Viper bulb

[Thrasher]

I am having a very hard time keeping those UVB/UVA viper bulbs alive =/ They burn out every 2 and half weeks and I am about to go bankrupt!! How do you keep the light and what brand do u guys use? DO they need airflow and stuff?

anything would help.

Thank you

Harry

 

[bamato]

Are you using the incandesent or the flourescent type?

 

[Thrasher]

incandesent, I have never seen a UVB/UVA flourescent viper light.

Are you using the incandesent or the flourescent type?

 

[kitty_b]

i use this brand: http://www.reptileuv.com/

like some other brands, it comes with a (6 month) warranty, but it only needs to be replaced once a year.

 

[jonnysebachi]

Ditto the reptileuv light. They are absolutely the best, hands down. I put mine in the wire type housing. Not the solid metal.

 

[Hamburglar]

I used the reptileuv lights in the past, but I have had a lot of problems with them recently and have moved on. The first bulb I bought recently never worked at all. They were really nice and replaced it quickly. The replacement bulb literally exploded during the night after a couple weeks of use. There was glass all over my dragons enclosure. If it didnt happen during the night I am sure there would have been injuries to my dragon. I do have to say I have no idea why the bulb exploded, but the fixture was off at the time. I have never had any other problems with the fixture or bulbs I have used. I emailed them to let them know in case it was a problem and they never even acknowledged me. I thought that was a bit odd considering there service was so good before. I use T Rex now. Good luck.

 

[ShellsandScales]

Something you may want to watch out for. Some people, knowing that the spectrum fades with age will buy new bulbs and then return the old ones in the new boxes. I suspect that happens with a lot of higher end bulbs in corporate pet stores that will accept any returns. I have never had luck with the mercury vapor type bulbs they always burn out after the prorated warrenty is worthless but before you get your moneys worth. I stick by my UVB flor. tubes 5.0, 8.0 or 10.0. They get the most consistent performance and best value for my experience. And I save the 10-12 month old lights that aren't burnt out for {NoN UV loving} display animals or for emergency.

 

[Fluke]

Something you may want to watch out for. Some people, knowing that the spectrum fades with age will buy new bulbs and then return the old ones in the new boxes. I suspect that happens with a lot of higher end bulbs in corporate pet stores that will accept any returns. I have never had luck with the mercury vapor type bulbs they always burn out after the prorated warrenty is worthless but before you get your moneys worth. I stick by my UVB flor. tubes 5.0, 8.0 or 10.0. They get the most consistent performance and best value for my experience. And I save the 10-12 month old lights that aren't burnt out for {NoN UV loving} display animals or for emergency.

Yes every UVB potentcy fades. This happens with aquarium lighting as well. Actinic lights for reefs etc etc. I recommend them to be changed every 6-10 months for best performance. And yes, as you said, saving the unburnt ones are great for those times when one randomly goes out.

There are other lights called PowersunUVB lights as well. They cost about 60-80 dollars though. These are UVB/UVA and a Heat light. If you are looking to consolidate or not overcomplicate things, these are pretty cool

 

[ShellsandScales]

There are other lights called PowersunUVB lights as well. They cost about 60-80 dollars though. These are UVB/UVA and a Heat light. If you are looking to consolidate or not overcomplicate things, these are pretty cool

Yeah I believe those are mercury vapor. I've had several from a different brand than reptisun. They never seem to last long enough to justify the expense. I haven't personally tried the reptisun brand but have heard about the same results as the other brands. They last 4 months or so and then burn out but the prorated warrenty goes to a year and never works out to be enough of a refund to justify it.

 

[Shagrath666]

i use coralife and ive had the same one for 7 months, it was 44 bucks for a 24"er, but i need to replace it cause the spectrum is going. remember that even if it still works it may not put the same UV out as it used to.