Exo terra mvb and it's life span

[marleysmom20]

Hi all,

So I have an exo terra mvb.. I believe their 125w model... Or which ever the lowest amount is.

I haven used it in about 10 months, it was used for two months prior then stored as I had no lizard

I brought home Phoenix on Thursday, and he's a lil guy.. Always sleeping.. Will wake up for a bit then go back to sleep. Today he won't eat his crickets.

Could the mvb be too old? I think from here if it is, ill go back to strip light UVB and dedicated basking light.
He's probably stressed out but, I'm trying to figure out why he always is sleeping and keeping his eyes closed.... Wondered if it is my light.

Thanks.

 

[Soulwind]

I'm not 100% certain, but I think the recommended replacement age for Mercury Vapor Bulbs is
right around 1 year. Just like the florescent bulbs, they may still light up but the UV is degraded.

 

[marleysmom20]

Ill look into the reptisun tube light then.... I guess repti glo isn't as good?

 

[Esther19]

That is correct. The ReptiGLO is not the right wavelength for beardies, and has been known to cause eye issues. You want the ReptiSUN 10 TUBE to cover 2/3 the length of the tank. It should be mounted inside the tank with no plastic cover or anything between it and your dragon.

You might be able to find a bulb locally, but they are cheaper online. I get mine at petmountain.com.

 

[marleysmom20]

Thanks so much...

Wow so much new information since I had marley...
Raised marley with a repti glo light then last two years of his life I switched to mvb.
Maybe that's why Marley barely grew to full size.

Thanks everyone

 

[Soulwind]

I've gone back and re-read your initial post, and I think I need to clarify:

About 1 year of USE is when you need to replace the MVB bulbs. Just sitting
not turned on won't wear out the UV.

The florescent tubes (ReptiSUN 10 or Arcadia 12) should be replaced after about
6 months of use.

If you do switch over to the florescent tubes, remember you'll also need a basking
lamp to replace the heat the MVB was providing as well.

 

[marleysmom20]

Well... Today i spent the day looking for the ReptiSun 10.0... I couldnt find it originally, so i bought the ReptiGlo 10 24''.

then couldnt find a fixture .. ugh, it was so frustrating!! So anyway, i then went back and refunded for the ReptiGlo...
Turns out, the store around the corner from me has ReptiSun.... Why i didnt check i dont know.

Anyway, now Phoenix has a ReptiSun 10.0 18''... and a 65W flood light for basking.
I need to keep an eye on the basking as im not sure 65 will be enough, if not... i have a 100W handy.

So far Phoenix is just sleeping, hasnt woken up all day..

Oh yes, i forgot... when i went to screwed out my MVB, the socket fell apart... yup, it was ready to be changed.
Hopefully this will perk lil Phoenix up.