Linear UV vs. Regular bulb UV

[devynnogood]

I recently switched from a 5.0 linear bulb to 5.0 Reptisun deep dome fixture. I've always heard go linear but then I started hearing from multiple breeders and doing research of my own to find out the normal dome UV ones give so much more light for them. I just switched UVs the other day and I've seen a HUGE difference in my 4 month old male Nosy Faly! I kept wondering why he wasn't producing his colors and then I starting doing research (He's also just a late bloomer). The light illuminates his whole cage, not just one area and I've noticed that before he would mainly be under his heat lamp, now he stays under the UV most of the time. I'm not here to say the linears are bad lights, cause I think they are good lights as well. I just wanted to share my experience with switching over. I do believe that Reptisun has the best UV lights though. Linear or not.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Are your referring to a Mercury Vapor bulb? These can have good results, but can also be too much heat and UVB for some animals. I think mercury vapor bulbs are best used by people with a uvb meter, when it comes to chameleons. I’d consider running it only 4-6 hours a day, especially if he’s sitting under it constantly. He could prefer the spectrum or the temperature of the bulb and it has nothing to do with the UVB output. Panthers often live in more open, coastal areas, so they do enjoy a lot of UVA and more UVB than deep forest species, but not as much as an improperly used Mercury Vapors produce.

 

[devynnogood]

Are your referring to a Mercury Vapor bulb? These can have good results, but can also be too much heat and UVB for some animals. I think mercury vapor bulbs are best used by people with a uvb meter, when it comes to chameleons. I’d consider running it only 4-6 hours a day, especially if he’s sitting under it constantly. He could prefer the spectrum or the temperature of the bulb and it has nothing to do with the UVB output. Panthers often live in more open, coastal areas, so they do enjoy a lot of UVA and more UVB than deep forest species, but not as much as an improperly used Mercury Vapors produce.

I'm not talking about the mercury kind

 

[devynnogood]

Are your referring to a Mercury Vapor bulb? These can have good results, but can also be too much heat and UVB for some animals. I think mercury vapor bulbs are best used by people with a uvb meter, when it comes to chameleons. I’d consider running it only 4-6 hours a day, especially if he’s sitting under it constantly. He could prefer the spectrum or the temperature of the bulb and it has nothing to do with the UVB output. Panthers often live in more open, coastal areas, so they do enjoy a lot of UVA and more UVB than deep forest species, but not as much as an improperly used Mercury Vapors produce.

 

[devynnogood]

Are your referring to a Mercury Vapor bulb? These can have good results, but can also be too much heat and UVB for some animals. I think mercury vapor bulbs are best used by people with a uvb meter, when it comes to chameleons. I’d consider running it only 4-6 hours a day, especially if he’s sitting under it constantly. He could prefer the spectrum or the temperature of the bulb and it has nothing to do with the UVB output. Panthers often live in more open, coastal areas, so they do enjoy a lot of UVA and more UVB than deep forest species, but not as much as an improperly used Mercury Vapors produce.

 

[Monta]

I use that bulb for my Dart Frogs and change it every 5 months. Now I love linear from Light Your Reptiles and those you change every year.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

People don’t like that type of bulb for many reasons. One is the poor distribution of UVB, meaning the animal HAS to stay under it and has limited control of how much UVB it is exposed to, since this bulb has an all or nothing broadcast. Another, perhaps outdated, reason was that the bulbs were found to be causing eye problems in reptiles, though this has since been corrected. I can tell you from first hand experience and I am embarrassed to admit, but before I knew better, I used on of those bulbs. The enclosure had a pair of baby Nosy Be panthers and those compact fluorescent bulbs for UVB. It as newer technology at the time and newer has to be better, right? Well, the baby chameleons spent much of their time perched in the foliage of the scheffleras and since I didn’t handle them, o didn’t notice, until they already had U-shaped curves at their elbows, telltale signs of the start of MBD. Those bulbs are inadequate in a properly planted enclosure, and the only way the chamelon can regulate its UVB exposure is by direct exposure to the area immediately under the bulb or receive none at all. I’m nature, if it daylight, there is UVB exposure and chamelons have choices of how much the receive. To receive less, they move to a more filtered spot, in dense foliage, to get more, they bask in more open areas. Having a constantly low level around them is what their eyes are accustomed to and it likely helps keep blood levels of D3 consistent, so when dietary calcium is ingested, it gets assimilated and isn’t allowed to go to waste. These bulbs remove the natural UVB gradient from the environment.

If you are seeing positive results, it’s likely another quality of the bulb. Perhaps your linear bulb could have been a 10.0 or upgraded another way to provide more intensity to give the same results, but in a better delivery system for the well being of the Chameleon.

I’m not picking on you and I’m not here to endorse brands or bulb types. I’m just pointing out what is known from my own and many other keepers’ experience. There is a good reason people stick with linear bulbs and also also good reasons those bulbs have continued to advance, with higher outputs, different UVB percentages, and improved spectrums, while the compacts have remained basically the same and have largely fallen out of favor, even amongst aquarium keepers.
Will the bulb harm your chameleon? I don’t know. I’m sure there are success stories, but the number of successful keepers using them is greatly dwarfed by those that use linear and MV bulbs.

 

[devynnogood]

People don’t like that type of bulb for many reasons. One is the poor distribution of UVB, meaning the animal HAS to stay under it and has limited control of how much UVB it is exposed to, since this bulb has an all or nothing broadcast. Another, perhaps outdated, reason was that the bulbs were found to be causing eye problems in reptiles, though this has since been corrected. I can tell you from first hand experience and I am embarrassed to admit, but before I knew better, I used on of those bulbs. The enclosure had a pair of baby Nosy Be panthers and those compact fluorescent bulbs for UVB. It as newer technology at the time and newer has to be better, right? Well, the baby chameleons spent much of their time perched in the foliage of the scheffleras and since I didn’t handle them, o didn’t notice, until they already had U-shaped curves at their elbows, telltale signs of the start of MBD. Those bulbs are inadequate in a properly planted enclosure, and the only way the chamelon can regulate its UVB exposure is by direct exposure to the area immediately under the bulb or receive none at all. I’m nature, if it daylight, there is UVB exposure and chamelons have choices of how much the receive. To receive less, they move to a more filtered spot, in dense foliage, to get more, they bask in more open areas. Having a constantly low level around them is what their eyes are accustomed to and it likely helps keep blood levels of D3 consistent, so when dietary calcium is ingested, it gets assimilated and isn’t allowed to go to waste. These bulbs remove the natural UVB gradient from the environment.

If you are seeing positive results, it’s likely another quality of the bulb. Perhaps your linear bulb could have been a 10.0 or upgraded another way to provide more intensity to give the same results, but in a better delivery system for the well being of the Chameleon.

I’m not picking on you and I’m not here to endorse brands or bulb types. I’m just pointing out what is known from my own and many other keepers’ experience. There is a good reason people stick with linear bulbs and also also good reasons those bulbs have continued to advance, with higher outputs, different UVB percentages, and improved spectrums, while the compacts have remained basically the same and have largely fallen out of favor, even amongst aquarium keepers.
Will the bulb harm your chameleon? I don’t know. I’m sure there are success stories, but the number of successful keepers using them is greatly dwarfed by those that use linear and MV bulbs.

Guess who uses dome fixtures. Kammerflage Kreations. One of the most famous Panther Chameleon Breeders. Riddle me that

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Guess who uses dome fixtures. Kammerflage Kreations. One of the most famous Panther Chameleon Breeders. Riddle me that

I didn’t say they couldn’t be used and there are also other types of bulbs that can fit into those domes and provide UVB, so it’s possible, unless you’ve seen the actual bulb, they have in them.
I’ve given you the reasons why the greater majority of experienced keepers, with collectively over 100 years of experience, prefer the linear bulbs. If you want to choose and echo the methods of another keeper, that happens to be in the minority of preference towards their light source, that is your choice. I took time to provide you information and never told you there was only one “right” way to do things. You’re post insinuates you are attempting to discredit me, because you found someone else that agrees with you. This isn’t a debate and I am not out to prove a case. You have already compared the opinions of the forum against the Kammer’s, so I just provided you the why’s, since you asked a question. Do what you think is best and what works for your animals, in your conditions, and do so without judgement from me, but your tone was taken as condescending and I ask that you show me more respect than that.

I’ll also add that my pair of panthers that suffered under those bulbs came directly from the kammers, which is not to insinuate there was any fault in their animals, but making the point that even their animals didn’t thrive under them, in my care.

 

[devynnogood]

I didn’t say they couldn’t be used and there are also other types of bulbs that can fit into those domes and provide UVB, so it’s possible, unless you’ve seen the actual bulb, they have in them.
I’ve given you the reasons why the greater majority of experienced keepers, with collectively over 100 years of experience, prefer the linear bulbs. If you want to choose and echo the methods of another keeper, that happens to be in the minority of preference towards their light source, that is your choice. I took time to provide you information and never told you there was only one “right” way to do things. You’re post insinuates you are attempting to discredit me, because you found someone else that agrees with you. This isn’t a debate and I am not out to prove a case. You have already compared the opinions of the forum against the Kammer’s, so I just provided you the why’s, since you asked a question. Do what you think is best and what works for your animals, in your conditions, and do so without judgement from me, but your tone was taken as condescending and I ask that you show me more respect than that.

I’ll also add that my pair of panthers that suffered under those bulbs came directly from the kammers, which is not to insinuate there was any fault in their animals, but making the point that even their animals didn’t thrive under them, in my care.

I'm not arguing or discrediting you. I'm not sure why you think that. I was just telling you that one of the most popular chameleon breeders in the world uses Dome UVB fixtures and has great great succes with them. The ones that you received from them didn't survive in "your care." Thank you for your information.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Perhaps I misinterpreted the tone or “riddle me that” as being a condescending way of saying prove yourself or you must be wrong.
I want yo empahisize that at the time those panthers were in my care, I was keeping parsons and breeding melleri; very advanced species, so I don’t consider the incident a failure in my care, other than making the wrong choice in bulb, based on the limited information available at the time. Those bulbs do not penetrate foliage or distance and if the Chameleon is sitting under it, it isn’t getting enough and if it is sitting directly underneath it, it has to receive that amount of UVB or little to none. I like to give my animals more options and I have a better understanding of why that bulb failed to work for me. I don’t just do what everyone else says to do. I use MV bulbs with parsons and everyone says it’s a horrible idea. I have a meter and a large enclosure, and have the confidence in my observation of the animals to use these lights safely. Everyone has to do what works for them and one size doesn’t fit all. I think you’ll do fine with your bulb, but I think a linear bulb would be more versatile for your set-up and off a better gradient for the chamelon, but as long as the Chameleon has a source of UVB and is happy and healthy, no one can say your choice or the kammer’s is wrong, nor can they say that of successful users of any other uvb bulbs.

 

[Goose502]

The compact fluorescent bulbs are a poor choice for many reasons. It is true they have poor uvb distribution, but in a smaller enclosure, or one that has been designed around this type of bulb, they can do the job. My biggest problem with them is their length of service and durability. Even compact fluorescent bulbs that you would use in your bathroom don’t last nearly as long as they claim. I’ve heard that only provide adequate uvb for approx 6 months, but I haven’t tried. My linear T5 from Todd has been in use over a year, and still registers great readings on my solar meter 6.5. I used to use them around the house as incadesent replacements, total waste of money. The bulbs are largely of poor quality and suffer a major disadvantage in that they don’t handle temperature fluctuation well, the later effecting their length of service. I’m just one example that dislikes them. But hey, if they’re working for you, good luck!