Right now I'm using a digital one made by Acu>Rite. Every couple days, the humidity seems to get to it though, and it wigs out. It either doesn't show anything on the screen, or flashes 8s. I have to take it out and dry it off, then put it back in the tank. I've got a couple spare analog thermometers lying around, but I've never used an analog hygrometer. Are they accurate?
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Analog or digital thermometer/hygrometer?
Arklier
Nov 14, 2003 02:50 PM
Replies (5)
melissa68
Nov 14, 2003 02:58 PM
I would stay with the digital. I have seen too many of the analogs that have been dropped and read a consistant 90% humidity when it really is 30% (measured with a digital one).
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Quality Captives
Homer1
Nov 14, 2003 05:39 PM
I've got to second Melissa's advice here. The analogs often "stick" and don't do a very good job. You can by an Accu-Rite like AJ has at Wal-Mart for $15-$20 (make sure you get one with a hygrometer, they make so many models it's ridiculous--why can't they make a separate hygrometer probe?). I kept mine in the terrarium for a couple months while setting it up to monitor the humidity--it never dropped below 80% because of my water feature--and was content with the fact that the humidity was high enough. Good luck.
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kyle1745
Nov 14, 2003 02:58 PM
No the analog ones are not that good. You might want to look into a new digital one, or don't leave it in the tank. For example I know as long as I mist my tank 1 time a day it will stay over 90%, so really no reason to leave it in there. If it looks dry then you can check it or check it 1 time a week. Just a couple ideas.
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Kyle
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rc_racer_007
Nov 14, 2003 04:42 PM
analogs suck. I had a analog hygrometer and temperature meter. the humidity never worked right, and they ended up corroding some how. I got a digital humidty/temp guage *it think its acu-rite but not sure...* from walmart and it works just fine. After a couple months i learned my humidity stays constant so there is no need to keep it in the tank. But it does have a prode connected to the guage that i have in the tank. So i can get measurements with it being outside of the tank 
aj
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p1445
Nov 14, 2003 05:04 PM
Digital hygrometers are generally more reliable than the analog models, however even the digital ones vary widely in accuracy.
Here's one way to check the accuracy of your hygrometer.
Fill a small container, a soda or water bottle cap works well, with table salt. Moisten the salt with a few drops of water, the salt should only be damp, not wet or dissolved. Place the container of moist salt into a heavy duty ziploc bag, along with the hygrometer and seal the bag. In 6-8hrs your hygrometer should read 75%, which is the natural RH of moist salt.
