Light test.......

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Posted by cwatbay on September 11, 2000 at 10:54:41:

In Reply to: best uvb bulb posted by nick on September 09, 2000 at 09:41:57:

I was at a reptile society meeting where several brands of uvb bulbs were brought in and tested.

The people who were doing the testing were from a tortoise rescue group and they brought the fixtures, lites, etc. Also they brought a UVB tester ( cost around $600 to $700 ). All lights were tested (1) right on top of the bulb, (2) at varying distances up to 2 ft from the bulb.

They also showed some used bulbs and how much the UVB decreased over time.

Basically the results were:

ZooMed Repti-Sun 5.0 and Iguana Light 5.0 were the best. Had the highest UVB volume ( I believe measured in nanometers ), had the highest depth of UVB penetration ( up to 18 inches ), emitted UVB over the longest period of time ( 8 mos to 1 yr of usuable UVB - meaning there was enough UVB to be usefull to the lizard ).

Vitalite and ESU were OK, but, the UVB intensity was low, even at the bulb and got considerably less even at 6 inches away.

Keep in mind that UVB dimishes over time, so a low UVB at the bulb when it is new means that in a very short time ( a few months )the bulb is virtually useless ( except as lighting ).

The rules of thumb were:
1. Usually the more expensive the bulb - the higher intensity of UVB and the longer the bulb lasted in putting out useable UVB
2. UVB in all bulbs diminished over time, some quicker than others.
3. Some cheaper bulbs( regular price less than $20.00)had an adequate UVB when new, but quickly died out, meaning that you had to buy a lot more of them over the same period that you could have had just one better quality ( more expensive ) bulb.

Hope this helps.
CW

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: I was at a reptile society meeting where several brands of uvb bulbs were brought in and tested. : The people who were doing the testing were from a tortoise rescue group and they brought the fixtures, lites, etc. Also they brought a UVB tester ( cost around $600 to $700 ). All lights were tested (1) right on top of the bulb, (2) at varying distances up to 2 ft from the bulb. : They also showed some used bulbs and how much the UVB decreased over time. : Basically the results were: : ZooMed Repti-Sun 5.0 and Iguana Light 5.0 were the best. Had the highest UVB volume ( I believe measured in nanometers ), had the highest depth of UVB penetration ( up to 18 inches ), emitted UVB over the longest period of time ( 8 mos to 1 yr of usuable UVB - meaning there was enough UVB to be usefull to the lizard ). : Vitalite and ESU were OK, but, the UVB intensity was low, even at the bulb and got considerably less even at 6 inches away. : Keep in mind that UVB dimishes over time, so a low UVB at the bulb when it is new means that in a very short time ( a few months )the bulb is virtually useless ( except as lighting ). : The rules of thumb were: : 1. Usually the more expensive the bulb - the higher intensity of UVB and the longer the bulb lasted in putting out useable UVB : 2. UVB in all bulbs diminished over time, some quicker than others. : 3. Some cheaper bulbs( regular price less than $20.00)had an adequate UVB when new, but quickly died out, meaning that you had to buy a lot more of them over the same period that you could have had just one better quality ( more expensive ) bulb. : Hope this helps. : CW

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