Mercury Vapor bulbs

[roguedroid]

Until my mercury vapor bulb gets in, I got a 150 watt day bulb. The basking spot got up to 107 degrees, which is just a little toasty. Is the 160 watt mercury vapor bulb going to make the temp even worse, or will the wattage be divvied up differently because of the other features of the bulb, such as the UVB?

[roguedroid]

Have you guys ever seen or heard of a dimmable lamp? They sell for about $15 for the 10 inch, 200 watt limit lamp. This sounds perfect, but I want to hear what you guys think first before buying something else.

Nevermind, I just got to the bottom of the website and it says that CFLs and mercury vapor bulbs are not dimmable. So back to the same issue as before. Is 160 watts going to be too much, and how can I make the problem better without buying something else?

[laurarfl]

Having the basking spot at 107 isn't too bad. It is hard to say what the 160watt will be until you get it set up. Having a wider dome vs a narrow dome may make a difference. MVB need a deep dome and ceramic fixture, but I think you have that. I buy large domes from Home Depot for about $10. I say get the new bulb, get it set up, check the temps, and then see what needs to be adjusted.

[roguedroid]

Thanks!
Also, do you notice any difference in the "premium" domes that are painted black on the outside and white on the inside, versus the plain aluminum domes? I have a large aluminum dome already and I was wondering if the manufacturer is just making more profit from a quick coat of paint, or if it actually makes a difference.

[laurarfl]

I have both, but haven't noticed much difference. But I haven't looked for much difference, either. I don't have the large deep dome black hoods, but I have smaller ones for basking lights. Aluminum reflects just as well as special paint, imo.

[scubatyler]

From my experience, the Mercury vapor bulbs are a little bit cooler than halogen flood lamps if that is what your daylight lamp is. A 90 watt halogen bulb produces a higher basking temperature in my enclosure than a 160 watt MVB. I use a 275 watt Megaray bulb because my tegu will play with anything hanging below 3 feet. I have a 4 foot shop light with 2 daylight bulbs in it just to brighten things up in the enclosure that was hanging at 3 feet and came home one time to find it ripped down. Somehow my tegu climbed ontop and broke one of the chains. luckily she didn't get hurt. Now I have it hanging at 4 feet and haven't had a problem. As for fixtures, I prefer the ceramic light sockets screwed directly to the top of the enclosure and wired to a normal light switch that plugs into a timer. the MVB bulbs are fragile and if they get bumped more than a time or two they will burn out and you will be fighting with the company to get a replacement under warranty if there is a warranty. If the top of your enclosure is too tall I think it would work to screw the ceramic socket to the bottom of a 4x4 cut to the right length then screw the 4x4 to the top of the cage. I would protect all wires with some type of conduit or guard so they cannot be ripped out. Good Luck! I hope this info helps.

[Gnatilie]

K I have been looking into mvb bulbs, flourescent and the like... what is the best for heat and uvb? I am a bit overwhelmed w/ all the info and whatnot... I am very interested in what everyone uses and what is bad for their eyes what is good on UVB and whatnot...