only be described as cheap - nasty and poor quality knockoffs , don't let anyone try to tell you their shop brand UV source is just as good , they are BSing you.
 
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I have been using the Exo Terra 125W solar glo for several years with good results. I use these in conjunction with a normal 2' flouro for extra lighting in my 4' enclosures.
 
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