Will a Powersun MVB be good enough

[Cory]

Well, I think I have the enclosure about set up I think, I have a deep dome Light, and a Powersun MVB 100w. Cypress mulch for substrate, terracotta pot plant bottoms for feeding and one turned upside down under the light for basking, and I built a "burrow" out of light defuser (I have reef tanks so I have a ton of this stuff) and its covered in mulch and have my plants above the burrow. The enclosure is a 55 gallon aquarium and when i get my tort it will be housed here until we get our house. Anyways I'm getting off subject, as far as lighting goes will a 100w powersun MVB be sufficient enough to provide humidity in his/her burrow or should I get a heating pad and put it underneath the burrow?

 

[Tom]

Cory, only your thermometer can answer that question. Every house and enclosure is different. Most people need a colored bulb or CHE for night heat.

 

[GBtortoises]

What species of tortoise? How big will the tortoise be when you get it? What is the average day and night temperatures in the room that the tortoise enclosure will be in?

 

[Cory]

Sulcata, a baby, I haven't been running the MVB but the lowest temp at night is right at 73 F. Sorry for the Noob questions I am completely new to torts and really just don't want to mess up.

 

[jbean7916]

I use a UTH on the SIDE of the cool end for my sully since my room gets a little cooler than I 'd like at night

 

[SulcataSquirt]

For a baby sulcata I like too see temps closer to 80 until they are a little more established. 8 hours of cold air and humidity can get them sick in a heartbeat. a CHE is a very good investment. I recommend a pearlco or zoomed brand.

 

[Tom]

I agree with Crystal. 73 would be fine if things are all dry, but all dry is no bueno for babies.

 

[Tony the tank]

Well I have done quite a bit of research lately.. And was trying to decide which UVB light to use in my enclosure... My first choice was Mega ray my second choice was T-Rex...

Mega ray and T Rex seem to produce the highest amount of usable UVB and UVA...

Mega rays 100watt UVB bulbs give useful UVB at 18"..

I ordered 4 of the 250 watt zoo bulbs...The minimum distance is 40" the Max distance to still have useful UVB is 8ft..No other bulb can do that..

I contacted Zoomed about there power sun UVB they told me Max is 14"..preferred 10"-12"..

 

[Cory]

Alright thanks for the info, so if I get a CHE do i just run it during the night to maintain temp?

 

[81SHOVELHEAD]

Hello Cory
The 100 wt powersun will be fine in a 55 gallon enclosure .
I had my 2 redfoots in a 40 gallon breeder tank with screen top & had issues keeping the humidity up .
You may have to cover half the top with aluminum foil or plexi glass to maintain the require humidity levels ,
A 55 is a pretty large tank so i agree with previous post you will probably need a heat emmitter to maintain ambiant temp of 80f or so
in a tank this large.
Just make sure you use a ceramic socket tor the heat emmitter.
You could try www.petmountain.com for supplies .
They have really good prices &shipping is free in most cases .
Good luck
Mike D.

 

[lynnedit]

See the above, and you will need the CHE at least at night to keep temps about 80. You MAY need it in the day, but the powersun MVB may be enough.
Do you have a good thermometer to check temps? Accuracy is extremely important so you know you have it right.
The round ones from pets stores are fairly useless, but a PE 1 Infared temp gun (point and take temp) or a digital thermometer with a wire probe (put tip of wire where you want to check the temp) are both worthwhile. The temp gun should be around $25 on line, we can provide links if you need them.

 

[Redstrike]

Alright thanks for the info, so if I get a CHE do i just run it during the night to maintain temp?

I have my CHE hooked up to a Zoo Med thermostat (~$26 and worth every penny!) there are some very nice thermostats that allow you to set the temp (http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat) but will run you at least double the price of the Zoo Med 500R. I set the thermostat on "low" and keeps it between 75-78 on the cool end of my Redfoot enclosure. If you just run a 100-W CHE constantly, I suspect things would get quite steamy in your 55 gallon tank...could be wrong though!

This was the best site I found for making a CHE housing unit if you don't want to put it on a clamp fixture on top of the tank:
http://www.redfoots.com/emitter/color.htm

 

[lynnedit]

Alright thanks for the info, so if I get a CHE do i just run it during the night to maintain temp?

I have my CHE hooked up to a Zoo Med thermostat (~$26 and worth every penny!) there are some very nice thermostats that allow you to set the temp (http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat) but will run you at least double the price of the Zoo Med 500R. I set the thermostat on "low" and keeps it between 75-78 on the cool end of my Redfoot enclosure. If you just run a 100-W CHE constantly, I suspect things would get quite steamy in your 55 gallon tank...could be wrong though!

This was the best site I found for making a CHE housing unit if you don't want to put it on a clamp fixture on top of the tank:
http://www.redfoots.com/emitter/color.htm

The thermostat mentioned above is great advice, that way your CHE will only come on if it drops below 80 in the sleeping side, day or night.
The Powersun MVB, on the basking side, cannot be on a thermostat (causing it to go on and off repeatedly), because it has a ballast, so it will stay on continuously for 12-14 hours per day. It really helps to have the MVB on a timer, however. Mine comes on about 6a and off about 7p. That can vary based on your torts patterns/preferences.

 

[Tony the tank]

I would check the distance...to confirm the effectiveness of the UVB bulb..A 55 gallon tank has some pretty tall sides....If you go past there recommended distance..Which is 12-14" you would be wasting your money purchasing a UVB bulb..

Give zoomed a call..They were very helpful..

 

[chase thorn]

i love the mvb powersun, i only use the powersun!

 

[Cory]

I have a deep dome fixture on a stand so i can move it up and down, so that's not an issue. I put on one of the aquarium tops (the glass covers) and the humidity is at 65 with only the plant lights going so thats and improvement, And as far as the CHE I'm not to sure I have enough room for another fixture in the tank unless I removed the top and then it will be an issue with humidity, so my question now is should or could i go with an under tank heater for the cool side and just put it on a thermostat or is that a bad idea. Thanks in advance all your advice is great and much appreciated.

 

[lynnedit]

Start with the UVB as your light source. Heat mats have sort of a bad name because they have been a problem in the past, but the newer versions are a better product.
And I think some experienced keepers use them with wood enclosures. They may get too hot under glass, but of course, you will have substrate down too, and the tort can move on and off of it. The other option is to attach the mat to the side of the aquarium. You may have to move it around, based on temps.
That is the most important thing you can do, is monitor temps with a good thermometer, and move things around to get the temps right.
If the heat mat does not work, or more experienced keepers advise against it, you have to come up with plan 'B'.

 

[Tnewton]

MVB bulbs suck. Id go with the CHE and a reptisun uvb tube. Undertank heaters work just fine, you could also get under substrate heaters. Just keep an eye in temps if you go with a undertank heater

 

[Tony the tank]

The under tank heaters..really don't heat the enclosure much especially if you use a thick bed of substrate..

If you are using a 55 gallon tank...you would need a strong CHE...to reach the substrate.. A option you have is to get a small 60 watt emitter and actualy place it in the tank somewhere the animal cannot come in contact with it.. Use a bulb cage.. Then cover the tank with a screen partly wrapped in plastic wrap..or anything that will hold in the heat and humidity.. Parialy so you can keep air flow..and if you use a screen get the one with the big holes... The tightly woven screens will hinder the UVB bulb considerably..[/b]

 

[HipsterTorts]

I really like my powersun, it's worked well so far.
I only put a heat pad under my torts humid hide and only turn it on at night.