mvb

[The Chunk]

so ive got a trex 160 watt mvb. i have a flexarium and it hangs on a chain outside the tank. but ive just wired it up and smell a little like its burning. anyone got any ideas what it could be. i have a 250 watt heat restistant holder and i got some heat res cable

 

[Ace]

so ive got a trex 160 watt mvb. i have a flexarium and it hangs on a chain outside the tank. but ive just wired it up and smell a little like its burning. anyone got any ideas what it could be. i have a 250 watt heat restistant holder and i got some heat res cable

dude you dont need a bulb that much in wattage, a 75 watt hardware house bulb is fine....it should NOT be more than 85 degrees or so in the basking area.

wat cham do you plan to get, cuz babies require it a little less heat.

u also need another light

wat is recommended is a LINIEAR repti-sun 5.0 bulb and fixture for uvb.

 

[laurie]

If you put a bulb on or super close to a flexarium you will melt the flexarium. Just be careful, use a smaller watt bulb and you will be fine. (the flexarium is made from a mesh correct??)

 

[pssh]

MVBs have a burn in period of about 90 hours. The UVB levels are higher than found in nature at that time. You should not use a MVB without a solarmeter 6.2 (UVB meter.) you can seriously mess up big time without one.

 

[The Chunk]

well its hanging above a mesh tank. and where i live is cold and its only jsut hitting over 80 at over a foot away. and i have a cermatic for night heating. its cold this winter and we dont have heating on. but noone has an idea for the smell?

 

[stevenelvin]

If you put a bulb on or super close to a flexarium you will melt the flexarium. Just be careful, use a smaller watt bulb and you will be fine. (the flexarium is made from a mesh correct??)

I beleive it is made from a nylon mesh

 

[Seeco]

The burning smell is grilled chameleon.

 

[MK1]

The burning smell is grilled chameleon.

I couldnt help but laugh...

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Determining the actual thermal contribution of a heat source to a chameleon's body can be tricky. If you don't have a simple, cheapie infrared temp sensor to measure your chameleon's skin/body temp, then as a "sanity check", stick the back of your hand right at your chameleon's basking spot. Hold it there for a minute or so and if it just feels warm then you are safe.

The other half of concern revolves around just how much UVB you are getting from that MVB product . Too much, too little? There is enough variability between lamps within the same manufacturer's lot that it is almost mandatory to have a UVB meter to not only check the output level, but to use the meter to help position the lamp for a proper UVB level at the basking spot itself.

Now you are left with the task of getting both the temperature and the UVB levels correctly set while using a single device that creates both . It doesn't always work out . Thus the reason why separate heat and UVB sources are so popular.

Infrared Temp Gun Example:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ostats-and-timers/-/infrared-temperature-gun/

Solarmeter 6.2 UVB Meter:
http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/uv-meter.html

More info: http://www.chameleonnews.com/10JulWeldon.html

 

[The Chunk]

lol to the grilled chameleon. i havent got him in yet. i think the smell might be its a new holder. yes its a nylon mesh tank from exo terra. so i would of thought it would be heat proof?. also i thought the mesh would asbord like 40% of the uv rays. ill have to try and see how it goes. if it affects my cham i will change over. but ive read alot of people say its ok to us mvb and alot who say

 

[pssh]

You definitely want to be able to measure everything. Also, those mesh cages burn fairly easily. While they can take a certain amount of heat abuse, they have a low breaking point so to speak.

If the cage absorbs however much UVB, then how do you know the chameleon is getting enough? What if the bulb was already somewhat low in it's UVB producing abilities? Then you could barely have any UVB getting to your chameleon.

 

[The Chunk]

well its a brand new bulb open yesterday. so im hoping its it proper order. im running it now making sure i have the right basking temp. is it low 80s f
for a 5 month old?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

yeah 81-83 is the range i shoot for. I'd ditch the flexarium or use it as a temp outside cage. An aluminum screened cage will last for the life of the cham if your careful and no worries about melting or ripping. Plus viewing your cham thru that mesh is not the best option. Jmpo

 

[The Chunk]

yeh well its a 4 foot high by 3 foot wide by 2 deep. is pretty big. but i have a 5 foot heigh cupboard which id like to put a alley mesh door on to use eventually. and use that. its gunna be for now untill i can get things set up.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Ive seen some real nice enclosures built out of curio cabinets or entertainment centers that have sides and top cut out and screened for ventilation. Just plan on what type of drainage system your going to have first. Thats the main obstacle is disposing of all that misting water and keeping the cabinet from rotting or warping. Def seal all exposed wood.

 

[The Chunk]

yehh for what vie done on this one ive think its came out really well. lots of fake plants big branches. few bits of fake vine. i have the big dripper and a massive rocky bowl to collect all the water in. i also got a mister to spray. was thinking of putting the waterfall in. but afvter reading on here decided against it.

how well do foggers go down on here?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Some use them for the montane species. But if youve got a veiled or panther its not something they need. I agree they do look cool. If you had a pygmy tank setup then I'd think about adding one for added humidity without the misting/waste water to deal with. I have read some threads where members thought that the fogger/humidifier caused an ur infection. Again, i have no exp with using one on a cham enclosure so i cant say for sertain whether those claims are correct or not.

 

[Todnedo]

Most MVB's produce an odor when new. It's nothing to worry about.
A MVB above a plastic cage is something to worry about.

 

[The Chunk]

so my bulb set fire to my tank and everythng burnt down. nahhh just kiddinig.

the smell has gone off now. the cage itself isnt getting that hot.
but its reaching a niiice basking temp. ive had the light on for 4 hours last night to see how it does. im gunna run all day today to see how its doing. checking temps and humidty before i go and get the lil man

 

[The Chunk]

yehh i thought it would look pretty nice fogging out the bottom of the tank