MVB 100watt or 150watt on a 40g

[Elora]

I have a 40g for Skyler and its getting pretty hard to keep his temps up above 95. i have a electric heater in my room now to keep the temps up but it keeps blowing the fuse. Right now im useing a 150watt ceramic heat emitter, reptisun 5 tube and 40watt household bulb. so i think its time i bought a MVB! This way I will be able to use the heat emmiter and MVB for extra heat.

So my question is which brand and which wattage should i buy? I have a plant hanger thingy drilled in above his cage so i can hang the MVB on that and it would get 11 inches away from his basking spot. does it put out the same amount of heat if its not directly laying on the screen? do mvb's put out enough heat to use it along with the heat emmiter and get the temps up into the 100's. our house is really old and heating it is really expensive so we have heat downstairs but it hardly turns on upstairs. Next week the weather is supposed to get very cold!

So I guess my main questions are
Do mvb's put out enough heat to use it along with the heat emmiter and get the temps up into the 100's.?
Should I get 150watts or 100watts?

 

[NegativeCreep]

For the 40 gallon, I would stick to the 100w. I have a 100w MegaRay in my 40 gallon breeder and the temps are perfect without any additional heating (but my house pretty much stays at 72 or so..). Since 40 gallon is really the minimum for a MVB, I wouldn't go with the higher wattage. I would guess that the MVB, in addition to a CHE would keep the temps up just fine.
Hope that helps!

 

[makubex01]

whats the difference between Self ballasted and external ballasted?

 

[Elora]

Thanks for the info Negative!

Makubex-not sure!

 

[Elora]

Makubex:

i found this on an assuie forum
"A self ballast light is an all in one lamp (ballast, reflector, globe are all mounted inside your enclosure) an external ballast is a seperate box which sits outside of your enclosure (with wiring going to your reflector/lamp.)
I have only used self ballasted HPS lamps, the external ballast cuts down on heat emitted, as they can get quite hot if used for extended periods of time. "

from dictionary.com
Ballast:
Electricity.
a. Also called ballast resistor. a device, often a resistor, that maintains the current in a circuit at a constant value by varying its resistance in order to counteract changes in voltage.
b. a device that maintains the current through a fluorescent or mercury lamp at the desired constant value, sometimes also providing the necessary starting voltage and current.

 

[Eventide]

I would definitely go with the 100W self-ballasted. That's what I have on my 50 gallon, and it works beautifully. (Though, I have the light suspended 12 inches above the basking rock; that keeps the basking surface above 105 degrees but not too hot.) Like the above people said, 150W is probably gonna be overkill.

 

[KINGSAME]

I would agree also. I have a 40g breeder and a 100w MegaRay MVB. I also have the Zoo Med Lamp Stand and can adjust the height of the bulb if needed. Right now I'm about 14' away from the basking platform and my temps are 104 to 108. Cool side being around 81 to 83.

 

[makubex01]

Thanks Elora for the info! XD