whats the best light and heat source for my tortoises?

[grogansilver]

I would like to know what is the best Bulb out there that would be Beneficial to my Pancakes and Russian Tortoises? they say this bulb which is the Exo Terra Solar Glo Sun Simulating Lamp is good, But then they say it has a life spam of one month! I would like to know which is the best one to get thats going to put out the heat UVB and UVA that my tortoises need! much appreciated for any Responses.

 

[ascott]

I do not have either species...the only ones that I house indoor (during the winter) are the two RFs....so they do not have the same intense lighting needs as your two species....

I hope someone will pop in and share with you what they think...I did research that bulb you referenced at it appears to hit the target for both of your species...

 

[lynnedit]

The Zoomed Powersun MVB's are great. I have the 100w's and am very pleased.
I have a new 'improved' Trex MVB 100w which works well too, but they are very hard to get.
The ExoTerra Solar Glo does not put out as much UV from my understanding...

 

[wellington]

The MVB is the best. Gives heat and uvb etc. Only need another heat source for night time, CHE is great for that.

 

[GBtortoises]

MVB lamps work well for producing UV and localized basking heat but are not enough to produce adequate light intensity in most enclosures. This is especially true for Russian tortoises indoors. A good combination would be either an MVB bulb along with a flourescent UV or Daylight producing tube or a regular incandescent, flood or spot light along with a 10.0 UV flourescent tube. With a daytime duration of 14-16 hours. For night time temperatures both species can be kept as low as 60 degrees and Russians even much lower. Most people don't keep their homes lower than 62 degrees at night here in the Northeast so there is usually no need for a night time heat source for the species listed as well as many others.

 

[Neltharion]

A friend of mine has a spectroradiometer. He tried a couple of Exo Terra Solar Glo 160W and found that their output was substandard to other bulbs (maybe he just got them out of a bad batch). He tested two of several types of bulbs from 18", from day 1. After 12 hours of daily use, he tested them again 2 months later. I think he's going to measure them again at the six month point, but I know that both Megarays have died already.

Just as a point of reference, slightly cloudly sky in Northern California, October 2011 at 2pm measured 221 (UVB microwatts/cm²).

ZooMed Powersun 160
Day 1 112
2 months 91

ExoTerra Solar Glo 160
Day 1 27
2 months 13

Fluker Sunspot 160
Day 1 94
2 months 81

Megaray 160
Day 1 103
2 months 42 (one bulb died at 33 days of use)

Sunforce MVB 160
Day 1 117
2 months (he hasn't had them long enough to test at 2 months yet)


Interesting that the Sunforce bulb (I had never heard of it before) edged out all of the bulbs. I'll be interested in seeing what the reading is at 2 months and 6 months. The Zoomed was a close second.

The Fluker bulbs came in a little bit lower than the others, but showed the smallest percentage of degradation, the output was still 86% of the measurement at Day 1 after two months (Zoomed was second at 81%). The lone Megaray bulb that survived showed over a 50% degradation in only two months.

The ExoTerra bulbs are simply unexplainable. Maybe they just came out of a bad box, but I've heard complaints from others regarding their bulbs.

Also a DISCLAIMER here, because of the costs of these bulbs, he only tested TWO of each brand. Not a large enough sample size to be considered a scientific study by any means.

And as already stated, if you want something close to authentic outdoor lighting, you will need to supplement your MVB with at least one other lighting source. I use two 24" regular flourescent tubes as supplemental lighting.

 

[Madkins007]

+1 for GBTortoise's reply.

There really is no such thing as a 'perfect' set-up. It will depend on your location, your indoor environment, your budget, space available, technical expertise, species raised, etc.

That said, I personally think that about the most flexible, overall solid options are to:
- Use a long fluorescent tube with relatively low UVB output (the 2.5 or 5 instead of the 10 for most species since they have a more limited ability to avoid it in captivity). It should be most of the length of your habitat. Run for about 6-8 hours a day if practical.
- Use another bulb (either incandescent or a 'true white' fluorescent like daylight, super white, deluxe white, etc.) to provide a better color balance. Run it for about 12 hours for most species, and select a size that illuminates the whole habitat fairly evenly without being overly bright when coupled with the other bulb.
- Use a combination of ceramic heat emitters* and waterproof in-soil heating cables as needed for your local needs to provide the right ambient and basking temps, soil that is not 'clammy' or cool, and improve humidity. (*- in a larger habitat in a cooler location, using something like a space heater or other options may make more sense for the ambient temps.)