UVB Liner light or MVB

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HtVic

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Which is bette? aside of MVB is three in one, and 10.0 liner uvb only produce UVB&A.
which one is stronger? MVB require high wattage which need a hight wattage of light fixture.
by the way, how do you know what wattage to get? there are 125W and 160W. my enclosure is 75gal, and I am using CHE.
 

wellington

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MVB is the best so far on the market. 125 would probably be good enough. Your using it for basking so you can adjust it up or down a little for warmer or cooler.
 

lynnedit

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Or, as long as you place your UV tube light at a good distance (as discussed on the other thread about your screen), and have a basking light, you could rethink your set up in 6 months when you will be due to replace the bulb anyway.
Meanwhile, perhaps your tort can get some outside time with real sun this summer!
 

GBtortoises

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HtVic said:
Which is bette? aside of MVB is three in one, and 10.0 liner uvb only produce UVB&A.
which one is stronger? MVB require high wattage which need a hight wattage of light fixture.
by the way, how do you know what wattage to get? there are 125W and 160W. my enclosure is 75gal, and I am using CHE.
You're comparing two bulbs that don't provide all of the same essentials.
An MVB provides UVB, heat and localized light, but not good overall light intensity.
A fluorescent tube only provides UVB, but also very good overall light intensity.
An MVB alone does not light up average size enclosures well enough for normal activity and a fluorescent tube should be added to provide the additional light intensity.
A fluorescent tube alone does not provide basking heat so either an incandescent (regular or halogen) basking bulb should also be used or a MVB lamp can be used. Either combination works fine.
The fluorescent/incandescent combination is less expensive to replace at regular intervals than just an MVB is alone.
 

HtVic

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You're comparing two bulbs that don't provide all of the same essentials.
An MVB provides UVB, heat and localized light, but not good overall light intensity.
A fluorescent tube only provides UVB, but also very good overall light intensity.
An MVB alone does not light up average size enclosures well enough for normal activity and a fluorescent tube should be added to provide the additional light intensity.
A fluorescent tube alone does not provide basking heat so either an incandescent (regular or halogen) basking bulb should also be used or a MVB lamp can be used. Either combination works fine.
The fluorescent/incandescent combination is less expensive to replace at regular intervals than just an MVB is alone.
[/quote]

which mean in this size of enclosure, using tube is better. I really don't wanna put three lights on top of the screen
 

Tony the tank

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A 75 gallon tank is how tall?..bare in mind most mvb lose intensity quickly after 18-20".. and I'm not sure they make a tube that puts out usable uvb at that distance..also a sceen top will block a lot of the uvb..

Good luck
 

HtVic

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Tony the tank said:
A 75 gallon tank is how tall?..bare in mind most mvb lose intensity quickly after 18-20".. and I'm not sure they make a tube that puts out usable uvb at that distance..also a sceen top will block a lot of the uvb..

Good luck

yea I think I am going to change the screen that alot less mesh
 

GBtortoises

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You can mount the light fixture at any height you need by hanging it from chains hooked to the side of the tank rim or with eyebolts screwed into a peice of wood that is across the top of the tank. You don't have to place it on a screen top. A 75 gallon aquarium is 48" long. So you could easily go with a 36" or 24" fluorescent tube and hand it inside the tank.
 

HtVic

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The screen top is for secure reason, I don't want children to pick the tort out all the time and I am afriad of my cat...lol
so i need to top to lock it inside.
and also, the flurescent tube is 48" long, so same length size as my tank...is it too long? should i change it?

GBtortoises said:
You can mount the light fixture at any height you need by hanging it from chains hooked to the side of the tank rim or with eyebolts screwed into a peice of wood that is across the top of the tank. You don't have to place it on a screen top. A 75 gallon aquarium is 48" long. So you could easily go with a 36" or 24" fluorescent tube and hand it inside the tank.



Moreover, MVB only warm up one side of the enclosure right? if so, I can have one side warm, one side cool enough for my tort.it can heat up the whole enclosure? or i need is extra basking light right?

I know basking light doesn't provide too much heat, just normal warm, if I use flurescent tube, i also need a basking light, and a CHE, how do I balance one side warm, one side cool enough for my tort?

If I han the uvb light and CHE inside the ank, what is the proper distance bewteen my tort and light?
I dont want see my tort fried when I came home lol
 

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MVB are great, bought one but only used it for 2 months since it was getting too hot for my sully. I even got a bigger enclosure and tried it in there and it still got way too hot. I have closed chamber enclosures but i still ended up wasting $65 on the bulb and i just went with a basking light and a uvb 10.0 repti sun tube bulb.
 

HtVic

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jesst said:
MVB are great, bought one but only used it for 2 months since it was getting too hot for my sully. I even got a bigger enclosure and tried it in there and it still got way too hot. I have closed chamber enclosures but i still ended up wasting $65 on the bulb and i just went with a basking light and a uvb 10.0 repti sun tube bulb.

what was the temp when you use MVB?is it because you placed it to low?
and so, if you used MVB, which you don't need a CHE
how much UVB you get for your tortoises right now?
 

lynnedit

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For a Russian:
You can use the UV tube light the whole length of your enclosure, if you have hides and perhaps a plant for the tort go under if chosen. You have this light, so use it.
On one side, you will have a heat source (you only want to heat up one side of the enclosure). This can be a regular basking light, because with the UV tube, you don't necessarily need to pay the extra for an MVB (costs more than a plain basking light).
You will only need the CHE too, if your temps are not warm enough. The temps in your enclosure will help you decide if you need anything beyond a heat source (basking light) and the UV tube.
So, you need a cool side of about 70, and a warm side, with basking area around 95.
Keep the lights on 12-14 hours per day.
Temps can go down to 60-65F. Heat is only needed at night if your house drops below this.
 

HtVic

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if I keep the basking light and CHE on on day time, does warm temp or high temp or by using basking light will dry up the whole enclosure?
 

GBtortoises

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There should be no need to have a CHE on during the daytime if using a basking light that is high enough wattage to produce the temperature that you need for the tortoise to bask under. As long as your night time temperatures don't drop below 55ish there is no need for a night time heat source.

Any heat source is going to dry the substrate (as well as the air), there is no real way to avoid that. Daily spraying can help to rehydrate the substrate and increase the ambient air humidity.
 

HtVic

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GBtortoises said:
There should be no need to have a CHE on during the daytime if using a basking light that is high enough wattage to produce the temperature that you need for the tortoise to bask under. As long as your night time temperatures don't drop below 55ish there is no need for a night time heat source.

Any heat source is going to dry the substrate (as well as the air), there is no real way to avoid that. Daily spraying can help to rehydrate the substrate and increase the ambient air humidity.

what else beside daily spraying? the thing is I live in Canada, very dry during the winter time. should I get one of those humidifier?
 

lynnedit

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A humidifier should not be needed for a Russian tort.
just keep the lower levels of the subtrate moist. I just pour in some water from a teapot into the substrate every few days, and hand mix the substrate up.
 

HtVic

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actually mine is greek...:p
did you cover the top or anythin to hold the humi?
 

lynnedit

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Oh, sorry, lost track, lol.
Fortunately, the care needs are fairly similar.
I do not cover my tort table. Nor do I measure humidity, as most gauges don't seem very accurate.
I just make sure the underlayers are good and moist in most areas. If your guy is a hatchling, or very young, you could opt to cover part of the enclosure with plexiglass. Adding a couple of plants in pots like Spider plant or Pothos, houseplants, and misting them can help too.
My torts also have an smaller area of Aspen bedding, which is drier. They actually choose to sleep there, but the have the option of a dry and moister hide to pick. Having the option is the key.
 

GBtortoises

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Generally, ambient humidity levels for most "Greek" tortoises, depending a bit upon geographic origin (Northern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or North African) should be in the 50-70% range. A little higher for babies isn't a bad thing either.
Digital hygrometers are pretty accurate, at least accurate enough for tortoise care. I have several of them throughout the tortoise room and they all read similar. The Springfield model 91551 thermometer/hygrometer is a pretty good one and affordable. Depending upon age (size) of your Greek tortoise, once or twice daily sprayings would be beneficial to help retain some substrate moisture and ambient air humidity.
 

HtVic

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GBtortoises said:
Generally, ambient humidity levels for most "Greek" tortoises, depending a bit upon geographic origin (Northern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or North African) should be in the 50-70% range. A little higher for babies isn't a bad thing either.
Digital hygrometers are pretty accurate, at least accurate enough for tortoise care. I have several of them throughout the tortoise room and they all read similar. The Springfield model 91551 thermometer/hygrometer is a pretty good one and affordable. Depending upon age (size) of your Greek tortoise, once or twice daily sprayings would be beneficial to help retain some substrate moisture and ambient air humidity.

where did you place your hygrometer Probe?
 
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