# Exo-terra Solar glo 125W Mercury Vapor Bulb



## tortoiselover (Jul 2, 2010)

Went out the other day in need of replacing my UV bulb because it died on me. I saw at petsmart that they had a MVB by exoterra. It is the solar glo MVB and it comes in 2 wattages, either 125 or 160. I opted for the 125 as I thought that the 160 would be too much. 

My first thoughts are that it is a very good bulb. For a few dollars more than the compact florescent style UVB bulbs it has the added benefit of heating as well. my old setup had 2 100W incandescent bulbs for heat and light, 1 25W UVB bulb, and a 100W ceramic heater. Now I just have the 125W bulb and the 100W heater. 

The bulb sold at petsmart for 39.99 for either the 125 or the 160. All in all I give it an A and would recommend it.


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## Seiryu (Jul 2, 2010)

tortoiselover said:


> Went out the other day in need of replacing my UV bulb because it died on me. I saw at petsmart that they had a MVB by exoterra. It is the solar glo MVB and it comes in 2 wattages, either 125 or 160. I opted for the 125 as I thought that the 160 would be too much.
> 
> My first thoughts are that it is a very good bulb. For a few dollars more than the compact florescent style UVB bulbs it has the added benefit of heating as well. my old setup had 2 100W incandescent bulbs for heat and light, 1 25W UVB bulb, and a 100W ceramic heater. Now I just have the 125W bulb and the 100W heater.
> 
> The bulb sold at petsmart for 39.99 for either the 125 or the 160. All in all I give it an A and would recommend it.



There's been some testing done to this. They recently changed the bulb (Black/grayish box).

It actually gives the same UVB readings as the 10.0 fluorscents. Well, marginally better. So until they do more testing and fix it, it isn't worth the money really.

From what I have read on tests, the only MVB that give high readings are MegaRay and T-rex. Powersun and the rest have marginally better readings than the fluorescent sadly.

I will try and find the website about the Solar Glos

Ok here it is:

http://thetegu.com/showthread.php?9486-new-ExoTerra-Solar-Glo-test-results-are-sub-par

The first bulb, was the old version (yellow/orange box). The rest of the tests were the new Gray/black box on shelves now. Showing they give marginally better UV output than the 10.0 tube lights.


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## tortoiselover (Jul 2, 2010)

Well I was going to get a 10.0 anyways but now I have a all in one bulb and save electricity while I'm doing it thus saving money! And saving money means more tortoise toys!


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## khanvict (Jul 2, 2010)

tortoiselover said:


> Well I was going to get a 10.0 anyways but now I have a all in one bulb and save electricity while I'm doing it thus saving money! And saving money means more tortoise toys!



this is the same bulb i've been using for almost a month now i think and i believe it's the most bang for your buck. i also went with the 125W and i have not had any issues with it thus far. more importantly, the tortoise seems to be doing just fine with it in his basking area.


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## Seiryu (Jul 2, 2010)

khanvict said:


> this is the same bulb i've been using for almost a month now i think and i believe it's the most bang for your buck. i also went with the 125W and i have not had any issues with it thus far. more importantly, the tortoise seems to be doing just fine with it in his basking area.



I'm not saying it doesn't work. I am saying, compared to the T-rex and Megarays, the Solar Glo is giving off about 4-7 times less UVB. And you can get Megarays and T-rex for about $10-12 more.

So it's nice that it's heat/UV in one, but it's the same as going with a 10.0 tube and a basking bulb, just one fixture. The other two are "true MVB" in that they give much higher outputs


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## khanvict (Jul 2, 2010)

Seiryu said:


> khanvict said:
> 
> 
> > this is the same bulb i've been using for almost a month now i think and i believe it's the most bang for your buck. i also went with the 125W and i have not had any issues with it thus far. more importantly, the tortoise seems to be doing just fine with it in his basking area.
> ...



i understand that. i tried to look for data on this one regarding the output but i couldn't find it when i was purchasing mine. it's relatively new i think so hopefully there will be more reports on it as time goes on. i'll probably purchase another bulb long before i'm forced to replace this one in case something happens but it's doing it's job for what it's worth and i'm not complaining. i also give my tortoise some outside time, it's not much, but i think it helps.


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## tortoiselover (Jul 2, 2010)

Seiryu said:


> khanvict said:
> 
> 
> > The other two are "true MVB" in that they give much higher outputs
> ...


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## Seiryu (Jul 2, 2010)

tortoiselover said:


> no offense intended but I am pretty sure that all bulbs that have mercury vapor are "real MVB".
> 
> As to the claim of about 10 more dollarsÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ that has not been my experiance. Petsmart has a zoo-med brand and it is $90! I was happy with half the price.
> 
> To each their own.



Sorry, what I meant by "true MVB" was this. The Solar Glo and Powersun, give UV ratings of that in the shade.

MegaRay and T-rex give UV ratings of that in the sun.

I would buy Mercury vapors online, not in the stores. MegaRays are about $55 shipped. http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php

To me, the whole purpose of buying a MVB is so it gives the high UV output, closer to what they would give outside (better). 

I was merely letting you know, that it is so cheap because of the UV output. If you wanted the high output MVBs (ones that are closer to natural sunlight) then MegaRay and T-rex are the way to go. 

If you use the tube lights, but wanted an all in one bulb, with a much lower output, than the Solar Glo and Powersun are the way to go.


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## tortoiselover (Jul 2, 2010)

Ahh I see


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## PeanutbuttER (Jul 2, 2010)

Seiryu said:


> Sorry, what I meant by "true MVB" was this. The Solar Glo and Powersun, give UV ratings of that in the shade.
> 
> MegaRay and T-rex give UV ratings of that in the sun.



Wouldn't you want something a bit weaker though if you had one of the more "shade" tortoise species? For instance, wouldn't a redfoot be happier to have something a little less bright and less jarring to the eyes? Depending on the tortoise that tortoiselover has, perhaps it's not that bad of a bulb for her.


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## tortoisenerd (Jul 2, 2010)

I would not get any type of MVB or even a UVB bulb for a Redfoot. What type of torts are shade dwelling besides the forest ones, which wouldn't need a basking bulb? 100% agree with Rob! With only one tort, I can afford to only get the best for him. I wouldn't consider anything but a T-Rex (the higher output one--they have a low output one now without 'Active' in the name) or Mega Ray.


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