Mega ray - Produce enough heat to heat 4x2x2 viv?

[1ntense]

I will be getting a new viv soon, either a 4x2x2 or a 4x4x2 depending on a few things. Ill be needing new electrics for whichever viv I get and was thinking of getting a Megaray instead of the arcadia 12% I would usually use.

My question is how much heat would one produce in each size viv? Would I still need a ceramic heater/basking bulb or would I need fans to cool the viv down?

Also, whats the best reflector/lamp guard to get for the megarays?

Thanks

Danny

[HadesDragons]

I'm using a 100w MegaRay in a 5' x 2' x 2' and that heats it perfectly - I've also got a stat'd fan installed which comes on during hot days. I just use a porcelain lamp holder without any reflectors or anything. The biggest problem is they can only be on / off stat'd, and have a pretty long reboot time if the stat does kick in (as well as possible lifespan reduction etc due to being turned on and off) so you need a well ventilated viv to make sure things don't get too hot.

[Jim2109]

a potential problem id see with using a Megaray in a small viv as the only heating element is that it may produce more heat than is required over time, and you cant stat it. in a small enclosure youre possibly better off using an externally ballasted version which produces much less heat, and complement it with a ceramic heater?

you could possibly use fans to cool things down instead, but if your cooling system cant keep up (or even worse, fails) youll end up with temperatures rising rapidly and animals will probably die. whereas if a heating system fails then it takes ages for the temperatures to drop, and even then room temperature isnt going to kill anything over a short period of time. youve got an added fail safe that way.

there is no benefit to using a reflector on a Megaray bulb as they already focus all of their output downwards across quite a narrow beam. so just use any type of guard, im going to use a regular steel mesh one, but you could use a clamp lamp type reflector guard or anything of the other types.

[1ntense]

Nice one, so a 70w should hopefully be ok for a 4x2x2 then. Getting a bit confused with the externally ballasted and self ballasted types, Im thinking the self ballasted would run much hotter, which one have you got if you dont mind me asking?

Is a ballast just a starter unit, ie like one you would use with a uv tube? If so what ballast would I need for a megaray?

Which lamp clamp are you using and does it look ok in your viv? They look a bit unsightly from what I remember?

Cheers

Danny

[1ntense]

Thanks Jim, was a bit confused about that, so the externally ballasted one doesnt produce much heat then and I would need another heat source?

Still not 100% sure how the EB ones work? I presume the SB ones just get screwed into a ceramic light fitting and plugged into the mains, the EB ones though..?

[herpmad]

i belive these are best used with a dimmer to avoid them being turn off completly but them im going by wat you can use with the powersuns and solar bulb

[1ntense]

Dont think these are able to be statted from what Ive read?

Think it may be possible to use a temp stat with them ie on/off stat which would mean the light would be getting turned on and off which obviously isnt ideal.

[jschristy]

Go Here:

www.reptileuv.com

all the info about the different types is right here

[Jim2109]

they cant be statted. well, they kinda can, but only on an on/off as an override if the temperature goes crazy. you cant dim them, they probably will physically dim but i dont imagine its healthy for them. all the suppliers say that they shouldnt be on stats

they all have ballasts, the self ballasted just have it built in. the externally ballasted versions have a box that you run the mains cable into, then you run mains cable out of the box to the ceramic holder like normal. the only difference is that there is an extra box to place somewhere. they still produce heat, just not as much as the self ballasted versions. Darren at Kimbos made the point of emphasising to me that they still produce some heat, they dont run cold. but its not sufficient heat for a basking spot or overall viv temperature, youll need something to supplement it.

[Razaiel]

One thing I wondered was, somebody said on this forum that you mustn't have the megarays on for more than 6 hours max as the rep can get too much UV - anybody know if that's true?

I use a megaray - but it's in a tegu enclosure and up the other end on it's own so no problem - I can switch it on and off independently of the basking lamps.