MVB to reptisun

[covedweller]

I have syd in a 48" x 18" x 20" glass viv with a 160 sb megaray bulb for basking and heat on one side and a 100 watt household bulb on the other side for light and heat. i've had to replace the mega ray 4 times over the past year and have finally decided to just give up on it and switch to a reptisun 10 tube bulb. my question is: do i need to have a 48 inch bulb (to go over the entire length of the viv) or a 36" bulb centered or just use a 24" over to one side? I already have 2 of the 18" black plastic fixtures from old uvb tubes that i had over an iguana cage. Should i use one of those on each end? Also, the longer the tube the higher the wattage. does that mean that the light can be farther away from her if it's a longer tube? (it will be pretty difficult to get the bulb to within 6 inches or so from her.) thanks for any and all help.

Diane

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello Diane,

Please don't tell me you are having problems with the megaray 160w. Next week I will be switching over to the megaray 160 from the Reptisun 10. Not that I had any problems with the reptisun just got a much bigger enclosure.
Anyway you don't need to have a 48" bulb, a 36" will do just fine. Yes, you could also use your (2) 18" fixtures.

Now about the distance from your beardie being further away due to a longer bulb...not true. No matter what the length ,they still put out the same amount of uvb .

To get my beardie closer to the uvb I have a large log that sits right under the uvb bulb. It can be tricky some times to get them right under it, but with rocks and logs you can get them pretty close.

Hope this helps,

Dawn

 

[covedweller]

thanks, Dawn. I haven't heard of anyone else having this problem with the mega ray bulb and i loved the fact that you could use just one bulb for heat and uv. i even replaced the fixture twice thinking that the fixture was the problem. no. i just don't get it. anyway, when i woke up this morning and it was out again, i just decided that i'd had ENOUGH and i just need to try another source for uv. hopefully, you'll be like everyone else and have totally good results with the mvb.

Diane

 

[LJean]

What kind of fixture were you using for the megaray? I was told the deep dome that is rated for a high wattage bulb (250 or more) should be used. Also needs to be pointing straight down.

As for the tube light, your dragon will still need to get within 6-8 inches of it, no matter how long the tube. I think you can use one that is smaller in lenght than the viv, as long as it is over the basking area.

 

[covedweller]

thanks. yes, i was using the 10" deep dome with a ceramic base (purchased at home depot, not a pet store) and it was facing directly downward. as far as i know, i was doing everything correctly. the bulb and base were never even touched, as i have the lights on a timer.
my goal is to find a less expensive 36" fixture for the tube light somewhere. the 36" ones at the pet supply houses seem to be overpriced. so far, i have only found 48" fixtures at the hardware stores. that won't quite fit into the viv. any suggestions?

diane

 

[bayoupig5]

thanks. yes, i was using the 10" deep dome with a ceramic base (purchased at home depot, not a pet store) and it was facing directly downward. as far as i know, i was doing everything correctly. the bulb and base were never even touched, as i have the lights on a timer.
my goal is to find a less expensive 36" fixture for the tube light somewhere. the 36" ones at the pet supply houses seem to be overpriced. so far, i have only found 48" fixtures at the hardware stores. that won't quite fit into the viv. any suggestions?

diane

I have a 75 gallon viv measuring 48 X 18 X 20 with a screen top. I live in Canada and bought a dual shop light at 48 inches, the 36 inch models were not available. My shop light cost around 30 bucks, which is a lot more than you will probably pay in the US for a similar model. I have a regular fluorescent tube on one side and the UVB on the other, and separate heat/basking domes. This set up seems to work ok, it give lots of great bright light. I just put my light right on top of the screen. If using a Reptisun 10.0 UVB, these lights were designed for that purpose. The only problem is constantly removing the lights when you want to get into the viv, but that's a small inconvenience.

 

[covedweller]

a double light fixture. that's a great idea. do you just have a log on one side so your beardie can get to within 6" of the uvb?

diane

 

[bayoupig5]

a double light fixture. that's a great idea. do you just have a log on one side so your beardie can get to within 6" of the uvb?

diane

This was my greatest challenge. You can actually get your beardie to within 6-8 inches of the Reptisun 10.0. I custom build a rock furniture piece so to speak, a quarter Mayan pyramid with the basking platform at the top, 7 inches from the UVB. I just thought it would be safer for my baby than a large log that extends up that far. I am taking pics of it tonight, now that the whole viv is set up. I will post the pics on this thread for you, so you can see how it looks.

 

[covedweller]

pics would be great! thank you so much.

diane

 

[Owner of Max]

I would like to see the pics of how you did it too. They will really help with my dilemna.

I'm working on a 5' X 2' X 2' tank for Max. I'm going to have his basking area be under my 160 W Megaray on one end. I also have a 36" dual fluorescent light fixture I'm going to put on the opposite end for bright light.

Do you think I should just use two regular fluorescent bulbs (non-reptile) in there or should I do like you did and put one Reptisun 10.0 bulb in along with one regular (non-reptile ) bulb?

Will he get enough UVB from just the Megaray over his basking site, or should I also have a florescent tube Reptisun 10.0 on the other end too?

 

[bayoupig5]

I would like to see the pics of how you did it too. They will really help with my dilemna.

I'm working on a 5' X 2' X 2' tank for Max. I'm going to have his basking area be under my 160 W Megaray on one end. I also have a 36" dual fluorescent light fixture I'm going to put on the opposite end for bright light.

Do you think I should just use two regular fluorescent bulbs (non-reptile) in there or should I do like you did and put one Reptisun 10.0 bulb in along with one regular (non-reptile ) bulb?

Will he get enough UVB from just the Megaray over his basking site, or should I also have a florescent tube Reptisun 10.0 on the other end too?

You do not need an addition UVB source with the Mega Ray, it emits at a broad range, so you should be good. A single fluorescent should be sufficient, for a light source. I got dual because the UVB by Reptisun is not bright, and the extra light brightens up the whole viv. Pics to follow once the sun goes down. The glare is horrible.

 

[bayoupig5]

Here are pics of my light set up on a 75 gallon tank 48 X18X 20 with a Reptisun 10.0 UVB, basking light and CHE for extra heat.

This set up is when the whole enclosure can be used. For now my beardie is just a baby, so the whole enclosure would be too much(hence the reason for the styro divider). The basking bulb is on the left side, the CHE on the far right. Dual shop light has UVB bulb closest to the two dome lamps, one regular bulb in front of that.

This set up is current. The basking bulb is the one closest to you, the CHE is to the right of that. The dual shop light sits on the top with the UVB bulb closest to the domes and the regular bulb right in front.

Here is the half enclosure as it looks with the lights on. Please do not look at the temps, I am still in testing phase.

Hope these are helpful.

 

[Owner of Max]

It looks very nice. That is helpful.

Thank you.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Bayoupig5.......Love your viv....very nicely decorated!!!!

Dawn

 

[LJean]

Pictures are always helpful.

I think I will go with a double one too. That would certainly help me with my lighting issues.

Thanks for helping us all.