I just bought an R-Zilla 36" Combo light with 4 Bulbs and a 36" Flourescent Light, but I just found out that R-Zilla RECALLED the Flourescent UVB Bulbs and the supplier isnt going to have one in for months .. that is NOT good. I found this: Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Bulb 36" - (30 Watts T-12) Anyone know if this will fit in the R-Zilla Combo Light Fixture? Will it be strong enough if hung from the top of a 24" tall Tank? Thanks in Advance.
hhmmmm I asked the seller of the Combo Light fixture if this would fit: Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Bulb 36" T-12 His Answer: "Unfortunately no other manufacturers bulb will fit in these units. Only Zilla or Coralife make this exact size and wattage bulb." Then I asked the seller of the light above and got this: "Yes, this bulb will fit in it just fine according to the manufacturers web site." Now I don't know what to think ... of course there is NO way to get to talk to a LIVE person at R-Zilla or at Zoo Med .....
I am really not sure what your fixture looks like, but I would assume that any 36" fixture would fit a 36" tube? The 5.0 Repti-sun is a good bulb for sure - I think that is the one Doug Dix mentions on his site. It was tested with many other brands for UV output and it did very well.
Okay ... Have someone building new enclosures for us that are 60" long (5 Feet) I want to order these for him to install 48" Single Linear Strip 28 watt ColorMax full-spectrum T-5 fluorescent lamp On/off switch and built-in ballast Sleek, designer-black aluminum housing Highly-polished reflector Acrylic lens cover Adjustable width tank mounts Anyone know if these would work for Uro's? Lighting confuses the heck out of me ! I am still considering the MVB bulbs and NO flourenscent strips like this. I'd have to have 4 more additional light fixtures installed in each enclosure for the MVB bulbs. I'm thinking that since the building is installing them, these slimline Coralife fixtures might be more economical.
You should go with the mercury vapor bulbs, like the zoo med power sun. They last for a year, have a lot higher uvb output, and have a better range. Also if you go with a fluorescent you need a 10.0 for uros, that info you read on his site is out of date. 5.0's haven't been the standard in years. On a side note the zilla bulbs are lousy and have always been at the bottom when compared to other brands. I was hoping when they changed from ESU to Zilla their lighting would improve like a lot of the old ESU products did, but the lighting is still no good. Exo-terra and definitely zoo-med make the best. Also you need to remove the lens covers when using uvb light, the lenses block the uvb.
Thanks Dragon !!! I knew someone would know ... I have about 6-7 weeks to find the perfect fixtures and bulbs ... got any other ideas? ... If yes, post pics or website ... I'm sooooooo confused ! LOL Maybe I should just let Doug pick them out but he want $60 per fixture and I think I can find them cheaper. Also .... Would you suggest single or double bulb fixtures? Thanks You ROCK !!
Honestly without seeing the cage I can't really say to much. I can help when u need bulbs, but I would just let him put his fixtures in.
Here is the enclosure I am having built .. But it will be Two high instead of 3 ... 5' x 24" x 18" I want to put either one 48" UVB fixture in each one or two 24" ones. Like I said, I might just have Doug install them too. Would make it alot easier. Thanks for your help !
I would just have Doug install them if I were you. It will be way easier and will probably look much better (as he is building the cage already). I am sure he will know what the right lighting combo would be. Personally though, I agree with Dragonguy - I would go with the MVB. IMO, the best brand out there is mega ray (I have used several brands and I much prefer the mega ray) available at reptileuv.com. The good thing about the mega ray is that it has light/heat/UVB all built into one. You would only need one light fixture per enclosure. That is just my opinion though, lol. Once I went to MVB, I never went back as they are just so much easier and they last longer.
Thanks JayHay and Dragon ! I'm going to have Doug install one double light fixture on each end of the each enclosure that will hold two MVB lights each. Going to have the ones you can rotate and move around (like the light fixtures you use on front and back porches) so if needed I can refocus and move them to obtain the best heat/light situation. You guys have been very helpful and patient with me
oh one more quick question ..... for a 5 ft enclosure, what wattage Mega-ray bulb am I going to need?
You need to know the height from the floor to the light socket. For example if it is within 18" probably 100w, and more than that 150w. If you want my opinion I really don't like the mega-rays. First the spread of uvb is to narrow compared to say a power sun. Mega-ray states its safer for the owners of the bulb, which is ridiculous, uvb doesn't travel through glass or even plexi. Plus the uvb output on reptile bulbs is so low compared to our lovely sun, you really have nothing to worry about if you were exposed to a bulb. Second the mega ray bulbs, never put out the amount of micro watts they advertise and they have a lousy warranty. I also would like to ad, that I do have a UVB Meter, and I have used virtually every brand of mercury vapor bulbs in my old store, except the new exo-terra ones. And the zoo-med power sun is definitely the best. I've gotten almost 2 years out of some of my bulbs, but I still recommend changing them once a year, unless you have a uvb meter and know how to read it properly. http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDet...&SearchID=1
Wow dragonguy, I have never heard anything negative about the mega rays...ever. From what I understood, they tested among the best. Do you have any links to any sites that provide this info? (Not trying to argue or anything, but every BD and Uro forum I have ever been on has completely backed the maga ray over most other MVBs). I have used several MVBs, (but I never tried the Power Sun), and I find the mega ray to be far superior based on my limited knowledge. I was under the impression that the issue with safety is in relation to the cheap chinese made MVBs (some of which I have used and hated) that came on the market in recent years for much cheaper prices (as low as $20). From what I have read, some of these cheaper MVBs are not made very well and put out a dangerously high amount of UV - too high for the reptile or the owner.
Anne, in terms of wattage, it really depends on height (as dragonguy said) and ventilation. In a cage with little ventilation, you need a lower wattage MVB as more heat says in the cage. It also depends on the temps in you house. Do keep in mind that MVB can put out a lot of heat, and so you need to order to correct wattage and always keep an eye on the temps. If you were to order from mega ray, you can email the the info on your cage and the temps in your house and they will suggest what wattage to use (another reason why I love reptileuv.com, customer service!). You could also ask Doug. I am sure he has put MVB lighting in before and he might have an idea of what wattage to go with. I usually keep 100w and 160w MVBs on hand and I switch them based on the temps (in winter, I often use 160 and in summer, 100). This can be expensive though.
Your right stay away from the cheap ones. I judging mega ray from my experience and testing them myself. After about 2 months they dropped down to 30-50 micro watts at around 18"-24". Which they all do eventually, but it takes almost a year for other brands I have used to drop that low.
Well, I got my Zilla 36" Combo Light Fixture today .. Put 2 75w Day halogens and 2 75w Night Halogens in it on a timer. I spoke to a rep at R-Zilla and they are shooting for the new re-designed UVB flourescent tubes to be in the stores by Feb. 9th. So .... In the mean time ... I got the highest wattage coil UVB bulb I could get at the pet store (I think its 23w), put it in a dome light and suspended it 12 inches from the substrate. This is only temporary til the new bulbs come in. I also checked with Zoo Med and Exo-Terra and their flourescents will NOT fit in this fixture. I put my order in with Doug .... I'm having him install movable light fixtures (2 of them in each enclosure) for the MVB/UVB bulbs. Decided not to go with a strip one. Just too darn hard to find a good one that I liked.
Yup you made a mistake getting that zilla fixture, they make their bulbs smaller then standard size so you have to replace them with the zilla brand. They even got rid of the old ESU Slim Lines 18" reflectors which took a standard size bulb and also was one of the best reflectors on the market for years. I hope for your sack they actually improve their uvb bulbs this time. The ones that they are replacing just came out a year ago and those were supposed to be improved as well, but they weren't. I would like to ad, that I think zilla makes a lot of good products, but their uvb lighting is about the lowest quality on the market.
The main reason I got them is because they had timers but I should have gotten other lights and gotten a timer strip. Definately will be getting those for the new enclosure. I personally haven't had any problems with the bulbs in my 24" combo fixture from Zilla. The timer stopped working about 3 wks after we got it, but the lights have worked perfectly. Thanks for all the advice and help guys .... I'm sure once the new enclosures are done and here I'll need more help picking out correct lighting and I'm sure i'll have to play with the lighting to get the right temps. Thank god for digital thermometers and temp guns !
