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i am going to be using 48" zoo med (i believe) flourescent lights either 1 10.0 or 2 5.0. which is the better way to go the 1 or 2 and how far away should they be from him for him to get the proper amount of UVB?
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UVB ??
- Thread starter james.w
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TheTeguGurl
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A ubv/uva mercury bulb is the best way to go! in my thoughts
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I've got 1 tube, 10.0 on one end of the tank (with a fluorescent) and one uvb/a bulb on the warm part of the tank. To get the full effect of uvb I believe they need to be within 12 inches of the tube style bulbs. I'm not 100% sure but I think the uvb/a combo bulbs are up to 18. again not sure always double check. My lights are working great for me and my gu.
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it differs from brand to brand i belive the zoo med has to be 12" and unobstructed to have full effects, in other words a screen filters a bit of it out. For hatchlings a MVB can be a bit high powered but for a full grown tegu it deffintly helps. Read the box the bulb comes in to make sure you know how far to hang it.
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I've heard that the ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 is THE way to go (as far as tube UVB is concerned), as the 5.0 is simply too weak. I've also been told that it should be within 6" to 8"of your reptile. We use ZooMed Powersun for all of our UVB-needing reptiles though. The box will tell you just how far they should be from your pet; if memory serves me, the 100 watt should be about 12" away, and the 160 watt should be about 18" away.
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The guys who work at the pet store I go to (and they actually have Zoo Med Repti Sun UVB/Heat lamps for sale) said NOT to buy them. He showed me some geckos they had one on and it burned them. He said they are overpriced and just not good bulbs. I got a Solar Glo.
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Are you referring to the ZooMed "Reptisun" or the ZooMed "Powersun"? The Reptisun is the tube UVB only, and the Powersun is the combo UVB/heat MVB.
If you're talking about the Powersuns, well then of COURSE it's going to burn them if they can get too close to the light. Which is why the 100 watt should be at 12", and the 160 watt should be farther. I think some people forget the UVB isn't just light, it's RADIATION. Not only that, but some geckos are more tropical than others, and a Powersun would be an ill-advised choice for them to begin with.
Just saying.
If you're talking about the Powersuns, well then of COURSE it's going to burn them if they can get too close to the light. Which is why the 100 watt should be at 12", and the 160 watt should be farther. I think some people forget the UVB isn't just light, it's RADIATION. Not only that, but some geckos are more tropical than others, and a Powersun would be an ill-advised choice for them to begin with.
Just saying.
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I guess it was the Powersun then. It was the combination heat and UVB. I was just trying to save someone from a burnt lizard or poor quality bulb 
Either way they sold it in their store and didnt reccomend it saying it was overpriced and not much good.
Either way they sold it in their store and didnt reccomend it saying it was overpriced and not much good.
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I use flourescent (tube style) UVB bulbs for all of my UVB needs...
In my Tegu's enclosure the 10.0 flourescent UVB bulb is mounted 12" above the substrate. This means my Tegu's skin is less than 6" at the closest, 12" at the furthest, when he is beneath the bulb.
My heat lamps and my UVB lamps ovelap, but the tegu can also bask in either (heat or UVB) without the other. So he can bask in UVB only, heat only, or UVB & heat...
UVB erodes as it passes through air. Thus the closer to the bulb, the stronger the UVB (radiation). The UVB from a 10.0 bulb will go further from the bulb than the UVB from a 5.0 bulb. For this reason I believe a single 10.0 bulb will be better for you than two 5.0 bulbs.
Knowing the type of bulb used and the type of gecko burned has a lot to do with the conclusion of that story. If the geckos are nocturnal, not requiring UVB, then any UVB is 'too much' and can have ill effects. We also have to ask how close the gecks were to the bulb. If the geckos are arboreal and climb onto or right next to the bulb, then it makes sense they could get too much UVB. Also, as questioned above, were they burned from too much UVB or too much heat.
ZooMed bulbs have a strong reputation and I've had nothing but great experiences using them. But of course it is our responibility to choose the right bulb for our application, as well as to mount the bulb properly.
In my Tegu's enclosure the 10.0 flourescent UVB bulb is mounted 12" above the substrate. This means my Tegu's skin is less than 6" at the closest, 12" at the furthest, when he is beneath the bulb.
My heat lamps and my UVB lamps ovelap, but the tegu can also bask in either (heat or UVB) without the other. So he can bask in UVB only, heat only, or UVB & heat...
UVB erodes as it passes through air. Thus the closer to the bulb, the stronger the UVB (radiation). The UVB from a 10.0 bulb will go further from the bulb than the UVB from a 5.0 bulb. For this reason I believe a single 10.0 bulb will be better for you than two 5.0 bulbs.
Knowing the type of bulb used and the type of gecko burned has a lot to do with the conclusion of that story. If the geckos are nocturnal, not requiring UVB, then any UVB is 'too much' and can have ill effects. We also have to ask how close the gecks were to the bulb. If the geckos are arboreal and climb onto or right next to the bulb, then it makes sense they could get too much UVB. Also, as questioned above, were they burned from too much UVB or too much heat.
ZooMed bulbs have a strong reputation and I've had nothing but great experiences using them. But of course it is our responibility to choose the right bulb for our application, as well as to mount the bulb properly.
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Drearydragon said:I guess it was the Powersun then. It was the combination heat and UVB. I was just trying to save someone from a burnt lizard or poor quality bulb
Either way they sold it in their store and didnt reccomend it saying it was overpriced and not much good.
No probs, it's always a good idea to look out for others.
But I *sounds* like the burns on the gecko most likely resulted from inappropriate application of the Powersun MVB.ZooMed has a darn solid reputation, and puts out quality products. I've had nothing but awesome experiences with their Powersuns, as well as many other people... but I WILL agree that they're ridiculously over-priced when bought from a pet store... which is why I buy them here:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-mercury-vapor/11442-107801/zoo-med-powersun-uv.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.petmountain.com/product/rept ... un-uv.html</a><!-- m -->
I'm thrifty like that.
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How does the Power Sun compare to Exo Terra Solar Glo? I have a 100W one in the enclosure now with 2 Repti Sun 5.0s. they are pretty much just for lighting for now since they are too far away to do any good. ( i need to work on getting them closer).
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Well, *I've* heard that the ZooMeds are better, but it probably all comes down to personal preference.
