# Exoterra Monsoon Vs. Mist king starter kit



## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

ok so i am about to start construction on my xl xtall 36x18x36 exoterra and had a few questions about misting systems(probably brought up before). 

1. Any input on which kit would be better, the exoterra monsoon or mist king starter kit? price difference isnt really an issue i am just torn between the monsoons ease of set up/cleaner look but mistking deff seems to be higher quality.

2. how would i mount mister nozzles in this tank?

i was thinking you can get the waterline tube in through the pre-made holes the exoterra tanks come with but can they actually fit?

also i dont want to suction cup the nozzles to the glass so how would i mount them?

would i be able to go through the top of the tank and cut a hole in the screen mesh so it can be set up like usual?

i know usually people drill a hole through glass and mount it there but how will this work with the mesh screen?


any input on this would be great as i am planning on ordering one of these products soon so it can arrive before i am up to the point of installing it.

Thanks,
Sean


----------



## chin_monster (Mar 12, 2006)

I bought an ultimate value system from Mist King that I'm planing to use on a giant ass Exo Terra Large / X-Tall


----------



## Tadbit (Jul 16, 2010)

1. I'd always go with quality. Plumbing can be frustrating enough, no need to use items that might be more on the "iffy" side of reliability.

2. I'm going to assume you're using this for dart frogs (if I'm wrong I apologize). Don't use the screen mesh as you cant keep the proper humidity up to an acceptable level. Cut out the screen and cut, or have cut, a glass top (or tops depending if you keep or remove the divider).
Here is a video to show you how to drill a hole in the glass. 
Drilling GH

Just my humble opinion, but I'd use MistKing and drill the holes in the glass. Whatever you decide best of luck!


----------



## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Mist King for sure. Not only are they a supporter but you will get great customer service. The products are high quality as well. 

I'm not familiar with the divider on that particular tank but it might be wide enough to drill for nozzle mounting. I did that on my 75 gal.


----------



## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks for the replies guys! i was probably going to end up going mist king anyway but you guys sealed the deal. The only reason i was considering the exo terra monsoon is because im not the most plumbing inclined person and it seemed alot easier to set up and also would be alittle bit easier to hide.

Chin_monster, im also am starting construction on the same tank and im so excited because its the biggest tank iv built yet and theres so much room to work with. this is also my first exoterra and let me say thank god for those front opening doors, it makes it 10000X easier to construct and im sure to clean and maintain too. by the way whats the difference in the mist king starter kit and the ultimate system? i saw the hefty increase in price and didnt bother looking. is it worth the extra money?

Tadbit, i completely agree with point number one. i dont know if i would wanna take the screen out and replace with glass tho. i do plan on keeping darts but i might use it for something else in the future and would not like to change it like that permanantly. dont you think if i just put the glass on top of the screen it would work just as good? also this way if it is too humid in their i can adjust the glass portion up top as needed. what do you think?

Frogtofall, are you talkling about the plastic peice that runs across the screen top for stability? i beleive thats what you mean and if so thats a great idea. ill see if it will work when i get home, how big of a hole does it have to be to get the nozzle inside? only problem is see is my tank is pretty big and there will probably only be room for one nozzle that way but im sure if i get a quad spraying nozzle ill be able to hit all parts of my tank.

Anyone else install a mistking system in their exoterras and want to share how they completed the task? any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again for the responses guys!
-Sean


----------



## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

I believe the tubes for both are standard air tube size and will fit perfectly in the Exo Terra or Zoo Med tank tube slots

Exo Terra Monsoon looks sleak and nice. All electronics are contained in the top console portion. But i think their nozzles only have 2 degrees of freedom.

The Mist King system is all individual components and doesn't look as sleak of course, but it's got infinite customizability. You can add nozzles, and the nozzles have 3 degrees of freedom.

Also the main selling point of the Mist King is the water reservoir is as large as you want it. Monsoon's tank can last like a week. A 5g bucket from Home Depot with the Mist King can last a month.

Depends if you want to buy based on the form or function. The Exo Terra Monsoon is like a fancy Alienware gaming desktop computer. The Mist King is like the ultimate gaming machine you built yourself. It might not look as pretty, but it has quality parts.

The pricing is pretty much the same for both Monsoon and Mist King starter system right now. The difficulty of setup shouldn't even be a factor as even a 3 yr old can hook up a Mist King together. 

The connections with respect to the Monsoon should all be the same, but the Mist King just has individual components. The programmable seconds timer operates the same way as any other commercial power strip timer or power timer block in the world. The ONLY hard part, was due to the fact that I don't have a power drill or a large drill bit to make the hole in the water bucket. Buckets are also hard plastic so you can't cut through it easily. So I just used a solder iron and literally burned a hole through it.

I was deciding between the two as well, but I need an automated system that allows me to go on vacation and not have to rush back home after a week to water things.

Here's a page from the Mist King manual on their website:
http://www.mistking.com/support/misting_system_instructions.pdf


----------



## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

AeroWRX, thanks alot for the input. im glad to know it is very easy to set up the mist king and i am deff going with that. 

anyone know for sure if the mist king tubes can fit through the back of the exoterra where the tubing/wiring slots are?

if it does would i be able to sneak the tubing through there and maybe silicone or somehow secure it to the top of my tank and skip drilling it all together?

i can probably find out answers to both when i get home but i am at work and very anxious to know hah.

THANKS!


----------



## AeroWRX (Jul 9, 2011)

shibbyplustax said:


> AeroWRX, thanks alot for the input. im glad to know it is very easy to set up the mist king and i am deff going with that.
> 
> anyone know for sure if the mist king tubes can fit through the back of the exoterra where the tubing/wiring slots are?
> 
> ...


It should. The tubes are pretty small and fit perfectly snug in all the Zoo Med tanks. Exo Terras should be no problem. If the Mist King tubes can't fit...then nothing can 

Just feed the tubes through the Exo Terra slots and either use suction cup hooks to hold it up inside the tank. I actually just tie it straight into the mesh top


----------



## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Yea theres no way i can use the top plastic divider to drill through because its not big enough. Damn i really didnt want to suction cup it to the glass but i may have to. I will experiment alittle when i actually purchase it and see if theres a neat way i can mount it somewhere else while also incorperating it into my viv.

Thanks


----------

