Arcadia 14% - First Impressions

[Taterbug]

This will be my first Arcadia lamp and since it was after lights out I don't have much to say tonight but I'm pretty excited so I'll give some initial impression.

Light Your Reptiles has their game on when it comes to packing. The lamp was wrapped up solid and safe. Very pleased with the shipping speed and packaging. The cost is significantly higher than the Reptisun 10.0 (about double what I pay for a 10.0 T5HO with Amazon prime) but if Pepper seems to prefer it and it lasts as long as the reptisun did then I'll just have to live with that.



This lamp is STRONG. They have a extra label around it when you open it, as well as warning labels on the packaging itself. They are not fooling around, this is a strong lamp. I am pretty happy with the coverage in my 4x2x4 enclosure and had to move the fixture over a bit to keep the UVI below 6* at the hot basking platform, which is about 12 or 14" from the lamp (would have to remeasure). I took a few quick readings and will take some more when I'm not keeping Pepper up late (man I got some serious stink eye for this). I'll be leaving up the time lapse camera to see how Pepper responds to the light tomorrow.

This is a great lamp for large enclosures and really opens up the potential when it comes to large, tall setups. I would not use this lamp in a 40G Breeder or a short enclosure like a 4x2x2. Part of this is that personally prefer using reflectors to since it helps cut down on glare looking at the cage. For a 40G breeder it would be difficult to provide a good gradient for an adult dragon. For a 2' tall enclosure this lamp will gobble up vertical space, which is not so good for lizards that like to climb.

*UVI of 6 is considered the maximum safe exposure level for captive bearded dragons. This level of UVI should only be offered along with plenty of refuge from the exposure and a gradient down to 0.

 

[CooperDragon]

Wow, that's a beast! Thanks for posting some numbers from it. I haven't read much about that one yet. I agree with the packaging from LYR and I think you'll really like the Arcadia. Mine has been going strong for nearly 2 years now.

 

[Taterbug]

The reptisuns were pretty long lived too, but not quite the reach this baby has. I'll update the numbers in a couple weeks after it's burned in a bit.

 

[twixy79]

Glad you reviewed this. I was looking into getting this, or the ReptiSun and I was pretty torn. We are setting up a 55 gal for our 2 mo. old beardie, so hopefully, by the time he is big enough to use it, we will be finished with it.
Please keep us updated on this.....

 

[Rankins]

I wonder if they have done studies on what the "safe" level of UV is for bearded dragons. Sometimes I worry about too much UV even though I use a mercury vapor bulb and a T8.
I wear UV protection sunglasses in the summer because I want to preserve my vision.

 

[Taterbug]

I wonder if they have done studies on what the "safe" level of UV is for bearded dragons. Sometimes I worry about too much UV even though I use a mercury vapor bulb and a T8.
I wear UV protection sunglasses in the summer because I want to preserve my vision.

Fran Baines and her colleagues have recently published a paper regarding UV provision for a wide range of captive reptiles. The recommendations are based on habitat and behavioral observation among other factors.

To much UV is totally a possibility especially as lamps get more effective. High output lighting needs to be used with consideration for appropriate thermal and photogradients so the animals can self regulate.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/BIAZA-RAWG-UV-Tool.htm

 

[Rankins]

Thanks for the link tater!
I'll read through it later when I have time. I wanna figure out if they measured the UV total from combined mercury vapor bulbs and florescent lighting. They would have had to test every brand combination there are. That's a huge list of combinations.

 

[Taterbug]

Thanks for the link tater!
I'll read through it later when I have time. I wanna figure out if they measured the UV total from combined mercury vapor bulbs and florescent lighting. They would have had to test every brand combination there are. That's a huge list of combinations.

Assuming the lamps are quality brands it would simply be a matter of measuring the UVI of the individual setup. Solarmeters are (for scientific equipment) relatively affordable. They do have test results available for some of the major brands though.

Also! my apologies. I didn't like the publication itself, but the UV Tool that was part of the project. The paper is here:
http://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150/89

 

[Rankins]

Thanks again!!
If brand new bulbs are tested the UV output has "fall off" over time. So output would vary depending on age of the bulbs. But I'm getting ready to order a 275 watt Mega-Ray, the owner of the company got ahold of me today to let me know the lights are available now. They are a fairly new wattage and my 160 watt isn't keeping my basking area temp high enough.

 

[CooperDragon]

275w whoa! That's a beast. I'd like to know the UV output of that one. I use the 100w and it does well at 10-12'' away in terms of UVI. Beams are a little more narrow than I'd like though.

 

[Rankins]

Yep, its a huge wattage. The reason I need one that size is because I dont heat my house in the winter. I spend a fortune on electricity keeping reptiles as is, so don't want to increase the bill much more than it already is.
I haven't see UV output rating of the 275 watt...trying to determined if I even need the T8's or T10's with it.

 

[CooperDragon]

That probably comes down to if you want to build secondary basking areas or let the gradient from the main bulb handle everything. Have either of you heard from Bob about the progress with his wider beam metal halide bulb? I haven't asked him about it since last winter.

 

[Rankins]

Haven't discussed the MH lights with him. But if they are like a MH grow light I would think it would be too much UV. It would be an interesting study to compair MH or sodium with a mercury vapor bulb.

 

[Rankins]

Forgot to address the basking site. I only want to use one bulb. It more cost effective and I use heat tape on the cool end of the enclosure. Its a bit less money than running a second light.

 

[CooperDragon]

Exo Terra makes one that seems decent called Sunray. The beams are quite narrow though which is a huge downside (in my mind anyway) for use with a larger animal like a bearded dragon. I like the idea of a wide spread of UV which may make things more visually appealing to them in their enclosure but the distances needed from the basking area (in terms of UVB output) would likely require using a secondary heat source which complicates things too.