UVB Lighting: Fluorescent Tube or Mercury Vapor Bulb?

[Lokiza]

Hello, I've been researching and am currently checking different websites for the best type of UVB lighting for my lovelies - I have a question...

Are Fluorescent Tubes better? Do Mercury Vapor Bulbs negatively affect beardies like Compact/Coil Bulbs do? I'd appreciate any tips/suggestions/information you have for purchasing UVB lighting.

Thank-you

 

[joey1227]

I bought the zoo med 30 in for my 20 gal juvenile beardie with the 24 in reptisun 10.0 and he loves it. I took a half log filled it out and stuffed fake leaves in the top portion he left his original basking spot and moved closer to the UVB and heat bulb his color looks amazing.i see a lot of things on the web about bulbs so it's hard to choose but go with what works better for your set up as long as it's not a coil bulb you should be ok.

 

[icelore]

It really is up to you and how you want to set up your tank. As long as you keep up with replacing the bulbs when needed, florescent tube or MVB is personal preference, which is why both options are recommended.

 

[Lokiza]

Okay. I only ask because although I read that MVB are recommended aswell, I haven't been able to find much info on them. So they would be perfectly safe to use? I wonder what wattage I would need for a 40-gal

 

[icelore]

Yes, they are safe to use. They provide heat as well as UV, but are also a bit more expensive (usually).

Personally, I've found that even at the proper distance away (MVBs need to be at least 12inches away from your basking spot), they don't provide *quite* enough heat, so I put a low watt household bulb next to them. With the florescent tubes, you have to provide a white light next to it for heat as well as to balance color, so you can see how they're quite similar when it comes to how you use them.

Also, due to the fact that there is really only 1-2 florescent tubes recommended, when you use them, your results are pretty consistent, but MVBs also seem to vary a bit by brand. For instance, my last T-Rex 100w bulb had to be a little over 15 inches away from my basking spot and gave me a basking temp of 102, and a warm side tank temp of 90. My new Mega-Ray 100w bulb is only 12 inches away and gives me 99 on the basking spot and 86 warm side, but kicks out more UV then the T-Rex did.

So regardless of which type and brand you go with, it's still a game of balancing temps and distances!