UVB coil light?

Question
QUESTION: Hello Tracie, i recently  bought a baby bearded dragon and am using a 75w heat bulb with a small coil UVB light. Could you please tell me what is up with the coil lights, i mean every where i go now i here "those lights suck, they are vary bad for the dragon". Please explain why those lights are so bad and why the tube light are better. Also i have bought one of those(t-rex active UV heat spot lamp) MVB bulbs for my other dragons tank. She has a 90 gallon, and i just wanted to know if those are safe. If not then why? If you could please answer these questions that would be great, i am running around like my head is cut off trying to find answers. I just want my dragons to be healthy.      

Thank you,

Jon L

ANSWER: Hello Jon,

Which brand of coil bulb did you get?  Yes, they are horrible.  I will post a report for you to read regarding them.  What is wrong with those lights is that there is a photo-therapy phosphor that is used & it is the incorrect type & is allowing the UVC to be emitted.  Also, to elaborate on them they do emit a low wavelength frequency of UVB which is close to UVC & that is very harmful to you dragon.  They are very dangerous lights.  
So you bought a T-rex active UV heat mercury vapor bulb?  Is that correct?  If so, that gives out UVB & heat all in one which is good.  The T-rex MVB, along with the Megaray MVB are the 2 best in the market, so you made an excellent choice.  How far away is it?  The light is recommended at 12 inches if you have a 100 watt.  If you have a 160 watt then you will need it to be 18 inches away.  
Since you have a 90 gallon tank, you may need some extra brightness so you can use a full spectrum natural daylight flourescent tube light to brighten her tank up some.  The T-rex MVB should emit good quality UVB for roughly 8 months to 1 year for you.  Did you write the date on the base of the bulb or the box to remind you when it is time for a new one?
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tracie

I forgot to add the hyperlink of the report on here for you.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again Tracie, thank you for responding to my e-mail. The light I am using for the baby bearded is a 26W 10.0 repti-sun coil UVB. The thing is that the baby is only in a 10 gallon tank. Would is be ok if i raised the light higher or would it be better to get the UVB tube? Also I made a mistake when I told you I was using the t-rex MVB for my big dragon. It is actually the Rep Pro 100W MVB. Is that one still ok to use? And yes I mark done the dates on all of my bulbs when I change them. If it is not a good bulb then could you let me know if the T-rex MVB's are available in Canada? I already know the Mega ray MVB's are not available here.

Thank you once again,

Jon L

Answer
Hello Jon,

A 10 gallon tank is tiny.  For that one, it is too small to use a MVB really.  Can you partition the 90 gallon that you have?  If so, you can use a MVB in that one.  The 10 gallon is just too small for that.  
Well, the Rep Pro 100watt is "ok", but they tend to run a bit hot.  They also have fluctuations in the UVB output which is not the best.  Can you get the Exo terra Solar Glo?  Do not confuse that with the Sun Glo, as that is just a basking light.  The Solar Glo MVB 100watt is a pretty decent bulb for UVB output.  Those are readily available in Canada.  The T-rex is not, & neither is the Megaray, but you can get them shipped to Canada though.  
Have you turned the reptisun 10 coil off?  If not I highly recommend that you do, immediately.  They are very dangerous & will harm your dragon.  
Right now, if you are going to leave her in the 10 gallon tank, then you will need to change your light setup.  You will need to get a flourescent tube bulb instead & a regular natural daylight lightbulb for the basking.  

Tracie