MVB bulbs

[annieexton]

The day is coming.....I will be getting an RT soon - I hope!!! I have been trying to nail down an answer to my question doing some searching on here, but I have a feeling I am a bit thick-headed!!! If I get one MVB bulb, and place it on the end of enclosure where I set up the basking area, is that all the heat/light source needed for the enclusure???
Thank you so much!! I am trying to get everything in order and am going a bit overboard with my questions and searching!!!
Annie

 

[ascott]

Depends on;

Where in the world you live/how you keep your home heated/cooled..
What size of enclosure are you trying to recreate microclimates in...
How old / size of tort are you going to be getting...

 

[JoeImhof]

The day is coming.....I will be getting an RT soon - I hope!!! I have been trying to nail down an answer to my question doing some searching on here, but I have a feeling I am a bit thick-headed!!! If I get one MVB bulb, and place it on the end of enclosure where I set up the basking area, is that all the heat/light source needed for the enclusure???
Thank you so much!! I am trying to get everything in order and am going a bit overboard with my questions and searching!!!
Annie

Will depend on your setup, but generally, it should be enough Heat. However, if reasonably large enclosure, you may need another bulb so that most of the enclosure is lit.
Because, you probably will have to have the MVB relatively low (14" or so) to get the warm basking spot. That will mean the light it puts out will be bright only in a smallish circle.

 

[GBtortoises]

An MVB lamp will produce good localized heat, light and UV. But only within the range of the beam that it puts out. With an MVB alone the rest of the enclosure will lack suitable light and UV saturation. In the case of most hatchlings and young tortoises MVB lamps produce too much heat directly under them. This forces the tortoise to either have to sit in the extreme heat all the time in order to benefit from the UV or to not be exposed to the UV at all. Neither is a good solution. A better choice would be a combination of a standard incandescent bulb to provide basking heat along with some light as well as a flourescent UV tube to provide very good overall light and UV throughout the enclosure.

 

[Spn785]

The day is coming.....I will be getting an RT soon - I hope!!! I have been trying to nail down an answer to my question doing some searching on here, but I have a feeling I am a bit thick-headed!!! If I get one MVB bulb, and place it on the end of enclosure where I set up the basking area, is that all the heat/light source needed for the enclusure???
Thank you so much!! I am trying to get everything in order and am going a bit overboard with my questions and searching!!!
Annie

Thank you for asking this, I was wondering the exact same thing. I also was wondering if I might need to get a black or red light to provide heat at night since my house is usually in the mid to low sixties.

Personally I don't think you can go overboard with too much searching and questions. I've been getting information together for about two months now, and I haven't gotten a tortoise yet.

 

[GBtortoises]

The day is coming.....I will be getting an RT soon - I hope!!! I have been trying to nail down an answer to my question doing some searching on here, but I have a feeling I am a bit thick-headed!!! If I get one MVB bulb, and place it on the end of enclosure where I set up the basking area, is that all the heat/light source needed for the enclusure???
Thank you so much!! I am trying to get everything in order and am going a bit overboard with my questions and searching!!!
Annie

Thank you for asking this, I was wondering the exact same thing. I also was wondering if I might need to get a black or red light to provide heat at night since my house is usually in the mid to low sixties.

Personally I don't think you can go overboard with too much searching and questions. I've been getting information together for about two months now, and I haven't gotten a tortoise yet.

For Russian tortoises or any other temperate climate species night time temperatures in the 50's & low 60's are fine, actually ideal as long as the daytime temperatures reach normal activity range (68-82). Most peoples homes do not get that cold at night. So there is no need for night time heat with these species unless they're exposed to temperatures far below 50 degrees. Too warm at night is actually worse than being cold. With temperate species there should be 15-20 degree temperature differential between day and night.

 

[lynnedit]

An MVB lamp will produce good localized heat, light and UV. But only within the range of the beam that it puts out. With an MVB alone the rest of the enclosure will lack suitable light and UV saturation. In the case of most hatchlings and young tortoises MVB lamps produce too much heat directly under them. This forces the tortoise to either have to sit in the extreme heat all the time in order to benefit from the UV or to not be exposed to the UV at all. Neither is a good solution. A better choice would be a combination of a standard incandescent bulb to provide basking heat along with some light as well as a flourescent UV tube to provide very good overall light and UV throughout the enclosure.

I am going to switch to this system for my tort that overwinters inside. Do you have a picture of an indoor set up using this? That is, does your tube fluorescent fixture extend the length of the enclosure, with basking light on one end?

 

[Utah Lynn]

I have 2 Steppe Tortoises (one 4.5" Male, one 7.5" Female, separated).

2 Western Painted Turtles and 1 Yellow Belly Slider.

Indoors, I use regular 100 W lights in each enclosure for heat.
Being new and un-educated to Tortoises and Turtles, I have been using a Repti Sun 5.0 UVB, mounted Horizontally, in one enclosure and a Repti Glo 10.0 UVB coil, mounted Vertically, in the other.
I have been using this arrangement for a little over a year with no visible ill effects.(Knock On Wood).
I also should mention that I have never had UVB on my Water Turtles due to my ignorance. That is about to change.

Now that they are confined to the indoors, I am changing the UVB's to Zilla Desert 50 18". I just hope that this Zilla is a good product and will assist me in keeping them healthy for another year.