General Care Discussion :: Lights

[Selera]

Okay I'm looking to buy a stock Tank and found a supplier here in Florida for the future of my RES since I can't afford the big aquariums but can save up for a good 100-150 gallon stock tank.

Now my question is for her heating/basking lights. With having a 100-150 gallon stock tank would using a MVB bulb be okay and where could I find one? Also would it be better than one UVA and one UVB bulb in price?

[Daniel3507]

an mvb would work in a tank of that size. as for the price they are more expensive but are a higher quality and last longer

[Chrisbarnett]

Yeah a MVB will be fine. You would want to get the 160 watt because of the size of your tank. Also you'd want to get a flood style bulb. T-rex makes one, and I can't remember who makes the others.

You can find them at Petsmart, Petco, Etc.

[SpotsMama]

You can get MVBs on-line too. Here's a site that sells T Rex's. There are several other good sites too. T Rex is a very good brand of MVB:

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... cts_id=435

I would think about the 100 watt T Rex flood. My 100 watt bulb heats up Spot's basking platform in his 100 gallon tank just fine. I wouldn't want anything stronger because it would be too hot. However, the walls of Spot's tank plus a cover over the basking area with a frame hold in a lot of the heat from the bulb. If your case is different, if the area over which the bulb shines is open (as opposed to being enclosed) and the room is cool, or the air circulates fast in the room, then you might need a 160 watt bulb to get the heat you need.

[Squishy]

How long do MVBs generally last? The total power consumption of my current setup is only 63 W, using a 50 W flood lamp bulb with a 13 W UVB compact fluorescent (with an aluminium reflector to boost output).

The 37 watts of extra electricity usage for a 100 W MVB would cost roughly $20 a year, which is what I spend on a new UVB bulb.

With current electricity prices, it costs me $30 a year in electricity plus $20 (UVB) + $1 (flood) in bulbs, totalling $51 a year. A 100 W MVB would cost slightly more than $50 a year to run, plus the initial cost of $45 for the bulb.

So, in some areas, running combo lights might actually be cheaper. Check with your power company to see if they have a cost calculator; many of them now have a calculator to estimate what you would save when switching from incandescent to CFLs - you can tweak the wattage numbers to suit your situation.

[Chrisbarnett]

Good to know spotsmama, I just assumed that since in a 55gal a 100 watt flood is okay, that in a 100+ gal a 160 would be okay too. Wrong! lol.

Squishy,
Wait a minute, you have the 13 watt UVB? A 26watt is recommended because the 13 is too weak. Although you said you are using an aluminum reflector, but I think it is still too weak.

[Squishy]

I read somewhere that an aluminium reflector boosts output by up to six times. I tried the 26 W initially, but I couldn't get the clip light up high enough (the bigger bulb was about four inches from the turtle's head). I fashioned a reflector out of an aluminium stove burner drip pan by measuring the upper and lower circumference of the clip light and cutting out the appropriate shape, then smoothing it out with a rolling pin.

[Selera]

Thank you all of you. I was just worried cause it's a plastic stock tank that the MVB might not be good for it. I don't want to risk ruining the tank itself. ^^ Snappy is still in her temp home.. it's a little too small for her.. but still better than what most people think a RES needs till they get on this site.

[marisa]

I think you could use either a 100-watt or a 160-watt MVB depending on how cool the ambient air of the room is and how much you want to light up the tank. The 160-watt gives off more heat and UVB rays and needs to be further away than the 100-watt bulb. And it will use more electricity (and therefore up your electrical bill a bit).

I use 160-watt MVBs with 110 and 100-gallon stock tanks, a 100-watt MVB with a 40-gallon stock tank. The areas the tanks are in get quite cool in the winter.

Unlike tube and compact flourescents, the backs of MVBs are coated already, so using an aluminum reflector will not boost output (and you wouldn't want it to, it wouldn't be healthy for your turtle). Aluminum reflectors will, however, help protect your eyes from the light (if they're deep enough) and hold some of the heat over the basking area.