07-01-2021, 05:16 PM
Should I buy a Humidity gauge of some type?
Nope. They are almost all, cheap trash. Do not waste your money. 98% of them - retail sold, are not meant to be inside a humid vivarium, and 80-90% almost constant humidity will cause them to fail and have false readings. Stay away from them.
Use the 'Eyeball and finger" method.
First, make sure you have some standing water in your false bottom. Don't know what a 'false bottom' is? It's the hollow space under your substrate that hold excess water. You need it or your enclosure will be a sloppy wet mess and your plants will die.
When you have some water in your false bottom, you can literally see that there is some degree of humidity inside the enclosure. I like to have between 1 and 3" of water down there at all times.
Won't it get stinky and dank and need changed? Nope. It really doesn't smell. There is a zookeeper in NJ that says it's clean enough and without problems that he will drink false bottom water. Seriously.
You need to HAND mist your enclosure. Do not buy a silly fogger. They are dangerous, get hot, malfunction, shit the bed after prolonged use and only add SURFACE moisture, not long lasting deeper water humidity. Foggers are crap just like gauges.
Initially Spray your whole tank down - everything. Get all the substrate hit with spray. Now, pause and take some dirt (substrate) and ball it up and squeeze it in your fist. Is it too dry? Is it so wet that water pours out. You want MOIST....not wet...not dry.
Same with plants and wood and tank hardscape - moist a couple times a day...never totally dry. The tank should have a lower humidity period - mine gets 50-65% guestimate of course, during the day and 70-90% at night and early morning. You will get good at looking and feeling and judging the humidity. It just takes a little time.
Lastly, make sure you have a GLASS lid. Not saran wrap, not plexiglas...a proper glass lid. Also make sure it's not sealed. Frogs must have airflow or they will die from lack of O2 or evaporative inability - similar but cause by heat plus lack of O2.
You lid should have @ 15-20 percent of it be either holes or screen or some other venting near the front of the tank.
Nope. They are almost all, cheap trash. Do not waste your money. 98% of them - retail sold, are not meant to be inside a humid vivarium, and 80-90% almost constant humidity will cause them to fail and have false readings. Stay away from them.
Use the 'Eyeball and finger" method.
First, make sure you have some standing water in your false bottom. Don't know what a 'false bottom' is? It's the hollow space under your substrate that hold excess water. You need it or your enclosure will be a sloppy wet mess and your plants will die.
When you have some water in your false bottom, you can literally see that there is some degree of humidity inside the enclosure. I like to have between 1 and 3" of water down there at all times.
Won't it get stinky and dank and need changed? Nope. It really doesn't smell. There is a zookeeper in NJ that says it's clean enough and without problems that he will drink false bottom water. Seriously.
You need to HAND mist your enclosure. Do not buy a silly fogger. They are dangerous, get hot, malfunction, shit the bed after prolonged use and only add SURFACE moisture, not long lasting deeper water humidity. Foggers are crap just like gauges.
Initially Spray your whole tank down - everything. Get all the substrate hit with spray. Now, pause and take some dirt (substrate) and ball it up and squeeze it in your fist. Is it too dry? Is it so wet that water pours out. You want MOIST....not wet...not dry.
Same with plants and wood and tank hardscape - moist a couple times a day...never totally dry. The tank should have a lower humidity period - mine gets 50-65% guestimate of course, during the day and 70-90% at night and early morning. You will get good at looking and feeling and judging the humidity. It just takes a little time.
Lastly, make sure you have a GLASS lid. Not saran wrap, not plexiglas...a proper glass lid. Also make sure it's not sealed. Frogs must have airflow or they will die from lack of O2 or evaporative inability - similar but cause by heat plus lack of O2.
You lid should have @ 15-20 percent of it be either holes or screen or some other venting near the front of the tank.