width on reptisun 10.0 uvb changed?

[need2nogurl]

So I always order my UVB bulbs from bigappleherp.com and this time when I ordered the same Zoo Med Reptisun (Ten - 10.0) Fluorescent Bulb 36 Inches that I have in the past it was about half of the size that it normally is (width not length). Has anyone else had this happen to them? It fits in the fixture just fine since it is the same length and it works but I'm just curious as to why the width has changed..... I was going to call their customer service but they were already closed for the day. I dunno if it will still last six months or if that has anything to do with it. :?:

 

[Frito]

i'm going to guess your talking about the tube diameter, zoomed bulb's used to be T12 size (1-1/2" diam) but have been switched to T8 size (1" diam) as that is what all of the industry has been moving to the past few years due to increased efficiency of smaller diameter bulbs.

a T8 bulb will operate in a T12 fixture because the pin out is the same on both of them but if your fixture is a magnetic ballast it can shorten the life of the bulb (they are intended to be used with electronic ballasts)

you can tell what kind of ballast you have by if it flickers when it starts or not (flicker means likely magnetic, instant on is always electronic) if it does flicker on it could still be electronic just the cheaper version and in that case you can tell if its magnetic by if you see the bulb have a 60hz flicker when on or not as electronic ballasts do not produce this high speed flicker like magnetic ballasts do.

 

[need2nogurl]

Thanks for the reply, I kind of followed what you said but I was kind of like "huh?" and then i was like "what?". hehe j/k. Mine flickers so I'm guessing it won't last as long, but if it does last for six months without burning out then I will just replace it like I was doing before. Thanks again

 

[Frito]

it should last 6 months i would guess, i've never used a T8 bulb in a magnetic ballast fixture but all i've read is doing so will shorten the life of the bulb in terms of how long it will actually turn on, because reptile bulbs are only good for 6-12 months due to degrading UVB output you should be fine because the actual life of the bulb is at least 2 years if not longer on a 12/12 daily cycle