I agree with Deb, one substrate I found that bumps the humidity up instantly is coconut bark. Also, If you looking for an ambient heat source I would suggest a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) they are a little more expensive but they last forever. The reason I suggest a CHE instead of a red or blue bulb is because of the lack of light. For me the red bulb would get too hot so I had it plugged into a dimmer, but the light bothered me at night. I changed over to a CHE (ambient temps from 79-84) and theres no light. Also, it plugs into a lamp just like a bulb. Since bps don't need any special light source the CHE works perfectly!