# Basking Spot Bulbs ???



## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Hi all, is there any reason why you can't use a normal bulb for the basking spot in a viv? My supplied bulb blew after only 3 weeks yesterday so I have replaced it on a temp basis with a standard 60w bulb, it's got a reflector strip around the base presumably directing the heat down and the temps in the viv have stayed roughly the same. The reason I ask is that the bulbs specifically aimed at reptiles seem to be a lot higher in price?


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## Mez-sez (Jul 15, 2007)

spendleb said:


> Hi all, is there any reason why you can't use a normal bulb for the basking spot in a viv? My supplied bulb blew after only 3 weeks yesterday so I have replaced it on a temp basis with a standard 60w bulb, it's got a reflector strip around the base presumably directing the heat down and the temps in the viv have stayed roughly the same. The reason I ask is that the bulbs specifically aimed at reptiles seem to be a lot higher in price?


they are higher in price for a reason though. if the temps correct with the light on and you have a UV bulb if needed then i dont see much problem. normal house bulbs are not made to creat heat by the way. the silver bit is for light


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Yeah that's what I wondered, feels hot underneath it close to the basking spot (not that Harry ever sits directly beneath it anyway!), will monitor the temps for a few days and get a better bulb if needed, this one seems similar to the ones I have seen in the local pet shop anyway?


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## Mez-sez (Jul 15, 2007)

spendleb said:


> Yeah that's what I wondered, feels hot underneath it close to the basking spot (not that Harry ever sits directly beneath it anyway!), will monitor the temps for a few days and get a better bulb if needed, this one seems similar to the ones I have seen in the local pet shop anyway?


they do look the same but there are some differences


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

if its a reflector bulb... as in not normal light bulb [traditional shape] shape.. but flattened at the bottom like these sort of thing
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11905320/Reflector_Bulb.jpg

they are perfect, they are bulbs for basking, rep brand or otherwise its what you want.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

That's what it is yeah, just silver rather than the grey colour on the photo. Thanks for that.


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## Mez-sez (Jul 15, 2007)

spendleb said:


> That's what it is yeah, just silver rather than the grey colour on the photo. Thanks for that.


like i said small differences


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

no, some are greay, others silver, but thats just brand.
i have basking bulbs, all non reptile brand and be they silver, grey or clear bottom they are the same, nothing as far as difference to the reptile brand specific bulbs.. they are shiny and clear just so they look as different from the normal household bulbs as possible.. so as to not catch on to the fact ur paying a fiver for a 50p bulb.


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## ldsforever (Apr 18, 2007)

When my bulb blew once I stuck a normal one in there for a couple hours and the temp dropped dramatically.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

normal as in round or still a basking spot bulb?
cos if a normal household shape like u know.. the traditional lightbulb shape then thats why.. and its cos its not being directed downwards, just as much heat is being given off just in different directions. [ie all up the top right away so no decent bask]


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## ldsforever (Apr 18, 2007)

I'd just stick with the ones at the pet store. I'm not risking my animals health to save a few bucks


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

do you even read what ppl say dude?, 
risk animals health? how 


edited-
removed some confrontational remarks


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

ps- you never even answered as to whether you used a normal round bulb or a reflector.. i already explained why your temps would drop...

and just to completely prove you havent a clue..
what is it about pet store ones that is better for the animal than those im talking about?? love to hear your answer asap


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## tombraider (May 6, 2006)

ldsforever said:


> I'd just stick with the ones at the pet store. I'm not risking my animals health to save a few bucks


I buy ASDA reflector bulbs, 2 in a pack for 89p and theres nothing wrong with my reps health


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## ldsforever (Apr 18, 2007)

I never said I kept the round bulb in there. this isnt even my thread. just saying what happened when I did. Do you have a problem with me dean?

it seems you do and if so you can pm me and we can work it out. 

okay?

and it can risk your animals health if temps drop too low by using an unsatisfactory bulb.

And if you say it's ok to use a regular bulb and you havent had a problem with it then I'm fine with that. I was simply pointing out that I would rather buy reptile bulbs than regular ones, as far as I've seen it the ones at the pet store seem to produce more heat.

to answer your question, It was a flat bulb I bought at the department store.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

urd use the corrrect wattage and a stat to get the correct temps regardless.
no reptile brand bulb is gona make it easy for you lol you still have to have a degree of intelignece in settin up your viv for whatever rep you house.
so yourd rather buy a rep brand..of the wattage the guy tells you i guess...that by a couple different watages for your viv and see which works? cos thats the general idea, until you have a clue what your doing then you an usually know instantly exactly what heating/lighting will be required for whatever viv and its occupant.


anyway ur in the usa.. do you even have the same bulbs we do?
at the end of the day, they are the same thing, same thing makes them work, I wouldnt be suprised if the reptile brands actually buy them directly from the manufacturer before they get to the supermarket and re-package them.

Anyway if you cant realsie that your post, at that point in this thread, was rude and offencive then your not worth talking to.. no loss to me, i dont imagine im gona miss out on learning anything from yuh.

peace out.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

I need to replace the bulb I bought, it was from a pet shop but a normal bulb like the ones Deanthorpe recommended, it's only 60 watt though and the temps are down since adding it, need to get a 100 watt I think although the holder they added to the viv is a bayonet type and not many rep shops sell bulbs like this, they are mostly screw fix, well at least the rep bulbs are.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yes most are screw fit.
but you can get bayonett fitting ones.
why have you changed your holder???
i use bayonett fitngs often cos they are easy to install and cheap, i then use a bc to es converter.

are you saying your temps have dropped from using a rep brand 60wa bulb to a normal 60w? with everything else being equal? [well.. obviously not if ur using a diff holder but othe rthan that, distances from bulb to bask etc]


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

spendleb said:


> Hi all, is there any reason why you can't use a normal bulb for the basking spot in a viv? My supplied bulb blew after only 3 weeks yesterday so I have replaced it on a temp basis with a standard 60w bulb, it's got a reflector strip around the base presumably directing the heat down and the temps in the viv have stayed roughly the same. The reason I ask is that the bulbs specifically aimed at reptiles seem to be a lot higher in price?


what has changed since you posted this??


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Nothing has changed, the bulb holder was the one the pet shop installed, the only difference is that we changed the bulb mid way through the day so possible the temps were already high in the viv and the 60w just helped to keep them up, the next day when it had to do the job on it's own it's failing to get above 90 in the 'hot' end?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

oh, and a 60 wat exo terra bulb did it better?
what about your basking temps? and cool end\?


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

I think the original bulb was 100w, the cool end is around 80 and not sure about the basking temp although it doesn't 'feel' as intense underneath as it did before where it was around 110f. Where did you get the converter from?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

our local rep shop does sell them.. but so does livefoods.co.uk and maplin.co.uk
about £4 usually.

All i can say, is that the wattage of the bulb generally determines its heat and light out put so alhtough bulbs may varie, it shouldnt really so much be a brand thing.
However id recomend not buying anything from sainsburys or b&q brand as they dont last and even smash [as do the exo terra ones which they really shouldnt, its not on really lol]

Wilkinsons...in my experience, along with maplin sell the best brands of screw fit bulbs.

100 watt is prolyl best if yourv got a 4 foot viv, sorry i dont know what size viv u have.
and even for a 3 foot assumin u have a dimmer stat.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Don't have a dimmer stat but do have a 4ft viv.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

cool, well a 100watt bulb..in a 4 foot viv is about right.. really you should have a dimmer stat for your own piece of mind but temps will be ablout right with that yes.
but can defo go a bit high if room temp goes above 82 degrees ish..as ive found over the last year or so.
but yeh, if yourv done it up til now and its been ok...it shoudl remain so.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Cheers, will get a 100w bulb at lunchtime and give it a go again.


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## SuperTed (Apr 19, 2007)

lol if you had a 100w bulb in there then put a 60w in there isnt it obvious you will get temp drops? :lol2:


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## Kellybee (Oct 13, 2006)

spendleb said:


> I need to replace the bulb I bought, it was from a pet shop but a normal bulb like the ones Deanthorpe recommended, it's only 60 watt though and the temps are down since adding it, need to get a 100 watt I think although the holder they added to the viv is a bayonet type and not many rep shops sell bulbs like this, they are mostly screw fix, well at least the rep bulbs are.


The dramatic drop was probably something to do with wattage rather than brand, a 100watt bulb will always get a lot warmer than a 40w for example, and if thermostatted, will remain on until the required temp is achieved. If the bulb is permanently blaring despite being on a stat, then it isnt getting hot enough, and the wattage needs to be increased.

I use household reflector bulbs for all my reps, my 3 collared vivs have basking spots of up to 120 degrees using 75w and 100w reflectors, and so I dont think insufficient heat is a good description of Wilko, Woolworths or B&Q reflector bulbs. 

The only time I ever buy the proper reptile bulbs is when I need to use an infra red or a blue night light, for my arachnids or frogs etc. From experience the only difference between branded reptile bulbs and cheaper household bulbs is the price tag, and the packaging, assuming we are talking strictly about white reflector bulbs of the same wattage.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Kellogscornsnake! said:


> lol if you had a 100w bulb in there then put a 60w in there isnt it obvious you will get temp drops? :lol2:


Know what you saying, I am presuming the original was 100w as it was installed by the pet shop 3 weeks ago but 'exploded' a few days ago so we couldn't check it's wattage.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

just to note.... every exo terra bulb i had [white and red] even with the use of a dimmer stat blew withina month... is when i started using non brands.... thinking even if they only last a month its a fraction of the price.. but they tend to last a lot longer so thats good.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Agree, just need to get this BC - ES adaptor today so I can use bulbs with a screw fit, went to B&Q, Focus and ASDA yesterday and none of them had bayonet reflector bulbs at 100w !!


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> just to note.... every exo terra bulb i had [white and red] even with the use of a dimmer stat blew withina month... is when i started using non brands.... thinking even if they only last a month its a fraction of the price.. but they tend to last a lot longer so thats good.


 
ive had one exo terra do this to me but it literally exploded for no reason and the worst thing was it was only a couple of days after i baught it, it was a red one as well. 
but i did ahve a ref;ector bulb once that was abayonet fitting and that never blew up just the pins that hold it in the holder snapped off thats why personally i prefer screw fitting bulbs and as im not sure where u can get the reflector bulbs in screw fitting im stuck ith rubbish reptile branded ones


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

jamie_coxon said:


> ive had one exo terra do this to me but it literally exploded for no reason and the worst thing was it was only a couple of days after i baught it, it was a red one as well.
> but i did ahve a ref;ector bulb once that was abayonet fitting and that never blew up just the pins that hold it in the holder snapped off thats why personally i prefer screw fitting bulbs and as im not sure where u can get the reflector bulbs in screw fitting im stuck ith rubbish reptile branded ones


Now I can only find the reflector bulbs in the screw fitting :lol2:


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

lol lucky u are well i know theres 2 pet shops in hull east yorkshire lol that sell bayonet fittings but there aint any that sell screw fitting apart from branded ones which is really annoying


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

maplin do a normal reflector bulb in bayonett..but its about £2.50-£3 instead of a lot less for screw fittings.

get an adapter yeh, best thing really.

cornishcrispa sell infa red bulbs, 150 and 250 w, not rep brands, a bit expensive but they are good.
otherwise the zoo med brand red bulbs really are good anyway, its just those darn exo terra and othe rbrands which are prone to exploding.

LightBulbs Direct - (UK) Light bulbs, halogen lamps, spot lights and tubes by mail order in the UK 
do a good range of bulbs of all sorts and deliver, worth checking them out, i hope your familar with the e14, e27, r50, r80 stuff or the site can be hard to understand, i miss ordered a few lol


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

jamie_coxon said:


> lol lucky u are well i know theres 2 pet shops in hull east yorkshire lol that sell bayonet fittings but there aint any that sell screw fitting apart from branded ones which is really annoying


lol if thats the case mate ,ordser from the above link, or go into normal shops liek wilkinson, maplin, asda, etc or Cornish Crispa Co. and urll have no probs gettin screw fitting atall.


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## spendleb (Jul 17, 2007)

Homebase sold the 100w bayonet type in 2 packs for £3.50 so going to try these today.


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> lol if thats the case mate ,ordser from the above link, or go into normal shops liek wilkinson, maplin, asda, etc or Cornish Crispa Co. and urll have no probs gettin screw fitting atall.


 
will try that link above wilkos near dont have any screw fitting reflectors  asda ... well carnt even find the light bulbs in asda :lol2: and maplin never crossed my mind:lol2:


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## bev336 (May 10, 2007)

Try here they sell both bayonet and screw fittings in all wattages and colours at a very good prce Spotlight Lamps Bulbs Spot Light Lamp Bulb UK Lighting. I buy the G.E. they last quite well.


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

ok am i stupid or is tht site selling them for like 50p


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yeh, i checked that site out, pretty good but i think the link i posted to lightbulbs-direct are a little cheaper, best to open them both up, find the product and compare.
not sure about postage costs for both sites though.


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

thanks dean found sumit ive been after for a while on the site u posted had 2 go offline erarlier so only had chance2 check one 
just wanna no will this harm my reps http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/variant_detail.asp?var=3344 im not gonna use it in the viv just in a display cabinet in the same room wanna know if it wud harm them before i order


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## bev336 (May 10, 2007)

Yeah, that is about what they are between 45p and 60p.


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## bev336 (May 10, 2007)

jamie_coxon said:


> thanks dean found sumit ive been after for a while on the site u posted had 2 go offline erarlier so only had chance2 check one
> just wanna no will this harm my reps T8 26mm blacklight blue UV tube 18" 15W - Lightbulbs Direct - Your source for buying domestic light bulbs! im not gonna use it in the viv just in a display cabinet in the same room wanna know if it wud harm them before i order


Check out the UV output for both UVA and UVC, before you use with your reps


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

ah..........
mate...........
i dont know.. bvlacklights used to be used for uv all the time any years ago... then came all the problems... they are a bit dangerous... umn but if not in the viv then i guess they are ok.. umn.. why do you want it?? 

im honestly not sure mate, they are very old school and i havent used one for 12 years and i really couldnt say.. i think they give off higher amounts of UVC than most things ,thats the cancer causing bit of the uv spectrum.. but at a great distance or sheilded with glass it should be ok.. i think its best to ask a LOT more ppl dude cos im not confident with any answer i can give mate sorry.


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

ok thanks lol im NOT using in a viv sum1 dint read that part lol it wud be in a cabinet at the other end of the room the vivs arent facing it directly the reason i wanted it was coz it makes white glow i belive and our lass got loads ov ornaments in this cabinet


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

no dude i did read it, was just saying, im not all that sure on the specs of them nowadays.. i think it might even be bad for eyes.

outside the viv just for lighting for the room it shoudl be ok but id kill myself if..heaven forubid yo actually took my word for soemthing and summit bad happned is all mate.


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

lol that want aimed at u above u some one said check b4 using with ur reps was only an idea anyways 2 be honest one person saying hes not sure will do me fine not gonna risk it im not sure but i think they got banned dint they at one point?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yes they did.
but i see them a lot in maplin and other lighting shops but yes, i too thought they were illegal... 
maybe they are for animal use i dunno lol

you can get them for discos and stuff too so ..:google: ?


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

lol google gd idea gonna drop the idea now tho thanks anyways


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