UVA/UVB HID upgrade complete

[infernalis]

Re did the lighting to include Mercury Vapour and Metal Halide lamps, the cage interior is insanely bright. The lizards are already more active, as if that was even possible considering how hyper they already were before.

The ballasts had to be wired, took me about 15 minutes each.
http://www.varanus.us/HID/ballast.jpg

The Metal halide was plain boxed...
http://www.varanus.us/HID/halide.jpg

For comparison, the light output of 4 different lamp types.
http://www.varanus.us/HID/ligts.jpg

http://www.varanus.us/HID/lifoot.jpg

http://www.varanus.us/HID/cat.jpg

[Mikoh4792]

Looking good. lol at the cat

[wareagleA5]

How do they compare to the halogen as far as basking spot temps and area?

[infernalis]

How do they compare to the halogen as far as basking spot temps and area?

Almost impossible to compare.

The output of the metal halide lamp is 5 times brighter, rich in UVA/UVB but a little lacking un the IR (InfraRed) that makes the basking stone heat up.

http://www.exo-terra.com/download/sales_sheets/Sales_Sheet_SunRay_Bulb.pdf

^^^^ I did this at about 1/3 the cost by wiring it myself.

http://www.varanus.us/HID/lightiw.jpg

[nepoez]

How does it compare with the MVB?

[TheFrogman]

Awesome, looks great ! My cat watches my Brooks King like that too...LOL

[Rob_H]

Brilliant! As well as brighter, the spectra is usually much closer to sunlight with these bulbs. The lizards see the world in the way they've evolved to see it (they have better and very different colour vision compared to us), which probably explains the much higher activity levels you'll probably notice for a while. I observe it in all the lizards that I swap the HID bulbs with.... I guess I'd also want to walk around checking out my garden and house again if someone bathed it in white light after I'd spent my life seeing it only in one particular colour!

[Skits]

Nice job :)

I was wondering what the metal halide and mercury vapor does exactly and what do they give the monitor specifically? Is it something good for all monitors?

[infernalis]

Nice job :)

I was wondering what the metal halide and mercury vapor does exactly and what do they give the monitor specifically? Is it something good for all monitors?

First off, the brighter light is more natural. Think about it for a minute.. a sunny day outside your pupils constrict, you need sunglasses.

Mercury vapour and metal halide flood the whole cage with rich UVB & UVA bolstering white blood cell count and boosting immunities.

[Pirarucu]

Can you post some pictures of how you set up the wiring? Do you have the ballast on top of the cage?

[Skits]

First off, the brighter light is more natural. Think about it for a minute.. a sunny day outside your pupils constrict, you need sunglasses.

Mercury vapour and metal halide flood the whole cage with rich UVB & UVA bolstering white blood cell count and boosting immunities.

Awesome. Yes it seems logical! Is it possible to give them too much UVB? I have a reptisun 10.0 (100) in my tank, I thought it was enough but noticed you aded the extra bulbs for more of them, and I see you use the 10.0 as well.

[Pirarucu]

Awesome. Yes it seems logical! Is it possible to give them too much UVB? I have a reptisun 10.0 (100) in my tank, I thought it was enough but noticed you aded the extra bulbs for more of them, and I see you use the 10.0 as well.Yes, too much UVB can be very bad. Too much for humans results in sunburns and eventually skin cancer. However, you will find that providing too much for reptiles using artificial lighting is very hard to do unintentionally.

[infernalis]

Yes, too much UVB can be very bad. Too much for humans results in sunburns and eventually skin cancer. However, you will find that providing too much for reptiles using artificial lighting is very hard to do unintentionally.

Precisely. I am removing the 4 foot tube, in favor of the mercury vapour lamps, Reason being that the MV lamps throw the UV further so they can still be effective while being mounted high up.

The 4 foot bulb has outlived it's usefulness anyway, it's been running 2 years non stop.

[Pirarucu]

Why not leave it just for the lighting?

[Sublimeballs]

Why not leave it just for the lighting?

That's what I was thinking

[Rob_H]

Yes, too much UVB can be very bad. Too much for humans results in sunburns and eventually skin cancer. However, you will find that providing too much for reptiles using artificial lighting is very hard to do unintentionally.

Actually this isn't true with metal halide lamps (it is with fluorescent tubes). Different brands suggest different minimum distances between the lamps and the animals (usually 20-30cm) to avoid any harmful effects of too-high UV levels.

This can be exacerbated if your lamps need conventional external ballasts (such as the lucky reptile lamps). This can cause a flickering in the bulb (sometimes invisible to humans) which the lizards can see and can cause them to spend large amounts of time staring directly up into the bulbs. If you notice this happening, you should change the ballast to a higher current version, or move the bulb further up to avoid photokeratitis.

[infernalis]

Why not leave it just for the lighting?

good point, and their is nice 6500K (very bright) tubes I could pick one up today.

The tube that's in there has gotten dimmer, I can tell by looking at it.

[Pirarucu]

Actually this isn't true with metal halide lamps (it is with fluorescent tubes). Different brands suggest different minimum distances between the lamps and the animals (usually 20-30cm) to avoid any harmful effects of too-high UV levels.

This can be exacerbated if your lamps need conventional external ballasts (such as the lucky reptile lamps). This can cause a flickering in the bulb (sometimes invisible to humans) which the lizards can see and can cause them to spend large amounts of time staring directly up into the bulbs. If you notice this happening, you should change the ballast to a higher current version, or move the bulb further up to avoid photokeratitis.Yes, but the wast majority of keepers do not use metal halides, and I would expect anyone putting the money in to use them to know that there is a minimum distance.

[Rob_H]

In the same way that anyone willing to put their money into keeping an expensive monitor would know how to keep it properly as well? Photokeratitis is not an uncommon problem at reptile veterinary clinics exactly because many people don't seem able to read their equipment manuals.....

[murrindindi]

In the same way that anyone willing to put their money into keeping an expensive monitor would know how to keep it properly as well? Photokeratitis is not an uncommon problem at reptile veterinary clinics exactly because many people don't seem able to read their equipment manuals.....

Hi, I regularly come into contact with people on these websites that have no idea about using the various MVB`s safely, and place them within a few cm of their lizards (different species), even though the instructions are perfectly clear about minimum distances.
I`ve used a number of brands over the years, the amount of UVB varies quite a lot, the best in my experience are the Arcadia and Mega-Ray bulbs.
The only way to know how effective they are in terms of UVB is by using a solar meter.

[murrindindi]

First off, the brighter light is more natural. Think about it for a minute.. a sunny day outside your pupils constrict, you need sunglasses.

Mercury vapour and metal halide flood the whole cage with rich UVB & UVA bolstering white blood cell count and boosting immunities.

Hi Wayne, as mentioned previously, your monitors have NOT had access to any artificial UVB exposure for a considerable amount of time if the tube was almost 2 years old (many need replacing every 6 months or so).
Also, unless you use a solar meter you have no idea how much UVB the current MVB is emitting, nor will it necessarily "outdo" a fluorescent tube (the T5 HO`s for instance), in terms of total amount of UVB or effective distance. Fitting a reflector will double the amount and distance of any UVB tube (not to say they are all particularly good).
A single MVB will not "flood" the whole enclosure with UVB/A, it will depend on enclosure size and bulb wattage to a large extent.
Which brand of MVB are you using at the moment, as they can be somewhat different in effectiveness?

[infernalis]

Which brand of MVB are you using at the moment, as they can be somewhat different in effectiveness?

EyE electric. Japanese.

[murrindindi]

Hi Wayne, thanks for the details, I`m not sure the MVB you`ve bought is reliable for use with reptiles, here`s a link to some useful info ("Bob Mac" markets the Mega-Ray MVB`s)....
As I`ve already mentioned, unless you use a Solar meter you have no idea how much UVB they emit (and presumably no advise on safe distance from bulb face to animal surface)? I hope the link is of some help.




http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reptileuvinfo.com%2Fdocs%2Fwh y-cant-use-commercial-mercury-vapor-bulbs.pdf&ei=8e8AU9KwMoOO7Qb-p4HoDA&usg=AFQjCNGyAahAZ-yuOOH0L36rhb4liyo7NA&sig2=0blLq3bRUPOCWPrSkXYkgg&bvm=bv.61535280,d.bGQ

[Alexa]

In the same way that anyone willing to put their money into keeping an expensive monitor would know how to keep it properly as well? Photokeratitis is not an uncommon problem at reptile veterinary clinics exactly because many people don't seem able to read their equipment manuals.....

It was my understanding that photokeratoconjuctivitis in reptiles was caused more by the short-wavelength UVC than too much UVB? That was why people were so concerned about the compact fluorescent lights, and some of the more powerful kinds of lights.

[jarich]

It was my understanding that photokeratoconjuctivitis in reptiles was caused more by the short-wavelength UVC than too much UVB? That was why people were so concerned about the compact fluorescent lights, and some of the more powerful kinds of lights.

It is definitely caused by UVC very quickly, as that wavelength destroys living tissue outright. However, UVB and even UVA in high enough doses can also damage sensitive eye tissue. Its why most reptiles have adaptations to keep direct light out of their eyes (bony ridges, additional membranes, etc)