i jus picked up a really nice metal halid lighting system.
its sooo nice cause it got a remote DIGITAL ballast.

my chamroom is about 8x12 ft. i installed this light on the ceiling in the middle if it. will it be enough light to keep my chams healthy?the ceiling is about 7 1/2 ft. high.

i am a experienced keeper BUT i have no experience working with this type of light.it is very bright and it produces massive amounts of u.v.b.i noticed the chams moving towards it and basking.they looked very,very happy.

i

Howdy,

Post some info (mfgr,model etc.) about this metal halide unit. What level of UVB is it supposed to produce?

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Co-founder (retired) of the South Bay Chameleon Keepers group (SBCK - Los Angeles area). Established in 2007.

I would certainly not reccomend this at all. Those lights are designed for coral reefs and are egineered to simulate the constant sunlight that coral reefs would recieve, not aboreal lizards. Just becuase a light emits massive amounts of uvb doesnt mean its safe. I think you would be foolish to use this on your chameleons unless there has been some sort of research done with it on chams and im almost certain there hasnt. Im sure the eyesight in your chams would decline because they intensity is just wayyyyyyy to high.

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The Chameleon Kingdom

what about the sun?and those powersun mercury vapor bulbs those bulbs are just as bright.would it be possible that a chameleon might not look directly into the arc.i know even if they dont look directly at the arc they could still be exposed to the intense light could cause damage thats why its high on the ceiling.ive heard of keepers using these and they claim theres no problems.
i am going to give the chams a benefit of the doubt that they will not stare into the arc.i will also be watching them.
the powersun 160 watt is a little less bright as a 175 metal halide.i was just reading that a digital ballast outputs 30% more light.i will do some research on the bulb i got with it.i will most likely be changing the bulb because i seen one that produces uvb close to the reptisun 5.0.

Have you used a measuring device, or is this the conclusion you made, because of your chams moving to the light?
Nowadays nearly all the metal halids have a safety glass, with UV-Stop, so UVB output should be nominal.
I would advise people against removing the safety glas though, because of possible radiation damages, due to the high UVC output.

BUT, metal halids have a high light output, which is the reason why, in Germany, we consider them a must for heliophile reptiles like chameleons, beardies, etc.

Artificial light can't be bright enough for a chameleon.

Here a comparison of the light output of the powersun and a metal halid from Osram (30cm distance). It is visable that the metal halid has a much higher light output, with a lower wattage.

ZooMed Powersun 100W..............................6000 Lux (6 lm/m²)
Osram Powerball HCI 70W..........................15000 Lux (15 lm/m²)

Now guess how high the light intensity of the sun is. In summer it can go up to about 100.000 Lux, if its cloudy 20.000 Lux, in the shades 10.000 Lux.

This is the reason why I consider light setups consisting only of a UV-bulb and a spot as insufficient. Its like keeping these animals in the dark. Heat and UV are only two types of radiation, but why doesn't anybody think about the visuable light?

When using metal halids, make sure you use a bulb with a color temperature between 5000 und 6500 Kelvin. The bulbs used for sea-water aquariums often produce a light with a color temprature above 10000 Kelvin, which is too blue for reptiles.

With kind regards,
albacheck

thanks for the information i was hoping someone would know something about these lamps.i did some research last night and its sorta confusing at first because i really never checked it out.there are kelvin levels,CRI and a few others.the zoomed reptisun has CRI of 85-92,most people are looking for at least a 90 CRI for reptiles that need u.v.b.the bulb i got with this system is a basic halide bulb it is safety coated.

as far as the bulbs there are about 2-3 bulbs that have a 90 CRI or more one is the natural white 950 series the other is the hortilux these are both halides.
i was only able to find the hortilux in a 250watt,400 and i think 600.

this is the spec sheet for the 250 950 series
http://www.venturelighting.com/Natur...White_FAQs.htm


the hortilux bulbs seem like they might have potential but they have higher failure rates at least the h.p.s. have had problems.i am going to use it in combination with reptisun 5.0 .

i dont have a safety glass on this light,do you mean a square peice of glass that goes over the reflector?the lightbulb has glass coated for safety.the bulb is 4200 kelvin and 60 cri.the bulb box says plusrite MH175/U/MOG

do you know what the UVB output on your MH is? I thought most MH didnt produce very much UVB just a lot of very bright light?

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http://www.europaorlando.com

YEAH I thought MH dont produce as much UVB, but more visible light. Im under the assumption that MV produces more UVB.

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sweater meat.

my uncle works in the lighting industry, and he said that they put out massive amounts of ultraviolet rays, uva,uvb,and uvc. im not sure but i belive they make types of protectors that only block out uvc,etc...

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When i get got, i get em back, but when they keep my got i pull out my Glock- MADEA