MVB question...

[NickZafo]

hey everyone...

I'll be building my double viv this up coming weekend and was wondering if i could use a MVB bulb in a fixture like beardiebandits'

or do i have to use a deep dome like seadooz

thank you for your replies and advice in advance!!

 

[beardiebandit]

thats a good question...im kind of curious about that also. does anyone have a mvb buld that can tell us how hot it gets...? cuz i was thinking about that same setup....hmmmm. good question NickZafo!

how hot does a mvb bulb get and i have another question....is it bad for a mvb to be on a dimmer? or does it need to be operating at full power in order to produce the right amount of uv?

 

[NickZafo]

Well i know you cant dim them. im pretty sure it messes all sorts of things up

 

[beardiebandit]

thats kinda what i though but wasnt sure. thats the only reason i didnt go with them for my vivs. but i am curious as to how hot they get...?

 

[zamboni]

does it really matter?.. they are both ceramic mounts. but if you BD is getting a little close to the bulb put up a small bulb cage around it.
Edit: if you use the short mount it would be like a heat pad under the tank if you building a double so keep that in mind.

 

[NickZafo]

That’s what I figured.
My dragons will be exactly at the optimal 12" away from the bulb at the basking spot. it just seemed like one of those things that someone would defiantly have a problem with. But I guess ill just use the first one... works out a lot better for me

Edit: I didn’t think about that. and i was planning on making a double.
Maybe a small fan in between the two would cool it sufficiently?

 

[zamboni]

i wouldent go overboard by putting a fan in, but i would keep the warm sides on both tanks the same. unity through placement
so-to-speak.

 

[beardiebandit]

my double stacks have a 3/4 inch void between the roof of the lower and the floor of the upper not only to run wires but also to avoid the lower tank drastically heating the upper tank. the ceramic fixtures seem to work very well. i have a 100w heat lamp for the basking spot and i reached up and grabbed the fixture just to see how hot it was and it was pretty warm but it was no where close to extreme temps. i was kinda worried about them getting too hot.

 

[zamboni]

i have a 100w heat lamp for the basking spot and i reached up and grabbed the fixture just to see how hot it was and it was pretty warm but it was no where close to extreme temps. i was kinda worried about them getting too hot.

wow you touched it i would have just lased it with the heat gun but meh w/e works right?

 

[beardiebandit]

lol! yeah! i guess that would have been the safer of the options! i was putting screen on my vent holes and i just thought" hey i wonder how hot that is" good thing it wasnt to bad. lol!

 

[beardiebandit]

im not gonna highjack ur post but take a look at my post and let me know if you know that answer to it.
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=92176&hilit=

 

[NickZafo]

lol its cool hijacking is all the craze... im building the whole thing out on sketch up ill post pictures soon

 

[beardiebandit]

ill be looking for pic soon then.

 

[NickZafo]

lol unfortunately I’m at work doing this sketch up thing here and there and I cant print screen cause when ever I press print screen it literary prints the screen lol :lol:

EDIT: ...........but some how i figured it out lol

The white in between and on top is the space allotted of the electrical.
The light bulbs are definitely not to proportion.
And it’s defiantly not decorated.

 

[Beetle_Juice]

i would make the space between the 2 cages about the size of a hand - and then vent that space really well - this will reduce the amount of heat coming from the lower viv to the other viv - ive seen people with set ups like this and they often have problems getting the temps right in the top cage.
remember the mvb bulbs get REALLY hot - if you get a megaray they also have a built in feature that if they to hot they switch off to stop the bulb blowing - also make sure you measure the bulb - they a lot bigger than a normal bulb - to be honest i would be concerned about the heat in that ceramic socket that is attached to the wood - but i suppose if you make sure that its rated high enough to hold the bulb then it will be ok - you set up will be awesome - remember the 12 inches is from the back of the beardie not the basking spot - so it has to be about 15 -16 inches from basking spot