SOLAR RAPTOR® UV Mercury Vapor Lamp
The SOLAR RAPTOR® UV Self-Ballasted Mercury Vapor Lamp is a hybrid light emitter producing light with large UV-A and UV-B components. This makes it particularly suited for use with reptiles and avians.
The SOLAR RAPTOR® UV Mercury Vapor Lamps provide all the necessary components in one lamp to create ideal warm basking spots: Light, UV radiation and heat. They are also very efficient: while incandescent bulbs, for example, lose up to 95% of their power consumption as waste heat, our mixed light lamps concentrate the heat generated directly in the spotlight thanks to their specialised reflector design. Depending on the size of the terrarium and the type of animals kept, the lamp can be used for all-day operation or, for example, in combination with basic lighting for 4-8 hours/day to perfectly simulate the brighter hours of the day.
In addition to the 80 and 100 watt versions for smaller terrariums, a 160 watt version is also available for larger systems. The UV output decreases during the service life of every UV lamp – in the case of the SOLAR RAPTOR® UV mixed light lamp, the UV output is still at least 50% after approximately 1 year of use (calculated at a maximum of 12 hours per day). At that point the lamp should be replaced.
The SOLAR RAPTOR® UV Mercury Vapor Lamp is self-ballasted — no external ballast should be connected to it. Please only use this lamp with heat-resistant sockets.
Please note
- Before using this lamp, please check the amount of UV light appropriate to the animal(s) you are keeping. Make sure that there is an appropriate minimum distance between the lamp and any animals.
- Never mount this lamp near flammable objects.
- Make sure the lamp has adequate air circulation and is never covered by an object.
- In the event of abnormalities in operation the lamp must be removed immediately.
- Never install the lamp into a currently powered socket.
- To ensure long-term effective UV illumination, we recommend that you do not use the light source for longer than 12 months ( in continuous operation for 12 hours a day), as a drop in the UV levels is unavoidable due to material deterioration. Ideally, you should measure the UV levels of the lamp with the Solarmeter® 6.2R Reptile UVB or Solarmeter® 6.5R Reptile UV Index to determine the right timing for a replacement.
- In the terrarium, the lamp should be combined with LED or T5 lighting to provide the base lighting.
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General information on UV light
The SOLAR RAPTOR® UV self-ballasted mercury vapor lamps is a UV emitter based on blended light technology that achieves the UV-B and UV-A levels reptiles require while emitting in a wide beam. A long-lasting, uniform emission of UV light is the most important function of a UV lamp made for reptiles; many reptiles can see wavelengths up to the UV-A range and this regulates their activity, reproductive behaviour and colour vision, and more. A sufficient supply of UV-B radiation, in turn, can specifically prevent many dreaded metabolic diseases in reptiles (e.g. rachitis, bone softening in lizards, tortoises etc.). Despite emitting light over a wide area compared to other UV lamps, this mixed light lamp achieves high UV-B levels in the centre of the light cone. Due to the wider light scattering, reptiles can also regulate their heat and UV absorption very well – an essential behaviour for cold-blooded animals. The light colour of a terrarium lamp should always be as close as possible to natural conditions; SOLAR RAPTOR® UV mercury vapor lamp produces light between 3800 and 4800 Kelvin. The decision was made not to reproduce different colour temperatures; the emission spectrum of the lamp is modelled after the sun and is ideal for animals and plants in all areas of use.
