UVB Mystic tube from Big Apple Herp tested with a meter results inside :)

arosstyler

New Member
Hey Guys

I am sure a few of you have eyed these bulbs from Big Apple Herp. http://www.bigappleherp.com/UVB-Mystic-Light-Fluorescent-Bulbs

As I was searching for the right bulb for a big enclosure I came across these tubes and compact lamps. With all the news about compact lamps I decided to skip those and bought a UVB Mystic 36" tube. I have also purchased a Reptisun 5.0 and 10.0 of the same size.

Currently I am using a reptileuv.com externally ballasted kit with great results but due to an issue I prefer not to discuss here I am looking for an easier to aquire lighting system for the future.

Anyhoo I also bought a Solarmeter :) Since there are no posted UVB results from the UVB Mystic I thought I would toss some numbers up. First thing is we all know shooting for like 35 cm2 of UVB in the basking spot is good for a cham and then trikle down until you hit about the last 1/3 of the cage is ideal (last 1/3 comes in at like 0-2 cm2 and you are good).

Soooo I thought I would give the UNB Mystic a whirl with the meter.

Results of the bulb with no screen after being on for 30 mins in a Aquarium strip light with aluminum reflector. All results are in cm2 (microwatts just like on uvguide)

1" 955

4" 452

8" 267

12" 181

16" 132

20" 100

Holy crap that is a lot of UVB. The box says "more UVB than any MVB" and it also says that at 20" it provides 100 cm2. Well folks it is no sham it is true.

I tossed it on top of an empty all screen cage and at basking height 6-8" from the top screen and bulb right above that I was till pulling 202-195 cm2. Way way too much for a Chameleon. I guess if you elevated the fixture enough this bulb would do the job But I think you would have to have the fixture like 20" above the top of the cage haha.

By the way the externally ballasted kit I am using now from reptileuv.com dials in the UVB perfect top of the cage is 20 - 38 cm2 and trikles down nicely.

OK now off to test the Reptisun 10.0


Later
 
Meters are pricey you need the 6.2 version here is the link http://www.solarmeter.com/model62.html 179.00 plus shiping yikes!

Glad I bought it though. I had a bulb that the manufacture swore should be giving off UVB but my cham showed signs of sleeping during the day and other issu3es. After a lot of hoopla I just bought a meter and decided to test the bulb and find a replacmenet. I was right the bulb I had was giving off 0-2 microwatts even at 1" from the face.

SO meter was a good investment for me.
 
Howdy,

I bought my Solarmeter 6.2 for $160 including shipping from:
http://www.beardeddragons.biz/solarmeter_6.2.htm

The Mystic UVB products are ones that have to be used very carefully if at all. As you have noted, their response on a Solarmeter 6.2 suggests that they output a lot of UVB energy in the D3 producing spectrum. What isn't obvious without more equipment is that the Mystic products output energy at other portions of the spectrum (below 290nm) that are associated with health problems (cancer etc.) An example of this is that if a Mystic tube is positioned to produce a reading of 100uW/cm2 it has a UV Index reading of over 11.8 units. A Reptisun 5.0 tube positioned to produce a reading of 100uW/cm2 has a UV Index reading of about 2.3 units. If human skin is allowed to be exposed to the Mystic tube at 2" away for 1.7 minutes, it will reach the threshold of sunburn (Minimum Erythemal Dose).


Want to see what happens when a few-month-old panther was exposed to one of the R-Zilla Desert Series 50 linear tubes for a few days? The manufacturer rated this tube at 50uW/cm2 at 12" (assuming after burn-in). It's the UV Index that killed him not just the uW levels. When you have a safe tube to start with (Ex: Reptisun 5.0 linear tube), the Solartech Solarmeter 6.2 is a great meter to work with to monitor the aging of that tube.

Fellow Keeper's Panther:
PantherUVBBlisteringLeftSide.jpg
 
is it the quartz in the zoomed reptisun 5.0 that give them the uvb numbers?

i read somewhere that zoomed has the bulbs made in germany where they got a quartz mine .
 
is it the quartz in the zoomed reptisun 5.0 that give them the uvb numbers?
i read somewhere that zoomed has the bulbs made in germany where they got a quartz mine .

No, the use of quartz is because glass absorbs UV light.
the actual light & UV are created by charging different compounds.
 
meters are relatively inexpensive at hydroponics shops because of the quanity they move...check around your city!
 
meters are relatively inexpensive at hydroponics shops because of the quanity they move...check around your city!
Howdy,

As you are shopping around, make sure that you are buying a Solarmeter 6.2 otherwise you'll be comparing apples and oranges when it comes to UVB. The 6.2's sensor is set to register the spectrum portion that is most active at affecting the production of vitamin D3. Other models made by Solartech are designed to register other portions of the spectrum. And the 6.0 works on the same spectrum but is 10x less sensitive :).
 
Hey Dave

Sad picture but it speaks volumes. Question for you. Are you using a meter to read the UV index you are quoting? I am just curious how you got that number. I have a reptileuv.com kit as stated in my original post. I have no idea what the UV index is. The UVB is spot on but the index????

Thanks!
 
...Are you using a meter to read the UV index you are quoting? I am just curious how you got that number. I have a reptileuv.com kit as stated in my original post. I have no idea what the UV index is...
Howdy,
As part of the study of the R-Zilla product, I shipped a new and complete Desert Series 50 to Dr. Frances Baines in the UK for analysis. She has a laboratory spectrometer as well as several of Solartech's ten different Solarmeters (http://www.solarmeter.com/) including the 6.4 UV Index meter. She took all of the measurements and reported them on http://www.uvguide.co.uk/. Dr. Baines also posts on http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/ and if you join that group you'll get access to the "Files" section where even more details about the R-Zilla tube can be found such as full graphs of UV Index verses distance etc.

By the way, The peak UV Index for a place like Phoenix, AZ in the mid summer months at noon is around 12 units. Most reptiles and other living critters don't go out in that kind of sun. A new R-Zilla 50 at 1" has a UV Index of about 80 units :eek:. Anybody want to see how long it takes to create a blister on their hand?
 
From my experience too many "businessmen" believe that "more is better" to a fault.
Certainly, they're not the only ones blinded in the manufacture of [compact] 10's.
-just my observation.
 
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Dr. Baines also posts on http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/ and if you join that group you'll get access to the "Files" section where even more details about the R-Zilla tube can be found such as full graphs of UV Index verses distance etc.

By the way, The peak UV Index for a place like Phoenix, AZ in the mid summer months at noon is around 12 units. Most reptiles and other living critters don't go out in that kind of sun. A new R-Zilla 50 at 1" has a UV Index of about 80 units :eek:. Anybody want to see how long it takes to create a blister on their hand?

Great freakin tip Dave that group has some excellent files including a much more comprehensive look at the Mystic bulb than I did. Glad my meter led me to similar results.

This whole UV index thing is blowing my mind right now. Cripes I gotta by another meter haha. Any tips on a good deal on a UV Index meter???
 
By the way, The peak UV Index for a place like Phoenix, AZ in the mid summer months at noon is around 12 units. Most reptiles and other living critters don't go out in that kind of sun. A new R-Zilla 50 at 1" has a UV Index of about 80 units :eek:. Anybody want to see how long it takes to create a blister on their hand?

Somehow I have wild Geckos and Alligator lizards in my backyard that seem to survive it. I wont even take my chams out then as its too hot out at 7am in the morning :p
 
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