ZooMed Powersun H.I.D.

CooperDragon · Mar 2, 2017

I was poking around on Zoo Med's site and saw a new metal halide that looks interesting. Has anyone worked with or tested the PowerSun H.I.D.?
https://tinyurl.com/hwgme8a

I wonder how wide the effective beam is with these. Might pick one up for Darwin and test it out. If it can provide appropriate heat at the appropriate height for UVB output and provide a wide enough basking area it might be an excellent all in one option.

Bonus - a decent basic video about Ferguson Zones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhzx2hKJ7To

Taterbug · Mar 3, 2017

Fran Baines mentioned she's been testing them, not sure if she's had time to put a report together. She mentioned they probably aren't suitable to inside/suspended in the enclosure situations so I haven't looked much more at them.

I am in the process of testing these.
The visible light is excellent. The UVB is good but not high intensity; used through a mesh screen, the UVI falls away quite steeply with distance. I am concerned about the rate of decay I'm seeing in the early stages of testing, but I'll know more in a few weeks' time.
The ballast fixture is big and heavy, but it is vastly more convenient than the ones with a separate fixture and ballast box that you have to wire together.
Once you've got the ballast fixture, replacement lamps to go inside are quite cheap compared to, for example, mercury vapour bulbs...

CooperDragon · Mar 3, 2017

Ok. I'll keep an eye out for what she has to say. Fast decay would be a big problem as it is with some of the MVBs.

Taterbug · Mar 3, 2017

I think a well rounded all in one solution is still not here yet. However MH even with higher UVB decay still put off good UVA and great color spectrum. Even if you need supplement to UVB it might make a good basking lamp.

CooperDragon · Mar 3, 2017

Yeah that's why I'm so anxious to find a good metal halide solution. I think they are probably the future (or something similar that gives off such a broad spectrum). I still think the best option is the combination basking light and T5 tube that we've been suggesting. I'm eager to get my hands on some more test data to learn more and try to keep to the cutting edge as much as possible. Is there active chatter over on Yahoo? I haven't been there in a while.
As far as using it as a basking light, I'd want to know more about the beam width and temperature output along with UVB output over time. For visible light I wonder how it would compare to using a dual T5 like this http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/24...arcadia-12-and-6-5k-day-light-bulbs-included/

Taterbug · Mar 3, 2017

I haven't checks yahoo in a while but a couple FB groups are active. (Reptile lighting is good) I think maybe more so than yahoo anymore.

I can't recal if it was that one or another but the bit limit of MH lamps so far has been narrow beam pattern. Great for small species not so much for bigger ones.

As far as quality MH lamps the spectral curve is more sunlike - even daylight Fluorescents are very "spikey" and less likely to be white than a MH. I'll try to remember to dig up some spectral graphs tonight.

CooperDragon · Mar 3, 2017

I think it was the Exo Terra Sunray with the super narrow beam. I remember seeing some chatter about MegaRay working on a wider beam but haven't heard anything recently. That's what made me want to pick up one of these ZooMeds and measure the effective width of the basking zone. I remember seeing the graphs for the MHs a while back which is why I'm so eager to find one that fits the bill. So much closer to sunlight than what I've seen before.

Taterbug · Mar 4, 2017

I found the thread I was thinking - from back in September. Unfortunately I think Fran has been too busy to post the results still. It might be worth a try. For me it would mean cutting a hole in the roof of my cage and in not ready to commit to that just yet.

I just finished testing a couple of these. The beam is not quite like it is shown in the illustration, it's longer, but not a great deal wider than as shown. However, it is actually quite a bit wider than the other metal halide lamps on the market, and gentler too... better for small vivaria I reckon. The down side is the size of the ballast fixture - a very good idea to have it all-in-one, but it does mean it has to be hung over a vivarium, rather than inside the roof, unless you have a very tall vivarium..

The light, UVB and heat would work well if you can hang it outside of your viv, so the lamp face is about 12 - 14 inches above his head, but shining through either an open gap, or very wide mesh, because fine mesh lids may block too much of the UVB. Unfortunately the manufacturers advise that it should not be hung inside a viv, eg. a viv with a solid roof, (possibly because it needs really good air circulation around it, to avoid overheating the ballast|) and in fact you'd need a really very tall viv if you were even considering it, because the dome with ballast on top is big, about 12" tall. So if your beardie needs to be 14" below it, and he is 4" tall and perched on a basking rock that's 6 inches tall, you're talking about a 3ft high viv.... not very practical.

CooperDragon · Mar 4, 2017

Since she's testing it I'll wait for her results as those are much more thorough than what I can test. Seems like it would be well suited for the way I have my setup with the fixtures hanging well above the tank to compensate for the low height.

ZooMed Powersun H.I.D.

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