Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Fortunately, my 3 reds have not had any problems yet but the issue makes me paranoid(and I've only had them for a month). I have had ackies in the past and had to deal with this problem. The top of their 20 gallon is acrylic with two holes on the cool side for ventilation. hot spot with varying temps(hottest 140's which they seem to use quite often) and various temps with hidespots on the warm side. Dirt/sand mix and corkbark supplies the hides.

potential problems/concerns

It almost seems to get too humid in there at times. I add water because the hot side seems to dry out after a bit with the heat and all. I add very little amounts to the hot spots/areas particularly. The middle to cool side of the cage does not dry out and stays quite moist regardless of me adding water. After I add the water though, moisture collects on the walls. The moisture on the walls clears after a day or so. Problems there? Unwanted stuff growing?

This computer at work will NOT recognize my camera so I'll have to wait till after to upload pics.

Be back then...Thanks for looking.

webshots album.

Btw those pics were taken before I had all the cork bark in.
There is a bunch of smaller pieces around the hot spot for them now. The substrate has also been replaced with mostly topsoil with just a little bit of sand.

http://community.webshots.com/album/562057312TiaHlu

Hey!
I would first dry out the the rest of the substrate good and then make a few small holes or leave a very small gap between the top & the tank on the hot side for air intake to increase the air flow.

You might end up having to decrease the size of the cool end vents/holes in order to keep from having too much air flow, but it seems like you're not getting enough as it is. That will probably alter your temps a bit, too, but not by much.

The condensation, by itself, isn't a problem, but coupled with little to no air flow it can lead to mold. You should have already seen some by now, or will soon, if it's going to happen. By drying the middle - cool end out quite a bit you'll reduce that chance. Proper air flow & proper humidity gradient go hand-in-hand.

Someone else may have a better way but this is the technique I use with vented top systems.

Catch ya later!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Yea, sounds like what I was thinking. There is a gap for hot air to escape where the light is though. The light is not fixed to the top but lays in a hole and is propped up, allowing for a half inch gap all the way around. The other two holes on the other side are pretty big holes.

I think you hit it on the nose by not drying out the soil a bit first. If that doesnt work ill have to move on to those other ideas.

...damn acrylic learning curve. Wasted 40 dollars of acrylic by listening/and letting the fools at home depot and lowes advise me on how how to machine acrylic. Don't wanna do this stuff again. I hate them...hehe.

> > > Wasted 40 dollars of acrylic by listening/and letting the fools at home depot and lowes advise me on how how to machine acrylic.

I do pretty well, business-wise, from that place & that other big name DIY store. I get called to go fix the mess that the store employees got the homeowners into by telling them how easy it is to lay tile, vinyl, or re-grout the shower, etc... Most always costs the customer twice as much due to the mess I've got to straighten out than it would have if I had done it all from the beginning.

I don't know who's the bigger fool, the know-it-all employees or the one that listens to 'em. Hahahaha!!! Sorry, couldn't resist that one, buddy! Ha! Ha!

Hang in there, catch ya later, Phantom!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I totally forgot to do a websearch for info first. Didn't get acrylic/plastic specific bits. God what a few minutes of research would have saved me in aggravation...

fool me once, shame on you

fool me twice....