uvb

[Ironside407]

so looking though some old posts on the forum and I've come to the conclusion that compact coil uvb bulbs are not good and to go with the tube style uvb bulbs, but are they bad to use as like a secondary uvb source? like in one of my tanks i have a power sun mercury vapor bulb that does both heat plus uvb but the other side of my tank doesn't really get much light so i put a compact coil uvb on the other side so if my dragon decides to wander over there he's still getting something. is this bad? should i not be using them at all? do i have to run one of the tube style uvb bulbs instead? I'm just a little confused on the matter and am hoping to have things set straight for me

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. All beardies need for lighting is a good uvb and a bright white light. So I'd get rid of the uvb and just use the mvb. What brand is the mvb?

 

[PogoLover]

I am a newbie, but I did a lot of research. It took me three weeks to sort out which lights to buy before I finally made a decision - and I am still not 100% sure about it. I must have spent 60+ hours reading and re-reading articles, product reviews, forums.

UVB that is too powerful or concentrated can be bad. I believe that the reason that the coil UVBs were originally thought to be bad is because they were too powerful and concentrated and essentially could burn the dragons' eyes, etc. There are some articles that say that this problem has been corrected with the major companies that sell reptile stuff, but . . . why risk it if you don't have to. I decided to go with a tube UVB instead of a coil.

MVBs are supposed to supply heat, light and UVB all in one, so I would think that you would not want to use your coil in addition if you already have the MVB. How big is your tank? That can factor into it as well - if you had a tank that was really long, then you might need more than one MVB since their light, heat, rays are not infinite.

You might try posting in the "Enclosures" or "General Discussion" threads and just ask what people think about MVBs (include the dimensions of your tank and a picture of your set up to help the experts answer) and whether you need an additional MVB or other lights given your set up.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[Taterbug]

The awful problems with coils (and some tubes) were largely resolved around 2009. The companies were using inappropriate phosphors in them that generated UVC - a higher energy wavelength that is usually filtered out by our atmosphere.

Compact bulbs still have a problem with the shape. They focus a tubes worth of UVB in a very small area. This means not only does a large lizard like a dragon not get good exposure but that the distance between low and too high of UV is very short. http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-tests.htm#reflectors

Considering you have a MVB these give high leves of UV at the basking site, you can allow the dragon a gradient, just like with heat so it can regulate its exposure like it would in the wild. UV is highest in direct sunlight, just like heat.