question about MVB

[h00blah]

i was just curious, if you keep this on for 12 - 14 hrs a day (for UVB), then do you just swap it out with a regular heat bulb to keep the basking spot, but provide night time cycle?

OR do you just leave it on 24/7?

AND does it need the basking spot 24/7?

AND
"Q: Can I use the rheostat/thermostat with a Reptisun, Avian Sun or Power Sun UV?
A: These lamps need specific line voltages; they cannot be used with dimmers/rheostats."
so how do you get the PERFECT basking temp? wut wattage gives what?

sry for the mouthful, i was just really confused lol. hit a brain roadblock when readn about UVB.

[Michelle.C]

It depends on the species, on both your temperature and light cycle question.

Most people do a 12/12 cycle on the MVBs with most species (Savannahs, Tegus, etc.). Under no circumstances are you to leave a MVB on 24hours a day.

If your ambient temperatures are not adequate, then you'll need to switch the MVB with a nighttime bulb. As long as your temperatures don't go below 70-75 at night, you are fine sticking with the 12/12 cycle.

You can not use a thermostat of rheostat with a MVB. They have to attain a certain amount of power to start up in the first place. Also, if you have them set to turn on and off several times a day, the bulbs lifespan will be cut dramatically.

Seeing as most Monitors require basking temperatures in the 100's, you probably won't have a problem with bulb reaching a higher than desire temperature.

If I remember correctly, most MVBs need to be placed 12-16" away from the basking place. If you take them too far away, the UV isn't as effective.

The good news is; MVBs have a much longer effective lifespan than tube lighting.

Hope this helped.

[h00blah]

If your ambient temperatures are not adequate, then you'll need to switch the MVB with a nighttime bulb. As long as your temperatures don't go below 70-75 at night, you are fine sticking with the 12/12 cycle.

so having a secondary (lower wattage) bulb would be beneficial because it will keep the ambient over 75 interesting

Seeing as most Monitors require basking temperatures in the 100's, you probably won't have a problem with bulb reaching a higher than desire temperature.

thats good to know

The good news is; MVBs have a much longer effective lifespan than tube lighting.

heck ya, ive read that they can last a year, but the TUBES need to be changed every 6 months, give or take a few lol.


So my underanding is that at night, when the MVB is off, you can just switch it out with a red / black bulb to maintain a warm ambient temp, but NOT a during-the-day hot basking spot

(Thanks for the info already given, VERY interesting)

[Michelle.C]

You just need to maintain a ambient temperature that is around 70-75 at night. It doesn't matter how you accomplish this, just that you do. You can use a space heater, nighttime bulb, etc. You just don't want them to get too cool (your monitor/tegu). Some can tolerate low nighttime drops, but I see no reason to let them go below 70 unless you are going to brumate them.

What species of monitor are you looking at?

[h00blah]

i like the B&W tegus. i dont have 1 but im hooked on finding as much info on husbandry, care, health, and beahavior on some of my favorite animals.

[wafisherman]

While not for monitors, my day and night cycles for various critters is often managed by 12hrs (or so) of my MVB. This is run on a timer. When it goes off, my CHE turns on (provides heat, but no light). If I want light for display purposes at night, I may use a red bulb...

For the the times you want basking spot hotter than the MVB can provide, or a boost in ambient temps, the CHE can be left on 24X7. Then the day is MVB + CHE and the night is just CHE (you get a night drop, but still stays warmer than room temp).