Exo Terra Solar Glo - £25 - Page 2

touie · 25-03-2011, 07:36 PM

thanks I thought it was worth a go for that price there's an extra 5% off the £24.99 now!!! I have used that make in the past with no problems

shellonia · 26-03-2011, 07:39 PM

Hi Touie,Yes zooplus are a brilliant firm-originally German I believe.The Solarglos can be a bit temperamental but I've had several replacements with no fuss and no need to return original.They are courteous and prompt

**Alan1** · 26-03-2011, 07:50 PM

it's not so much their reliability it's the lack of UVB the bulbs produce

touie · 27-03-2011, 10:01 AM

yes I should probably invest in a tester. I just checked it is actually one of these that I am using at the moment, and it has been brilliant, it has lasted a couple of years with no problems at all and still going strong! I'm just replacing it because of age!

Torterra · 27-03-2011, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touie

yes I should probably invest in a tester. I just checked it is actually one of these that I am using at the moment, and it has been brilliant, it has lasted a couple of years with no problems at all and still going strong! I'm just replacing it because of age!

A lot depends on a batch they come from, i think. I had SolarGLo and it was good for 3 months maybe then it started to flicker and the light turned funny colour... >.> WIll see how it compare to the combined bulb I am using now.

mrscross78 · 15-04-2011, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibizathetort

Ive had bad times with the solar glos, I've bought 3 in the past year alone never again. My last one, barely 2 months old blew its elements and tripped the electrics in my house this morning. And its not my electrics causing it either because I lived at my Mums for a month and it did the same there.

I have an arcadia and they are so much more reliable

I had a 125w solar glo that has barely lasted 2 months.. It blew yesterday morning, it also blew the fuse in the plug... Not happy as we had to buy a quick replacement which cost £54 from my local pet shop, they said it has a 6 month guarantee if I keep the receipt. I hope to god this one lasts longer... Great link to Zooplus, I shall buy it from there next time.
What's this about a UV meter reading? Don't these bulbs release enough UV?

**Alan1** · 15-04-2011, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrscross78

I had a 125w solar glo that has barely lasted 2 months.. It blew yesterday morning, it also blew the fuse in the plug... Not happy as we had to buy a quick replacement which cost £54 from my local pet shop, they said it has a 6 month guarantee if I keep the receipt. I hope to god this one lasts longer... Great link to Zooplus, I shall buy it from there next time.
What's this about a UV meter reading? Don't these bulbs release enough UV?

you are not using it on a thermostat or have it at an angle have you? they can't work on thermostats and must point straight down, not at an angle.

the UV they produce has been poor in the recent ones I've had but Coolsox has just reported a very good UV level after a year though I'm not sure if he has totally got to grips with the new Solarmeter yet. all the bulbs vary a lot

mrscross78 · 15-04-2011, 10:30 PM

I have a lamp stand on a tortoise table and a reflector, it is pointing straight down. Do i need to be a little concerned with the uv levels? I don't have a thermostat and i didn't know they exsisted for uv bulbs. I have the bulb at a height level so it reaches a good temp... I use a tempurature recorder under the light to test for basking temp which varies between 32/33.C on average. I just assumed the UV light was taken care of. Do you think i need to worry?
Thanks.

**Alan1** · 16-04-2011, 05:56 AM

thermostats are used so that the basking lamp cuts out when the temperature reaches a certain level, they do also work with UV bulbs (or any heat source I suppose) but should not be used with UV bulbs for the reasons given in the instruction leaflet which is that when the bulb is switched off it should not be switched on again within 15 minutes. Some people have used them and blown their bulbs.

Solarglo bulbs are guaranteed to light up for 6 months so your one the blew could have been taken back if you had receipt. Arcadia are guaranteed to light up for 12 months. None of the bulbs guarantee a particular amount of UV.

Someone who is an electrician posted that bulbs can blow because if they are not getting a good connection the spark will jump across the gap between the contact in the holder and the end of the bulb. Prising the contact in the holder up a little sometimes works, UNPLUG AT WALL FIRST

If you are providing your torts with vitamin D3 either by giving Nutrobal or if you are feeding the 'complete diet' type of pellets which contain D3 then low UVB from a bulb is less of a problem and in fact some people who know what they are doing don't even use UV bulbs and just give D3 by other means. It's not recommended that you do this.

Solarglo bulbs should be replaced after 6-9 months. I contacted Exo Terra once to ask and that's what they said so although initially cheaper they don't work out cheaper long term.

Pussygalore · 16-04-2011, 08:04 AM

they work out cheaper if you can only find £25 instead of £50+ in an emergency plus you could also say I'll buy 2 for £50 and have a spare

. However if like you said there could be probs with the uv output and you never put your tort outside or have doubts about his diet then go for a more costly bulb. I always buy mine from zooplus because of the cost but all of mine will get outside, the biggies are hibernated and I can afford to always have more bulbs than needed so always have spares and I have always had very good fast service from the company. I also feed complete pellets so my torts get D3 etc from them as well as from the lights, also bear in mind that just because a bulb should last 12 months they don't always do so although the company should replace if you only have the one due to the cost you could be without for a few days and in the winter this could be a worry. It might pay to have a cheaper bulb as spare even if you do buy the more costly ones.

15-04-2011, 10:30 PM	#18
mrscross78 Member Hatchling Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: East Anglia Posts: 555	I have a lamp stand on a tortoise table and a reflector, it is pointing straight down. Do i need to be a little concerned with the uv levels? I don't have a thermostat and i didn't know they exsisted for uv bulbs. I have the bulb at a height level so it reaches a good temp... I use a tempurature recorder under the light to test for basking temp which varies between 32/33.C on average. I just assumed the UV light was taken care of. Do you think i need to worry? Thanks. __________________ Testudo Hermanni Hermanni Victor & George Amelia Last edited by mrscross78; 15-04-2011 at 10:41 PM.

16-04-2011, 05:56 AM	#19
Alan1 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Sunny Scotland Posts: 21,512	thermostats are used so that the basking lamp cuts out when the temperature reaches a certain level, they do also work with UV bulbs (or any heat source I suppose) but should not be used with UV bulbs for the reasons given in the instruction leaflet which is that when the bulb is switched off it should not be switched on again within 15 minutes. Some people have used them and blown their bulbs. Solarglo bulbs are guaranteed to light up for 6 months so your one the blew could have been taken back if you had receipt. Arcadia are guaranteed to light up for 12 months. None of the bulbs guarantee a particular amount of UV. Someone who is an electrician posted that bulbs can blow because if they are not getting a good connection the spark will jump across the gap between the contact in the holder and the end of the bulb. Prising the contact in the holder up a little sometimes works, UNPLUG AT WALL FIRST If you are providing your torts with vitamin D3 either by giving Nutrobal or if you are feeding the 'complete diet' type of pellets which contain D3 then low UVB from a bulb is less of a problem and in fact some people who know what they are doing don't even use UV bulbs and just give D3 by other means. It's not recommended that you do this. Solarglo bulbs should be replaced after 6-9 months. I contacted Exo Terra once to ask and that's what they said so although initially cheaper they don't work out cheaper long term. Last edited by Alan1; 16-04-2011 at 05:58 AM.

16-04-2011, 08:04 AM	#20
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	they work out cheaper if you can only find £25 instead of £50+ in an emergency plus you could also say I'll buy 2 for £50 and have a spare . However if like you said there could be probs with the uv output and you never put your tort outside or have doubts about his diet then go for a more costly bulb. I always buy mine from zooplus because of the cost but all of mine will get outside, the biggies are hibernated and I can afford to always have more bulbs than needed so always have spares and I have always had very good fast service from the company. I also feed complete pellets so my torts get D3 etc from them as well as from the lights, also bear in mind that just because a bulb should last 12 months they don't always do so although the company should replace if you only have the one due to the cost you could be without for a few days and in the winter this could be a worry. It might pay to have a cheaper bulb as spare even if you do buy the more costly ones. Last edited by Pussygalore; 16-04-2011 at 08:06 AM.

25-03-2011, 07:36 PM	#11
touie Member Hatched Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Portsmouth UK Posts: 426	thanks I thought it was worth a go for that price there's an extra 5% off the £24.99 now!!! I have used that make in the past with no problems

26-03-2011, 07:39 PM	#12
shellonia Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: central s england Posts: 1,534	Hi Touie,Yes zooplus are a brilliant firm-originally German I believe.The Solarglos can be a bit temperamental but I've had several replacements with no fuss and no need to return original.They are courteous and prompt

26-03-2011, 07:50 PM	#13
Alan1 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Sunny Scotland Posts: 21,512	it's not so much their reliability it's the lack of UVB the bulbs produce

27-03-2011, 10:01 AM	#14
touie Member Hatched Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Portsmouth UK Posts: 426	yes I should probably invest in a tester. I just checked it is actually one of these that I am using at the moment, and it has been brilliant, it has lasted a couple of years with no problems at all and still going strong! I'm just replacing it because of age!

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