Powersun Bulbs

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LittlePenBigHeart
Posts: 14
Joined: 27 Oct 2017, 18:32

Powersun Bulbs

Post by LittlePenBigHeart » 28 Oct 2017, 18:53

I've been told the best solution for the heat/UV is a powersun bulb, as it emits both simultaneously. I bought this item, and a lamp stand for it today but looking for a dimmer thermostat online (something I understand is essential), it seems they can't be used with the Powersun. I'm not too sure what the best approach is now! I presume it would be very difficult to get the right constant temperature without the dimmer thermostat? So does that mean the only reliable solution would be to have separate UVB and basking bulbs? And if so, how on earth do you attach them to the tortoise table?
Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

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lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Powersun Bulbs

Post by lin » 28 Oct 2017, 19:50

Hi Vikki.
I have never used a dimmer and the way we regulate the temperature under the heat lamps is to raise the bulb to make it cooler underneath or lower it to raise the level of heat. Some of us use an adjustable lamp holder like this --
[attachment=0]Screenshot-2017-10-28 s-l300 jpg (JPEG Image, 300 × 300 pixels).png[/attachment]
One thing to remember though, is to make sure you have a reflector over the UV source because it is dangerous to humans eyes.

Lin
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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Powersun Bulbs

Post by Nina » 28 Oct 2017, 23:46

You're right, you definitely cannot use dimmers with mercury vapour combined bulbs like Powersuns. So as Lin says, you just have to lower or raise the lamp to get the right temperature. If it's very warm in the room, like in the summer, and you have to raise the bulb very high away from the table to keep the temperature right, that means that the UVB source will also be further away, which I don't like. For that reason I use an ordinary household reflector lamp or one of the reptile heat and light bulbs (can't remember which I have at the moment) for heat, and then a separate 12% fluorescent UVB tube for the UVB. Having said that though, most people prefer the combined bulbs like powersuns, as they are very good. I wouldn't worry too much -- remember that you are only trying to get the temperature to around 30C at one end of the table -- the other end will be cooler. This is important so that your tortoise can wander from a warm area to a cool area to regulate its body temperature. If your bulb is producing too hot a temperature in the table because the temperature in the room has risen during the day, then your tortoise can always wander over to the cool area if it gets too hot. That is one of the bad things about vivariums -- because of their enclosed construction it is very hard to get the ideal temperature variation of 20C at one end and 30C at the other end.

Nina

LittlePenBigHeart
Posts: 14
Joined: 27 Oct 2017, 18:32

Re: Powersun Bulbs

Post by LittlePenBigHeart » 29 Oct 2017, 18:52

Ahhhh, that's brilliant, thank you!

I've got it set up now. I have to have it all set up and run the lamp as though the tortoise is in there for a few days to a week, recording the temperatures a couple of times a day, in order to show I can maintain the right temperatures, before they'll let me buy him and bring him home (I'm saying 'him'...we don't know at the moment. It could be a girl. Who knows!?). I've got the lamp on, I've got the dual probe digital thermometer, so I can check it all...I'm so excited!!!! :D

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Powersun Bulbs

Post by Nina » 29 Oct 2017, 22:07

That's great! And I'm really glad that you got a digital thermometer with a probe -- they are so much better than a little thermometer stuck to a wall. What you want to measure is the temperature directly below the heat source, and at the height of a tortoise's shell. It's amazing how much lower the temperature is just a few inches outside that circle of light. And make sure the probe is hanging in the air and not resting on the substrate.
Ooh, I meant to ask -- is it definitely a Hermanns that you will be getting, and do you know how old it will be?
What sort of table did you settle on in the end? You've put so much thought and preparation into this that I'm sure it will be great. It's wonderful to see people like you who do their homework before they get their tortoise -- you wouldn't believe how many people don't and then end up with real problems.

Nina xx

LittlePenBigHeart wrote:
> Ahhhh, that's brilliant, thank you!
>
> I've got it set up now. I have to have it all set up and run the lamp as
> though the tortoise is in there for a few days to a week, recording the
> temperatures a couple of times a day, in order to show I can maintain the
> right temperatures, before they'll let me buy him and bring him home (I'm
> saying 'him'...we don't know at the moment. It could be a girl. Who
> knows!?). I've got the lamp on, I've got the dual probe digital
> thermometer, so I can check it all...I'm so excited!!!! :D

LittlePenBigHeart
Posts: 14
Joined: 27 Oct 2017, 18:32

Re: Powersun Bulbs

Post by LittlePenBigHeart » 30 Oct 2017, 18:11

Ooh that's good to know, thank you! It's on the substrate at the moment, so how would you recommend suspending it under the heat but so it isn't on the substrate?

It is a Hermann's, and they couldn't say exactly without checking the birth certificate but somewhere between 1 and 2 years old.

So...I couldn't find a table I liked. Instead we've been to the British Heart Foundation and bought a nice, big bookcase. My wonderful husband kindly spent a few hours yesterday filling any little holes with dowels, covering over any larger holes with spare wood, and has created a second level with a ladder, complete with steps, from another shelf. He also picked up 25kg of Tortoise Life substrate for me, which has been popped into the bookshelf (after thoroughly disinfecting with tortoise-safe disinfectant). The lamp is all set up over it and I'm running it for the 12 hours a day throughout this week as though the tortoise is in there, so I can check the temperatures are okay across both sides of the enclosure.

There are a few other bits I'm getting still - I've got 5 packs of seeds (chosen using the database - thank you SO much for having that!!), a large, slate placemat for the food to sit in the centre of, to avoid risk of impaction, and a water bath on the way. Also need to pick up a soft bristle tooth brush for the baths and I've ordered some fake plants for the enclosure. Once I've got all that, I'm *hoping* I'll be sorted and can go and pick him up!!

Is there anything else you can think of that I should include, if I can rule out the heat mat for now?

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