Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking of using one to switch on my ventilation fan and drop the humidity in my vivarium. A person could also use one to switch on a humidifier to raise the humidity. I have heard of people using a timer to control their humidity, but I have not seen anybody use a hydrostat.

This hydrostat would be the easiest to use. Just put the control box hidden someplace in your vivarium, plug in your humidifier or dehumidifier and you are set. Too bad it is over $100
http://www.hydroasis.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=H&Product_Code=0000680

This is the one I am thinking about using. It will take a bit of wiring, but I think it should work.
http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/39_376

(Cut and paste the links into your browser’s address bar)

What do you guys think of this Idea?
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3.2.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri)
2.2.0 Asian Floating Frogs (Occidozyga Lima)
1.1.0 White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

I've wanted to start setting up some x-10 for my tanks for some time, but have not had the time. I would like to be able to monitor the temp, and humidity, and chart it all on my PC. I have yet to find a humidity solution, but should not be tough to biuld one.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Hey Kyle,
I'm involved with a good friend of mine in building something similar to what you posted.....basically, it is a data logger that measures humidity and temperature at set increments. You set the increments and then let it run. A digital display of the current temp and humidity is also connected. The logger can be hooked up to a PC where software my friend is developing can display all of the recorded measurements. I might try to market it when I'm done.... is was actually just developed for my purposes.
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Justin
stk18119@loki.stockton.edu

D.auratus
D.leucomelas
D.tinctorius (lorenzo, yellowback, citro, pb, oyopock,etc.)
D.azureus
D.ventrimaculatus (yellow/gold)
D.pumilio (blue jeans, solid red)
P.aurotaenia (narrow bands/green)
P.bicolor
E.tricolor (Santa Isabel)
H. leucophyllata
P. hypochondrialis azurea
P. resinfictrix
etc.......

That sounds very interesting. Do you have any plans to use the computer and the data if collets from the vivarium to control the temperature and humidity in the vivarium?

Imagine if you could have the computer adjust the conditions in the vivarium to match with the current conditions in say, Panama, or where ever the species of frog you are keeping is native to. That would be incredible.
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3.2.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri)
2.2.0 Asian Floating Frogs (Occidozyga Lima)
1.1.0 White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

I think it would be really hard to do and would not survive too long in a high humidity environment. The major problem is that the entire unit has to be housed inside the terrarium unless you have a remote humidity probe. These devices are usually designed to work at normal humidity levels 40-60% but if they were constatly exposed to 80 to 100% would short circuit or oxidize quickly. If you find a remote probe, then it would be different...

Other than the problem of hiding the control unit, why would it be hard to do? Good point about the device not surviving in a high humidity environment, most hydrostats designed for use in houses probably would fail in a short time if exposed to 80-90% humidity. The first hydrostat I posted however is designed for use un greenhouses, so I think it would stand up to the extreme humidity of a vivarium.
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3.2.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri)
2.2.0 Asian Floating Frogs (Occidozyga Lima)
1.1.0 White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

Yes, I had big plans to use one in my 50 gallon . . . until I realized that it was overkill. However, it DID work . . . and there's a cheap way to get it done.

I simply took the hydrostat from an old house humidifier (you can probably get someone to GIVE one to you if it's an old one) and dropped it into the screened vent on the top of my terrarium. This hydrostat had a variable dial to set the humidity, but there was no indication on the dial as to what the dial corresponded to as far as humidity goes. So . . . I used a hygrometer in the terrarium to calibrate the dial on the hydrostat, and rewired the hydrostat so that it could be used to power an ultrasonic humidifier. That was all largely academic, as I found that my terrarium never drops below 80% humidity anyway, and I decided to use the space taken up by the humidifier to house another 10 gallon aquarium.

Even if the hydrostat does burn out, you're only out a few bucks.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I found this...http://www.samson.de/pdf_en/t52100en.pdf
(the duct sensor)or this hygrostat http://www.koboldmessring.com/english/pdf/a2gb_afs-g1.pdf
It would just require a small hole on the side of the tank, the probe would slide in, the unit would stay outside and it can take 100% humidity...agree that you probably need to know a bit of electronic to hook it up...but it should work...