Having humidity issues with BP tank

[HugYourDucks]

Well, really I've been having issues with this tank in general...

I have a 20 gallon tank right now and am using cypress mulch. The water dish is currently as far on the hot side as I can get it. I'm using one heating pad right now and a heating lamp suspended about 1.5" above the mesh lid. The lid is covered with taped-down-tin foil except for a hole under the lamp and some ventilation squares cut into the cool side. The tank's in a small room that stays at 73F.

I've been having a heck of a time keeping the humidity above 40%.
I understand the heating lamp and the fact that I am living in the US midwest is taking its toll. One heating mat was pretty much useless, so I tried two, one underneath the tank and one on the side. Even together, these barely made a hot spot in the tank, unable to get it over 82F. So, I resorted to just the heating mat under the tank and a suspended lamp. This finally got the temps where I wanted them.

With the humidity, I first tried misting twice a day, but it only kept the humidity up for a couple of hours, and was hard to control, sometimes getting it up to 60%, sometimes over 70%. It was suggested to me to try balling up Sphagnum moss and dampening it twice a day, but all that's managed to do is keep the humidity at 40%-30% (been using three, on the cool end, midtank, and the hot end. (Earlier, it was dropping to 20). I then tried the moss AND misting the tank, but still... just doesn't hold for long enough.

Finally, I got a humidifier running in the room about four days ago and set it to 55%. It runs near constantly but doesn't seem to be making much of a difference.

I'm at a loss for what to try next... I know constant misting can end up being bad, and I can't do that anyways. I've seen people suggest pouring water onto the mulch, but that seems like it would make it way too wet and a scale rot hazard.


Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[717Jake]

Have you tried the HVAC foil tape on the screen lid? I'm in Pennsylvania and it's been very cold and very dry here but since I covered roughly a third of my screen lid (over the water bowl) and got a much larger water bowl my humidity has been completely manageable. Got a big roll of the tape from home depot for like $7 I think and it's worked wonders for me. Had a complete shed since and looking like we're going into shed again here now so will hopefully have the same results!

[RyanLovesSneks24]

I struggled with this as well living somewhere with under 10% humidity. I have a heating mat and paper towels and could never get the humidity high enough. What ended up helping was getting a small water dish in addition to the big one and putting the small one directly on the heat mat. That could possibly work.

Also, have you tried different brands of heat mats? Mine work great and can get to any temperature I need.

Eventually though, I got him a reptile fogger. It comes on for 15 minutes every 5 hours and keeps the humidity at the required percentage. I got rid of the small water dish because it was a bit too much. Additionally, I have him in a plastic tub which helps the humidity greatly.

I use the Reptile Humidifier / Fogger by Evergreen Pet Supplies and it works like a charm. I just cut a small hole in the top of his tub to put the tube through. I connected the humidifier to one of those timed outlet plug and it’s been doing great. That is just my experience though and what worked for me. You could consider a larger enclosure with a humid hide too, if you wanted.

[Hugsplox]

Welcome to the wonderful world of maintaining a glass enclosure!

While maintaining your desired parameters is 100% doable with a glass tank, it requires a lot more work from you than a PVC enclosure would. What I did with my 40 gallon was tin foil and duct tape all over the top with the exception of where the CHE sits. A big water bowl directly under the CHE, and a smaller one on the cool end. I have a humid hide, and I mist a couple of times a day. All of this together keeps my humidity around 55-60%. I always let the enclosure kind of dry out overnight, which usually puts me around 52% in the morning, and then I just start the process over. This of course would be impossible to do if I wasn't working from home, and I'd end up having to get a mister on a timer or something.

It takes some work but it's doable.

[bcr229]

What kind of thermometers are you using to measure temperature, and where are you taking the temperature readings?

Do you have thermostats to regulate your heat sources so they don't get the enclosure too hot?

[Zincubus]

Are you using one of those plastic , circular stick on hygrometers ??


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[HugYourDucks]

Have you tried the HVAC foil tape on the screen lid? I'm in Pennsylvania and it's been very cold and very dry here but since I covered roughly a third of my screen lid (over the water bowl) and got a much larger water bowl my humidity has been completely manageable. Got a big roll of the tape from home depot for like $7 I think and it's worked wonders for me. Had a complete shed since and looking like we're going into shed again here now so will hopefully have the same results!

I have just sheets of tin foil (taped down with tin foil tape) covering almost all of the tank's lid... Do the sheets vs tape make a difference?

[HugYourDucks]

Welcome to the wonderful world of maintaining a glass enclosure!

While maintaining your desired parameters is 100% doable with a glass tank, it requires a lot more work from you than a PVC enclosure would. What I did with my 40 gallon was tin foil and duct tape all over the top with the exception of where the CHE sits. A big water bowl directly under the CHE, and a smaller one on the cool end. I have a humid hide, and I mist a couple of times a day. All of this together keeps my humidity around 55-60%. I always let the enclosure kind of dry out overnight, which usually puts me around 52% in the morning, and then I just start the process over. This of course would be impossible to do if I wasn't working from home, and I'd end up having to get a mister on a timer or something.

It takes some work but it's doable.

Rrrgh, right, which is one of my issues. I don't work from home. Currently I'm only working part time, so I've been misting when I get home half way through the day, but that won't stay like this forever...
I've been kicking myself for the past week about getting a glass enclosure instead of PVC. I swear, you can research something until you think you're all set to go, but you'll always overlook or miss something. Don't have the income to afford getting a new enclosure yet, so I'm hoping to find a way to make it work with this one until I get the opportunity.

[HugYourDucks]

I struggled with this as well living somewhere with under 10% humidity. I have a heating mat and paper towels and could never get the humidity high enough. What ended up helping was getting a small water dish in addition to the big one and putting the small one directly on the heat mat. That could possibly work.

Also, have you tried different brands of heat mats? Mine work great and can get to any temperature I need.

Eventually though, I got him a reptile fogger. It comes on for 15 minutes every 5 hours and keeps the humidity at the required percentage. I got rid of the small water dish because it was a bit too much. Additionally, I have him in a plastic tub which helps the humidity greatly.

I use the Reptile Humidifier / Fogger by Evergreen Pet Supplies and it works like a charm. I just cut a small hole in the top of his tub to put the tube through. I connected the humidifier to one of those timed outlet plug and it’s been doing great. That is just my experience though and what worked for me. You could consider a larger enclosure with a humid hide too, if you wanted.

What brand of heating mat do you use? I've got Zoo meds.
I've read that Fulkers is one of the more reliable brands..?


A reptile fogger might be what I resort to... it was suggested to me by someone else earlier this week, but I was worried it might get the enclosure too wet for a bp ..?

[HugYourDucks]

What kind of thermometers are you using to measure temperature, and where are you taking the temperature readings?

Do you have thermostats to regulate your heat sources so they don't get the enclosure too hot?

I've got those crappy little plastic dials. The two temp ones are on either end of the tank and the hygrometer is more in the middle. I've got better, digital ones coming in hopefully Thursday.

And yes, I've got a thermostat, but it only works with the heating mat.