Misters vs Fogger - Which are better ?

[JackRent]

The company that makes Exo-terra tanks also makes a medium waterfall that comes with an optional fogger. Does anyone have experience with this fogger ? It is about $45.00. A lot less expensive than the other mist systems on the market. I was curious about its effectiveness and how you can control it. Thanks.

[mack]

jack,

i think that the in tank foggers need fairly exact water levels and tend to not last very long. i have a tank with a COOL MIST ultrasonic himidifier ($25 or so at walgreens). you just run a tube from the output of the humidifier into the tank, and mine is on a timer and comes on for 1 minute several times a day. it works great, looks amazing, is cheap, and will not wear out any time soon.

mack

[afterdark]

jack,

i think that the in tank foggers need fairly exact water levels and tend to not last very long. i have a tank with a COOL MIST ultrasonic himidifier ($25 or so at walgreens). you just run a tube from the output of the humidifier into the tank, and mine is on a timer and comes on for 1 minute several times a day. it works great, looks amazing, is cheap, and will not wear out any time soon.

mack

mack,

could this sort of thing be used in place of a misting system to stimulate mating behaviour in a pair of tincs? I'm setting up a 32 gallon horizontal for them and I don't want the added expense of a pro misting system if I don't NEED it for mating purposes. Also, I'd rather not hand spray because I want to stress the frogs as little as possible.

thanks for your replies.

-mike

[Cindy Dicken]

Mike,
I hope Mack will chime in and add to this, but to answer your question, a fogger and a mister serve two different purposes.While a fogger will help to increase the humidity in the tank, it is not as effective at "rinsing" the vivarium like a mister would.
I wouldn't try to rely solely on a humidifier.
I don't think you will stress the frogs by misting as long as the water is at room temprature and you try not to spray them directly. Quite often some of the frogs will actually come and stand under the mist when it starts, they enjoy their shower!
A mister is very handy for rinsing fecal matter down to the substrate.

[afterdark]

Mike,
I hope Mack will chime in and add to this, but to answer your question, a fogger and a mister serve two different purposes.While a fogger will help to increase the humidity in the tank, it is not as effective at "rinsing" the vivarium like a mister would.
I wouldn't try to rely solely on a humidifier.
I don't think you will stress the frogs by misting as long as the water is at room temprature and you try not to spray them directly. Quite often some of the frogs will actually come and stand under the mist when it starts, they enjoy their shower!
A mister is very handy for rinsing fecal matter down to the substrate.

So for one tank, hand misting should be fine? The tank is 30long, 22high, 12deep. I'm just worried that pulling the lid off a tank that long will lead to escapes while I'm misting by hand 2-3 times a day.

At the moment, a pro misting system seems a bit cost prohibitive for me. My plan was to have a sump beneath the tank, with a pump for the small water feature (I understand tincs don't like a lot of moving water), and then a cool-mist humidifier to create some fog in the tank.

What do you guys think? Thanks for your responses, btw.

Cheers,

Mike

[RichFrye]

Hi Mike,
I am in the process of moving. I am hoping to have at least three times the space I have now. My recent vivs have been trending towards big glass vivs with no misting other than hand misting. I actually like checking around for froglets and eggs so while I am at it hand misting is not a burden. Also, hand misting has a few benefits that autos don't. You can target spray much better for brom fill ups, cleaning, whatever. Much cheaper per viv. No sumps or drains.

Rich