What is wrong with UVB Coils?

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Can anyone tell me what is wrong with UVB coils? I currently have an exo terra uvb150 coil bulb for my juvenile beardie and ive had it since october....
i was planning on upgrading the bulb before I heard the unspecified negativity about them- im going to the pacnwrs (reptile show) tomorrow and i'm planning to purchase a 48 inch strip and a t5 ho zoo med uvb 46 inch bulb for him, hang it inside the 4x2x2 tank so he gets the most out of it. I took him to the vet on the 11th and his calcium levels were all good on a blood test so???
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

Some coils are strong enough, the majority are not.

So firstly, there is the strength issue. You want to provide a certain level of UV at the basking site and throughout the tank, and that is very difficult to do with a coil unless you have a very strong coil.

But even if you do have a strong coil, the way the bulb outputs, it "shines" a cone/beam of UV down into the tank which leaves the majority of the tank UV-less. You can imagine how a tube fluorescent instantly would solve that issue.

Not to mention, the tubes are generally much stronger, which makes it much easier to provide the proper amounts of UV.

Blood calcium levels are not a good indicator of whether or not your UVB bulb is sufficient. A better test would be blood vit d3 serum concentrations. Proper UV allows the body to produce Vit D3 which is needed to absorb the Calcium. So technically speaking, a dragon kept under absolutely no UV could still have decent blood concentrations of calcium (either from diet/supplements or bone leaching) but it won't be doing much without proper amounts of D3 in the system too.

-Brandon
 

MiniPancake

Member
Original Poster
Wow, thank you!
I had no idea it got so complex.
I try to research as much as I can for my beardie to be healthy, and as I do so it just makes me wonder why these commercial reptile companies come out with products that will do more harm than good to their animals... odd isn't it?
Thanks :D
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I understand :)

The coils can be effective for other creatures I'm sure that have different UV requirements, but for the most part, the tubes are much better for our specific reptile :)

-Brandon
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
The UVB150 is only a 5% UVB source. Much too weak (even if it's a 26W in a reflector dome or nanohood) for bearded dragons.
Very common mistake is to place the dome with the compact UVB in It on top a mesh lid . Issues this causes are :
> the mesh can block ( shade ) up to 60% of the UVA and UVB with most kit tank lids
> the compact UVB source is too far from the basking spot , the UV intensity falls off with the inverse square law of distance.

I've had very good results in my rearing tubs using horizontally mounted 26W UVB200 compacts in NanoHoods about 10 inches from the basking spots.

Most people mount their compact UVB globes in reflector domes. This results in a very narrow focused beam of UV and the reptile needs to be directly under it to be inside the beam and receive adequate UVA and UVB doses.

Mounting the compact horizontally rather than vertically (in a dome) results in much increased area of high UVA and UVB flux so the reptile can seek out the flux of UVA and or UVB it requires more easily.

My current rearing tubs are 120L tubs , dimensions : W:520mm H:440mm L:750mm , and a 26W UVB200 in a Exo Terra NanoHood mounted under the lid of the tub covers the entire floor. I mount my nanohoods about 100mm from one end , thus having a region of higher UV near one end and quite low UV near the other end.

GOOD QUALITY UVB compacts are fine to use in smaller enclosures.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
MiniPancake":3pqp60qj said:
Wow, thank you!
I had no idea it got so complex.
I try to research as much as I can for my beardie to be healthy, and as I do so it just makes me wonder why these commercial reptile companies come out with products that will do more harm than good to their animals... odd isn't it?
Thanks :D

Comes down to maximum profit and for the sales people ( they do as they are told and are only interested in maximum commissions).
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
How big is the enclosure? Its good your replacing w/ a 48" strip but if its the full length of the tank I would recommend not - you only need 2/3 of the tank - I usually recommend a 24" for most large 4x2x2 tanks you dont want the dragon hiding from the UVB -- he needs to be able to get out of those rays w/ out having to hide from it
Karrie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
KarrieRee":2ubaltrb said:
How big is the enclosure? Its good your replacing w/ a 48" strip but if its the full length of the tank I would recommend not - you only need 2/3 of the tank - I usually recommend a 24" for most large 4x2x2 tanks you dont want the dragon hiding from the UVB -- he needs to be able to get out of those rays w/ out having to hide from it
Karrie

I agree for a 4x2x2 tank , a 24W T5ho 12%UVB in a reflector hood mounted under the lid is very good.

You will ordinarily have one end of the tube overtop the basking spot and right next to the basking globe .
 
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