What is the Bright Sun UV?
The bright sun UV is a metal halide lamp that was developed especially for reptile use.
What are the advantages of metal halide lamps ?
Metal halide lamps are very energy efficient light bulbs. They are 5 times more efficient than incandescent lamps and produce much more light at the same wattage. Also it is possible to influence the spectrum through special gas mixtures.
What is special about the bright sun UV?
The bright sun UV was developed for easy use inside vivariums. In addition it produces UVA and UVB radiation. Normal metal halide lighting does not emit UVB.
Why are there different versions ?
There are different lighting conditions in nature, e.g. the light spectrum of the sun reaching the animal in a forest is different from open landscapes like desert. We did assume that reptiles from forest regions would prefer a warmer light spectrum. This could be confirmed in tests with different forest and desert reptiles. while desert reptiles did prefer a white, daylight spectrum with 6000k, forest reptiles like water dragons preferred a warmer 4000k spectrum.
consequently we are offering the bright sun UV desert for reptiles from deserts and other open landscapes like bearded dragons and uromastyx and the bright sun UV jungle for forest reptiles like water dragons and iguanas.
In addition there is the Bright Sun UV Spot for applications where greater distances between lamp and animal exist. The bright sun UV Spot is only available with desert spectrum.
What is the most important aspect of the bright sun UV ?
In nature day active reptiles are exposed to a light intensity of over 10,000 lux. With normal vivarium lighting such a light intensity cannot be achieved. The bright sun UV is the only commercial vivarium lighting which can recreate these natural conditions (depending on the distance to the lamp) including a spectrum which is close to that of the sun. Not only UVB is important, as most manufacturers seem to think, but the whole spectrum of the lamp including the light intensity has to meet the demand of the animals.
What can be expected of the heat output of the lamp?
Thanks to the special lamp body with efficient reflector and thick glass case the heat projection is maximised in the lamp focus. The spot temperatures are comparable to incandescent spot lamps of the same wattage. Contrary to incandescent lamps and especially mercury vapour based UV lamps there is only little heat loss to the side and the top. A 160w mercury vapour UV lamp will achieve comparable spot temperatures in the light focus as a 70 W bright sun UV lamp but will have an extreme influence on the ambient air temperature.
What is Needed for using the Bright sun UV?
The bright sun uv can be used in normal E27 (screw fit) poreclain lampholders but require a special ballast. We recommend the use of our Thermo Socket PRO lampholders or thermo socket plus reflector lamps with connector system compatible to the connector of the bright control ballast for plug and play installation. The Bright Sun UV fits into the small thermo socket plus reflector.
Is it possible to upgrade existing lampholder installations ?
If you wish to use an existing lamp holder you must use a high voltage cable suitable for the high voltages that occur during the ignition of metal halide lamps. The ballasts only connect using a special connector plug so it is far easier just to purchase one of the thermo socket PRO lamp holders.
For which vivarium sizes are the bright sun UV suitable?
Thanks to the low heat loss Bright sun UV lamps can be used in almost all vivariums. A 50W lamp can be used in a small 60 x 40 x 40 cm vivarium. Thanks to their high light output, the bright sun UV is also the best choice for very large vivariums.
Which distances should be maintained from the lamp ?
Due to technical reasons there has to be a minimum distance to the illuminated surface as too small distances have a negative impact on lamp life. For 50 W the minimum distance is 20CM and for the 70W 30 CM.
In regards to UV performance good operating distances are up to 50cm for 50W and 70cm for 70W. Due to safety reasons the minimum distance between animal and should be at least 20cm for 50W and 30CM for 70W. For the bright sun UV spot a minimum distance of 50 cm to the animal has to be maintained. The maximum operating distance is about 120cm
How long do you recommend operating the lamps daily ?
In general the lamps are designed for a full daytime use if the minimum distances are maintained. For close simulation of the natural lighting conditions we recommend a daily use of about 8 hours, eg. from 9am to 5pm.
What about lamp life?
The bright sun UV has an average lamp life of 6000 hours when using an electronic ballast. However UV output is degrading continuously and after 2000 hours the UV output is down to about 50%. If a high UV performance is required by your animals, it is recommended to replace the lamps every 6 months.
Can the bright sun be used as a single light source ?
In theory yes. The bright sun UV offers sufficient heat and UV and a very high light output. With this it is very close to natural sunlight. However, due to its design there can only be punctiform light inside the vivarium. Therefore we recommend a combination with daylight lighting this will create optimal lighting conditions
Are there alternatives to the Bright Sun UV ?
At the moment there is no lamp on the market that gets as close to the sun with UV and heat in combination with high light output as the bright sun UV. Normal metal halide lighting do not have UVB output. Mercury vapour lamps are not as bright and consume more power. Only the combination of several lamp types and the use of metal halide lamps will enable you to create comparable vivarium conditions. The Bright sun UV always is the most natural solution, as all is provided with one lamp just like from the sun.
Why is the Bright Sun UV a more economic solution than other UV lamps ?
The first time investment is higher compared to a mercury vapour UV lamp but the lamp itself is cheaper than most mercury vapour lamps. the required ballasts are a one time investment. With every replacement lamp there are savings in lamp cost and power costs compared to a mercury vapour lamp. In addition you get a much higher light output and a lamp that offers all your animal needs. Also do the math and see what a UV tube with controller and reflector costs and do not forget that you also need a heat lamp. In addition such a soloution offers a much lower performance than the bright sun UV.
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