# Automated Misting (how often)



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

How often does eveyone mist. Mainly looking for automated misting duration and times per day.

I am currently running 2 times per day at 1 minute, but had been running 1 time at 1 minute. At least for the dry winter I am thinking more is needed.


----------



## twisner (Jul 7, 2005)

i would say this depends on the frogs, the plants, the substrate, the temp, and the season (dry or wet i mean, not winter or summer) you are trying to create.
for an average frog with no special needs, in a wet season, with well drained substrate and water tolerant plants, i would do 4 times a day for a minute.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

I was just pointing out that the room itself is dryer in the winter thus sucking more humidity out of the tanks. In the summer the frog room runs about 45% humidity but in the winter it is now down to 25-30%. I am also looking at this for my main zone, my pums will soon get there own zone that will be more frequent. I am just waiting on my parts to show up.


----------



## brbarkey (May 15, 2004)

How do you know if your misting too much? 

I was going to ask this question in the beginner forum, but i thought this might be a better place.

sorry if I Hijacked the poll

Ben


----------



## twisner (Jul 7, 2005)

you are misting too much if your soil is too moist and your plants are suffering. 
Otherwise, you cant overmist, the higher the humidity, the better.


----------



## brbarkey (May 15, 2004)

> you are misting too much if your soil is too moist


This might be a dumb question but how do you know if your soil is too moist or your back wall where there are plants are too moist as well? 

This is my first tank and Im trying to get the water just right. The soil in my tank is peat bricks and those are partly in water ...so they are moist.

thanks 

Ben


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

My tanks are all drained so they are not getting too wet, all the extra water does is run off some poop and keep the humidity higher.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

So are people using these times for tincs, thumbs, or whole collections?


----------



## Guest (Dec 22, 2005)

Kyle,
My timer is set for my tanks that include vents,castis, imitators and green pums.Mine is set to run 2 minutes at 8am, 1 minute at 11am, and two minutes at 6:45pm.I am going to add a few minutes here soon because,like you said, with the furnace running the vivs are somewhat dry.The only viv that is completely sealed is the 29g the castis are in. All the others are verts with Ben Green's Screens (say that three times after a 6 pack :lol: )
Mark W.


----------



## Frognut (Jan 31, 2005)

Where did you get the controler to be that precise. Im thinking of putting together a small automated system for two vivs.


----------



## dmartin72 (Oct 27, 2004)

It depends on how much ventilation you have. If you have a lot, let it rip throughout the day.


----------



## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

My viv seems to stay in the high 90s humidity with out even misting at all!

I guess its the waterfall splashing a little and keeping the substrate moist. I mist my viv every other day, but like I said, If I skip 3 or 4 days, the humidity stays upper 90s reguardless... My lid is about 1/4 screen on a 37 tall viv. 

I voted 1 minute 1 time a day.. because it was the least.

- Frank


----------



## rmelancon (Apr 5, 2004)

I only mist a portion of my collection, mostly the pumilio and some other thumbs, and only a couple times a week for a minute or two each time. Mainly to keep cups and eggs from drying out. During the winter I only mist about once every 10 days to dry things out and slow or stop breeding.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

wow robb thats all?

It seems odd how some are at one extreme and others are at the other extreme. 

Ive recently moved mine from 1 minute, 1 time a day to 3 times a day for 1 minute. So far most of them seem much more active, and the calling has increased over all. Im not sure if I will keep it like that but since it is winter here my room humidity has dropped a ton thus dropping many of my tanks.

Now another thing that might make a huge differnce is how much venting do you run on your tanks? I am moving most of my tanks to standard 10gals and they have about 1.5 inches of stainless steal screen across one end. 

Robb, are your tanks vented?


----------



## rmelancon (Apr 5, 2004)

All of my tanks are very well ventilated, most with full mesh tops. The ones on the misting system have 2-3 inches of mesh at the top but I have a fan running all the time across the fronts of the tanks. All have about an inch or so of standing water pretty much at all times which provides the bulk of the humidity.


----------



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I have looked into a misting sytem, but found there is really no need for it if you have a good water feature. In fact it'd be even better if you DO NOT mist the tank with a large dripwall as all it will do is make the plants mold and die.

However, I have in the past had a ton of ventilation in one of my tanks and to keep it cool with my PC, I had an ultrasonic fogger go on with a digital timer up to 14 times a day for about a minute. Even that was too much, considering the large dripwall.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Robb, thanks for the info, and I think a lot might have to do with the room and etc. If I left my tanks with no misting for more than a couple days I would have some dead frogs. Now maybe not in the spring or summer when the basement runs much more humid, but right now they dry out fast. Thanks again for the update and clarification.


----------



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Not to stray too much off topic, but

kyle, what type of digital timer are you using?

I've considered a misting system for my frogs, mostly for my firebellied toads as they like a lot of air circulation. I continuously have a problem where the water evaporates like crazy whether the heat or AC is on, which can be problematic for the filter.

Up to how long can these misting heads be on before the pump overheats?


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

I use a TIMEX digital timer I picked up at a local store. 

I think the overheating would all depend on the pump. If you run RO water the nozzels themselves should last a long time.

For the toads you might want to look into a rain system rather than misting. Maybe just a small pump in the tank pumping water to a tube with holes in it for a couple hours a day. Now this would not fix your evaporation problem.

This is the pump I run and I plan to get a second one soon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...95992-7766207?n=507846&s=home-garden&v=glance

Couple things I like about this pump is that it can run dry without hurting the pump so if something went wrong my pump should not burn up. Second is that it only runs as needed so it will do short bursts rather than be on all the time, which from what I have read should extend its life.


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2006)

Kyle,
" ....Second is that it only runs as needed so it will do short bursts rather than be on all the time, which from what I have read should extend its life."

Above you say you are using a Timex timer.....which would control duration of misting, thus could you clarify the short bursts and how are they triggered?

Thanks,

Lynn


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

The pump will turn on and off within the minute based on the pressure in the lines. So it will run, shut off, run , shut off, etc etc within the minute. So rather than just run solid for a minute it runs as needed to keep the pressure steady.


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2006)

Is the pressure switch adjustable,and if so, the range?


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2006)

my pump is set on a second timer and i spray 4 times a day for 40 seconds.
i use a Jewelspray model :wink:

http://www.jewelspray.nl/uk_advert1.php


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

MR2, im not sure on this one, I do know that they make one that is adjustable, but this one is 100psi which is what I wanted. It creates a very fine mist.


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2006)

Interesting.

If you have spec. sheet, it may give data. I would guess it may sense back pressure and when or if the back presure reaches a high limit (say for example 120 psi) it would shut off. This could protect lines and fittings from taking loads. This is just a guess. I mean it is very possible that it may shut off at a very small increase in presure (i.e. 1 psi over the 100 psi) just to maintain the desired 100 psi.

confusing? :?


----------



## defaced (May 23, 2005)

Makes since to me. That's the way demand pumps work. If the pressure falls below some value, the pump kicks on. If the pressure goes above some value the pump goes off. From what I've read about Shurflo pumps the demand switch is factory set, though I've also read that some people mod these to get higher pressures. It would make since to do this for all pumps though so different materials could be used thus keeping costs down. 

I'm just getting a bypass pump (no switch) and I'll work it out from there: keep it simple.



*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## PAULSCHUMANN (Apr 20, 2005)

Wow!!! I must be misting WAY too much. My timer runs my pump for 1-2 minutes every hour 24 hours a day.


----------



## Guest (Feb 10, 2006)

*Misting...*

I am using a Eheim misting system. Unfortunantly, it only runs in five second incriments. I have it on a timer that kicks it on three times in the morning, three times in the afternoon, and three times in the evening. That may seem like a lot but remember it only runs in five second incriments, so it's only running for 45 seconds per day. Through much trial and error, I finally have it worked out so that the water level stays about the same with the mister, as it replaces the same amount that is absorbed by the plants and water that has evaporated.
Seth Dawson


----------



## Guest (Feb 10, 2006)

I am using Marty's Mist King system with two nozzels on a 55 gallon. I mist 4 or 5 automated on a timer, for one minute each. Three in the morning, one in the evening, and I dont remember where the 5th one is, I think maybe there is no 5th. The fan comes on alot to keep the orchid leaves dry.


----------



## Guest (Feb 10, 2006)

> The fan comes on alot to keep the orchid leaves dry.


By what means. I'm assuming it is just on a timer. Please clarify. I'm working on setting up a 180 gal. (4'Lx2'Dx3'H) in which I want to have many orchids, air circulation to humidity ratios is of great concern for me.

At this time, this tank is plants 1st, frogs second in order of priorities. Not that I would mine a pair of rectics. in there.


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2006)

Three timers

one for the lights, 9am to 9 pm.
One for the mister 7, 9, 11 am, 5:50 and 7 pm
One for the fan 9:30-10:30, 2:00pm - 3:30pm, and 6pm to 1 am

The fan is mounted on the plastic edge of the glass top, right above the bromiliads and very close to the orchid. The fan is strong enough to dry out the effects of the mistings within half an hour. The plants are loving it.

This is the fan:
http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/products ... e_Fan3.jpg

This is the orchid, Haraella odorata :









What are you doing for your orchids??
Sorry if I sound cut and dry, but this is the second time i write this post, i accidentaly erased it the first time. :wink:


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2006)

I'm using pretty much the same approach as you are. I am using computer fan/s with a leftover transformer/s. At the moment a fan is mounted in the tank up near the top. Just getting started with this, thus will be experimenting with different fans, water deliver and lighting.

The reason I asked how you were controlling the fan is because someplace in the future I may want the fan to come on relative to the moisture level rather than at a preset time. (this could be possibly with more than one fan at different levels and different speeds, etc. also). This would be controlled by a pressure switch possibly. Just a little detail at the moment. I just thought maybe you were onto something that I could springboad off of.  Some of this is to try and have different duration and levels of moisture for different orchid requirements in the same tank. Zones if you will.


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2006)

That would be complicated. How big is your tank?

I'm just starting the learn to keep orchids, but this little guy seems to be loving it in my viv, it is growing roots like crazy. I'm so used to watching moss grow that I think I'm watching the orchid grow in fast forward lol. 

The one fan that I have is enough to create alot of air movement throughout the entire 55 gallon tank. I wonder how easy it is to keep desired humidity levels in a tank with more than one fan.


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2006)

> i would say this depends on the frogs, the plants, the substrate, the temp, and the season (dry or wet i mean, not winter or summer) you are trying to create.
> for an average frog with no special needs, in a wet season, with well drained substrate and water tolerant plants, i would do 4 times a day for a minute.


I would also add that it depends on how tight the tank is. I have a ten gal. with very little ventilation going into the tank of which I haven't misted for months.



> That would be complicated. How big is your tank?


I believe I said 180 gallon *4'Lx2'Dx3'H*

The reason I have the fan IN THE TANK is that when the humidy is low (esp. now in the winter with forced hot air heating) it is hard to get it back up in what I would call a reasonable period of time. With the fan in the tank I can do a couple of things, one, run the fan by itself and two, run the fan with a ultrasonic humidifer running at the same time. this combination allows me to dry the upper reaches of the tank yet keep humid air circulating in a lower level.

I have a misting system and an ultrasonic fogger (external plumbed to the tanktop). This give me flexibility.

A pressure switch isn't that hard to do. It is done with certain hardwood cuttings (Japanize Red Maple) for example all the time. They need to be moist with very little dry periods in between. 

It was your post I believe that spurred me into the purchase of the orchids I got from the same vendor. They are great plants! Great people to deal with also. I did go a bit crazy. I have very litttle experience with orchids. I will get it fast or have big probems.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

You can get a potentiometer for your fan and slow it right down so it barely moves the air...This way you can keep it on all the time. In my 90 gal I have 5 fans...2 for the tank and 3 for the canopy. I have the 2 tank fans, moving very slowly, barely enough to get the condensation off the glass, the other 3 for tha canopy are to cool the CF lights and move the canopy air, which obviously supplies the tank, this way I get fresh air...

Also, some of you guys might be interested in the repeat cycle timers. You can control your misting timing with them for <1min

it works by doing "ON CYCLE" followed by "OFF CYCLE"... this way, you can have something like... "turn mister on for 5sec, every 2 hrs"

It doesn't have a time feature, just frequencies. For my setups, I connected a repeat cycle timer to a digital timer, because I accidently discovered that when power is applied to the repeat cycle timer, it will be on for the duration of the ON cycle... meaning

When my digital timer kicks on at 7am and goes off at 7:01 and my repeat cycle timer is set to 20 sec, then at 7:00.20sec it will turn off

I now run my mister more often but for shorter intervals

The on interval goes from 5sec - 30min
the off goes from 5min to 8 hrs

It's a bit pricey, but what's $80 when you get control like this !

here's a link, I found one on Worms Way

http://www.wormsway.com/detail.asp?sku=RCT600


for the rainy season, I'll be running the misters for 5 sec, every 10 min... One hr, will translate to only 30sec of continuous misting, yet the humidity in the tank will be maintained at nearly 100%... If I do that for 4 hrs straight, that's only 2 minutes of continuous spraying... That should simulate the rainy season quite well.

now, I have to work on thunder and lightnigh  hehe

Marty





Khamul1of9 said:


> Three timers
> 
> one for the lights, 9am to 9 pm.
> One for the mister 7, 9, 11 am, 5:50 and 7 pm
> ...


----------



## aquariumart (Oct 26, 2005)

I mist 4 times a day for 1 minute. The room humidity is around 25%; tank humidity 90%. I live in the high mountain desert, very dry. But maybe I'll cut back, seeing all of the reviews.


----------



## r90s (Jun 13, 2006)

Hi Fellows,

I temporarily, am using just misting, as a source a of almost all water for one viv. Some spring/distilled mixed water is added by squirting into a petri dish for (frog eggs/tad situation), manually as needed. I primarily vary the interval between mist cycles rather than the cycle length, to control level of humidity, when ambient atmospheric conditions dictate the need.
This method has been in use for quite a while.
Frogs, plants, mosses, All are doing very well, and I have found that I am using less water.

good wishes to all
r90s


----------



## Howler_Monkey (Mar 5, 2007)

Working in Costa Rica at the moment. I would recommend a fogger as well. In the mornings it rolls across the valleys. Very humid and wet.


----------



## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

WOW... Yeah I do once a day for about 20 secs. Granted my tanks are all 10Gal - but still. 20 secs/day keeps them at 85-90% humidity with no added effort.


----------



## almazan (Jun 6, 2004)

I run the my misters 3 times a day; @ 9am for 1 min, @ 3:30p for 3 min, and @ 6pm for 30 sec. my lights change with the seasons right now i have them coming on at 7:30a till 9p. 
Charles


----------



## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

i mist once a day, but that is because pretty much my tanks are completely covered and the humidity stays high enough s it is, but if i had it setup a little better i would have them misted 3 times a day.


----------



## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

MeiKVR6 said:


> WOW... Yeah I do once a day for about 20 secs. Granted my tanks are all 10Gal - but still. 20 secs/day keeps them at 85-90% humidity with no added effort.


Sorry to bring up an old thread but I don't want anyone to read this old response and take it as fact... After posting that response - I swapped out the cheap-o humidity gauges I had in there for new (nicer) ones. I'm glad I didn't put frogs in there @ that humidity. It was only around 65% or so. 

Now it's 3X a day for 1:00 using a $30.00 digital timer from walmart. So NOW it really is 85-90% haha


----------



## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Also, I just swapped out the misting nozzle in my tank for a dual mistking nozzle and there is variance in nozzle heads. I think it would be important to mention what brand of head you are using. The mistking nozzles that I just got shoot a much finer mist then my old nozzle so I am assuming I'm going to have to make some adjustments to my schedule to compensate for this.


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I've been trying 3 times a day at 30 secs a time in some verticles but I think this is making them too wet so I'm probably going to cut that back some. 

Ed


----------



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

At 7am we mist for 13 seconds and after that every 2 hours for 7 seconds. I find that the shorter intervals keeps the humidity at a constant 88% and the leaves of all the plants dry out before the next misting. The top is also open and the humidity in the house is only 25%. I'm sure we'll have to tweak it in the summer. We stop misting at 8pm and lights out at 9.


----------

