External ballasted mercury vapor bulb?

yeaitsdave · Honored Member Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 261

Hey, I was reading some wbsite and i stumbled across a review of MVB bulbs and they talk about external ballasted ones. Anyone seen any of these? I cant seem to find them anywhere else online... heres the link

http://www.geocities.com/thearkfiles/mercuryvaporbulbs.htm

tupinambis · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:35 pm Post subject:

While a lot of what is said in that write up is good information and correct, a lot of it is also pure bovine fecal mass. For instance:

4) MV bulbs produce 3 times more UVB in the 290-300 (D-UV) nanometer range than "tube" type UVB bulbs of the total UVB out-put. 10uW/cm2@12' from a MV FLOOD lamp is equivalent to 30uW/cm2 from a tube lamp.

This is simply erroneous. It's the same as saying that I have more cars than you do because I own a single Honda and you have 3 Toyotas. It makes no sense whatsoever. The author has reported the intensities of the two bulbs - uW/cm2, they are the same measurement, therefore if something is 30 uW/cm2, IT is 3 times more intense than something that is 10uW/cm2, no ifs ands or buts. Don't get caught up in the nonsense, read the facts. Considering how this person wrote that article, it is clear they are unfamiliar with the science they are writing about.

That being said, most externally ballasted mercury vapor bulbs ARE better than fluorescent tube bulbs, they usually do put out more intense UVB.

Where you can find them, however, is another matter. If you happen to be stuck living someplace where herpetoculture is not a big thriving industry, you are not likely to find this stuff at your local pet shop. However, there are some alternatives. Try looking at a lighting supply, a large hardware store, or even a lot of hydroponics supplies carry these types of bulbs and the equipment needed to use them. I've noticed in some of the aquarists magazines that a lot of the hardcore marine aquarists are also using external ballasted mercury vapor bulbs, so you might check into any of the high end aquarium supply stores in your area.

yeaitsdave · Honored Member Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 261

Herping is pretty big around here, I live just outside of philly so the population is way up, as are the things people get into

i also notice http://reptileuv.com sells external ballasted mv lights with all the getsup for $75, which isnt too outrageous. My new cage is very tall, so im considering mounting two of them on the walls pointing at 45 degree angles to cover as much area as possible. Just seemed like a better option (specially with the bulbs guaranteed for a year

)