Incubators... Ugh

[loonunit]

The bottled water that goes on the bottom of the incubator is for heat capacity, not humidity. The water you mix with the vermiculite in the egg tub is what boosts the humidity.

The bottled water is there to stop heat spikes from happening. It takes a long time to heat up water, and a long time to cool it down. Water basically has a lot of "temperature inertia". So the temperature will be rock solid if you wrap your heat tape around a few liters of water bottles and then tape the heat probe to the bottles.

[snake lab]

Okay that was going to be another of my questions, how often to spritz or if you need to change out the vermiculite for new moist vermiculite if the other dries out or how you maintain that. I wonder how much water I would put into a wine chiller to keep the air humid without making it too much so that it hurts the eggs. I think I am going to end up running this thing for months before the eggs come to make sure I have all the temps and everything right lol.

Running the incubator for awhile is not a bad idea so you can fine tune it before you put eggs in it. As far as the vermiculite staying moist, if you spritz once a week youll be fine. You dont need to change it out. Now if you go with the raised method i got no help for ya there cause i dont do it and never have. I dont have anything against it, i just dont use that method. The best thing to do is research all methods and choose one that works for you. Another option that some have good luck with is maternal incubation. Though i think that method has the most room for error in captive breeding.

[Crawly's Mom]

Okay I think I have a good idea of what I am going to try. I will have something to regulate the heat that will automatically adjust for me, I do not want to have to rely on myself to adjust it when it gets too high or too low. I will have that wine chiller I am picking up wednesday, I'll have to get some shelves to slide in. I think that I will probably do the raised method so that the vermiculite can be wetter, that way I do not have to worry over if I am spraying too little or too much. I am definitely going to put everything together and make sure its all running smoothly ahead of time, so that I am sure when the eggs go in the environment is right. Thank you everyone for all your help, this really is the best place to get advice.

[loonunit]

If you put the grating between the vermiculite and the eggs, you can basically make the vermiculite as wet as you like. (I'd still aim for "just sticks together", just to be safe.) Some people even put only water in the bottom with no vermiculite. (I don't like water-only because it dries up a little faster and it can slop aroudn if you move the incubator. But I do like the grating.)

Everyone understands the water bottles at the bottom are to increase heat capacity and stop heat spikes, right? It's not about the humidity. People keep talking about "the water", but there are two completely different reasons for water in an incubator, and the bottled water is not not NOT about humidity.

[snake lab]

With my system as a wLk in incubator i use water for humidity. I set the container next to the oil filled heater. Im also dealing with a larger area so i should have been clearer about that. I also cant use a proportional thermostat because they dont make one ti handle the wattages i need. The highest ive found is 700 w and i need at least 900. But listen to loonunit about the water for your application

[snake lab]

Also i forgot to add probe placement. I use a dummy tub wiith the same medium mixture and the probe sits suspended in the dummy box. This way i know exactly what is going on in the egg box. Again there are many oppinions on this. But this is how ive always done it and my hatch rate year after year has been awesome.

[Crawly's Mom]

I had actually seen youtube videos where they put water on the bottom, not bottles of water, just water.

[snakesRkewl]

I had actually seen youtube videos where they put water on the bottom, not bottles of water, just water.

Keeping the humidity in a tub is much easier than keeping it up in the whole incubator.
Doing a walk in like snake lab describes yes, but in a mini fridge or wine cooler it's not so easy.
I keep my perlite soaked to the point that water is showing through it and I fill it until the water barely touches the bottom of the light diffuser.
The is no need to ever spritz a tub doing it this way, I never added water to any of the 11 clutches we incubated this past season, even with the tiny holes in the side of the tubs.

[piedplus]

I'm thinking about getting this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-PT2499-T...=1J4AZAMO6OZUL

[snakesRkewl]

I'm thinking about getting this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-PT2499-T...=1J4AZAMO6OZUL

Waste of money imo.

Did you read the reviews?

"The degree on the bottom shelf is more than 5 degrees cooler than the top shelf"

"The variance is 4 degrees not 2"

"I cannot recommend this product for folks who incubate under 90 degrees but need humidity over 90% - you can put as much or as little water in whatever form or fashion who wish, but the humidity just refuses to climb above 83% tops."

"Not a reliable unit.
Temperature fluctuates drastically.
Eggs died because temp went too high one hour and too low the next.
I would not recommend this unit."

"The top shelf runs 6 - 7 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the number shown on the LED display, while the bottom shelf is still more than 10 degrees less than the control indicates. I am not opening and closing the door to obtain these readings, I have a thermometer that sits inside the unit."

And the list of issues goes on.