Turtles and UVB lighting

[Slon]

I heard turtles need UVB lighting to properly develop.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-220V-75...t-Basking-Full-Spectrum-UVA-UVB-/381281081910

That light is available, so is another version at 25 watts.

Unfortunately, the bulbs come only in 220 volts. I live in the USA so everything here is 110 volts. The fixtures, however, are e27/e26 and will fit.

I know that 220v bulbs plugged into 110v sockets will burn a bit less brightly, but last longer. My question is this: the bulb is rated for 3% UVB light. Will this be impacted by using the bulb in a 110v system?

I was going to get two 25W bulbs, but perhaps it will suffice to get two 75W bulbs, which will burn closer to a 37W bulb due to the voltage difference.

Will the UVB output be enough this way?

 

[pyro fiend]

cant see that link at work, but they do need uvb, id recommend spending the extra couple dollars, use a normal brooder lamp [or the one you buy from petstore] and get a mercury vapor bulb.. they can be further away, and last alot longer, mmost uvb bulbs should be changed aprox every six months, iv heard mvb's lasting 2yrs[may be rumors] but i change mine out once a year because i never bought a uv meter

 

[The Snark]

IF it is a filament type bulb doped with mercury and IF is doesn't contain a resistor and IF it doesn't have a ballast and IF is they aren't pumping bullfeathers and IF this isn't just another scam from the land of knock off copied unregulated trash, it might work. Your warranty also states 'Buyer pays shipping' which equates to you return the bulb to China, possibly paying the monumental import duty, and they will replace it, probably shipped surface freight taking 3 to 6 months. Unless it is a typical Chinese fly by night here today gone tomorrow business.

 

[Slon]

IF it is a filament type bulb doped with mercury and IF is doesn't contain a resistor and IF it doesn't have a ballast and IF is they aren't pumping bullfeathers and IF this isn't just another scam from the land of knock off copied unregulated trash, it might work. Your warranty also states 'Buyer pays shipping' which equates to you return the bulb to China, possibly paying the monumental import duty, and they will replace it, probably shipped surface freight taking 3 to 6 months. Unless it is a typical Chinese fly by night here today gone tomorrow business.

The bulb is less than $4 shipped. I wouldn't bother returning something like that. Besides, I've had a bulb from China break within a few days (not this particular seller, just a China seller) and they replaced it without asking me to ship it back.

My main concern was regarding the voltage difference possibly hurting the UVB output.

 

[The Snark]

The bulb is less than $4 shipped. I wouldn't bother returning something like that. Besides, I've had a bulb from China break within a few days (not this particular seller, just a China seller) and they replaced it without asking me to ship it back.

My main concern was regarding the voltage difference possibly hurting the UVB output.

If it is a purely resistive element it will work fine. That is, if there is a mercury doping of the wire or a minute amount of mercury within a containment within the bulb itself.

The concern is mercury conducts electricity much better than the tungsten element. This normally requires some form of ballast and often a regulator to limit the current. Ballasts and regulator are very much voltage dependent.

So it is either 1, doped and UV output is extremely little, 2, has some liquid mercury and is a current hog-possibly burning out very quickly , or 3, has a ballast and cannot be used except at the design voltage. I've read everything I can find about those bulbs and haven't been able to come up with the required data.

To answer your question, if it lights up and has mercury, the UV output will be about the same. The mercury is dependent solely on the heating element getting hot enough to cause it to vaporize. IE, it goes incandescent at all it's enough.

If you have some way of measuring the current: 75 watts / 220v =.34 amps, (V/I = R - 647 ohms) pure resistive element. E[SUP]2[/SUP] / R (647) = 22 watts output at 120 volts. So 22 watts / 120 volts if it is purely resistive, the current draw will be .183 amps.

Predictably, your wattage output, 22 watts, will be about 30% of the bulb running at 220 volts. If the current starts out at .183 after a second or so then climbs way up, doubling or tripling or more, it has liquid mercury that is coming into conduction as it vaporizes. The problem is the current may go runaway without current limiting like a ballast, cooking the inner glass envelope, the heater element and/or the connecting wires and causing a premature failure. This will happen regardless of the voltage once the mercury vaporizes. Cheap liquid mercury bulbs without ballasts will have a very limited lifespan.

 

[14pokies]

Just get a full spectrum compact fluorescent and a drop light ficture.. They aren't quite as good as merc vapor but it will fine for your turtle.. They don't put off enough heat for basking so you will have to use it in conjunction with a basking bulb..

If it's the price point of that other bulb that is attracting you remember two things.. You get what you pay for and aquatic turtles are very expensive to house initially.. Its not unreasonable that a $20 red ear sliders enclosure, filters and lighting can cost $200-$300+ depending on the type and size of the enclosure..

Don't forget either that huge water changes will be part of your weekly routine if you wish to keep your turtle healthy..

 

[The Snark]

:sarcasm: Or just buy a mercury vapor street light, mount it in the ceiling of the room and shade everything that you don't want UVized.