General Care Discussion :: Get What You Pay For, or a Rip-Off? Price of Basking Spots

[LKitsch]

I was in a pet store today and saw, for the first time, a Solar Bright UV heat bulb (160 watts) that was selling for over $50. I generally pay about $15 apiece for the Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp (150 watts), which was sitting on the shelf next to it.

Both say on the box that they offer a full UV spectrum in addition to heat for reptiles. The guy in the store says that despite that, there is a quantitative difference in UV output and the expensive bulb is worth the money.

Maybe, maybe not. Any opinions? I also use a full spectrum UV flourescent bulb that I keep on next to the UV heat lamp above the basking platform.

And while we are at it, what about the halogen UV bulbs? Are they worth the extra money? Only the best for my sliders!

[DavidY]

If you want the best, get the mercury vapor bulbs (T-Rex Active UV-Heat flood and ZooMed Powersun are good). They provide both UVB and UVA which turtles need. I don't think the regular incandescent basking bulbs provide UVB. The mercury vapor bulbs also project the UV rays farther, whereas flourescent bulbs are only good within 6 to 8 inches.

[SpotsMama]

Here's a description of the Zoo Med bulb:

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti-Bas ... B000256EAI

The Repti-Basking bulb does provide UVA but the advertising doesn't even mention UVB, so it's not providing any significant UVB. If a bulb is providing significant UVB, it will say so and will advertise the percentage provided. It's essential that the turtle have UVB for good shell and bone health.

I couldn't find out much about the Solar-Brite bulb. It is a mercury vapor bulb (MVB) and is advertised in the same group with the Zoo Med Powersun and T-Rex, which are two reputable MVBs. It's the least expensive of the three though still pretty pricey, as you noticed. The other two bulbs are good providers of UVB so I assume this bulb provides useful amounts of UVB too.

If you're looking for a UVB bulb, I'd say the Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp is NOT a good choice. The Solar-Brite bulb PROBABLY is, though I wish I could find more specifics on it.

The MVB bulbs (like the Solar-Brite Bulb and the T-Rex and Powersun) are all-in-one bulbs. They provide heat, light, UVA and UVB so one bulb does it all for a turtle tank. They are however too powerful and hot for a small tank and are only recommended for tanks 55 gallons and larger. If your tank is too small for an MVB then you'll need to use two bulbs - a cool flourescent bulb for UVA and UVB and some sort of incandescent bulb for heat.

The halogens? I just don't know. The question has come up several times on here but I don't know that there's a concensus on their worth. There are studies out there where scientists have measured UV output for the MVBs and flourescents, but if there's anything similar for the halogens I don't know about it.

By the way, the MVBs in order of reputation are T-Rex first, then Powersun. Then, I suppose would be others like Solar-Brite. Naturally, this is the order of price, too, with the most reputable being the most pricey.

[steve]

The Solar-Brite also brought up a . "Full spectrum" is not a reliable term to indicate UVA and UVB producing bulbs. I agree with SpotsMama about MVBs, though I have seen prices usually around the $45-50 range. Halogens are suitable for basking heat lamps but will not provide any significant level of UVB.