Equipment Review and Discussion :: bulbs

[emma]

Here is a bulb i just got, do you think it is a good one? It is 26 watts and compact. The company is Exo-Terra. And it says the bulb is for tropical or sub-tropical reptiles. I dont know if it would be OK for turtles, but it has a picture of a turtle on it.



And when I was unscrewing my other 2.0 UVB bulb, it blew up! I had it turned off and everything...what could have done this?

And, it also says that the bulb contains mercury. Is this bad? What harm can happen?

Here are some pictures of the lamps set-up---




Since the bulb is so much bigger than the other one, it is making the whole thing stick up in the air...how should i fix this? I have cats so i cant take the top off.


Thanks!

[Starchick]

You can get a deeper lamp from a hardware store, brooder lamps are really deep. Or get one of the zoomed lamp stands so the lamp will just hang over the top of the tank. I think a deeper fixture would be cheaper though.

[emma]

How long can my turtles go without the UVB bulb?

Also, looking directly at the bulb, can that hurt a cats eye? A human?

[Pito007]

the bulb is what alot of people have on this site, including me, unfortunatly I have horrible luck. TWO OF MINE BURNED OUT IN THE PAST MOUNTH! but other than that, I havnt heard any complaints. about were to put it, you could get a deeper fixture (probably the cheapest solution), you could get a clamp lamp, and clamp it to something like a 2x4 standing up, you can hang it on one of those zoomed things, or you can get the actual fixtures made for that lightbulb (probably most expensive solution).

Also since the holes on the screen are small they can filter out UVB, you can widen the holes, of cut a small hole in the screen. A small whole in the screen might even be good to have the lightbulb fit into so you wont need a new fixture, but if you bumb into the tank or fixture, the bulb might break.

[emma]

Ok, I think I fixed my bulb problem for now. I put cardboard around it so it would raise in the air more. Now its about 8 inches or less from the basking dock.
And for the heating, I have a 40 watt, 60 watt, and 100 watt house bulbs. Which would be better. Or should I go out to the store and buy a different watt?

[grey goose]

Keep an eye on the turt and watch for any swelling of the eyes. I personally think your lamp is too close but the screen may cut the UVB enough to make it safe, but you may want to invest in one of those fixtures that you can clamp onto the side of the tank, to raise it up off the screen.

Pito, you must screw these bulbs into the fixture by the white base and not by the bulb. If you turn it by the bulb, you can break the seal at the base of the bulb. I learned this the hard way.

[emma]

Does anyone know about this bulb? good heat for turtles? http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/he ... eating.php

[marisa]

I used to use a similar infra-red bulb (Zoo-med or ESU) to provide heat and keep the ambient air temp up in the tank at night for my turtles when they were small (the temp was really cool in the room they were in). I used to use it 24/7 along with a UVB light on timer to cut down on the number of lights being used, but given the problems with some of the newer UVB lights, I'd be careful about doing that now, and would most likely avoid doing that if I could.

What would you be using the light for?

[emma]

I was thinking heat. I already have a house bulb for that, but was wondering if this one would be better for the turtles. The tank is in my room, so i cant really have the bulb going 24/7.

[marisa]

If the house bulb is providing enough heat, you wouldn't need the red heat bulb, at least during the day. One of the reasons I used this type of bulb wast to be able to provide heat at night without disturbing their sleep cycles. If you can't have a bulb on 24/7, and it gets cool at night, try covering their tank. It will trap the warmth from the water being warmed by the water heater and help keep the temp up at night.