Low Humidity in your tank?

Low humidity is a common problem with aquariums. Tanks are designed to hold large quantities of water...not humidity :P

so how can you bump up your humidity if it's too low?

When I had a tank, I used a wired mesh top. To fix my humidity, I would take a bath towel and wet it every morning...

wring it out, fold it up, and place it on top of one half of the cage top. It won't be an immediate change, but within an hour or so, you will notice a big change in the humidity.

One other common solution I see is to wrap screen top in aluminum foil.

Try both methods and do what works for you. Get first hand experience in what works and what doesn't, and then pass your experience on :gj:

“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong"
-Benjamin Franklin

But what if your aquarium paradoxically has too HIGH humidity?
I have a 20L and use aspen bedding, and I try to keep the water bowl somewhere relatively cool just because it keeps going up over 70, sometimes approaching 80. I have a plexiglass lid which at this point I think has like 21 holes in it haha.
I have some problems keeping the temp up while keeping the humidity down!
I guess at least I won't have any difficulty come shedding time.

Maybe the plexiglass is your problem. Have you tried the metal mesh screen tops?

I remember one time I was keeping 2 rats in a tall rubbermaid. I didn't have a lid, so I drilled a LOT of holes in the plastic lid I got with it. I left to Home Depot to pick up supplies to make a wire mesh lid. A few hours later when I came back, the sides of the tub were completely soaked, and when I opened the lid, a rush of stench slapped me right in the face.

I made the wire mesh top and put it on top of the tub and never had that humidity build up again.

It didn't matter how many holes I would have drilled into that top, there was still too much of the lid and it kept the humidity (and the smell) inside...nothing could escape.

Your best bet is to either purchase a screen top or make your own from Home Depot

I hope this helps :gj:

The 'Foil on the screen' method works quite well for me out here in dry Colorado, but since I also use low watt lamps for ambient warmth and visibility, I top my screens a bit differently:

I still use three layers of aluminum foil, shiny side down to the tank, secured on top of the outside of the screen with a layer of duct tape. I leave a square hole (6"x6" for a 20L tank top) over the warm end for ventilation, but I also cut out the center foil in a rectangle and place a piece of clear vinyl one inch larger on all sides under the foil layer and tape in place on top. This allows light through the top but still holds in humidity and temperatures.

10 gallon tank slide/lock top:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...screen_top.jpg

20L ZooMed screen top:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...screen_top.jpg

As seen in the 20L picture above, for boosts to humidity you can place a dampened wash cloth (or paper towel) over part of the opening in the foil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Argentra

As seen in the 20L picture above, for boosts to humidity you can place a dampened wash cloth (or paper towel) over part of the opening in the foil.

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Great pictures! :gj:

I too had a hard time with humidity, After struggling with different methods, I finally found a method that suited my needs

I would always have to mist the tank many times a day which I can't do all the time since I"m up at school, I've tried a bigger water dish, different substrate.

I ended up buying a tropic-aire humidifier and pump and tin foiled the top, the pump is adjustable so u can control air flow to sweet spot the humidity.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0460.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0462.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0463.jpg
As you can see, he loves it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soy.lor.n

But what if your aquarium paradoxically has too HIGH humidity?
I have a 20L and use aspen bedding, and I try to keep the water bowl somewhere relatively cool just because it keeps going up over 70, sometimes approaching 80. I have a plexiglass lid which at this point I think has like 21 holes in it haha.
I have some problems keeping the temp up while keeping the humidity down!
I guess at least I won't have any difficulty come shedding time.

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What are you measuring your humidity with? Humidity gauges can get messed up or read wrong if they have been damaged or get wet and the stick on pet store ones are WAY off.

I actually bought a humidifier for my room since it's kinda dry around the house with the AC on almost all the time (Southwest Florida and all).

I am still getting 46-51% humidity constant and have to mist the tank sometimes. I have aluminum foil around half the mech top and I do need to use a heatlamp to keep the warm side a nice 90-92. Temps are fine.

Would anyone else suggest a small mister like chet has and what do they run? I saw it and think it's a good solution for me if it works right!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Karbon

I actually bought a humidifier for my room since it's kinda dry around the house with the AC on almost all the time (Southwest Florida and all).

I am still getting 46-51% humidity constant and have to mist the tank sometimes. I have aluminum foil around half the mech top and I do need to use a heatlamp to keep the warm side a nice 90-92. Temps are fine.

Would anyone else suggest a small mister like chet has and what do they run? I saw it and think it's a good solution for me if it works right!

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The humidifier that i purcahsed was 13 for the bottle and about 40 USD for the pump ( u can go cheaper with the pump but I bought one that supports up to 30 gallon tanks just in case i upgraded). Its works beautifully, 55-60 humidity constant. Def worth a try, if not, you can always return it

Thanks for the info!

Forgot to ask this though! Where did you get yours?

got it from ThePetplace.com

Heres the link to the humidifer
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/2526/product.web


And heres the link to the pump I purchases
Rena 200 air pump ..good up to 30 gallon tanks
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/199484/product.web

Thanks a bunch!

I'm using an Acurite and I've only had it like 10 days. I actually have a screen top that I keep under the plexiglass, and I can keep the humidity down to about 60 by leaving a crack where just the screen is covering. I just think it's weird. Anyone else would have like 3% humidity with my setup, I'm sure, lol.
Also, I live in Atlanta, so the environmental humidity is always really high anyway.

Im at school now but I will post pics when i get home. You can make a humidifier very easily out of a plastic bottle an air pump and some hosing and air stones.

Hi,

We even have a sticky on making one in the D.I.Y. section. :)


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Karbon

I actually bought a humidifier for my room since it's kinda dry around the house with the AC on almost all the time (Southwest Florida and all).

I am still getting 46-51% humidity constant and have to mist the tank sometimes. I have aluminum foil around half the mech top and I do need to use a heatlamp to keep the warm side a nice 90-92. Temps are fine.

Would anyone else suggest a small mister like chet has and what do they run? I saw it and think it's a good solution for me if it works right!

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I had issues with my humidity, too, in a 20L tank. I bought a room humidifier (the elephant is best b/c it aims the cool mist up into the air, see link below) and placed it next to the tank. I only need to run it at night and it keeps the humidity between 50 and 60% at all times. When our ball is about to shed, I keep the humidifier running 24/7, to bump the humidity up a little more, until the shed is complete. It cost about $30 and holds 1 gallon of water. It needs to be refilled every 3 days. It is also pretty quiet and does not need a filter - meaning no filters to buy or replace!
http://www.baby-wise.com/crane-adora...r-animals.html

We have vapor barrier paper (for under wood flooring or roof shingles, so also heat resistent) on top of the metal screen, except where the heat lamp is and a hole (about 2" x 4") on the other side for air circulation and the humidity to get in. The water bowl is also 1/2 under the heat lamp.

I never had to mist again once I started using the humidifier. And it keeps the humidity in these ranges whether we use Aspen shavings or newspaper.

A little of topic because I use tubs, but what I found works best for me is Aspen in the front 1/2 and cypress in the back (under their hides)... the cypress holds humidity great, I have had a few retained eye caps using just aspen over winter.. (more heaters on drying the air) and this fixed the problem... :D

I'm still new to this, but i found a good and extremely fast way to up the humidity on your tank, I have a 20 gallon tank, and i soak a paper towel, and wring it out so its only damp, then i lay it across the top, it made my tanks humidity go from 34% to 59% in 10 minutes.