Posted by jason on July 03, 2000 at 23:02:31:
In Reply to: Re: HID lamps posted by BabyHerp on June 28, 2000 at 11:36:48:
I have used these bulbs for about 6 months now on my Jewelled Lacertas and the animals have good color and appetite. Better than they did previous to their use. I tested the bulb after I first purchased it by taking it to a local light retailer, that specializes in nothing but lighting. They said that self-ballasted mercury vapor lamps are traditionally used for finding cracks in referigeration tubing, but the glass used in that application didn't allow for a significant amount of UV to pass through. Apparently "active UV heat" has made some modifiations to the bulb because we found them to emit both wavelenghts. They used a spectrometer to measure UVA and a separate spectrometer to measure UVB, both taken at about 2 inches from the bulb surface. The intensity of both wavelenghts increased as the bulb warmed up, but never got above the readings we could get outside from natural sunlight. What I infer from that, is the UV output is there, but not too strong, which makes me feel comfortable enough to use them on my animals. I have used a 100 watt flood bulb in a 2ft x 2ft x 4ft enclosure, with fairly good ventilation, and it brings the air temperature up into the 85 degree area, in a home with room temp. of 70 degrees F. The Hot spot gets up around a 100 degrees and is about 14 inches from the bulb's surface. The heat emitted from the bulb is a problem if the air in the room is already at 85 (perhaps due to unusually hot wheather in Seattle combined with no Air Conditioning in the home)...so keep a close eye on your temperature controls. It is also a good idea to have a cool retreat for animals using these bulbs, like a burrow at least 6 inches under moist dirt...that is how many lizards escape the hot sun in the wild. I like the bulbs so far, but think we have to use them for a while to understand what their impact will be on long term indoor captive lizards and breeding (in terms of satisfying nutritional requirements)
I am glad to hear that Ingo endorses them, that makes me feel a lot better. We could all learn from the European community, they have less restrictions on marketing different types of lights and seem to be more advanced in many areas of herpetology than some of us USA breeders. I am optimistic about using them on my Collareds as soon as I finish their enclosure.
Please share your thoughts and experience with these bulbs if you have other observations! Happy herping.
Jason