Repti Sun vs Exo Terra

[Kevin1873]

JimNPHX was nice enough to post this yesterday. It has been very very helpful to me in understanding not only lighting but the importance of it, especially to Chameleon's. A lot of it I already know from flight school but there was some stuff in there they don't teach you or expect you to know so it was an extremely good read. Here is the link http://www.exo-terra.com/files/light...g_Guide_EN.pdf

I was wondering if anyone knows of anything out there like this for the Zoo Med Repti Sun that specifies all of the outputs for their UVB and UVA bulbs to kind of compare which is best? Everyone is always saying that Repti Sun is so much better than the Exo Terra Sun Glo bulbs but I've never seen any data to back this up just hear say.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

No there is actual data.
It's posted on here somewhere.
Search posts by Dave Weldon in his profile.

-Brad

 

[Brad]

I have not read the exo-terra link, but you can find a lot of good info on lighting at the link below.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

 

[Kevin1873]

No there is actual data.
It's posted on here somewhere.
Search posts by Dave Weldon in his profile.

-Brad

Search Dave Weldon's posts..... Okay post 793, nope. Post 792, nope. Post 791, nope. Holy crap this might take a while. LOL just playing Brad, thx for the info I appreciate it. And thank you as well Brad. I just want to kind of get a sense of why one over the other is all.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...I was wondering if anyone knows of anything out there like this for the Zoo Med Repti Sun that specifies all of the outputs for their UVB and UVA bulbs to kind of compare which is best? Everyone is always saying that Repti Sun is so much better than the Exo Terra Sun Glo bulbs but I've never seen any data to back this up just hear say.

Howdy Kevin,

You are certainly right that it is tricky to find good info on reptile lighting . The manufacturer's own information can be misleading at best and even downright dangerous for some (Central Pet). Many of us rely on independent research sources to get an understanding of the quality of our lighting. There's more to it than just percentages etc. Two different manufacturer's tubes that measure the same uW/cm2 at the same distance may have drastically different levels of "bioactivity". Since the light's bioactivity is related to its ability to produce D3, you'd think that more is better right ? Some UVB tube phosphors that are created to make D3 can also be inadvertently shifted too far and their bioactivity levels end-up doing damage to DNA among other things. This appears to be the case with some of the recent dangerous products discussed on the http://www.uvguide.co.uk/ site as well as the http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/ site. Another site with UVB research is http://www.testudo.cc/. This table from that site is particularly interesting: http://personal.inet.fi/private/testudo/Pages/Table 4.html.

Oh, just to be sure we're comparing apples to apples, the "Exo Terra Sun Glo bulbs" that you mentioned are a UVA/heat source and not a UVB source. You probably meant to compare the Exo Terra "Solar Glo" MV or one of their UVB tubes to the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0. Funny about the ZooMed tubes; they didn't know how lucky they were with the phosphors they picked. The bioactivity levels are much closer to what we want for chameleons than most any other tube. A ZooMed factory rep once admitted to me that it was just luck and that independent results showing that it was as good as it is surprised them too .

 

[Kevin1873]

Thank you very much for the information Dave, it has been really helpful. Brad directed me toward the UVGUIDE site last night and I read it while I was at work. It was extremely helpful as well. The most important sentence out of all the pages that lead me to believe that the reptisun 5.0 bulbs were the best was this.

Lindgren developed the concept of a “D3 Yield Index” – a comparison between the vitamin D-producing ability of a lamp with that of the sun. Among the lamps he tested, were several fluorescent lamps currently on sale in the UK: the Exo Terra Repti Glo 2.0, 5.0 and 8.0, and the Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0. He found the Reptisun 5.0 to have the highest D3 Yield Index of all the strip lamps he tested, owing to a high output in the 290 - 315nm range. However, the Repti Glo 8.0 and 5.0 also performed well compared with other lamps in the test.

I'm not really sure how close the Repti Glo's rated cause they only say they performed well compared to with out lamps in the test. I'm currently using the Reptisun 5.0 but I'm one of those people that like to look at actual data that can back up fact instead of just somebody's say-so. I think it's great that every prefers it as the leading brand of UVB output I just like to know why and back it up with actual facts and data. As a pilot we deal with everything in facts, nothing is assumed or hypothesized.

I also understand that more is not always better, especially in the case of uW/cm2 where studies have shown that the sun emits up to 270uW/cm2 and higher in the day but that is more than likely at noon on a clear day which tends to be the hottest part of the day. A bulb emitting that much micro watts per square meter on a 10-12 hour a day is definitely a bad thing. So I've been hoping to find information on the Reptisun's that show how much uW/cm2 they produce and if they produce UVB in the 290-310. I understand that UVB goes up to 320 but they say anything past 310 doesn't really do any good in helping the Chameleon produce D3 efficiently.

Another thing that caught my eye last night that I didn't even realize in the two months I've been doing research on Chameleon's before I get one is that there is the Fluckers Reptasun 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs and the Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs. Is Fluckers a sister company of Zoo Med or an entirely different corporation with an almost similar bulb name? The Fluckers Reptasun says on the box that it emits UVB in the 290-315nm which is good off course with I believe a 200uW/cm2 range but does anyone use them and have they ever noticed a difference between using the two with their Chameleon's. When you really care for something you want to do the best for it right? So I just want to make sure, for the Chameleon's sake that he has the right bulbs for the job with a good well-balanced food variety and is getting all the nourishment he needs to grow strong and healthy so that's why I've gone a binge with this bulb comparing journey of mine. Thanks again for the info Dave, it is much appreciated.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...D3 Yield Index ... I'm not really sure how close the Repti Glo's rated cause they only say they performed well compared to with out lamps in the test.

...Fluckers Reptasun 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs and the Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs. Is Fluckers a sister company of Zoo Med or an entirely different corporation with an almost similar bulb name?...

Howdy Kevin,

Regarding Lindgren's D3 index table, I wasn't sure if you saw the link in my previous post to it: http://personal.inet.fi/private/testudo/Pages/Table 4.html.

I don't believe the Reptasun and Reptisun products are related . I didn't find much independent info on the Fluker's tube... It is likely to be inferior to other proven choices.

 

[Kevin1873]

Ahhh I must have missed that link. That's a big piece of the puzzle I've been looking for. Thank you very much Dave.