# Metal Halide & Mercury Vapour UV spot lamps



## HerpTech (Mar 29, 2013)

Hi all,

You may have read recently about advances in reptile lighting, including metal halide bulbs. If you are looking at purchasing equipment for animals requiring a high intensity light and basking heat you would do well to research these, as they're proving very successful in zoological breeding and husbandry trials.
(My company, HerpTech, offers a range of high quality specialist equipment to zoos, herpetologists and the reptile industry, including such lamps).

There are a range of special offers on Metal Halide & Mercury Vapour UV Lamps for the Easter Weekend on the HerpTech site:

http://herptech.com/?product_cat=uv-spot-light

Our JBL range of German-made products produce very high quality multi-spectrum / high UV light output at economical wattages, which far out perform any other comparable bulb we have trialled from the few on the UK market.
These are available in 4000k and 6000k colour temperatures for rain forest and desert vivariums respectively.

As exclusive UK distributors for a number of top European brands, we can also offer competitive deals on reflectors and bulb holders, heating equipment and many more specialist items:

*herptech.com*

and this weekend I'm supplying a free heat pack with every order.

Next day courier delivery with effect from Tuesday 2nd April (after the Bank Holiday weekend) includes a fragile classification service for bulbs.
(please drop me an email if you're outside of 'mainland UK').

Have a great Easter!
Toby


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## regtuck (Oct 7, 2012)

It would be easier to get interested if you would specify which type of Ultra Violet frequencies your talking about - UVA and/or UVB.
Thank you


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## HerpTech (Mar 29, 2013)

*UV spots*

As you'll see we have a range of bulbs, all of which produce high levels of both UVa & UVb.
Typical UV output of 100w Mercury Vapour:

UVa 38%
UVb 7%

UV radiation from these bulbs penetrates far deeper into a viv than similar spots or UV strips (where levels of UV are not significant for animals' benefit over 6" from the tube).

Many of the metal halides we stock produce even higher UV output percentages in a compact energy-effecient form:

JBL ReptilJungle LUW Bulb 35W | HerpTech

We have extended our Easter offers for a few more weeks....

HerpTech


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Problem being, you cannot use metal halide or mercury vapour bulbs on stats, so temps can fluctuate wildly. Also the UVB is focused to the beam of the lamp, as opposed to being distributed throughout the viv. I also think that your description of strip lights being ineffective at a distance greater than 6 inches is deceptive, it may be true of old T8 tubes, particularly from some manufacturers, but I think you'll find that the T5HO UVB tubes easily give a good UVB index at 18" and more. 

Metal halide and MVB bulbs have their uses, particularly helpful with some larger lizards due to the size of their enclosures and the requirement for focused basking spots along with a high ambient temperature regulated by statted heaters. 

The recommendation to use them for Day Geckos, for example 

JBL ReptilJungle LUW Bulb 35W | HerpTech

seems a bizarre choice, the description states that 

"Their powerful UV radiation will also penetrate much further into deep tanks (i.e. height exceeding 18″ / 45cm), providing full spectrum light to animals and plants on the tank floor from twice that height." 

The beam of a MVB spotlight will be focused and only diffuses towards the bottom of the viv, whereas Phelsuma spend the majority of their time around the sides of the viv at the top, and in fact would rarely go onto the floor, or even spend time towards the floor. They're a truly arboreal species, who feel more secure the higher they are, therefore it's difficult to see how your bulb will provide more UV than even a T8 UV tube, let alone a T5HO tube.

Few thoughts

Dave


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## HerpTech (Mar 29, 2013)

*To clarify...*

That's correct - no stats must be used on these lamps.
When mounting above the top mesh of the viv (which you'd do with any piece of equipment for arboreal geckos ideally) they don't need controlling with a stat.

Metal halides provide a basking site in the top zone of the viv for the animals to shuttle in and out of, but light the whole depth of a vertical viv to full spectral effect, which is hard to achieve with tubes.
Zonal lighting (areas of light and shade) is also desirable, so placing a focussed beam in the top centre of the viv with a horizontal basking site (such as a length of bamboo) a suitable distance (6" or so) below lights the viv to the floor effectively but with shaded zones at the edges.
Of course Phelsuma are arboreal, but they will use the whole viv when given opportunity; the reason you've seen them "hanging out at the top and sides" is because they're clustering around a source of poor quality light, I expect.

A moderate day / night temp fluctuation is desirable for many species (most Phelsuma) and you wouldn't use lighting equipment to control the ambient temperature of a viv at night anyway. (If you want to do that I'd recommend a reptile radiator or ceramic on stat.) 

I've maintained all of my breeding colony of Phelsuma under 35w metal halides for the last year with excellent success, including delicate species such as cepediana, guttata, guimbeaui.
Mounted in a reflector above the mesh, they're an excellent choice to light any viv over 45cm (18") high, in my opinion and experience.
The health, colours and wellbeing of the animals is visibly superior to other lighting I've used (and in 25 years I've used pretty much everything).

That's a specific example, of course.
Combinations of equipment can be used for any animal's requirements and some may disagree with me.
Personally I find tubes, even modern T5s, inferior but they have uses for animals with lower heliocentric orientations (cresties, for example).
Hope that clarifies my position and recommendation without antagonising anyone with other opinions; there's more than one way to...'peel an orange' (I wouldn't know how to 'skin a cat').


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

HerpTech said:


> That's correct - no stats must be used on these lamps.
> When mounting above the top mesh of the viv (which you'd do with any piece of equipment for arboreal geckos ideally) they don't need controlling with a stat.
> 
> Metal halides provide a basking site in the top zone of the viv for the animals to shuttle in and out of, but light the whole depth of a vertical viv to full spectral effect, which is hard to achieve with tubes.
> ...


Thanks for the clarification, horses for courses, as you say. I've never appreciated lights above my vivs, but can see the uses if people are happy with them. And working out how to skin a cat is half the fun :2thumb:

:lol2: Just kidding

Dave


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## HerpTech (Mar 29, 2013)

*It must be spring 'cos love is in the air...*

:2thumb:


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## HerpTech (Mar 29, 2013)

*Picture tells a thousand words...*

You can see what I mean in the attached photos on this thread:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/equipment-classifieds/949052-specialist-reptile-equipment.html

(I can't post attachments on this thread...)


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