PowerSun Mercury Vapor Bulbs Research Help

[Embee]

Okay, so I just read all of these posts about the powersun problems and switched it off right away! I only put it in a few days ago but I think that it made everything worse I'm going to return the bulb and get a different mvb. I know the megarays are on back order but I'm going to scout around and see what I can find. For now, I put up his old reptisun 10 because it still has a little over a month of juice in it left.....oi.....still, any suggestions on all the other stuff would be helpful. Thanks!

I'm sorry your dragon isn't feeling well.

I haven't heard of any problems with the PowerSun? Is this a recent development? Perhaps I'm not up to date. To my knowledge, the PowerSun is a good bulb. Not as strong in terms of heat and UVB emissions as say, the MegaRay and TRex, but a safe bulb. ?? The only problems I know of with the PowerSun have been when beardie has been able to get too close (closer than 10-12 inches, as 12 is the minimum distance). There have been a couple of cases in recent months where beardie was set up within 8 inches of the bulb and this did cause health problems for the dragons (thankfully, both recovered).

That said, if you're looking to switch to another MVB, the MegaRay is the best, yes. However, they were also on back order when we upgraded our tank a few months ago, so we went with the close second to the MegaRay, the T-Rex, good price here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-heat-bulbs/503619/t-rex-active-uv-heat-flood-spot-lamps.html Our dragon, who was previously struggling, has thrived very well under her TRex. As with all 100w MVBs, it requires a minimum distance of 12 inches, and that you use calcium withOUT D3. Replace bulb every 10-12 months.

You are bathing everyday then? How long is he soaking for? Are you using a digital with probe to gauge temps? Also, when gauging the temps, are you leaving the probe on the basking spot for a full 45 minutes? The reason I ask is that symptoms you describe suggest that your dragon is dehydrated. What kind of substrate are you using? Is there any reason to believe that your dragon is impacted? Usually, this would cause more of a bloated look than thin, but thought I'd ask just in case.

The only other thing I can suggest is to decrease the number of hours your lighting is on. Many use a 12 day/12 night lighting schedule for juvenile dragons, as growing dragons tend to need more sleep than adults. On up to 14 hours a day as dragon gets older, but I believe 14 is about as long as you'd want it on, tops.

The best, and I hope your dragon is feeling better soon.

Em

Edited, to change question about bathing.

 

[diamc]

Hi, sorry to hear your beardie isn't acting right. I'll bet this is the thread you're referring to about the PowerSun. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=104604&p=820759&hilit=#p820759 I have heard about a few others complaints lately. That's good that you turned it off, hopefully he'll be acting more like himself very soon. How close did you have the PowerSun to him? Is the Repti-Sun bulb a fluorescent type? Make sure that particular bulb is no closer than 6 to 8" from him. As Em said, the T-Rex is a very good bulb. I have been using them for about 3 yrs in one of our tanks and am very happy with it. Very soon I will have a MVB in all the tanks but certainly NOT the PowerSun.

Also as Em mentioned, the symptoms do sound like possible dehydration, inaccurate temps or impaction. Another possibility is parasites, so it would be a good idea to take a poop sample to the vet to be checked. One question I need to ask, is your beardie housed alone?

Since he hasn't eaten hardly anything in a while, it would be a good idea to give him oral fluids, either diluted Pedialyte or water, put drops on his nose to see if he will lick it off first. You also should pick up some chicken and squash babyfood. Put a smaller amt of the chicken in a larger amt of squash and add a little water to thin it, heat in microwave to take the chill off then put drops on his nose with a plastic medicine dropper and hopefully once he gets a taste of it, he will lick it off. Are you using calcium 5 days a wk, 1 feeding a day and vitamins the other 2 days a wk, 1 feeding a day? Please update him when you get a chance & let us know if you have any questions.

 

[Embee]

Hi Miss Paula,

I went looking about, and found the thread you referred to (and Diane linked). I see now that this is a rather late development, and very concerning, yes. I will make a mental note for any other threads that my come about concerning the PowerSun. Hopefully this is something ZooMed will be addressing VERY quickly and thoroughly.

Indeed, I have no qualms about the TRex. It has been an excellent light for us... best of luck with it.

I hope your beardie is feeling well soon.

Please keep us posted.

The Best,
Em

 

[Embee]

Well I am having the same problem, and I am using a T-Rex UV/Heat which was suggested. I have it 12" away in a 30 Gallon tank. Alvin seems fine and healthy, but like you said, when he is basking, he closes eyes and he gapes. The basking temp is 105 (he is only 2.5 months old). I just thought that he was just chilling out - but that isn't so? Is something wrong?

Forgive if someone has already addressed this, I'm in a bit of a rush, and didn't have time to read the thread thoroughly.

How often and how early in the basking session is Alvin gaping? Gaping should be an intermittent activity, as well as eye closing. If it's often and early on in basking, it could be that the temps are too high, and/or the UVB emissions are overpowering (in the case of the eyes closed that is). Are you taking temps with a digital with probe, and if so, are you placing the probe directly under the TRex for a full 45 minutes before reading temp? The reason I ask is that I use a TRex in a 40 breeder and get perfect basking temps (105-110) at 14-15 inches. I would imagine in a 30 gallon, that a distance of 12 inches would be too hot, but of course, all enclosures vary.

And then... just in case it's helpful:

MVBs are recommended for tanks 40 gallons and larger. In particular, the TRex puts out great amounts of UVB, and along with the strong heat, can be troublesome to regulate in a 30 gallon. Even at the minimum distance of 12 inches there can be problems because the overall tank dimensions of a 30 gallon can cause the light to be overpowering. Just something for you to be aware of, keep your 'eye' out for. I know some who do use the MVBs in 30 gallons successfully, but usually this entails a greater distance between beardie and light... and a VIGILANT monitoring of temps.

The best,
Em

 

[MissPaula]

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. He seems a little bit better today, but still not eating much. Last night it looked like he finished his veggies off, but today nothing and no poop

I ordered a T-Rex last night from petmountain, and it was shipped today so hopefully it will be here soon! For the time being, he is basking under a regular 100 watt bulb and his reptisun 10....he's about 6 inches away from it. I measure the temps with the zoomed digital probe (with the probe touching his basking spot directly). After the powersun issue I'm thinking of getting a new temperature gauge as well.

He lives alone! No worries guys, I did my homework and know better!

He bathes for about 10-15 minutes a day. He's pretty active when I pick him up still. He's a squirmy guy....just not interested in food. His color is also still vibrant. I am going to try the dropper method as suggested. I do dust his crickets every morning, 5 days with calcium without D3 and 2 days multivitamin without D3.....should the multivitamin have D3? I am going to go on a Beardie shopping spree this weekend so I can always add that to the list! The thing I'm worried about is him not getting enough nutrients because of the lack of eating....I'm going to pick up some worms for him this weekend. What types of worms would be best for a 7 month old dragon? He has lost any motivation to chase crickets

Thanks for all of the help! I may post pics soon so you all can see him and have more input on his weight. Gosh, I take care of endangered turtles for a living but I can't keep my beardie healthy.

 

[MissPaula]

oh and to answer a few questions i missed.....i do leave the probe there for an hour and have tile as substrate, so I don't think there is an impaction issue. it is possible that he is dehydrated.....does this typically cause lethargy and lack of appetite?

i'm also going to decrease the amount of time that his lights are on....hopefully this helps!

 

[Embee]

I ordered a T-Rex last night from petmountain, and it was shipped today so hopefully it will be here soon! For the time being, he is basking under a regular 100 watt bulb and his reptisun 10....he's about 6 inches away from it. I measure the temps with the zoomed digital probe (with the probe touching his basking spot directly). After the powersun issue I'm thinking of getting a new temperature gauge as well.

Are you concerned the ZooMed thermometer might not be working properly? A new one, just to be safe? Well, it never hurts to be sure. I was concerned about this with our last thermometer, but when we got the new one, they sinked up very well. The first one just took a lot longer to register the full temp.

He lives alone! No worries guys, I did my homework and know better!

:mrgreen: Just one of those routine questions... trying to rule things out.

He bathes for about 10-15 minutes a day. He's pretty active when I pick him up still. He's a squirmy guy....just not interested in food. His color is also still vibrant. I am going to try the dropper method as suggested. I do dust his crickets every morning, 5 days with calcium without D3 and 2 days multivitamin without D3.....should the multivitamin have D3? I am going to go on a Beardie shopping spree this weekend so I can always add that to the list! The thing I'm worried about is him not getting enough nutrients because of the lack of eating....I'm going to pick up some worms for him this weekend. What types of worms would be best for a 7 month old dragon? He has lost any motivation to chase crickets

Well, could be, once he's under the new bulb, his appetite will start rising. We had our girl under a ReptiSun 5.0, and her appetite was ok, better than when she was under her original bulb (a compact, YIKES!), but not as good as we would have liked. When we put her under the TRex, she really took off... after the first few days, she has since incrementally increased feeders from a few a day, to the teens, to the 20's, 30's, 40's, skipped the 50's altogether, on up to lately where she eats anywhere from 70-100 a day... she's been under the bulb about 2 1/2 months.

Thanks for all of the help! I may post pics soon so you all can see him and have more input on his weight. Gosh, I take care of endangered turtles for a living but I can't keep my beardie healthy.

You're welcome, and we LOVE pics... they can be very helpful. I'm so sorry your dear beardie is causing you worry. Oh, they do that sometimes. We went through a time with ours and it was really hard! We'll stick with ya, and hopefully in time, he'll improve and be off and going. Could be that the PowerSun caused some issues and reptiles will often take some time to bounce back. Also, without UVB, it's fairly common for the appetite to wane, so I'll be looking to see how he does under the TRex.

oh and to answer a few questions i missed.....i do leave the probe there for an hour and have tile as substrate, so I don't think there is an impaction issue. it is possible that he is dehydrated.....does this typically cause lethargy and lack of appetite?

Good on the probe. I always like to remind people of that, just in case. Tile is excellent. I can't imagine that he'd be dehydrated due to the frequent bathing. However, because another primary source of water is through live feeders, I suppose it "could" be. Just keep up with the baths, and yes, the dropper can help to. I believe Diane mentioned about the chicken baby food/water/dropper. That could help while you're waiting for your TRex.

i'm also going to decrease the amount of time that his lights are on....hopefully this helps!

This might help as well. Could be that he's just very "juiced" up with the lights on for that long. I know our girl is ready for sleep when the lights go out. We are still on a 12/12 schedule, and she's 8 months old (her "adjusted age" is about 4-5 months however, due to her slow start). When the lights go out, she's OUT in minutes. Zzzzzz

Please keep us posted!

The best,
Em

 

[MissPaula]

Thanks, Em! I will try to post a pic tomorrow after he wakes up. I think that I am going to put him on a 7am-7pm schedule to give him time to wake up in the morning before feedings. This site really is the greatest. I've been using it ever since I even had a single thought of getting a dragon. He is lovely and I want the best for him, so I'll keep working at it and keep you posted!

 

[Embee]

Thanks, Em! I will try to post a pic tomorrow after he wakes up. I think that I am going to put him on a 7am-7pm schedule to give him time to wake up in the morning before feedings. This site really is the greatest. I've been using it ever since I even had a single thought of getting a dragon. He is lovely and I want the best for him, so I'll keep working at it and keep you posted!

So our dragons will be on the same schedule then. It's been a good one for us. DH wakes up at 7, turns on the light and by the time myself and DS are out of bed around 8:30, Cloudy is ready for her breakfast, which we order up in hasty fashion of course! Mustn't keep a hungry dragon waiting! :wink:

Indeed, this site SAVED our dragon. Wished I'd found it earlier, but I'm thankful I found it at all... I've stuck around because I've come to have such a special place in my heart for these amazing and endearing creatures, and because I hope to save as many people as I can from making the same initial mistakes as we (and many of us here) did.

I'll check back in tomorrow. Look forward to seeing a pic.

The best,
Em

 

[Loganator]

Hey Everyone! I got my T-Rex ActiveUV MVB on Monday and replaced the PowerSunUV with it. OMG!! What a difference I am seeing in Izzy already. I'm so happy, I could cry. He is super active, color is much better, does not keep his eyes closed and just generally looking healthier and happier. His appetite is wonderful. He's never been much of a veggie eater, would only eat a couple bites hand fed to him. Yesterday (2 days after putting in the T-Rex bulb) we found INSIDE the veggie bowl, chowing down! I should have taken a pic, 'cuz it was so funny. His veggie dish is small and he is big.
Today we caught him playing in his water dish. It actually looked like he was trying to see how big of a splash he could make. Don't worry his water dish is very shallow (1/4" inch) so no chance of him drowning.

Anyway, since switching out this Powersun bulb, we now have a dragon who is spunkier than he has ever been!
No more Powersun for me!

Debbie

 

[Embee]

Hey Everyone! I got my T-Rex ActiveUV MVB on Monday and replaced the PowerSunUV with it. OMG!! What a difference I am seeing in Izzy already. I'm so happy, I could cry. He is super active, color is much better, does not keep his eyes closed and just generally looking healthier and happier. His appetite is wonderful. He's never been much of a veggie eater, would only eat a couple bites hand fed to him. Yesterday (2 days after putting in the T-Rex bulb) we found INSIDE the veggie bowl, chowing down! I should have taken a pic, 'cuz it was so funny. His veggie dish is small and he is big.
Today we caught him playing in his water dish. It actually looked like he was trying to see how big of a splash he could make. Don't worry his water dish is very shallow (1/4" inch) so no chance of him drowning.

Anyway, since switching out this Powersun bulb, we now have a dragon who is spunkier than he has ever been!
No more Powersun for me!

Debbie

Fantastic News, Debbie! Thanks for keeping us posted. Indeed, our girl ADORES her TRex. She worships it every moment of the day, practically. :mrgreen:

The best,
Em

 

[sunkist]

I mentioned this earlier in the thread but wanted to mention it again as the results I have seen. Right now I can't afford another expensive bulb so I'm stuck with the Powersun for a while for UVB. I did move a compact household bulb right next to it and it seems to have helped immensely. I have seen a different dragon since I've done this. He's played more, eats more, color looks better. Sooo it might be an option for those like me who are stuck for now.

 

[diamc]

That's great news Debbie, sounds like Izzy is really enjoying it.

How's Abu doing?

 

[Drache613]

Hello Debbie,

Great that Abu is doing so much better with the T-rex light now. Wow, that is amazing.
Apparently, the new batches of some of the Powersun MVB's.

Thanks for the update on her. I think she is back to normal now.


Tracie

 

[MissT]

Im sorry I havent really been updating you on Abu's progress. My fiance and I have broken up and as the 'babies' live at his home, I havent been seeing quite so much of them as I would like.

Today, while he was working, I got in some visiting hours. Abus T-rex had arrived yesterday so I installed that today and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself! She actually seemed to be much more like an adult beardie should be - favouring her veggies today and only having 2 silkworms - and thats after only a few hours with the light. She is active, she is getting up to bask on her own (Abu has always been a little lazier than she should be!) and shes the brightest orange I have ever seen her! She looks fantastic - you wouldnt think that only a few days ago she couldnt even keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes at a time!

Thanks so much for all your help guys! I couldnt have figured this out without you!

T