# Zilla Slimline Desert 50 UV Fixture?



## rileyjones28 (Sep 29, 2010)

Hi,
Im new to the forum but ive been on here researching for a while and im planning on buying a russian tomorrrow at petco

but i have a question about the zilla slimline light,
do i have to remove the plastic lense that covers the lighted area?
thanks guys


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## Yvonne G (Sep 29, 2010)

Hi rileyjones28:

Welcome to the forum!!

I don't know anything about the Zilla products. I use the T-Rex Active UV/Heat spot (100watt) and am totally happy with it.

If its at all possible, your Russian tortoise should be outside.


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## rileyjones28 (Sep 29, 2010)

i will have him outside as soon as possible but i live in Minnesota so im guessing his outside days are numbered until spring. but i have a nice size enclosure becuase i knew he wouldnt be able to be outside until april.


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## Tom (Sep 29, 2010)

Hello and welcome to the forum. You asked for opinions, so here is mine. Flourescent UV bulbs don't work. Try to return it and get a Mercury Vapor Bulb instead. I like the TRex Active UV Heat bulbs, like Yvonne suggested.


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## rileyjones28 (Sep 29, 2010)

why doesnt mine work? id like to know before i just toss out a $50 light that i just bought


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## Yvonne G (Sep 29, 2010)

They don't do what they're advertised to do. You will be wasting your money, expecting your tortoise to be getting the UV it needs, when it really isn't.


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## idrial (Oct 2, 2010)

Where are some sources discussing this? Could we also have some examples of what brands (and where) to purchase a proper light?

(I am not challenging your opinion... I am honestly interesting in reading more about this and would appreciate some additional information)


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## DeanS (Oct 2, 2010)

idrial said:


> Where are some sources discussing this? Could we also have some examples of what brands (and where) to purchase a proper light?
> 
> (I am not challenging your opinion... I am honestly interesting in reading more about this and would appreciate some additional information)



Perhaps Tom could explain to you what happened when using the 'UV' fluorescents and then the reversal of fortune once he started using MVBs.

Actually you can just check out Post #4 0f the following link...sums it all up.

http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-UV-light--19167


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## Livingstone (Oct 2, 2010)

Mr. Idrial what you are asking for opinions on has been discussed to the core, and the winner is a Mercury Vapor Bulb. The reason is they produce a an area of High temp, High UVB, and high UVA that closely mimic the warm sun reptiles like to bask in. For an animal that needs 100deg basking spot to generate healthy metabolism a fluorescent fixture wont cut it, even with a reflector its too weak.


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## Tom (Oct 2, 2010)

The only study I've ever seen was done on green iguanas back in the early nineties. There really was no internet back then and I can't remember where I read it, but the gist was that D3 in the diet and/or flourescent UV bulbs did nothing to get D3 into the animals bloodstream and help with calcium assimilation. Direct sunshine did. In part of the study they put a group of young iguanas 4" below a bank of brand new 48" reptile UV bulbs and after a period of weeks they did see a very slight amount of D3 in the blood, but it was a fraction of the amount seen in the group of animals that had sunshine on a regular basis. The light meters showed all sort of good UV being produced, but the animals just couldn't use it for some reason. I saw the same thing in the "real world".

They didn't have MVBs back then either.

I base what I'm saying on 24 years of professional reptile experience and seeing countless cases of MBD under lots of different conditions. I did 8 years of retail pet sales, plus a year of wholesale Tropical Fish, before I started my current career. I was one of the guys that people brought the sickies to, because I had a knack for bringing them back from the dead. It was mostly iguanas, beardies and turtles.


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## tortoisenerd (Oct 2, 2010)

Here is some reference data to compare the different bulb types, although a bit outdated it is really good data and I haven't seen anything else like it on the internet: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercuryvapourlamps.htm

I recommend a 100 Watt T-Rex Active UV Heat or Mega Ray, both of which aren't available at the moment I think (but will be soon), so my third choice is a Powersun (about $80 at Petco but closer to $40+shipping online). There are awesome as they are UVB, heat, and light all in one. If your night temps are below 60 F in your house in winter, then use a ceramic heat emitter in a separate fixture to keep it above 60 F. Have the MVB on about 12-14 hours a day. You need a ceramic socket wide and deep hood fixture with a lamp stand for these (you can get the fixture at a hardware or pet store--ceramic socket is the most important thing to look for, and ZooMed sells a great lamp stand to help make sure your bulb is secure and you can easily adjust it up and down for the right temps). Mount the bulb face parallel to the substrate at 12 to 18 inches away, to get the correct 95 F or so basking spot temp (gradient should go down to about 70 F), measured with a good thermometer like a temp gun (those probe ones take forever to get an estimated reading, and the strip things that give you increments of 5 or 10 deg are thew worst invention ever). I like the PE1 and got it for $25 on Ebay. Yes its quite the investment for the set up, but your tort will thrive almost as good as outside. Keeping torts indoors is very expensive when you add in the food and vet bills (your tort should have a vet check up with fecal test at least yearly) especially. Replace the MVB yearly unless you can borrow a UV meter from a vet or tort club (they are expensive). UVB bulbs decay the minute you turn them on.

Do you have the tort now? If not, any way we can convince you to go captive bred instead of a Petco wild caught one? I am personally against importing tortoises. They will lie at Petco and tell you it is captive bred about a year old, so don't believe them. Good luck! Hopefully you can post some photos. Congrats on choosing a tortoise.


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