# Digital hygrometer. What is everyone using?



## Venomgland (Dec 31, 2017)

There are a lot to choose from on amazon. Also wondering about putting batteries in the vivarium. What are your thoughts on that? If we can post links here to amazon. I don't know if its aloud or not. Some forums are funny. Could you post a like to what you have?


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## Biome (Jun 6, 2016)

I don't use hygrometers in any of my tanks. I have the mistking set to mist 4 times a day and that has always kept the humidity at a good level.


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## Diesel (Jul 31, 2017)

I purchased about 5 different meters from eBay and amazon and not one is accurate. 
My indication on humidity is my plants. If they look happy my humidity is where it needs to be. 
Yes I have a mist system from the Kings as well.


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## serial hobbiest (Mar 5, 2017)

Everyone is using their eyeballs first, hygrometers second. If your glass is constantly sweaty and plants are constantly wet, your humidity is too high. If after a misting cycle, your fan dries everything off in an hour, and the next mist isn't scheduled for another four hours, you're probably too dry (guaranteed if your fan runs continuously). Don't spend a lot of money on a hygrometer. Go pick up a cheap, analog one from Home Depot, check its calibration with salt method (easily Googled), then put it in your viv only when you want to check. Don't leave it in there, it wont work. It'll just get mist on it, which will work its way inside the hygrometer and it will uselessly read 99% constantly. 

After you get your viv planted, and fan (if blowing external air IN, I strongly recommend a timer) and mister schedule all set up, just use your eyes and some common sense. Aim for damp, but not soggy substrate, clear glass, and plants that are mostly dry before the mist kicks in again. This will put you in the ball park. THEN use your hygrometer to check the humidity when your viv is at its driest- like a half hour before your mister kicks in again. It's not a bad idea to check several different locations in the viv. Your upper background area by the vent/ fan may be as low as 50% for instance, but if you still have wet plants in there, you'll have high humidity in close proximity to them.

Finally, after you've had frogs for a while, their behavior can be telling. For instance, I had a hunch my viv's conditions were a little too wet. My two azureus were spending all their time hanging out in the cork tube on the floor. I never thought much of it- they're terrestrial, they're frogs, they hide- it's what they do, right? Well, I went ahead and chopped some time off of each scheduled mist cycle, then my frogs relocated to a hiding spot up on my background a day later, where things are much drier. It occured to me then, that all this time they spent in the cork tube, they were actually seeking a little dryness. With the reduction of mist, my background plants began drying more thoroughly, so the frogs moved up there (but they're terrestrial- so maybe things are still too wet in there). 

Welcome to never ending learning curve.


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## Venomgland (Dec 31, 2017)

serial hobbiest said:


> Everyone is using their eyeballs first, hygrometers second. If your glass is constantly sweaty and plants are constantly wet, your humidity is too high. If after a misting cycle, your fan dries everything off in an hour, and the next mist isn't scheduled for another four hours, you're probably too dry (guaranteed if your fan runs continuously). Don't spend a lot of money on a hygrometer. Go pick up a cheap, analog one from Home Depot, check its calibration with salt method (easily Googled), then put it in your viv only when you want to check. Don't leave it in there, it wont work. It'll just get mist on it, which will work its way inside the hygrometer and it will uselessly read 99% constantly.
> 
> After you get your viv planted, and fan (if blowing external air IN, I strongly recommend a timer) and mister schedule all set up, just use your eyes and some common sense. Aim for damp, but not soggy substrate, clear glass, and plants that are mostly dry before the mist kicks in again. This will put you in the ball park. THEN use your hygrometer to check the humidity when your viv is at its driest- like a half hour before your mister kicks in again. It's not a bad idea to check several different locations in the viv. Your upper background area by the vent/ fan may be as low as 50% for instance, but if you still have wet plants in there, you'll have high humidity in close proximity to them.
> 
> ...


Good info. Thanks!

I went ahead and took one of my hygrometers out of one of my tarantula tanks. I did move it around in my vivarium and the back upper is definitely more drier then the surface. I think I was reading 50 up there and 78-80 on the surface. I still have some bromilids I want to plant on my back ground. That should help the humidity some up there.


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## viper69 (Dec 28, 2013)

Venomgland said:


> Good info. Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> I went ahead and took one of my hygrometers out of one of my tarantula tanks. I did move it around in my vivarium and the back upper is definitely more drier then the surface. I think I was reading 50 up there and 78-80 on the surface. I still have some bromilids I want to plant on my back ground. That should help the humidity some up there.




A hygrometer in a tarantula container is useless. Doesn’t matter what species it is.


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## Venomgland (Dec 31, 2017)

viper69 said:


> A hygrometer in a tarantula container is useless. Doesn’t matter what species it is.


I didn't put them in there. I bought 7 tarantulas off craigslist and each enclosure had one in there.


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

I've tried several but none have held up. They get water in them and that's a wrap. I use a digital one to check every now and then. Once your tank "cycles" it should be stable and hopeful the most schedule is figured out by then.


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