Mercury Vapour?

[samstar]

I was thinking of getting the Mercury Vapour bulb for my baby stars. Which one to get? There are a few different powers. is this all I would need for UVA/UVB?

 

[Meg90]

Yes, a mercury vapor bulb would provide full spectrum lighting for your babies. I am not sure about wattage though--I am not sure how hot they like to be kept. But I myself use Trex 100W bulbs,

 

[samstar]

Yes, a mercury vapor bulb would provide full spectrum lighting for your babies. I am not sure about wattage though--I am not sure how hot they like to be kept. But I myself use Trex 100W bulbs,

From what I gather, the 100W bulbs should be good for it's enclosure for now but how about when I move them into their bigger 5ft x 2.5ft enclosure? Would I need two lamps than?

 

[Meg90]

You might. You will just need to keep temps correct--you wouldn't need to UVB bulbs, just that one, and maybe another basking bulb for extra heat.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Even for that size enclosure I think the one MVB is good, plus extra heat (ceramic heat emitters or black light bulbs) or light (regular light bulbs if the room is dim) if needed. 100 Watt is good unless you have a very large tortoise (think full grown Sulcata). The T-Rex and Mega Ray (same bulb, different brands) are the best in my opinion, and in UVB output. See www.uvguide.co.uk. Get a lamp stand plus a deep and large diameter hood fixture with a ceramic socket. You can use a timer, but not a dimmer on them. This is all you would need for UVB/UVA. Great product! Top of the line and actually a good deal vs. the tubes when I did the calculations (based on the bulb lasting 12 months vs. 6 and needing less fixtures).

 

[samstar]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it.