Anyone else used this PowerSun H.I.D combo? Thoughts?

turtlesteve

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I wish I could recommend them, but I cannot. I bought a European model HID once (branded as solar raptor) and was so happy with it I bought two of the zoo med fixtures. One fixture burned out after a month. The other one is still running, but the bulb UV output dropped to zero in less than 6 months similar to most mercury vapor bulbs. Somewhere along the line the quality was severely cheapened.

Go with a T5 for UV and incandescent for heat. Unfortunately there is just not any high quality one bulb solution in the market right now.

Edit: I’ve got something like 7 years on the solar raptor HID without losing a bulb, and UVB output has dropped but is still quite acceptable. I might try one of those again if I could find one.
 

Tom

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getting this for my Russian tort. I really am looking for a lamp that heats and has all the other needs such as UVB. Anyone used this before? Does it seem okay?
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
  3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
 

jaizei

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All in one bulbs always have a trade off, even if they provide UVB for a long period of time. I wouldn't use one alone, but metal halides put out a nice light and work well in conjunction with other lights.
 
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