Hey guys. I wanna get a Megaray for my turtles for christmas. The trouble is that I'm woried about it getting splashed on. Right now the turts will splash a few drops of water on their lights now and ten if they dive into the water. If a MV got splashed, would it blow up or anything? I know some really hot lights will exploed if something much colder suudenly hits it. Also, I was checking out reptileuv.com, and was looking at lights for turtles. Which one of these lights would you recommend? Will they all keep the basking temp nice at those recommended distances? Also, the UVB output varies a lot between the different bulbs. How do I know which one is right for my turtles?

bulb : UVB output : distance from bulb

SB 100-WATT FLOOD LAMP : 250-350 : 1'*

SB 100-WATT FLOOD LAMP : 100-150 : 20"

SB 160-WATT FLOOD LAMP : 250-300 : 18"*

SB 160-WATT FLOOD LAMP : 75-150 : 2'

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Hi Matt-

Sorry to be just catching this right now.

It might not blow up, but it may very well release a poisonous gas that would kill anything within a 10' radius. NO, not really!

The fact is that splashing water onto any hot lamp could cause it to fail. As with all the other type of lamps, it is not recommended to splash water on a hot lamp.

That being said, we do in fact repeatedly mist Rex while he sits under the Mega-Ray and water does hit the bulb (I hear it sizzle), with not catstrophic effect. So, in all practicality, a splash here and there should be fine. I have confirmed this information with Bob, who basically says the same thing.


The real difference between the lamps is the Externally ballasted (EB) vs. the Self ballasted (SB). EB gives off great UV with NO heat, and lasts longer. SB is an all-in-one lamp that gives off great UV WITH heat, but is not warranted for as long. So the real question is, do you need heat or not? If no, go with the EB series, if yes, go with the SB series.

Readings for UVB are an average, may be more, may be less. The key is to adjust the distance form the lamp to the basking spot in order to get enough UV and heat for the turtles. So, all of this depends on your enclosure size and set up. Please call or write reptileUV and speak to Bob Mac about your specific set-up. He'll be glad to help you figure out the exact product you need for your particular set-up.

Incidentally, reports received from turtle keepers have been overwhelmingly positive for turtles under the Mega-Ray. They report increased activity, increased overall health, increased appetite and increased breeding. So, it would seem that the turtles like the Mega-Ray very much.

Let me know how you decide.

__________________
Regards,
Dominick
_____________________________________________
"Do you watch too much television? Did you do so as a toddler? Evidence tonight that it could be the cause of learning disorders, like attention deficit and hyperact-Ooooh, a kitty!" - Keith Olbermann

Thanks for the help Dom Fortunately, its not too late. I was gonna wait till I get home next week to do my pet shoping anyway. Yeah, I remember once in physics we were doing something that involved hot lamps and a kid touched one and it blew up. It was pretty cool, but not when the light will be above my turtles though! It was a different sort of light though.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield