I've been using Hatchrite for 7 or 8 years now and never had a problem. It's just perlite mixed with some water-retaining gel. I've never had to add any water except for this year. And that's only because the bag was opened two years ago and I'm skeptical it had enough moisture. I added about 2 tablespoons of water and it seems fine about half way through the incubation period.