HOW TO UVB LIGHT FIXTURE AND HOOD

[SpitFyre]

Hm. I found this thread REALLY late, huh? I "McGuivered" a tin foil hood for myself. Folded and bent a rectangle of tin foil into shape. I have a cheap undercabinet fixture, no reflector. I have never looked into a "nice" hood..but from some of the posts, I'm probably better off not knowing the prices!
-SpitFyre

 

[Dragoatee]

I'm having difficulty finding a light fixture that would work with a 36" Reptisun 10.0 tube. I've checked all the major stores' online sites but, haven't been able to find anything that work. Any suggestions?

 

[Menolly07]

I've been going CRAZY trying to find a decent, not crappy/cheap plastic fixture to fit 24" ReptiSun bulbs. I bought four bulbs because buying them together that way saved me about sixty bucks.. So I have four 24" tubes in back up (not counting the two in the viv right now). I cannot find any plug in 24" fixtures to save my life!!! None except these dinky plastic ones. They're only five months old, and the switches already give way and need to be wiggled to keep the lights on. What I CAN find are lovely, well made DIRECT WIRE fixtures that will hold 24" bulbs! I'm comfortable with wire nuts and electrical tape. I've hung lights and changes switches. I know about grounding and white to white/black to black... I can't believe I didn't think this out myself! Genius!! :notworthy:

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Dooter you are very welcome.

Drag, http://www.thatpetplace.com/reptisun-10-high-output-uvb-lamp-25w-36in-t8 Prob the cheapest around. :wink:

Menolly07, :wink:

I am just glad this post still is helping everyone.

 

[savannah]

Could anyone here advise me on the distance from the uvb light to the bearded dragon. I purchased a arcadia D3 12% 36''. I have platforms at different height in the vivarium and have measured from each platform to the uvb tube and there is a distance of 30cm. Just concerned that it is either to close or to far. Any advise would be great.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

We keep ours 8-10 inches away. Depends of your viv.

 

[Menolly07]

Just wanted to say I got a two bulb direct wire at Home Depot for really cheap. It manages to cover the whole viv easily. I also got a cord actually made specifically as a replacement for power tools, so it came with a prestripped end. Perfect for this project. It was just about twelve bucks. Well insulated, so it made me feel ok running it through the viv. Wired and hung. It was a twenty minute project.

Thanks again for this idea! I could do this kind of basic electric already, just didn't think of it. Nice, hardier, metal bodied, ballast fluorescent light fixture that's exactly what I'd been looking for at less then half what it would have cost me if I'd gone with a reptile specific fixture.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Menolly, you are most welcome. I am glad it helped you out and saved you money. :wink:

 

[SeanFred]

Excellent information, but I must throw a wrench in the works. I built a viv, 48" fixture from Home Depot, the problem is, it is a Standard Output T8. All of the 48" industrial and residential T8 fixtures at both places are 32W SO Ballast. The Reptisun 10.0 requires 36W to fully drive the bulb and the the ReptiGlo 10.0 requires 40W to fully drive it. What this means is your bulb is not producing as much UV you might think and also shortens the life of the bulb. I have searched the web, electrical companies, medical marijuana growers, etc...

I found this regarding UV lighting, while it is specific to another industry, the principals of electronics do apply:

"As with all gas discharge lamps, the UV output of germicidal lamps is reduced when the temperature of the lamp surface deviates from the optimum. If this is neglected it may lead to an inadequate UV installation."

Thoughts?

I may have found a T8HO at 1000bulbs.com

 

[Twobeardieguy]

I have done tests on all types of fixtures and never had any problems with UVA and UVB output. I have the Solartech Solarmeter UVB Meter Model 6.2 and the PCE-UV34 UVA/UVB radiation meter and are both within the same wavelength. It also does not shorten the life of the bulb. Remember you are only supposed to use the bulbs for the max of six months. Anything after then the output starts to diminish.

 

[SeanFred]

I will have to defer to the Twobeardieguy until I have a proper radiometer for my own testing. I have a hard time accepting that a 32 watt ballast can properly drive a 36 watt or 40 watt bulb to produce the proper amount of UVA/B when I have the manufacturers of the fixtures telling me that a 32 watt ballast can not properly drive a higher wattage bulb and that the surface of the bulb never reaches operating temperature.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

As I have said before and ill say it again for 20 years I have never had any problems with any of my beardies. No health issues what so ever. I have always tested my bulbs and no matter who or what the manufacture is the bulbs always differ. So even if you want to be perfect about it you cant be. And even if the manufacturers of the fixtures are telling you that you cant use it well I have been for quiet some time without any problems. And on a side note this post was not about fixture wattage's or ballasts but how to make a hood a cheaper way. :wink:

 

[kawa798]

What is the optimum UVB output I should be getting out of my ReptiSun 10.0 using the Solarmeter 6.2?

 

[SeanFred]

Here is a link to the test results at the Staten Island Zoo using the ReptiSun 10.0
http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2008/11/19/zoo-med-reptisun-100-high-output-uvb-lamp-and-50-uvb-lamp-product-review-part-ii/

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello sorry I was out of town but here is some other great reading, http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-summary.htm http://thetegu.com/archive/index.php?t-659.html .