mervury vapor bulb

[moswen]

does anyone knoe if this is an acceptable type of mercury vapor bulb for my sulcatas?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000STK8I2/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

i mean, it does say it's for reptiles but so do the coil compact uva.uvb bulbs...

 

[dreadyA]

Ever heard the saying, "you get what you pay for"??

well, i wouldnt doubt if that bulb goes out fast. if you're going to get a MVB, get a t-rex-worth the price.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Be careful not to use a coil bulb; they may cause eye problems.

I bought my T-Rex 100-watt MVB for $58 from carolinapetsupply back in August. It was recommended by veteran keepers here on the forum.

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

I think it LOOKS cheap. I got my MVB (Zoo-med Powersun) from petco and love it. Heat, light and UVB all in one bulb!

 

[GBtortoises]

This isn't a cheap bulb, it's a commercial bulb designed for lighting only. They last as long as any other bulb. But they are designed with general lighting in mind only. They've been in use for decades in warehouses and other situations where a high volume of light is required in a large area.
It will not direct heat or light to a specific area without being mounted in a reflector fixture.
The bulbs designed for use with animals have a reflector style shape and design that is specifically made to direct the light and heat to a certain spot.
Last I knew they were not recommended for reptile use.

 

[jobeanator]

well i have the zoomed powersun bulbs and there just as good IMO. there also pretty cheap (i think) on ebay. i got 4 powersun bulbs for 100$ with shipping. id take a look on there if interested!

 

[chadk]

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...s/-/t-rex-100-watt-flood-active-uv-heat-bulb/

The t-rex is only about 44 bucks here...

 

[moswen]

i actually just bought a t rex uv heat bulb from josh's frogs for 24.99 shipping included! i say go check him out!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

i actually just bought a t rex uv heat bulb from josh's frogs for 24.99 shipping included! i say go check him out!

Every place on the Internet sells Trex bulbs for $40 to $60... it seems to me that there must be something wrong when you can find the same bulb that sells for half the price. There is something wrong there...

 

[moswen]

well, the website is www.joshsfrogs.com , go check it out and let me know if you find anything wrong. it says it's a t-rex 100w uv, mercury vapor bulb.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow that is really weird they sell it so cheap. The packaging looks old...I wonder if they are an older model, or if they just haven't updated the picture (Josh's Frogs called them UV Heat instead of what I've seen, Active UV Heat)? I'd want to ask about the bulb production date before buying from there. Something that has sat around for a few years might not be as good. I'd wonder about the 6 month warranty too. I've never heard of them going below $40, even at shows and online.

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/product/46074/123/t-rex-uv-heat-100-watt

http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/images/trex2.jpg

I like the test results of the T-Rex bulb better than the Powersun (and also the anecdotal evidence): http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercuryvapourlamps.htm

The uvguide site also has a comparison of the new and old T-Rex bulbs if the linked $19.99 T-Rex bulb in fact turns out to be the old model. I sent the company a message and will report back if I hear from them! Best wishes.

 

[moswen]

ok thanks kate! it would be nice to know if this one is not as "up to par." although, i believe he would state on the site "older model" or "NON active uvb" or something like that if that was the case. but i guess we will see!

side note: i have used the coil bulbs for my greek tort tula for two years now. i got her at 5" and i don't know where she came from (captive born or wild caught) but i have never had any problems with her... but i'm going to start housing her outside this summer as well. does anyone think there is a really big difference in a hatchling vs. adult tortose's uv needs?

 

[bettinge]

It may be a good bulb for heat, but probably not much more than that! I would try to get UVB from another source if you do use this bulb for heat!

Like GB said, this is a very bright warehouse application type bulb.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Received a reply from Josh at Josh's Frogs: "This is a brand new bulb by T-rex that they offering at a low price to get people to try it."

So, is he saying that the packaging is different because this is an even newer model than every other site sells? Their Facebook says: "We just got a new shipment from T-Rex in...lots of different substrates and their new 100 Watt UV bulb for only $19.99!"

Not sure I believe this.

 

[moswen]

oh i just saw the part where you said "not sure i believe this." .... i can't find anywhere on the internet stating that t rex is coming out with a new mercury vapor bulb. but i'm not very good at finding things on the internet.

---

i did just find this though. it's a thread from another sight from yesterday. no information on it, it just confirms that trex does indeed have a new mvb out there.

http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewtopic.php?p=998651

 

[tortoisenerd]

Thanks for finding that! That is cool that they have something new, and it explains the name change too (UV Heat instead of Active UV Heat). I wonder when the uvguide site (http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercuryvapourlamps.htm) or similar will test it? I'm apprehensive to buy a new bulb. The new one isn't even on the T-Rex site yet. If there was some substantiating evidence about this bulb I'd go buy at least one, especially if it was a better bulb. If anyone else has info on this new bulb I'd love to know about it! Think we should e-mail T-Rex or uvguide?

 

[moswen]

i'd hope they will. you should start a new thread about the new bulb, maybe someone here has already used/read up on it

 

[RichardS]

I can vouch for Josh. I met him a handful of years ago when I was into poison dart frogs. Really nice guy.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Ok I have seen this new bulb now on another site or two ($20-$25) so I believe that it is real/new, but I'd still like to see some test data before I buy.