Mega Ray EB

[MasterYoda]

I have a question about the Mega Ray EB I have never used it for one it came out in the time that I was without a greenie in the house. either that or i just didn't hear about them before. anyway how Long do these lights last as compared to the fluorescent tubes. Also I am A little confused as to weather or not they need a special clamp lamp or if they just come with a ballast that you wire up

[prism_wolf]

The lights last quite a bit longer than the suggested change-out rate of the flourescents. The fl. need to be changed out in 6-9 months...the Mega Ray EB after a year...and with a meter it can be monitored and often lasts longer than the suggested year. I finally lost my 2 year old bulb...and it was NOT due to losing it's UVB. It was thwacked with a tail.

The ballast IS the box you see in the picture posted on the website. All you need is a ceramic clamp lamp. Make sure to use the ballast for it's only source of connection to power. It's fine to plug the MR EB to a timer, but nothing should be between the bulb and the ballast. If the clamp lamp comes with a switch (most ceramic ones don't...but just in case) tape the switch in the "on" postiton just so the accidental miistake of using the switch for "on/off" isn't used. This will shorten the life of the bulb significantly.

I think you will see a very noticable difference in your ig's appetite, color, and activity level very shortly after setting this up if you choose to purchase one...which I highly recommend...;D. There is no one that I have heard talk about the difference in how the igs react to it that hasn't had an immediate and positive reaction to the MR EB.

[Yungair23]

I have no idea how to set them up except that they need to be no less or more than 12" away..They also dont produce alot of heat (i prefer the MVB bulbs that have heat/UVB like im using the SB160). Now the EB will last 1 year. But if you have a UVB Meter they can have sufficient output of 2yrs or even more. But this isnt advised b.c all situations are different and some may burn out quicker than others. So if you dont have a meter to check on it periodically then 1yr is the recommended replacement time. IMO the lighting looks nicer than tubes.

[MasterYoda]

What wattage do u use is the 60 sufficient

[MasterYoda]

Ok next question
is the EB better than the SB or is the only difference thay the SB produces heat as well as UVB

Here are the specifications for each

MEGA RAY EB

The Mega-Ray® EB flood is a 60-watt EB Par-38 True Frosted Flood Lamp, the only one of its kind in the world. A true flood lamp, it will disperse usable UVB in a 30" circumference at a 20" distance.

MINIMUM distance setting of 12" will produce 150-200 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB and 900-1200uW/cm2 of UVA.

MAXIMUM distance setting of 20" will produce 50-75 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB. (Distance is measured from lamp face to basking spot or reptile for optimum UVB and heat.)

MEGA RAY SB


Mega-Ray® SB 100-watt narrow-flood all-in-one is a 100-watt SB Par-38 True Frosted Flood Lamp. A true flood lamp, it will disperse usable UVB in a 30" circumference at a 20" distance.

MINIMUM distance setting of 12" will produce approximately 150-200 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB and 900-1200uW/cm2 of UVA.

MAXIMUM distance setting of 20" will produce 50-75 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB. (Distance is measured from lamp face to basking spot or reptile for optimum UVB and heat.)

Seems to me that the SB would be more efficient since you would only have to run one bulb instead of two

[prism_wolf]

I have no experience with the SB series. I prefer the lack of heat so the UVB can be controlled more without having to move the heat combo farther away in the summer for the heat changes. Moving the heat farther also reduces the amount of UVB at the basking area.

Oh...and yes...the 60W is quite sufficient.

[MasterYoda]

This is true as well but yoda will be ouside in natural sunlight for a while every day in the summer hmm Im gonna research this some more

[prism_wolf]

In the summer I don't even use UVB lights. This saves on decay rates. Zair lives in his outdoor enclosure during the good months.

[MasterYoda]

Ok I see but on that note I have another question I have heard that UV bulbs loose their concentrations even when they are just setting arround. I dont know how this would be possible but I have read this is that possible?

[prism_wolf]

Not that I'm aware of. Here's a group that can help you answer a lot of your UVB questions and more: pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/

[IguanaKing]

Nope, I haven't heard of that either. Its actually the heating/cooling cycle that degrades the UVB output the quickest. If they're off all the time, the decay is almost non-existent. If they're on all the time, the decay is there, but its not nearly as high as that of bulbs/tubes which are subjected to normal on/off cycles. BTW...my 48" fluorescent tubes are almost 16 months old, and still producing over 100uW/cm^2 at 18".

I already have replacements of the same type, ready to go, and they produced a whopping 320uW/cm^2 at 12", about 200uW at 18", during the 12-hour testing period I gave them when they first arrived.

Heh...I got another UVB meter for Christmas to replace the one my dumb butt lost over the summer.

[MasterYoda]

Hey king what brand are you using im guessing you dont use the megaray 16 months is good usage

mine are about ready to replace that is why im seeking info I had them for about 4 months when my old female died of old age she was between 15 and 20 yrs the previous owners werent positive on that but that was a safe guess because they had her for 10 years and she was full grown when they got her

[IguanaKing]

You guessed correctly. ;D I'm using the UVB Mystic from Big Apple Herpetological, and its working quite well for my iggies. If anyone uses these, however, be very careful to read all of the information their web-site has on them. Always observe a minimum distance of 10" between the tubes and your animal...any closer than that WILL expose them to harmful levels of UVB. Also, a supplemental source of bright light MUST be used alongside them, as they provide very little visible light by themselves and won't make the animal's irises constrict properly. They're a bit of a pain to get set up for, but so far I'm really liking their reliability and longevity. Besides, with the design of my cage, I only had one area designed into it that is safe enough for a bulb that produces as much heat as mercury vapor lamps do.

I finally have all of the tubes together to send to UV Guide UK for objective testing, now its just a matter of sending them across the pond. ;D

[prism_wolf]

iguanaking said:

I finally have all of the tubes together to send to UV Guide UK for objective testing, now its just a matter of sending them across the pond. ;D

Fran will be eager to test these I'm sure... .