Humidity

so i have an digital thermometer and hydrometer sensor in the warm side of the tank that will never read the humidity past 48% however on the cool side where the water dish is the analog reads the humidity at 65% which one would u say would be correct secondly i have the warm side set at 87 and the cool at 80 is that sound about right or should i try to drop the low and raise the warm side

Your temperatures sound just about perfect! And as for humidity, it's tough to tell which one is right. I'd say maybe try picking up a third one and see which one it's closer to to get an idea of the true value.

I always hated digital hygrometers.. You could do a salt test, its quick easy and cheap, to test which of the hygrometers are accurate.

well i get home last night and the humidity on the cool side says its 70% and the humidity on the warm still says 48% would you just recommend getting a new digital and a second analog to determine which one is correct?

move the water bowl to the middle:gj:

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Originally Posted by Hull357

well i get home last night and the humidity on the cool side says its 70% and the humidity on the warm still says 48% would you just recommend getting a new digital and a second analog to determine which one is correct?

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What type of heat source are you using? Lamps and ceramic heat emitters will suck out a lot of the humidity in the air. You might consider switching to an under-tank heater with a dimmer or thermostat (thermostat is better IMO).

Thats what I initially did, but if you get inconsistant readings yet again, or if you are just unlucky to get one just as inaccurate, giving the same inaccurate reading and you take it to be accurate since 2 are reading the same..? Sorry I am a little paranoid about things like these and husbandry stuff. But why spend more on numerous possibly inaccurate devices that don't give you a sure answer when you can use the salt test (its pretty simple DIY) and be able to calibrate or just know how much to add/reduce from a reading?

I doubt that there is such a great difference in the humidity in your enclosure from the warm side to the cool end, its really difficult to get that kind of humidity gradient. But in any case, do you happen to know roughly what the humidity of the air in your area is? Since both have such great differences you could take a pretty good guess if you did. Like the way I found out my first digital hygrometer was wayyy off - I took it out and it read 40%, air in my area never dips below 55 though. So pretty obvious there. I tried exhaling onto it for half a minute and it read 50%, confirmed it was totally off. Just to ask, are you using a lamp for heating?

Im using a UTH with a hydrofarm thermostat. ill have to check the humidity in my local area it changes so much since i live in pa. the humidity in the air today is 61%. ill have to look up the salt test and do it this evening i just want to make sure things are as close to perfect husbandry wise as possible. i know as soon as he out grows his tank he will be in a tub. this tank shananiganz is next to impossible to control.

Switch the hygrometers around!!! That way, you can see if the hot side is really low, or, if your hot side hygrometer is broken!! I hope that makes sense!!!

it makes great sense ill be switching their sides when i get home from work today. any ideas if the hydrometers change equally on what to do like if the digital reads 70 and the analog reads 48 after i switch them from one side to the other?

Just a comment, it is quite likely they are both off some but the dynamics of an enclosure are such that there will be very different humidity amounts in different areas. I being a spaz have 3 hygrometers in 2 of my enclosures (the oldest ones) and check them with a salt test and they never read the same even though they are correct with in 2% of accurate. The warm side is always lower humidity than the cool side.

A properly set up enclosure has micro climates just like the real world does, an area that is warmer than another and a spot more humid. The inside the hides is 2 more. This is normal and good. It sounds like you have things tuned perfectly. Humidity is never uniform at least with out fans and controls to make it so (incubators).

Thankyou for all the great advice and tips i greatly appreciate it. i dont feel the tank would be anywere as well off as it is with out the great people and help here at bp.net.

Everyday you correct my mistakes kitedemon, everyday I learn something from you! Always love to see your input on husbandry issues, especially humidity and temperature measurements and equipment accuracy. Love how meticulous and detailed you are about every aspect of those.

ogdentrece I didn't think I was correcting you at all. It is hard to get a humidity gradient, you can but it isn't automatic. It is just as you stated, not easy. You can say it spazz I am. I calibrate equipment everyday and it just rubs off here and there. It might not be what is happening in the OP case, I have seen it that doesn't mean a hygrometer could not have failed. (I have seen them over 60% off of true)


We all toss that word gradient around like it is meaningless and easy, a true gradient is not all that easy to manage in either temps or humidity. Most of us have a hot place and a cool place but no real gradient in between. I have only managed a true gradient with glass bottoms.