Buggsy":05a61 said:
Hello everyone! I have been using the arcadia 12% bulb for a year or so now, and have always wondered about MBV's. I have a cross-fire-like enclosure that i built last year and wondered how it works, incandescent bulbs i can dim, what can i do if this one is too hot? Also how do you affix a dome? Or do i need a dome, will a ceramic fixture (for wattage up to 250) do?
I only ask as i have found a solar glo bulb for £30, so i was thinking of making the switch but wanted to know the details....
The biggest issue (IMO) with MVB is the minimum distance requirement, I'm not sure what wattage you were looking at, but it's probably 12-18" from the bulb. Depending how high your basking spot currently is, this may cause a problem.
As for how to mount the domes, typically they aren't. If it's what i'm thinking about, they generally just sit on top of a screen top. You can get away with using a ceramic fixture instead but, one of the benefits of the dome is to reflect the UVB/light into a smaller area. Also, if you have the fixture inside of the tank, that's going to drop it down 7-8" inches, which really limits how high the basking spot is.
Lots of people seem to like them, but unless you are redesigning the enclosure, or are having big problem with your current lighting setup, i don't think it's worth it personally. Also, MVBs cannot be dimmed, so you are pretty limited as far as how much heat they generate. It's kind of a guess game. If the one you have is making things too hot, you'd need to compensate with more vents / circulation.
