MVB...

Status
Not open for further replies.

BigBiscuit

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
321
Location (City and/or State)
Iowa, U.S.
Stazz said:
I've actually decided (Nick will only find out once it arrives :p) that I'm going to order quite a few things from reptiledepot.com !!! MVB, 10 inch clamp lamp, combination digital thermometer/hydrometer, timothy hay, orchard grass....yeah think thats it for now...he'll kill me if I order more hahaha. :D SO EXCITING !!!!

Just tell Nick that the stuff "fell off a truck."
 

Meg90

Active Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
1,961
Location (City and/or State)
WI
I'm glad you went with them. I ordered from them today, basically the same stuff, (lamp, stand, and bulb) for my newest greek. I saw that they did shipping out of country for $25.99 that's not a bad rate....

Lemme know when you get the stuff! Post some pics girl! I haven't seen pretty Tallulah for a while now! :)
 

tortoisenerd

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2008
Messages
3,957
Location (City and/or State)
Washington
Meg-I don't notice the difference between the T-Rex and Mega Ray light type, but did have my Mega Ray blow, replaced it with a T-Rex, and hope the T-Rex will last longer! T-Rex is cheaper so they are my choice for now until I decide which we like better.
 

bettinge

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2009
Messages
921
Location (City and/or State)
Upstate NY
Stace, Is that an international order? If so, the Timothy hay and orchard grass may slow the order down in customs. They may not allow it at all because of the risk of seeds getting inported to a region where they did not exist before. Just a thought if you have not placed the order yet!
 

Stazz

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
1,834
Location (City and/or State)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ahaaaaa never thought of that Betts !!! i'll have to scrap the hay and grass then, T needs her new lights etc :) Thanks for warning me, been too busy with the move to think about little things like that hehehe. Have not placed the order yet, so thats lucky !!!!

Ok so I just ordered it....100w T-rex MVB, 10inch clamp lamp, stand and combination digital thermometer/hydrometer :) YIPPPEEE !!!!! hope its comes safely and quickly !
 

Sudhira

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
253
What is the difference between self ballasted and external ballasted? I will be hanging the light in the enclosure.

Thanks
 

Clementine_3

Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
173
Location (City and/or State)
Upstate NY
Self ballasted bulbs have the ballast built in, which makes it more convenient to set up and operate. An external ballast is a little box-like thing that connects to the light fixture, so an added piece that needs to be secured somewhere instead of left dangling :) I honestly don't fully understand ballasts but know they regulate the amount of current/electricity going to the bulb (somehow). I also *believe* (but could be very wrong) that an external ballast will prolong the life of the bulb because of the way it 'starts up'. So a self ballasted bulb would work like a normal bulb but an external ballast would have the box thing (I love that I'm so technical) to deal with.

Now, here's the trick with the Mega-Rays and please bear with me, I've gone back and forth on this with myself for a while. The self ballasted come in 100 or 160 watt but the external ballast comes in a 60 watt. At some level the 60 would be the better option, for UVB purposes at least. For my set up I have a 100 watt SB about 22" above the substrate which gives me a basking (tight spot) of 96. That (tight) spot's UVB reading is ~30 and it degrades quickly over the area of the bulb's light/spot. That's really not a lot of UVB and it really is a small, tiny area. So, I also have a florescent UVB strip going. That extends the UVB the length of the table (not much, ~15) and boosts the UVB in the basking spot to ~50 over a much larger area. To give you an idea, I just went and took a reading outside, it is 82 at 5:10 PM in Upstate New York, with fall just around the corner. Summer readings at 2 in the afternoon are ~250+. Anyway, a 60 watt EB bulb could be hung much closer/lower (min. is 12" still) and would provide a LOT more UVB (in a small area still, but it would be a lot). Two disadvantages to doing that though 1) you may still have to add heat (I probably would not, but that is my set-up) 2) you have to do something with the ballast. Plus, I think only Mega-Ray sells the 60 watt EB bulb so you can't just run out and get one.

I love my T-rex bulb but believe it is not the "be-all end-all" they are made out to be. You can feel the difference in the heat (vs. a regular light bulb or even a 'basking' bulb), you can see the difference in the light it produces and I truly believe Turtle does well with it but I think it has it's shortcomings too.
I've been over-thinking and over-taking-readings again. lol
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Posts

Top