2019 failures turned into 2020s successes

[Weremey59]

I didn't mean for my last comment to sound snippy. I have an old fridge freezer I am probably going to convert this year. I have a bunch of spare heat tape however I would need to get some fans. What is a light diffuser? Could you post a picture of your incubator?

[mdb730]

This is my incubator now, it has a false wall and fans at top and bottom to circulate air.



When I had the cooler incubator I used a light diffuser or egg crate like the one below over pvc pipe.





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[Weremey59]

Ah I see what you are getting at here. Hest tape up the sides, thermostat probe somewhere in the middle I'm assuming?

[Weremey59]

See here's were in confused, how do the incubation boxes closes to the chest tape not get hotter then the ones in the middle. Can you fit 2 or 3 boxes wide on one shelf?

[Lord Sorril]

Yes fish tank heater, the thermostat was built into it.

I get it: the thermostat was regulating the temperature of the water not the temperature inside the plastic box housing the eggs. I always like to have the thermostat probe in one egg box.

[Weremey59]

That was one of the concerned I had as well with my incubator before I built it. Either way, I'll be building a new one out of the spare fridge I have. That being said, my incubator will no longer be 99% humidity anymore. That would mean I will have to go to tubs with perilite, light difuser and plastic wrap? I actually need to pay attention to the substrate/water ratio now as well don't I? How often do you air them out/ check on them to watch for rotting or mold?

[mdb730]

Sorry I was not very specific, my new incubator is a converted wine chiller. The heat tape does not run from the sides, the heat tape is attached behind a false wall. Heat tape is not visible, I have fans on the top that suck hot air from the main chamber and force it down the false chamber with fans at the bottom of the incubator that blow air out from behind the false wall to the main chamber. I also lined the bottom with water bottles to help retain heat.

The light diffuser sits on top of the substrate, the eggs are never in contact with the perilite. You don't have to worry about getting the right water to perilite ratio. The "press and seal" covers the top of the tub and then you cover the tub with its regular cover to maintain proper humidity inside the tub.

[Weremey59]

By false wall you mean you attach the heat tape to the wall of the wine cooler then leave a 1/2" so to let air flow between your false wall and the heat tape. Correct? What do you use for a false wall, 1/2 PVC sheet? Obviously the air is being moved with the fans. The thermostat probe is taped to the back wall between the incubation boxes? Do you put thermometers in all of the boxes or in say every second one?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

That felt bad to say. I have also seen videos online of people cutting eggs before one even pips (very reputable breeders might I add). How do they know? How can you be so sure that the eggs dont need another few days to develop? This year I will be cutting the entire clutch when the first one pips but what do you guys thing?

You know because when you incubate in the same incubator at the same temp each year you know when they are due to pip naturally, I can tell you that the way I incubate everything pips at day 58 to 60, could I cut a few days before? Sure but there is no reason to expose them to possible bacteria or letting them dry out. So what do I do, I let them pip and 24 hours later I cut whatever has not pipped. If nothing has pipped I cut on day 60.