Lucky Reptile Bright Sun UV Desert 70W - BSD-70

With a light temperature of 6000 Kelvin, the Bright Sun UV Desert is best suited for desert/steppe animals, but also for sun-hungry jungle inhabitants.

The distance to the animal naturally depends on the ambient temperature and the animal. There is also a 'hot spot' (also the highest UVB value) that needs to be determined. The temperature there should be 45°C for a bearded dragon, for example. In our experience, this is the case at a distance of approx. 45cm and an ambient temperature of 30°C (in the terrarium).

Our experience shows that our green iguana, for example, prefers to bask under a Bright Sun UV Desert than under a Bright Sun UV Jungle, contrary to Lucky Reptile's opinion. This also makes sense as sun-loving animals do not protect themselves from too much UV radiation with leaves or similar, but also lie directly in the sun in the wild
If the burner is mounted over a mesh (fly screen), you should bear in mind that 20-50% of the radiation (UVA/B and also visible light) is lost depending on the distance between the meshes, as the mesh reflects the radiation upwards and reduces the radiation into the terrarium!

The heat and UV radiation of a Bright Sun UV Desert 70W is comparable to that of a 160W UV mixed light lamp, but the light output is over 5 times higher! To be fair, it must be said that a 160W mixed light emitter has a completely different radiation pattern. The high light intensity is particularly important, as it has not yet been possible to simulate natural light conditions in the terrarium. In nature, light intensities of 100,000 lux and more are achieved. A high light intensity is particularly important for the well-being of desert dwellers and influences the coloration and activity of the animals. Although the Bright Sun 70W does not quite come close to the sun with over 60,000 lux at a distance of 30 cm, it is far ahead of mixed light UV lamps (approx. 10,000 lux), fluorescent lamps and spotlights. The basis for this high light output is the energy efficiency of the lamp, actually the bulb.
Unlike other light sources, HQI bulbs (Bright Sun UV Desert is also an HQI bulb with a special UV filter and a special phosphor mixture) convert a large proportion of the energy used into light.
Thanks to the efficient reflector design, almost all the heat generated is concentrated in the light focus, so that the lamp is perfectly suitable for creating warm sunny spots.
According to the manufacturer, the life expectancy is 6000 hours, but replacement is recommended after one year at the latest (at 8 hours a day), as the spectrum begins to change from a certain age due to the technology and the UV radiation and overall light output also diminish over time. According to different information from the manufacturer (manual and homepage, which is currently not functional), after 2000 hours (manual) - 3500 hours (Lucky Reptile homepage), the UV value is only 50%

The Bright Sun Desert 70W fits into E27 porcelain sockets, but requires a special ballast for operation. We recommend using only electronic ballasts. We recommend either the original Lucky Reptile Bright Control Pro II, Lucky Reptile Bright Control Pro III, Bright Conctrol Evo 70W or our 35/50/70Watt Multiwatt ECG (electronics identical to the original Lucky Reptile Bright Control III product).
We do not recommend the use of conventional ballasts, as on the one hand energy consumption is approx. 25% higher, but on the other hand the life expectancy and light output is lower compared to an ECG