uvb uva zoo med

[wildponey21]

ok i know that this has come up before. Ok i use zoo med 10.00 uvb uva lights the long tubs for my sullys. It seems to work and for my red foots i use the same. however i was wondering if the zoo med compact ones work the same. Zoo med makes uvb uva lights that are compact. I know mvp blubs are the best but i would cook my torts if i used one i think. My sully are only 90 and 70 grams. My red foots are 4 and 6 inches. All there shells are hard and they eat fine. My one sully does not eat alot i would like to see her eat more. well just let me know what you all think

 

[*Amber*]

If you're worried about cooking your torts, could you not just move the lamp up higher?

 

[coreyc]

I personally would use a MVB for your sully the 10.0 tube would be good for your redfoot I dont think tubes put out enough UVB for dessert species like a sulcata or a leopard I use them for additional UVB & light along with a MVB

 

[ascott]

What type of bulb do you use for heat...I personally think that the long tube UVB is a much better choice for delicate eyes and skin on the young torts.....IMHO.

I would use the long tube UVB over a compact, simply as a matter of personal choice that is....accompanied by a heat bulb that includes UVA and or a ceramic heat emitter, but with the heat emitter you will not have the UVA?....

 

[wildponey21]

i use 100 watt infer red blub for my redfoots and 150 watt foy my sullys. how high can i put the mvp blub i have a 160 watt mvp blub. also my sullys are in a 40 gallon breeder tank.

 

[Madkins007]

When you ask questions like that, remember that few of us have the sort of UVB meters or other tools to give you the proper answer for your habitat. Habitat design, mounting methods, etc. can affect placement.

I'd recommend taking a step back and looking at the overall issue. We light habitats to try to simulate natural sunlight, which emits a true white light (even balance of all visible colors), IR for heat, and UVA and B and it does it everywhere it reaches. It starts slowly, builds, peaks about 3pm, and starts to fade.

Long tube UVB fluorescents offer the UVA and B, mostly white light (you can do a better white balance by adding a 'daylight' or 'warm white' fluorescent or a standard incandescent), and little heat. The light is fairly gentle on the eyes- if you use fairly low wattages- and the comparatively low UV load protects the eyes further- but the 'all-day, everywhere' exposure to the UV has been shown in studies with chameleons to help more than focused UV lighting does.

Turning the plain bulb on first for a couple hours, and leaving it on a couple hours after the UV bulb help simulate dawn and dusk while also helping the bulb last longer. Two timers makes this work nicely.

One or more ceramic heat emitters (depending on the size of the habitat) offer IR and heat, and can be tuned to offer things like a nice warm zone, night temp drop without getting too cold, etc. A thermostatic controller and a timer (can be the same timer that does the plain bulb above) makes managing this automatic.

Adding a substrate heater (like
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes ) adds another layer of gentle heat, and boosts humidity as well.

 

[wildponey21]

well i have to say that last post told me notting. I'm not know to this it is just no one person says the same thing. On site says feeds this and another says no that is bad the same goes for lights. I know if i put a mvp blub to high they do not get the uvb uva.

 

[Madkins007]

Let me try saying it differently.

WE CANNOT TELL YOU FOR CERTAIN HOW HIGH TO PUT IT!

1. You did not tell us the brand or listed UV output.
2. You did not tell us how large of a tank you are working with, and what the temps generally are.
3. Every UVB bulb starts to put out less UVB over time- so the only REAL way to answer this would be to have you use a UV meter and take readings.

It would be safest to just follow the manufacturer's recommendations- which we could look up for you if you tell us the brand involved. Or, you could just post a photo of the box it came in and we will read it for you.

 

[wildponey21]

ok so do you buy a uv meter

 

[coreyc]

ok so do you buy a uv meter

Here's a link for a meter I just got the 6.2 wish I had it along time ago now I know when to get a new bulb
http://www.solarmeter.com/model62.html