Need a lighting recommendation

[Malalol]

I supposed this is my consequence for not researching product reviews beforehand, but I picked up a Flukers 100w Sunspot along with the dome as recommended by the vendor at Repticon last week with my new BW tegu.

I have never dealt with reptiles that required sunlight (only nocturnal animals for me...) because lighting was 'fancy and complicated'... but I'm ready to give it a shot. I plugged it in, worked fine and I accidentally shifted it a bit and it went off. Queue panicking! The instructions said that it had an overheating protection thing, needing 15 minutes to reset so I did that and it went back on again. 6 days later.... I turned it on in the morning but it went out again! This time, its not turning back on... so I guess it burned out. I do not have a receipt because it was at a convention and claims require them... but I hear that they don't do much in terms of customer support.

Very very mad about this, because Im really wary of all MV products now. Is there a better alternative? My next choice is the sunspot, but amazon reviews has people going on about it burning out very quickly too, I suppose the negative experience is making me worry a lot more because I don't have that much money to spend. Ive read the stickied post and it seems like there are only 3 screw ins available...
Can I use a cheaper normal UVA/UVB bulb(heating issues aside)? How do you folks use natural sun? Im thinking I can use some small cage with wire top... if I'm going to be using sunlight, how long of an exposure does the tegu need? I have no lighting backups right now :\

edit: Im thinking too that maybe it could be the power here that affected it, Im not knowledgeable about electricity, how can I make sure that it isn't a factor? I am on campus currently, but at home, we will occasionally get power outages in the summer when a lot of things are being used. Don't know if that matters.

 

[james.w]

I would go with either the PowerSun or Exo Terras Solar Glo I think it is called. They are both MVBs, I have both and am happy with both. If you can get him about an hour of sunlight a day, I heard that is as good as any MVB/UVB light.

 

[Rhetoric]

i use the solar glo on my herps and its worked great

 

[teguboy77]

I use solar glo 160watt mvb and a reptisin 10.0 for my tegus and am very happy with them both.

 

[entropy]

I really like Mega-Ray bulbs, but they are more expensive. My vet recommended them to me a couple of years ago, and I've found that the UV lifetime in these bulbs are excellent (they lasted me 12 months a piece). You can find them at www.reptileUV.com

 

[teguboy77]

Yea i used mega ray bulbs before there good to,the solar glo 160watt i use i get right up the street from my house.The last time i was trying to get a mega ray they were on back order so i bought solar glo mvb.

 

[laurarfl]

There has been a manufacturing issue with the SolarGlo and MegaRay that causes low UVB output. MegaRay is working to resolve their issues, but no word from SolarGlo. The old low output SolarGlo is still on shelves. I use ZooMed Power Suns. They have a replacement warranty if one burns out, but you have to keep the receipt and send in the warranty card. I've had two bulbs replaced, no questions asked. They are well worth the trouble.

I also have basking cages outdoors, but the tegus get skittish when they are totally outside. They also have basking time on my screened in back porch.

 

[hanniebann]

yea, skip megaray, their products are great, but they're having backorder and customer service issues BIGTIME. Go with a powersun, don't settle for a cheap fix, cause that fix might give you 3 months of mediocre UV output.

 

[james.w]

There has been a manufacturing issue with the SolarGlo and MegaRay that causes low UVB output. MegaRay is working to resolve their issues, but no word from SolarGlo. The old low output SolarGlo is still on shelves. I use ZooMed Power Suns. They have a replacement warranty if one burns out, but you have to keep the receipt and send in the warranty card. I've had two bulbs replaced, no questions asked. They are well worth the trouble.

I also have basking cages outdoors, but the tegus get skittish when they are totally outside. They also have basking time on my screened in back porch.

Laura
Is there a link to where the SolarGlo is having problems, I have had mine on my AA Tegu and he is growing like a weed. Just curious about this manufacturing issue?

 

[teguboy77]

Well my lizards do well with SolarGlo mvb,but i do have a reptisun 10.0 in there too.But my beardie has just solarglo with basking bulb and he'll eat me out of house and home lol,i've been useing them for about a year now and seem to have no trouble.Yeah i'd like to see a article to i'm not saying what was said about solarglo having low uvb output was not true i just would like to know.thx

---

Well i did some googling and found this article about solar glo mvb and again this is not my article hope this help alittle

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Re: Exo Terra 160 Watt Solar Glo Bulb


Hi, guys. Yes, I have tested ExoTerra Solar Glo lamps (both the 125W
and the 160W) and I hope to publish the results on the website soon.
It should have happened a long, long time ago.... the lamps were sent
to me from the USA, by Patrick Kubeja and Steve Spitzer, over a year ago.

Although out of three bulbs I was sent, one did arrive broken, the
other two have tested quite well.
I've done all the initial tests on these; the only thing I have not
yet done is any really long-term testing, so I cannot tell, yet, how
fast the UVB from these lamps will decay. I have one lamp (the 125W
version) over one of my bearded dragon vivariums on a long-term test,
but it has only just reached 1,000 hours, (about three months' use at
10 - 12 hours a day) so I cannot say how long it will be before it
needs replacing. Over 1,000 hours, it has decayed about 35%.... this
is quite high, but I've seen much worse with some other brands.... the
output is still quite good. What is important, is to see how it holds
up after 2,000 hours (6 months).....

There are rumours going around - but I definitely cannot say whether
they are true - that the Solar Glo lamps tend to have a very short
life and quite a few of these lamps "die" prematurely. This may be
untrue; my lamp is 3 months old and going strong... but just in case
it is not, keep your receipt of purchase so you can get a refund or
replacement if it fails.

Make sure the fixture which you place the lamp in, is ceramic or
guaranteed heat resistant; well ventilated; and mounted securely so
there is no vibration. Hang the lamp vertically, not at an angle.
Excessive heat, bad electrical connections, vibration, and hanging at
an angle can shorten bulb life.

To give you a brief summary of my test results so far: the UVB output
of the two lamps (125W and 160W) was about the same; they gave a UV
Index of 4.1 and 3.9 respectively, and total UVB of 122µW/cm² and
120µW/cm² respectively, at 12 inches distance, after 105 hours use.
This is quite a good UVB output, for sun-loving basking species such
as bearded dragons. The main difference between the two lamps was that
the higher wattage lamp gave out more visible light (160W: 17,300 lux
vs. 125W: 13,640 lux, at 12ins) and more heat.
An interesting find was that the 160W actually used 144W and the 125W
used 134W.... not much difference!

The spectral analysis showed that the UVB output was in the correct
range of wavelengths for vitamin D3 synthesis with no dangerous low
wavelength light.
I constructed the spread chart a few weeks ago. (I am slowly catching
up with writing all the missing reports...) The width of the beam was
quite good; it made a "footprint" of UVB with a UV Index of 1.0 or
more, in a circle of diameter just under 8 inches.

Tracie's got a good memory. It was a while ago I quoted the 125W lamp
results. Yes, when first tested after just 30mins use, the 125W and
160W both gave exactly 157µW/cm² at 12ins. I don't think I've ever
found two merc. vapor lamps giving identical readings
before...especially not when they were two different wattages! Odd,
that. It suggests the arc tube inside the lamp, and the frosted glass
face, are identical in both wattages and maybe the only difference is
the nature of the tungsten filament used as the internal ballast.

The standard minimum recommended distance - 12 inches / 30cm above the
animal's back - seems about right for the 125W I'm using. It's really
a question of checking there's enough heat in the basking zone, and if
not, combining the lamp with an incandescent lamp for extra heat and
to get more balanced full-spectrum lighting. Or if it's too hot, (in
the case of the 160W) changing down to a 125W or moving the lamp a bit
further away.

All the best
Frances

 

[laurarfl]

This is a conversation regarding the SolarGlo. MegaRay and SolarGlo went to the same new manufacturing process. When Bob saw his MegaRay coming out with a poor product, he pulled them off the shelves. No such response from SolarGlo. I believe this is why there is a backorder of MegaRay. They are a small company that specializes only in lighting and Bob is VERY committed to a quality product. He's probably out there up to his elbows looking for a cheap process that with conform to his standards. Frances is an independent tester who runs the uvguideuk website, a respected site for uv testing.

"Hello Frances,

Is the Solar Glo supposed to have frosting on the outside of the bulb? I just
read your preliminary reports on the NON UVB producing Solar Glo's. What is
their problem? A few months ago I went ahead & ordered the Solar Glo 125 watts
because they were good bulbs. I guess that was last year, but now, they are
not. They are bad whether or not they have frosting on them? Mine are just
frosted bulbs. I guess all they are good for are basking lights huh?
I am extremely annoyed & frustrated with these specs. Thank you for providing
that early data. When will you have the complete run down of it for us?
So basically, the put out zilch? How can they even advertise that they are a
UVB producing bulb anyway after that? Why do they continue to change their
specs every single model?

Thanks.
XXXXX


>
> Oh... wait a minute...
> Dxxxx, you've said: These new ones have no exterior coating they have a heavy
coat on the inside of the bulb.
>
> What's going on here I wonder?
> The ones I was sent from both the USA and UK, only 8 weeks ago, all have the
"outside etch" - a matt, ground-glass exterior. These, I was told, were the new
product!
> Have ExoTerra changed the product AGAIN? In only a couple of months?Oh grief!!
This is ridiculous...
>
> Frances
>
>
>
> ---
> >
> > Hi, guys.
> >
> > Yes, I have just finished testing four ExoTerra Solar Glo lamps. I should
have the results done in the next week or two.
> > There has been a MAJOR change in this product since about November. This was
confirmed to me by a staff member at Rolf C Hagen UK, the parent company. I was
told they have changed from "hand blown glass" to an automated process. So I am
guessing this requires a different glass composition or thickness..
> >
> > I will publish the details as soon as I can, but basically both the 125W and
the 160W now have a very low UVB output indeed. One of the 125W lamps which I
tested, gave me 48uW/cm2 and UVI 1.2 after 30mins, and after 105 hours
burning-in, was only giving me 29uW/cm2 and UVI 0.6.
> >
> > Last year's ExoTerra Solar Glo 125W was a very nice lamp, and the one I
tested the year before that ran for a full year and was still quite good at the
end. I'll put all this in the report.
> >
> > In reply to Bob MacCargar's other comment about the new-style Reptisun 10.0
compacts. Yes I totally agree, the new ones have a good quality, safer spectrum.
> > The Deep Domes do not increase the output of compact lamps nearly as much as
the shallower "parabolic mirror"-shaped domes. The reflection is not nearly as
efficient. I don't have exact figures to hand (I have tested them with this
new-style lamp) but I didn't think they created a hazard.
> >
> > The only problem I find with ALL compacts is that they have a very steep UVB
gradient.... and of course the area covered is very small, just a small zone
immediately around the lamp.
> > I think they can be very good for very small terrariums, especially when
mounted horizontally above mesh, for wall-climbing geckos and suchlike. I use
one for my little Moorish Gecko in her small ExoTerra glass terrarium.
> >
> > Best wishes,
> >
> > Frances

 

[teguboy77]

Well again my reptiles seem to be doing fine,i'm thinking if solar glo was selling bulbs that produced not uvb wouldn't that be false advertising?I wish there was more of a follow up and glad this kind of stuff is pointed out about these bulbs.:dodgy: