New Light For Enclosure

[Chadam]

I am going to get a new light for my russsian's enclosure, I am an electrician and was wondering if I should get a Mercury Vapor Type of Light or 4' Flouresant and what kind of Bulb should I get if I get a Flouresant? Any Suggestions would be great. The light will be about 2' above the enclosure.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I may be wrong here but I don't think that 2 feet is close enough for either a fluorescent tube or a bulb. I have both. I have a 160 watt Trex bulb for my bigger Sulcata and I have the 4' tube for my smaller tortoises. The Trex also provides heat and the fluorescent tube does not. So if you use the tube you will also need a basking light. I like the Trex, but of course they are much more costly then the tube...$50 for the Trex and $20 for the tube.

 

[Millerlite]

i would go with the MVB they are pretty neat, and make you only need one light over 2, easier to have on timers ect. Two feet would still be in range for the 160, those things shine pretty far.

 

[tortoisenerd]

The MVB bulbs have a much higher UVB output (better for the tort), last longer (12 months average vs. 6 months), and also act as heat. I'd recommend either the T-Rex or Mega Ray ($50 + shipping). For 2 ft away, I think you need to move it closer (use a lamp stand, or add more substrate). For a 100 watt Mega Ray MVB for example, (100 watts is recommended for most enclosure sizes), the useful range is 12-18 inches from the substrate. Further than that and the UVB won't be in a very high range at the surface, and the heat won't be high enough for basking for a Russian. If you search for some terms such as mercury vapor bulb, uvb, etc, on the forum, you'll find some very useful links and studies that have been posted previously. I personally tried out a 160 watt and found that it was too bright for us, and also I couldn't get the temperature up enough even with it at neat the minimum.

Best wishes with the new lighting! What enclosure size are you working with? Pictures would be VERY helpful.

 

[nrfitchett4]

The powersun uv (zoomed) that I bought said it has usable UVB up to 6 feet away from the bulb. I wonder if this has been tested?

 

[Chadam]

I attached a picture of the enclosure, it is 3'x4' and think I will go with a 100watt MV Bulb. I have a 100w heat lamp in there also. Do you think this would be good?

 

[Yvonne G]

I know this is a thread about lighting, but I just want to say something that I think I'm seeing in your picture. Its hard to tell from a picture, but I THINK that the sides of the habitat aren't high enough. Russians are very good climbers and your little guy might be able to climb out of that enclosure. By the way, the habitat is really nice and I love the way it is decorated. Looks very natural.

Yvonne

 

[Chadam]

Ya I have thought about that but he has not gotten out yet or tried to get out yet. He is in a separate room so if he does get out he won't get into any trouble. Thanks Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

The powersun uv (zoomed) that I bought said it has usable UVB up to 6 feet away from the bulb. I wonder if this has been tested?

I'd be very interested to see that research. Here is what I've read up on:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/spreadchartcombo.htm[hr]

I attached a picture of the enclosure, it is 3'x4' and think I will go with a 100watt MV Bulb. I have a 100w heat lamp in there also. Do you think this would be good?

That sounds good as long as you can get the right temps...I'm guessing you have your home heated and that will help. I like where you positioned the light in there to spread out over a large area.

I'd be very careful with the sides though--don't want the tort to fall, escape and hide, etc. Ideally you want the side tall enough that if the tort climbed on the cage furnishings, and then stood up, they still couldn't see out (or not place anything near the walls, or have an inward lip on the table, etc).

 

[Karyn]

I love my MVB bulb. I will warn you, though. I bought a Powersun from Zoomed on Black Friday and it only lasted until last week--burnt out and I had not sent in the warranty card. This time I switched to the TRex since others had had better luck with it. (This time I remembered the warranty card.)

Good luck!
Karyn

 

[Chadam]

Thanks everyone again.

 

[tortoisenerd]

The T-Rex or Mega Ray also performs higher in UVB output and decays slower than the Powersun.

 

[nrfitchett4]

apparently the zoomed got a makeover:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourfloods.htm#zoomedpowersun
they even had one still emitting uvb 2.5 years later. Mine will be a year old next month so it will be time for a new one. Guess it is time for some research!
though my ig seems very healthy, no signs of MBD and still very green!

 

[Karyn]

Good to know about Powersun's makeover. I had the new one (or at leas the new box). My tort seem to do well with it. My frustration was the fact that it only lasted 2 months.

Thanks for the info.

 

[nrfitchett4]

definitely got to send the warranty card in. Do the other company's back their's up with a warranty as well?

 

[Karyn]

TRex has a warranty card for 6 months--same as the Powersun.

 

[nrfitchett4]

my powersun warranty was for a year.

 

[tortoisenerd]

That's awesome they improved--thanks for the info!