Lighting Question... for new viv

[ripcord182]

I am currently gathering the materials needed to build a new "crossfire" enclosure (2' Tall x 2' Wide x 4' Long)...
My questions are:

• 1. If I want to use an MVB what other lights will I need?
  2. How many other lights will I need if I used an MVB?
  3. Is it better to just go with a 36" Florecent Repti-Sun?
  4. How much more difficult is it to regulate temps in this kind of viv compared to a glass viv with a screen top?

Thanks!!

 

[UTreptiles]

A MVB is basicly a stand alone bulb. You get UV and heat. No other bulbs are necessary. You may need extra heat during the nighttime if temps would get below 70ish. I recommend using a ceramic heat lamp for that. With MVB you need to have 12 to 18 inches of space between the light and the basking spot. 100 watt spacing is 12 inches and 160 watt is about 18 inches i think. If this spacing cannot be attained I recommend using the tube type UVB bulbs. In this case you would need a basking heat lamp in your enclosure as well.

MVBs can produce alot of heat. I have all wood enclosures and have a 12X12 inch vent at the rear of the enclosures. No issues with overheating. My enclosures are also in a basement that maintains constant ambient temps of about 65. In the summer or if you have the enclosure in a living area of the house which is heated or get hot in the summer you may need to use a fan to get some air flow if temps are too high.

 

[Seven65]

I don't currently have a MVB, but I've thought about getting one when my reptisun expires. I've been worried about hte possibility of overheating if i was to get one. I have my current basking lamp on a dimmer, are MVBs dimmable?

 

[UTreptiles]

No MVBs are not dimmable. It has to do with the internal starter switch that the bulb uses to turn itself on and the ballast mechanism to maintain the internal arc. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this one. If a dimmer is used the internal switch does not get enough current to "turn the bulb on". I could be wrong on my theory but an MVB does not work with a dimmer.

 

[Embee]

We use a TRex, and it's wonderful. However, we do need supplemental heat in the day during the colder months. We use a 45w household flood on the mid/cool side that keeps the cool side right about 80, ambient 85-90, and the basking 105-110. The MVB has been wonderful for our beardie, highly recommend. For a 4x2x2, I believe you'd need a 160w, and with proper temp gauging, I can't imagine you'd have to worry about over heating. We use a lamp stand for ours, and I can move that up and down to adjust heat (the spring weather is all over the place here and wreaking havoc with room temps which do effect the MVB a bit). We have a screen.

For nighttime, if you temps do not drop below 65 degrees, no supplemental heat is needed.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Em

 

[ripcord182]

If I were to only use an MVB it would be kind of dim on the cool side of the cage... correct? Does anyone just use a plain 36" household florescent tube to brighten up their tank?

If I used a Repti-Sun 10.0 36" should I put it in the middle of the cage or put it off to one side?

 

[Embee]

If I were to only use an MVB it would be kind of dim on the cool side of the cage... correct? Does anyone just use a plain 36" household florescent tube to brighten up their tank?

For extra light, you certainly can use a regular household fluorescent, either strip in fixture, or coil type in a dome.

If I used a Repti-Sun 10.0 36" should I put it in the middle of the cage or put it off to one side?

You will want to shift it toward the basking side of tank. Basking and tube should line up as follows:


__________tube
0 basking

...so beardie has benefit of both bulbs while basking. :mrgreen:

The best,
Em