How do I lower my humidity?

Hello there,

I have a '10 Female Lesser Platinum in a 10 gal glass aquarium (yes, aquarium) with a mesh screen top. I cannot seem to get the humidity below 71% no matter what I do. Please help me!
I am using aspen substrate with a UTH and an infrared 50 watt night time bulb. The temps stay in between 88-92 on the basking side and 76-80 on the cool side (I can't seem to get the cool side cooler without making it too hot on the hot side). I have two hides, one on both sides, with her water dish in the middle. I also have two bamboo branches suction cupped to the sides as a couple climbing branches for her (which she loves). Here is a pic of what the setup looks like:

http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/c...te/Photo42.jpg

Is there a method I can use to get my humidity down without using a dehumidifier? Also, what are the serious side effects of the humidity being too high for too long of a time period?

Thanks in advance!!

~SC

Also, random question, is it ok that i put 4 moist paper towels inside her hide (on the hot side) while she is shedding? She seems to love it... I just don't want it to be TOO humid in there.

Thanks again!

Oh, and here's a pic of my lesser :)

http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/c...onte/Monte.jpg

Go to walmart. Find the lightbulb and paint area. Nearby there will probably be a small section with indoor/outdoor thermometers. Buy one that's about $12-15 called the Accu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station. Put the unit on the cool side of your tank, the probe under the substrate directly against the glass on the hot side. See what the humidity reading is.

Those dial gauges are crap. :)

I don't think there are any side effects of high humidity. I've been told by one person that it can cause a RI.

Using the paper towels, you're making what's called a humid hide. Some people just don't trust anything that wet in their enclosure because actual moisture and wetness can cause scale rot. If he can shed without it, don't use it.

What makes you think she loves it? Same with the climbing shelves. How much do you see her using them? She should be hiding during the day and most of the time in general. If she's not, something's wrong.

I would also get some cheap plastic bowls at walmart, cut entrances, melt the edges with a lighter, and use those for hides. Those boxes are porous and will hold bacteria, etc. They don't look very secure, either.

Also, please tell me you have a thermostat on your UTH.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

Go to walmart. Find the lightbulb and paint area. Nearby there will probably be a small section with indoor/outdoor thermometers. Buy one that's about $12-15 called the Accu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station. Put the unit on the cool side of your tank, the probe under the substrate directly against the glass on the hot side. See what the humidity reading is.

Those dial gauges are crap. :)

I don't think there are any side effects of high humidity. I've been told by one person that it can cause a RI.

Using the paper towels, you're making what's called a humid hide. Some people just don't trust anything that wet in their enclosure because actual moisture and wetness can cause scale rot. If he can shed without it, don't use it.

What makes you think she loves it? Same with the climbing shelves. How much do you see her using them? She should be hiding during the day and most of the time in general. If she's not, something's wrong.

I would also get some cheap plastic bowls at walmart, cut entrances, melt the edges with a lighter, and use those for hides. Those boxes are porous and will hold bacteria, etc. They don't look very secure, either.

Also, please tell me you have a thermostat on your UTH.

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Ok I will definitely have to buy one of those Accu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor Weather Stations! I will also go buy a couple bowls. The only reason I was using those cardboard boxes is 1) I've seen MANY people using them and they said it works great 2) Its cheap and fits in my cage, but most importantly 3) I had a empty (and cleaned out) big yogurt container that I had cut an entrance into on the hot side but she NEVER went in it. She always stayed in the other cardboard container on the cool side. As for sturdiness, she's been climbing on them with no difficulty.

To answer your questions: I can tell she loves the wet paper towels because as soon as I put her back in her tank after I had inserted the towels, she immediately crawled into the hide (she had never been in that hide before. It was the hide I replaced the yogurt container with). She stuck her tongue out a few times and then went right in with no problem. She's been in there for about 4 hours now and has not come out once (and it's even night time).

As for the climbing branches, every single night I see her exploring and climbing up and down the branches. I even have a little fake bush at the top of them which she hangs on from time to time. Idk if I can actually tell... she just seems happy when she's chillin on them.

Thanks again for your helpful post! Let me know if you have anymore input!

~SC

I would guess that the paper towels made the hide secure enough for her.

Oh ok that makes sense. Ill go take the towels out right now.

One last question. Say my humidity is actually 70+. Do you know of a way to lower it? I've tried putting a fan over the top aiming across the top, not down into the tank. I just haven't been able to find any place where it talks about a place too humid.

Thanks again. I really do appreciate your response :)

OH! and YES I most definitely do have a Rheostat for the UTH. Both the lamp and the UTH are plugged into it making it a constant 88-91 temp. Thanks for the concern :)

Not that the towels are bad, it's just that if it's too wet for too long, bacteria will grow and she'll get scale rot. If it helps her use the hides for now, I say use 'em. Just maybe not wet.

Rheostats...if the ambient temperature of the room goes up, the amount of power going to the heating element doesn't go down. It's a constant, regardless of temp. In the long run, I'd look at upgrading to a thermostat.

Oh, and I also haven't heard of ways to deal with too high humidity other than air circulation. People usually have the very opposite problem in glass tanks. Being too high should only be a problem if it's causing condensation and getting the substrate wet b/c it can mold and bacteria can grow and--you guessed it: scale rot. I guess RI for the same reasons.

Ok good, there is nowhere near condensation on the glass. I can't even physically feel the humidity when I put my hand in the tank. I know it's weird, everywhere in all the forums people talk about how they cannot get their humidity up. That's why I've been looking everywhere for an answer for my situation. I'm just going to assume my little gauge from petsmart is a P.O.S. like you said and invest in that device you recommended lol.

I'm also thinking about upgrading to a bigger container and I'm pretty sure it will be a big plastic tote (sp) you can get at walmart. But I've read that they hold more humidity than glass so this could be a problem if my humidity is actually 70+. The moral of this whole ordeal is that I just need to invest in that electronic hygrometer to see what my humidity actually is.

The ambient temp in the room is 79 during the day and 77 at night. Consequently, my temps drop 2 degrees at night in the tank which is what I want it to do. So for right now the Rheostat is working fine. But I'm not 100% confident with it so I check up on the temps whenever I think about it during the day. As of right now they are staying constant. If it changes, the next thing I do will be to buy a good thermostat.