R Zilla 25 tropical bulb?
- Thread starter kylerenz
- Start date
Kevin1873
New Member
yeah I've been reading up on these as well but I haven't found any information as to how much UVB they put out or in what range of nanometers they emit UVB in so I'm sure how well they are. Exo-Terra and Reptisun both state these ranges in their magazines which are very important to know. As far as most people on the forum they will recommend the Reptisun because it is a reputable product with great results. Their 5.0 emits 5% UVB up to 12 inches and emits I believe in the 290-310NM range which is the perfect range for UVB emission. The 10.0 puts out 10% UVB up to 24 inches and the NM is the same as the 5.0. These facts are important for Chameleon's and since Reptisun uses this as the basis for creating great bulbs for lizard owners most everyone you talk to on here will recommend their product because they know it works.
summoner12
Avid Member
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
The short answer since I've got to dash to work early today...
The R-Zilla Tropical 25 probably outputs half of the level as the Tropical 50. Since the Tropical 50 was able to actually kill chameleons in less than a couple of days, I'd say that the tropical 25 would take twice as long to kill a chameleon
. I was involved with the initial investigation as to why chameleons were being sunburned alive by the "50" and helped pay for some of the analysis. A loooong story short, both the 25 and the 50 have shifted spectrums and output far too much energy. If your chameleon happened to climb on the screen right under the tube's surface it would receive something like 1600uW/cm2 or about 100x what it should get. I have photos of chameleons that died from exposure that created blisters etc. The manufacturer pulled the 50 and is re-formulating its phosphors. For now, don't buy either until the new phosphors are evaluated.
It's all written-up here:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm
The short answer since I've got to dash to work early today...
The R-Zilla Tropical 25 probably outputs half of the level as the Tropical 50. Since the Tropical 50 was able to actually kill chameleons in less than a couple of days, I'd say that the tropical 25 would take twice as long to kill a chameleon
. I was involved with the initial investigation as to why chameleons were being sunburned alive by the "50" and helped pay for some of the analysis. A loooong story short, both the 25 and the 50 have shifted spectrums and output far too much energy. If your chameleon happened to climb on the screen right under the tube's surface it would receive something like 1600uW/cm2 or about 100x what it should get. I have photos of chameleons that died from exposure that created blisters etc. The manufacturer pulled the 50 and is re-formulating its phosphors. For now, don't buy either until the new phosphors are evaluated.It's all written-up here:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm
EmanSami
New Member
this makes me sick. i bought the zilla bulb. gladly i only used it for a day and I will be returning it. "We hope to publish test results for all the reformulated lamps very soon." Well what happened? Did the new lamps improve? Either way, the chart on the newest product shows close to zero amplitude of 290-310 nm waves and a shifted spectrum towards higher frequencies.
PedroANDAshley
New Member
I was always wondering about this.
Tisk tisk...petsmart only sells these bulbs at their store
and they also sell chameleons, very rarely, but still :/
Ill have to inform them of this D:
Tisk tisk...petsmart only sells these bulbs at their store
and they also sell chameleons, very rarely, but still :/
Ill have to inform them of this D:
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy Eman,
As far as I know, the results have not been published yet (I might have missed it). By the way, don't let the fact that the graph shows only a fraction of the total output as being in the 290-310nm range be misinterpreted
. An example would be the 5% rated lamps where that portion of the spectrum would be 1/20th that of the total output. If there was even 1/100th at, for example, 280nm you'd have a dangerous tube. That is likely not going to show-up with the usual resolution of the manufacturer's graph . I'll try to find out the status of the report.
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy Eman,
Today, I got a look at the 95eek page report on the Zilla/ESU UVB lamp product line researched and written by Dr. Baines. She tested 19 Zilla reformulated fluorescent units comprised of both linears and CFLs. At some point these results will be summarized and made available to the public via the UVB Meter Owners group as well as the UV Guide UK. Dr. Baines supplied the report to Zilla and they replied that, they too, discovered some newly created problems with, at the time, their newly reformulated product line. Their response continued that they have now fixed those newly created defects that included some UVC leakage with some of their products. Their contention is that what they sell today is safe.
My summary is that it is too soon to tell. Zilla did not follow-up on their promise to supply Dr. Baines with newly-newly re-re-formulated products for her to test so we really don't know which of their current products are safe and effective.
It has been noted in the past that many UVB product distributors can and have switched manufacturers in mid-stream. A new manufacturer means that we may be a risk from their manufacturing "learning curve".
My personal recommendation is to stick with Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 linear fluorescent tubes as they have been proven to be safe and effective over many years of production by their German manufacturer. Heaven help them if they should ever knowingly change the production of that linear product line.
Today, I got a look at the 95
eek page report on the Zilla/ESU UVB lamp product line researched and written by Dr. Baines. She tested 19 Zilla reformulated fluorescent units comprised of both linears and CFLs. At some point these results will be summarized and made available to the public via the UVB Meter Owners group as well as the UV Guide UK. Dr. Baines supplied the report to Zilla and they replied that, they too, discovered some newly created problems with, at the time, their newly reformulated product line. Their response continued that they have now fixed those newly created defects that included some UVC leakage with some of their products. Their contention is that what they sell today is safe.My summary is that it is too soon to tell
. Zilla did not follow-up on their promise to supply Dr. Baines with newly-newly re-re-formulated products for her to test so we really don't know which of their current products are safe and effective.It has been noted in the past that many UVB product distributors can and have switched manufacturers in mid-stream. A new manufacturer means that we may be a risk from their manufacturing "learning curve".
My personal recommendation is to stick with Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 linear fluorescent tubes as they have been proven to be safe and effective over many years of production by their German manufacturer. Heaven help them if they should ever knowingly change the production of that linear product line
.
summoner12
Avid Member
Howdy Eman,
Today, I got a look at the 95
My summary is that it is too soon to tell
It has been noted in the past that many UVB product distributors can and have switched manufacturers in mid-stream. A new manufacturer means that we may be a risk from their manufacturing "learning curve".
My personal recommendation is to stick with Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 linear fluorescent tubes as they have been proven to be safe and effective over many years of production by their German manufacturer. Heaven help them if they should ever knowingly change the production of that linear product line
nice update Dave!
I really hope Zoomed doesn't screw it up.... they have everyone suggesting them as the bulb of choice. To have that change, would be a hard steer.
