Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi folks,

I've stumbled onto a product that just might help with air quality worries for tank-kept pygmy leaf chams. Found out about this on the Brazilian Rainbow Boa forum and thought it sounded like a good idea for more sealed terrariums. It is an actual air pump air exchanger rather than a straight ultrasonic humidifier. There is a small water reservoir with enclosed air stone. I called the manufacturer about this. The reservoir is very slow to empty as the rate of water use is low. Outside air is pumped through the airstone in the reservoir and the resulting humid air is pushed into the tank. As the exchange is constant, the tank is getting fresh circulation of humid air. Air from the tank is not cycled again, so as long as the water in the closed reservoir is clean and your room air is clean, there should be no mold or bacterial growth. The unit is called a Tropic Aire Humidifier and Air Exchanger on the Drs Foster & Smith catalog site in 2 sizes (apparently the size is for larger or smaller terrariums in terms of volume). Cost is $22 to $30 something. Something to check into!

You know I bought one of those about a year ago and was actually impressed with it. It's not complicated at all and I think it was a great idea. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's only a 1/4 inch air line blowing into the cage. I think if you were a little creative and made a trip to Home Depot, you could make one on a much bigger scale with a much bigger air pump (or several) and use it to blow fresh humid air into several cages.
-----
Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

I have one for my anoles, It works good, but you need to get a powerful air pump