# Best UVB Lighting



## SuperSkylar (Jun 4, 2012)

Hey guys, I am in need of the best UVB bulbs. Any suggestions?
I am stuck between mercury vapor and florescent tubes.
Does anyone know of the most powerful UVB tubes? How deep is the penetration? Are reptile or tanning bulbs better?
As for MV bulbs (which seem better), Which do you guys prefer/think is the most powerful/best. I know ZOO MegaRay UVB flood lights are right up there, but have heard they are having problems, and low stock. I have also heard Westron makes THE most powerful UVB bulbs, but can't get in contact with them.
Any help?? Thanks guys!


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## dragonmetalhead (Jun 4, 2012)

Get Zoo Med Powersun. It provides heat and UV all in one.


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## Bntegus (Jun 4, 2012)

i like tubes better because tegus dont bask as much as they hide or walk around looking for food lol if you use the heat ones they only get uv when they bask witch is all they get in the wild but there not in the wild so why not have both just my 2-cents.


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## SuperSkylar (Jun 4, 2012)

dragonmetalhead said:


> Get Zoo Med Powersun. It provides heat and UV all in one.



The 100w only produces 50µW/cm2 UVB?? That doesn't seem too good.. http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=74
The enclosure will be very large, around 4'x8'x4', thats why I need the strongest ones.


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## Ujarak (Jun 4, 2012)

Im my enclosures i go with a dual 48in reptiglo 10.0 t8 lights. Never had a problem with any of my gu's


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## SuperSkylar (Jun 5, 2012)

Anyone ever use Westron UVB bulbs or Arcadia 12% UVB T5HO's?


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## chelvis (Jun 5, 2012)

Westron is Canadian and Arcadia is a European brand, so its hard to tell because I have never used them. What most zoos do in their large vivarium is put the UV bulbs lower in the cage so that UV can penetrate low enough and too the animal. You really do not need a lot of UVB to make a healthy tegu, most bulbs do not even put out any UVB which is why there are special bulbs. DO NOT use human grade tanning bulbs or any bulbs not rated for reptiles, they can do serious eye and skin damage to reptiles. Its best to get a zoo bulb grade for the cage that tall. Is there a reason for such a tall cage? I only ask becuase most tegus will not use the vertical space.


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## got10 (Jun 5, 2012)

The best lights i have used has been the ones that is sold by Westron lighting


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## SuperSkylar (Jun 5, 2012)

chelvis said:


> Westron is Canadian and Arcadia is a European brand, so its hard to tell because I have never used them. What most zoos do in their large vivarium is put the UV bulbs lower in the cage so that UV can penetrate low enough and too the animal. You really do not need a lot of UVB to make a healthy tegu, most bulbs do not even put out any UVB which is why there are special bulbs. DO NOT use human grade tanning bulbs or any bulbs not rated for reptiles, they can do serious eye and skin damage to reptiles. Its best to get a zoo bulb grade for the cage that tall. Is there a reason for such a tall cage? I only ask becuase most tegus will not use the vertical space.


Well the ply sheets are 4'x8'. So thats why. Alright, so the tanning lights are out then.


got10 said:


> The best lights i have used has been the ones that is sold by Westron lighting


Which lights did you get? How much UVB does yours produce? Thanks!


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## Johnnydr (Jun 5, 2012)

Tube floro's all the way....MV's have been know to damage beardies eyes and such.....I know they bask more, but I don't wanna take a chance...

and if they are mounted 4' above the animal, they aren't going to be very effective.


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## SuperSkylar (Jun 5, 2012)

Johnnydr said:


> Tube floro's all the way....MV's have been know to damage beardies eyes and such.....I know they bask more, but I don't wanna take a chance...
> 
> *and if they are mounted 4' above the animal, they aren't going to be very effective.*



Oh yea I know. I was just asking about the strongest UVB lights. I understand that the UVB dissipates VERY fast.


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## Johnnydr (Jun 5, 2012)

I think any tube manufactured for reptiles should be fine....

I use reptisun bulbs...but these UVB bulbs aren't a super new technology. Any of them manufactured for reptiles should be good and do what they say. Just go with a 10.0 if ur worried.

The newer things like halogen and compacts are newer and causing some issues...


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## laurarfl (Jun 6, 2012)

http://www.reptileuv.com/

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

These links are the best out there for lighting information. All bulbs are not created equal and having a reptile label does guarantee a safe bulb, unfortunately. The top link is to MegaRay bulbs, so it is a product page. It still has good articles. The bottom link is a unbiased testing group run by a veterinarian. They have no horse in the race, so to speak, so all the info is just FYI and not steering you toward a product purchase.


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## chelvis (Jun 6, 2012)

Keep in mind the tube lighting has to be mounted so that its only 12-14" from the back of the animal, while the MVB have to be at min 14" or grater (depending on brand) from the animal, most beardie cages are only 2 feet tall and with branches and sand they often are too close to the light source to safely use MVB. If you plan to mount the lights to the top of the cage you are going to need to get some heavy duty bulbs, I would mount the lights lower in the cage.


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## teguboy77 (Jun 6, 2012)

laurarfl said:


> http://www.reptileuv.com/
> 
> http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
> 
> These links are the best out there for lighting information. All bulbs are not created equal and having a reptile label does guarantee a safe bulb, unfortunately. The top link is to MegaRay bulbs, so it is a product page. It still has good articles. The bottom link is a unbiased testing group run by a veterinarian. They have no horse in the race, so to speak, so all the info is just FYI and not steering you toward a product purchase.



AGREE 100%,thats all i use is megaray,i have reptisun 10.0 fluorescent lamp as a backup,if not megaray i would use powersun or reptisun 10.0 fluorescent lamp.


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## laurarfl (Jun 7, 2012)

I even keep my tube fluoro's 8-10" from basking because of the low output. Your mileage may vary 

I have not used MegaRay, but they are considered the gold standard of reptile UVB lighting. All of the manufacturers have had problems....All of them. Some have chosen to recall, some have remained silent. The reason you hear about MegaRay is because Bob keeps his business small and keeps his hands in it. He went public with his problems in order to educate people. The issue was the glass manufacturer and SolarGlo bulbs were having an issue at the same time. Bob recalled his bulbs and started over. ZooMed went through it years ago with PowerSuns, now those kinks are ironed out. Zilla had a horrible time with their slimline desert bulbs. They did a "voluntary recall" or whatever, and left it up to pet stores to deal with it. I contacted the Zilla guy myself for a friend whose BD's were severely affected. Chams were dying, etc. He never paid any compensation for anyone's vet bills, put out a mass product warning and recalled bulbs, nada. Now I choose to do business with companies that will support their products, offer warranty, something that shows they are somewhat interested.


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## chelvis (Jun 7, 2012)

I have to admit that when I used Megaray I loved it. I got my first UV MVB from them for Bosco many years ago. I was really impressed with how much his colors brightened up and wow the change in activity was amazing. I had used tube florecents but I had florecent for myself (the buzz at the office drives me nuts and yes I can hear it even when the bulb is in right and the bulb is new its still there I tell ya! lol). I have switch to MVB and loved them, I do not used them for heat, they give off great UV but heat, unless in a small cage, needs to come from another source.


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## darkerhalf1324 (Jun 8, 2012)

don't know if this is a stupid question, but can you overdo it on uv. Like if I use a power sun and tube? Or is that good coverage
Thanks So Much


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## SuperSkylar (Jun 8, 2012)

darkerhalf1324 said:


> don't know if this is a stupid question, but can you overdo it on uv. Like if I use a power sun and tube? Or is that good coverage
> Thanks So Much



Yes. I would say ANYTHING over 500 is probably bad for the animal. 500 being RIDICULOUSLY high. You would probably fry them with it, maybe.


Anyone know how much UVB 48" t5ho 10.0's put out??? Is there a distance chart? 0", 2", 4", 6", 8", 10", 12", and so on???


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