Equipment Review and Discussion :: MVB help!!!

[Kallistos]

Ever since I got my turtles/tank set up I've used T-Rex Active UV Heat 160 watt flood. I can no longer readily find this bulb. Would "Mega-Ray SB 160 watt Self-Ballasted Flood UVB Lamp" be a comparable replacement?

[steve]

I think so, though they might have supple issues due to a recent recall. What about the 100 watt version?

[Kallistos]

I looked into the recall which happened early this year. Apparently the manufacturer messed something up, but as of

December 7, 2010

* The 1500 bulbs are through customs and we are testing and shipping today! All orders will be filled as fast as possible.

So I'm hoping these new bulbs don't have the defect. Regardless I'll make sure to monitor the temperature.

[marisa]

I wrote about MegaRay's problems in another thread. Their manufacturer stopped producing the glass that had made the bulb "special," so they had to find another (they found two). I had been told that I would receive the bulbs I had ordered by the end of the first week of December (still waiting). According to the person I spoke to, the pressure to fill orders means that they will not be tested as rigorously as previous bulbs, so if they last the six months they have a waranty for, I guess I should be happy...

[papoopeepoo]

I wrote about MegaRay's problems in another thread. Their manufacturer stopped producing the glass that had made the bulb "special," so they had to find another (they found two). I had been told that I would receive the bulbs I had ordered by the end of the first week of December (still waiting). According to the person I spoke to, the pressure to fill orders means that they will not be tested as rigorously as previous bulbs, so if they last the six months they have a waranty for, I guess I should be happy...

I highly recommend an externally ballasted system. I've had the same bulb running since September of 2009. Hopefully when I go to buy a replacement bulb I have no trouble.

[TheComputerGremlin]

So I tried to order from Carolina, I have an open order pending, but they aren't getting in enough supply. Poor Umi has just a standard UVB bulb and a standard incandescent, but at least she's taken care of. Who knows if I'll ever get the MVB, at least for the moment, we're surviving. It's unfortunate with the recall that we can't get what we need.

[richieboy]

I use the powersun, it works fine for me. I know it has a bad rap, the guy in petsmart talked me into it and I was very uneducated at the time. It has worked out so far.

[imderanged]

Any updates on the MVB situation? I just got my tax return and am in the market for new bulbs. I bought the Exo terras the last time and I hate them. I'm going to need 3 or 4 bulbs... (I say 3 OR 4 because I am *thinking* of mounting one lamp so that it shines into two rubbermaid containers, one holds my Russian tort, the other my eastern box, is there any reason I shouldn't? Our electric bill is up over $600 a month, and I am getting blamed. I am being pressured to find ways to cut back on how much electricity I use for the herps.)

[richieboy]

Does anyone know approximately how much it costs to run a MVB 12 hrs a days per month? And maybe vs a regular heat and uvb setup?

[steve]

Hope my math is close...:
Power x Time = Energy Consumed
100w x 12h = 1200wh or 1.2 kWh

In NYC and if it were a 100w bulb, it's about 30¢ a day or $9 a month (after taxes).

[TheComputerGremlin]

Assuming the fixtures and cords and whatnot don't play into the calculations, then a regular heat bulb and UVB setup would be:

26W + 60W = 86W x 12h = 1032 wh or 1.032 kWh @ $0.30 = $9.42 per month. Steve is slightly off with the MVB price, which would be like $10.95 per month. So it's about $1.50 cheaper per month to go with the regular bulb and UVB.

Now meanwhile, a canister filter uses ~20W/h, so that costs $4.38 per month and your water heater uses 200-300W when on (yikes!) so if it's constantly running, it could use upwards of $43.80-65.70 per month. Good reason to make sure your tank is somewhat insulated!

[richieboy]

That's like $80 bucks a month! I feel like it's gotta be cheaper. I keep on hearing that it's cheaper to run a turtle setup electric bill wise. Well I haven't heard anyone complaining about the electric bill...