Effects of Mega-Ray bulbs.

[summoner12]

Mega rays are MV (mercury vapor) and produce a UV wavelength similar to nature sunlight. Zoo med reptisun 5.0 are florescent tubes that produce a UV wavelength similar to nature shade.
If 5.0's were even close to what chams need we wouldn't have to supplement with D3.
The difference is a MV bulb is a spot or flood lamp similar to a ray of sunlight. That gives the animal choice of UV intensity... they can move in and out of the direct light.
Like they do in the wild

Mega Ray produces a MV and MH. MH is the new lamp that is coming out. MH produces a 'better' spectrum if I am not mistaken?

The low output is intended for users such as us or bird keepers.

A chameleon can go in and out of light from a Reptisun just as they can a MV or MH. It isn't the way the light is projected, it is the light that is projected but of course the more natural the better...

 

[summoner12]

So Kevin....have you had a chance to use a meter on it? Do you know anyone using one? Would you personally use it? I'm setting up a big cage for my Melleri this month. It's not free range, but it's one of those big bird aviary sorts of things. It's as big as a free range set up. I just can't get past the issue of having cats. And one of my Melleri is a real escape artist and likes cruising around the whole house. I figured the aviary thing will be like free range but keep the cats out and Sacha from escaping. I am going to suspend all the lighting from the ceiling over the aviary. I'll have a new meter by then to set things up right. I've never heard of these Mega Ray lights before and now I'm curious.

I have not used one, sorry. I think a low output MV from Mega Ray would work well for a free range... or your application, since it is close to a free range. I have contemplated getting one for my ranges.... But I think Lenny's range is the only one that this lamp would be good for since I would be able to have more flexibility with where I place the lamp because of the room I have around her range. Lenny's range has lots of UVB all over with different levels based on where she decides to sit. I am perfectly fine with the two 10.0 tubes I have above her because of the amount of UVB she can move around in.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Great thread...........

This is a great thread.........I'm really appreciating everyone's input on this even though I did not start the thread. It's forced me to learn a bit more about all the "components" of lighting too.

 

[Pure]

Mega Ray produces a MV and MH. MH is the new lamp that is coming out. MH produces a 'better' spectrum if I am not mistaken?

The low output is intended for users such as us or bird keepers.

A chameleon can go in and out of light from a Reptisun just as they can a MV or MH. It isn't the way the light is projected, it is the light that is projected but of course the more natural the better...

I've never studied the difference between the two, but you would think that if MVs produced a better spectrum of lighting coral reef tank enthusiast would have stopped using MH lights long long ago. So I would say MHs being the better option is a safe assumption.

 

[PardalisGirl]

MV versue MH

Pure I think that Summoner12 (Kevin) did indeed say that MH provides a better spectrum. The problem with chameleons seems to be that it's too much for chameleons if used all day. The Mega-Ray site says that if you use their MH product you should not use it for the whole daylight time period. You use it for part of the period and then switch to something else for the rest. It's best for zoo applications that have the super large enclosures for crocodiles, tortoises, etc. The big sun loving stuff. Even then you can use it for the full daylight period. It's the 100 watt-low MV product that we would want to use for chams.

If you look at the website they are saying their MV lamps put out more UVB in a safer format. They say their bulbs have a longer life making them cost effective too. Their website is:

http://www.reptileuv.com/

 

[Pure]

Sorry I was just agreeing with the spectrum being more complete. Mind was thinking of one thing, fingers said another. I have no idea which one is "better". I do think th MV bulbs would be safer to use permanently. Maybe just have the MHs come on a couple hrs a day around noon to simulate high noon sun.

 

[Grizz]

i have used a mega-ray now for about 9 months. my male veiled has no sign of uv burn. his color has improved greatly. on the negitive side it does zap alot of humidity from the air. i don't use it for basking heat though. i use a 75 watt water resitant bulb. i had a blood smear done last month and he is right on target exept his calcium level is kind of high. my mega-ray is on a timer, it comes on 1 hour after his basking light and shuts off 1 hour before. he is very good at heat regulation, he moves around alot. just make shure you provide a place to get away from the light. my mega-ray was about fifty american dollars. but it is supposed to last 2 years. last time i checked with uvb meter it was still going strong. the flouresents i used before would have had to be replaced by now. my veiled is 22" long and weighes in at 332 grams. i also have a very large enclosure, that might make a diff.

 

[Grizz]

Mega Ray produces a MV and MH. MH is the new lamp that is coming out. MH produces a 'better' spectrum if I am not mistaken?

The low output is intended for users such as us or bird keepers.

A chameleon can go in and out of light from a Reptisun just as they can a MV or MH. It isn't the way the light is projected, it is the light that is projected but of course the more natural the better...

i would have to agree. the mv can provide both. i beefed up my foilage to give more places to reteat to. and when shaded they still get uvb. with simulated shade, what happens when they go into the shade do they then recieve no uvb?

 

[LittleLionLover]

Thanks for all the feedback its all really quite informative. I'm curious though what exactly would be the correct amount of uvb exposure for a cham? Is there a basic amount that one could use, and adjust, as I'm sure it must differ among the species.

 

[summoner12]

i would have to agree. the mv can provide both. i beefed up my foilage to give more places to reteat to. and when shaded they still get uvb. with simulated shade, what happens when they go into the shade do they then recieve no uvb?

UVB makes it through shade..... but in lower numbers. I take it you don't own a UVB meter?

One thing we all need to remember. a meter doesn't give us a good way of determining the quality of UVB from lamp to lamp. The 6.2 solar meters only give us a blanket reading of the quantity of light in a range of the spectrum. without having a full spectrograph, using a UV index meter with a UVB meter can give you an idea of quality of light in the UVB range....

The solar meter reads a range and takes a blanket reading.... but this doesn't tell you if there is more light at one end or the other of the 'range'. Meaning... if there was more UVB at the lower end of the range (more bio active) vs. the higher end of the range.... you wouldn't know. The UV index meter can shed some light on where the light is in the spectrum. the more bio active the lamp, the higher the UV index (if I have the right understanding of how this all works).

SO.... Grizz... will your cham still get UVB when hiding? yes, some... it all depends on how thick the cover is, and how low the lamp is to the cover.

What some people forget, and even I went down this road.... is that just because the sun gives us 300μW/cm² does not mean we should have that much UVB through the entire day on our chams. As those who have kept chams outside have reported.... they find that the chams come out in the morning and late afternoon to bask in direct light, when the amount of UVB is lower. In the shade of a tree my meter reads in a whole range of UVB.... but it is right around that of a 5.0 or 10.0 UVB lamp.

The amount of UVB coming from a 5.0 and depending on the 10.0..... is just about the right amount of UVB your cham would be exposed to through the course of a day. They get high and low levels.... so if you take the average, our tube lamps seem to provide the amount needed.

As for linier tubes not providing enough UVB to create vit D3... I don't give much D3 calcium to my chams... it is rare... the idea behind giving this supplement is that it will fill in any holes we may have created in our setup. I am not saying I am perfect in my setup of cages... but I do check my lights with a UVB meter and give my chams some natural sunlight, so I don't worry too much.

 

[merumontanus]

I am happy to report that my Mega-Ray "Low" arrived safely on Friday. I've just installed it and took a few photos of the process (sorry about the cellphone photos).

DISCLAIMER: The following is not an exact or scientific test of the bulb's irradiance. Excessive exposure to UV radiation is harmful, and if extensive testing is to occur, wearing thick gloves is recommended.

As expected, the bulb emitted high levels of UVB upon powering on, but only several minutes later, the irradiance began to fluctuate and decrease rapidly.

Here's a reading about 12 inches from the bulb taken inside the cage. The bulb is suspended several inches above the cage.

I suspect the levels will begin to stabilize in a few hours, so I'll be sure to post further readings here. Nonetheless, the initial test clearly shows that the Mega-Ray "Low" produces considerably lower UVB radiation than either the normal 100 or 160 watt Mega-Rays. The lux is fantastic in this lower irradiance bulb.

The animal that is being exposed to this new bulb is a female T. jacksonii jacksonii, who immediately took on a lighter coloration and positioned herself closer to the area of exposure.

Cheers,

Fabián

 

[tkilgour]

Everything in this thread helps a ton. It is really a tough call, to use or not to use.

 

[summoner12]

Thanks a lot Fabian!

 

[merumontanus]

Thanks a lot Fabian!

You're welcome Kevin. The high definition fluorescent should be here by Monday-- I'm eager to see the performance of that bulb in terms of lux.

Tom, I wouldn't use it without a UV meter, and as Lynda mentioned in the other thread, not without an additional source of non-UV heat as that will give the animal a chance to regulate its exposure to heat as well ad UV. That's the safest way to use these tools. Provide a SAFE gradient of heat and UV, and the animal will take care of the rest.

Fabian

 

[LittleLionLover]

I curious, what exactly would be a good lighting setup when using these type of bulbs and I've heard they shouldn't be left on continuously so how would a lightling schedule work?

 

[ViolentJ]

I was looking at these mega rays bulbs as my reptisun tube is now 6 months old. However reading around has gotten me very confused.

I read that to imitate the correct UV that we should look to the country of origin. So I looked at Yemen and right now it has a UV index of 10-12. Then I read on the uvguide that field studies had shown that tree dwelling reptiles may receive as little as UV index 1. Out of interest I bought a standard UV Detector that reads up to 20 in 0.5 increments. My 6 month old reptisun tube is reading a UV index of 0.5. According to the uvguide it should be reading an index of 8.9. The enclosure is in front of a window so I'll see what the index is later on when the sun comes round. At 9am this morning in the UK the tiny little bit of sun that came out provided a reading of 4.5.

Does anyone know for sure what a basking Chameleon in Yemen would actually receive?

 

[PardalisGirl]

Thanks Fabian

Thanks for your information Fabian. I'll let people know how things work after I get my big set up for the Melleri done. I'll have a meter to measure things and make sure they are not being blasted by light or heat.

 

[merumontanus]

I was looking at these mega rays bulbs as my reptisun tube is now 6 months old. However reading around has gotten me very confused.

I read that to imitate the correct UV that we should look to the country of origin. So I looked at Yemen and right now it has a UV index of 10-12. Then I read on the uvguide that field studies had shown that tree dwelling reptiles may receive as little as UV index 1. Out of interest I bought a standard UV Detector that reads up to 20 in 0.5 increments. My 6 month old reptisun tube is reading a UV index of 0.5. According to the uvguide it should be reading an index of 8.9. The enclosure is in front of a window so I'll see what the index is later on when the sun comes round. At 9am this morning in the UK the tiny little bit of sun that came out provided a reading of 4.5.

Does anyone know for sure what a basking Chameleon in Yemen would actually receive?

UV index is an international standard used to develop a "simple" system of measurement, similar to a color-based pollution system used in some cities-- it is by no means an exact system of measurement (only based on scientific measurements), but rather, an approximation.

The measurements above indicate the µw/cm2 (microwatts per squared centimeter) of UVB that the source produces-- if I were to take the same meter outside right now and measure the afternoon sun, I would most likely get a measurement of 300-400 µw/cm2 (I will take out the meter tomorrow to get you an exact measurement). Depending on the location, you should still get considerable exposure in the shade (anywhere from 5-25 µw/cm2).

Catherine, I look forward to your getting everything setup and hearing your results! These bulbs can fluctuate quite a bit.

Cheers,

Fabián