Humidity

[jfenton954]

Hi I have a 18x18x24 Zoomed enclosure. It's a vivarium with live plants. It has a little over 1 inch of clay hydroton on the base with a screen then Eco soil. Then I have a thick layer of spag moss. I'm going to get 2 giant day geckos which require 50-70% humidity. It gets up there when the enclosure is misted but doesn't stay until the next mist. I was wondering if I changed the screen to an acrylic lid with some vent holes would that keep more humidity in?

 

[Jetfire]

it would definately hold more humidity,but there wouldn't be as much ventilation. have you considered blocking off part of screen top? I personally use tape,stuck on the inside of the lid (sticky side up,of course...don't need crickets or geckos getting stuck).This way I can change the amount of lid that's covered,to get the humidity where I want it. I've found that GorillaTape works the best on higher humidity applications. Mind you,the only geckos I use this method for are my juvie Gargoyles,which don't require lighting fixtures,etc. I'm not sure how well it would work with lights that emit noticeable heat,but should be ok with flourescents.I've seen aluminum foil used to block off screen tops when heat lights are used but I've never tried it myself,so I can't really offer an opinion on it's effectiveness.

 

[jfenton954]

I can't do tape I have two different light fixtures one for heat and a UVA, UVB. I was going to drill holes in the acrylic for ventilation then check it with a wind checker for amount of flow.

 

[Amanda1]

That sounds like a good idea to me. The exo terra I have my darts in has a full glass top, and the humidity stays in the 95-100% range easily. A few holes in the top will keep it humid enough for geckos while providing ventilation.

 

[Josh2]

As said above, go with the solid top and a few holes for ventilation. You should be golden with humidity up in the 85%+ range

 

[acpart]

I just lay some plexiglass over 1 part of the enclosure. I find that live plants help the humidity tremendously. I have a nano (8"x8"x12") exo-terra that I was using for tiny arboreal hatchlings. I would spray before I went to bed at 2-3am and by 9 the next morning humidity was down to 30%. I put one plant in there and humidity is up at 60-90% now.

Aliza

 

[jfenton954]

I have like 6 plants and the humidity drops to 30% all the time.

 

[Josh2]

Do you water the plants regularly or are they drought resistant?

 

[jfenton954]

I do 4 times a day. But my soil is starting to become saturated. Not sure about plants except I don't think the bromeliads are drought resistant. I ordered a 17 1/16 x 17 1/16 piece of 1/2 inch acrylic that I'm going to fabricate to fit and then going to cut some holes then insert metal screen to allow ventilation. I will keep everyone updated on the humidity it keeps in. My goal is to keep it at as close to 70% as possible.

 

[Josh2]

Bromeliads are definitely not drought resistant. I think with a nice fitting lid you should see some drastic improvements in the humidity retained in the enclosure! Keep us updated!

 

[jfenton954]

Will do

 

[jfenton954]

Here it is folks!!! 17 1/16 x 17 1/16 x 1/2 top with two soon to be screened 5 x 3 1/2 inch vent holes acrylic top. It's been misted 3 hours ago and still at 52% humidity. It has a lot of flaws but let me know what you think.

 

[jfenton954]

I've set my monsoon 400 to spray every 8 hours, which when it sprays humidity goes up to about 85% and at around 7.5 hours it still is around 55% which is perfect for giant day geckos!!

 

[Amanda1]

Looks great! That philodendron is going to take over if you don't keep it trimmed, just a warning. I have one in with one of my cresties; he loves the extra cover but I wish it didn't crowd out all the other plants.

 

[jfenton954]

I thought it was called a pothos plant? But I will keep it trimmed thanks.

 

[Amanda1]

I thought pothos is a type of philodendron, turns out I was wrong, although I do have types of both. If you're interested:
http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2009/03/epipremnum-or-philodendron.html