Which flourescent bulb ??????

[Hoseman441]

I bought 3 mvb bulbs . I'm not impressed with there quality . I had one last a week one last 3 days and the other last 4 hours . What I'm trying too say is that can I just use a curly bulb or a long flourescent bulb ??

 

[wellington]

Never curly/coil causes eye problems.

 

[coreyc]

I bought 3 mvb bulbs . I'm not impressed with there quality . I had one last a week one last 3 days and the other last 4 hours . What I'm trying too say is that can I just use a curly bulb or a long flourescent bulb ??

What kind of MVB'S did you have ? I use a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Bulb for additional light along with a MVB because my torts are in side for the winter I would not use one alone unless your tort's are getting outside for some sun shine

 

[wosman]

I bought 3 mvb bulbs . I'm not impressed with there quality . I had one last a week one last 3 days and the other last 4 hours . What I'm trying too say is that can I just use a curly bulb or a long flourescent bulb ??

What kind of MVB'S did you have ? I use a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Bulb for additional light along with a MVB because my torts are in side for the winter I would not use one alone unless your tort's are getting outside for some sun shine

I've been reading a bit about the repti-glo 10.0 and apparently they cause eye damage due to UVC light. Even on the packaging it shows that the light includes wavelength all the to 200 nm, which means there is UVC being emitted.

 

[lisa127]

I don't use MVB's for that reason as well. When I tried it they burned out, and they are way too expensive to fool with that. I use a 5.0 UVB flourescent tube light. I only use 5.0 because I have box turtles, though.

 

[wellington]

I have two zoo med power sun MVB, about 8 or 9 months old now and no problem. Make sure you have the correct socket, ceramic and that the socket can hold the wattage of the bulb. Also, they say not to move them a lot, it shortens their life. The only time I have had a problem with burning out right away, was when I put it in a reptile hood. The hood was new and should have housed the bulb, but they burned out within a week and happened twice. I stopped putting them in the hood and haven't had a problem since.

 

[jaizei]

What I'm trying too say is that can I just use a curly bulb or a long flourescent bulb ??

Of course you can, but whether you should is a matter of opinion. I've used just about every type of uvb bulb at one time or another and they all have benefits, drawbacks and risks. I don't mess with them at all nowadays and have 'settled' on using the sun solely. I wouldn't rely on any lamp without using a meter to check its output.

 

[Floof]

If you choose to switch to a fluorescent bulb, then do NOT go with any of the compacts--use the long tube style only. There are several of these that aren't good even in the tube style, though, so make sure you research brands.

ReptiSun 10.0 is a good bulb, and I keep hearing that Arcadia is a very good one and now available in the US (previously only available in the UK).

As was already suggested, make sure you have your bulb mounted correctly. MVBs need to be mounted so that they point straight down at the floor of the habitat, not at any angle. They need to be in a fixture with a *ceramic* base, not a plastic base. And, like any other bulb, make sure the fixture can handle the bulb's wattage. It won't do you any good to put a 100 watt bulb in a fixture that can only handle 60 or 75 watts.

 

[Len B]

I have to admit I am the a lighting dummy,Since most of what I keep are forest dwellers I am not real concerned with a lot of special lighting.For the ones that require special lighting I have started using several bulbs at one time,it may be over kill but it seems to be working, a little late for a couple of them, for my new star tortoise I have a repti glo 10, and a interpet triton,(made in England) which is 30% uva 5% uvb, At night I have a fluorescent black light that is turned on after he has settled in for the night,the black light must do some good for the plants because when it is on, the clover don't close up, if it is turned off the leaves fold up and will open back up when the lights are turned back on. I picked up some zilla 12 watt, 20 inch, T5 desert series 50 uvb bulbs a while ago, at $4 apiece I had to buy all they had, I haven't used them yet.