# exo-terra Monsoon



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Well I ended up getting the new exo-terra monsoon. Actually my girlfriend came home from work with it.  I guess i must of been a good boy, or something like that? Seeing as It looks like im the first one to get one, or atleast admit they've got one. I figured i'd post some pictures and a quick review.

First of all I do have to admit, the packaging is very flashy.  Which made me a little skeptical, But i figured what the hey, This should work nice for my stand alone display tank. 









Right out of the box set-up was EXTREMELY easy. Simply plug in the misting line to the top, then supply line, and finally the power and your good to go. run your lines to your tank and your done. The misting lines/ fittings are metric so i'm not sure if you could get away with mixing and matching between other nozzles that use 1/4" fittings. 

While The website states it's a 1 gallon resevoir, I found after dumping in a full gallon it maybe filled it about 1/3rd of the way. 









Operating the system is pretty easy too, 2 dials, one for the duration (2-120 seconds) and one for cycle timing (every 1-24hrs). An on and off button for manual operation and a 3rd button to set it on cycle mode. Kinda stinks that ya cant set the time specifically, but not a big deal.









One downfall is it uses suction cups for mounting the misting nozzles, this could be fixed by using magnetic airline holders I suppose though so far the suction cups seem to be pretty high quality so maybe they'll hold, we'll see. The other thing I would have to say I didnt like is the nozzle heads that it came with have a rather narrow spray, although they do put out a surprisingly fine mist. This was a very simple fix with some 3$ wide angle misting heads I had sitting around. It does drip a fair amount after it shuts down, but for sure no worse than any other system without the zip-drip valve.


















All in all I'd have to say its not a bad system. While its no mist king I definitely think this will be very helpful to alot of beginers or people who may normally be overwhelmed by the DIY aspect of many other systems, at not a bad price. While i've heard it could run over 130$ at some places my local pet store just got some in and is selling them for 90$. Only time will tell how well built it really is. 


Last but not least a short video of it in operation. (we'll see if it works, i've never posted one before) 
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid967.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fae158%2Fjjdude16%2F101_1549.mp4">

Link in case i fail...
101_1549.mp4 video by jjdude16 - Photobucket


----------



## Lance (Sep 8, 2008)

Ive been wondering who was going to post first on the monsoon. Thanks for posting . Well from what I see the nozzles are pretty cheap and the method of hanging them as well, but hey for someone just getting into the hobby and only doing a tank or 2 the price is pretty solid.
I myself will be staying with Mistking, and im really wondering when Marty is going to be getting his new system on site. Oh Marty 
Again thanks for posting and you have a pretty nice viv as well. What do you plan on putting in there or are their inhabitants?


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Lance said:


> Ive been wondering who was going to post first on the monsoon. Thanks for posting . *Well from what I see the nozzles are pretty cheap and the method of hanging them as well*, but hey for someone just getting into the hobby and only doing a tank or 2 the price is pretty solid.
> I myself will be staying with Mistking, and im really wondering when Marty is going to be getting his new system on site. Oh Marty
> Again thanks for posting and you have a pretty nice viv as well. What do you plan on putting in there or are their inhabitants?


 The tank in my pictures currently has a group of 3 auratus in it.

Thank you, I just figured i'd give people a chance to see what another hobbyist experiences are with this product rather than just what the sales ads say. Like I mentioned before this is by FAR no mist king, the only thing I see it has over mist king is that it had nicer look and plug and play set-up. If anything though i think this may actually help out mist king, enticing beginners who are normally scared off by the idea of having to do any kind of DIY work to set-up a misting system. Allowing them to get their feet wet per say (pun intended) and realize how nice and benificial it is to have an automated system and eventually encouraging them to move up to bigger and better just as most of us do starting out with something simple like a single pair or group of auratus then next thing ya know you've got a frog room and a wall O tanks. 

As a side note I probably wouldnt of gotten this system if it wasnt for the fact my girlfriend works at a petstore and got it for substantially less than retail


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

Hey Jason21, exactly where did you get those white wide angle nozzles?

I think I need some.

I have a monsoon I am hooking up next weekend.

I will report back on this thread my experience as well. 

Thanks


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Remember....these are 2 different "animals"....

Mistking systems are always going to be superiour for rack systems,for instance.

This Exo product is a small "portable" one-off viv accessory.

2 very different products with different uses.

I'm still excited to see it. So....$90.00 retail huh? That means I can get it for @ 55.00 with my vendor account. 

Like.


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

> Hey Jason21, exactly where did you get those white wide angle nozzles?


I happened to have some just sitting around but you can get there here too.
http://www.cloudtops.com/misting_sys...ingnozzles.php


Philsuma- you should be able to get it about that. I think it was somewhere around there with the little ladies employee discount.


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Well less than 24hrs and we have our first failure... (please hold the "I told you so"s till the end) after coming home from work today I went upstairs to check on the frogs and noticed hmm, the mister is out of water already. Odd because i had it set for every 12hrs and for 20 seconds... Thankfully I only put a gallon in so not too much waste. 

I took the top off to investigate and sure enough it was FULL of water. Apparently the "quick connect" that runs through the top of the lid to the misting nozzle supply line had decided to leak. At which point i'm assuming it shorted the control board causing the motor to run constant. GOOD news is the thermal protection worked as the motor kicked itself off after attempting to run dry for a min or two.

a peak at the inner workings, notice the cute little china star motor


















The culprit









After drying everything up I decided to see if i could simply fix it myself, so I pulled the line out, cut the end off nice and square (hoping this was the problem) replaced it, and sure enough, still leaks. I've come to the conclusion its a bad union. So... back to the store we go to exchange it, hopefully it was just a fluke. All in all not a good start, but hey these things happen.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

*oh noes !!!!! *


----------



## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

To be fair... I didn't even think they were released yet. That's got to be one of the first to be out. Hopefully that's uncommon.


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

I think they may have just been released this week. The store had just got them in that day we got it. I don't imagine this would be a common problem, and definitely not a sign of a manufacture problem as the union does appear to be a high quality one. Most likely a fluke, and well a perfect example of my terrible luck.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Is there any chance that the changing of nozzles caused the failure of the unit?


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

you know that thought crossed my mind too, but the new nozzles arent really any more restrictive than the old ones, just wider angle. The original nozzle actually has a smaller port and puts out a finer mist. After a little more fiddling around tonight, I was able to get the fitting to seal up, but the damage is alreaddy done to the circuit board from the water leaking.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Keep us updated!


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

How Many Tank do you think that it will do if it does work?


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

jpstod said:


> How Many Tank do you think that it will do if it does work?


The specs state it can handle 8 nozzles.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Philsuma said:


> Remember....these are 2 different "animals"....
> 
> Mistking systems are always going to be superiour for rack systems,for instance.
> 
> ...


55...thats about what I'd like to see this product sell for retail...maybe up to 70. At that price I'd likely try one, at 9 bucks less then the new mistking starter I gotta go mistking if I go automated


----------



## RNKot (Jun 9, 2010)

Pls inform if it's said it manual, how deep under ther viv it can be sitauted? I mean most external canister filters & the stuff like this, is strictly recomended to be under the viv in a specified lenght.


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

RNKot said:


> Pls inform if it's said it manual, how deep under ther viv it can be sitauted? I mean most external canister filters & the stuff like this, is strictly recomended to be under the viv in a specified lenght.


I didnt see anything in the manual about line length, although i didnt look too hard. Out of the box your provided about 10' of line. so you have a fair amount of flexibility right there. 


A side note, I did return the original for a replacement. First thing I did was check the quick-connect inside the top of the unit, that was good. Then this morning though i noticed that now the Tee where the line splits to the two nozzles is leaking. Fortunately it was just a case of the line not being seated completely pushed it in all the way and it was good to go. Other than that so far so good.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Looks like a whole lot of retail stores have this one the shelf now, and the retail price point is @ $90 bucks, which I still think is too high to get it into the hands of the average hobbyist.

Now a high-end reef tank or SW product, maybe....those people are used to paying $$ for stuff, but your average frog keeper......nah....I just don't think they will be stocking too many of these that will sit on the shelves for long periods of time....


----------



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Philsuma said:


> Now a high-end reef tank or SW product, maybe....those people are used to paying $$ for stuff, but your average frog keeper......nah....


Is that because froggers are cheap?


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

From someone who sees people drop several hundred dollars at a time to set up a single enclosure on a regular basis, I think the monsoon is going to be pretty popular. I've also heard a rumor that the unit is designed to handle up to 10 nozzles - I'm curious if Exo Terra will come out with additions to the base unit.


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Well If it does Support 10 Nozzles that is a Base cost of 9 Per Tank plus the Cost of Nozzles and Hose

However if it will Only Do 1 Tank the Cost is 90 per Tank.


I am still Waiting for more Reviews from Board Users and for it to show Up on Local Shelves


----------



## davidadelp (Sep 29, 2010)

Its still not on the shelves at my local Petsmart.


----------



## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm surprised it can handle so many nozzles/tanks. I figured they'd market it towards people with only a couple (1 or 2) tanks. Still, more expensive than I'd like to pay (as someone with 1 enclosure...)


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

One thing to consider is with a gallon reservoir you'll be refilling alot running in on multiple tanks. But supposedly a gallon just fills it up 1/3 of the way or something so if you can fill it nearly to the top then maybe that isn't much of a concern...though I'm curious why they'd market it as a gallon only if it can actually handle almost 3x as much. Is there something about the hardware and configuration that make it so its not good to fill it up that much?


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

davidadelp said:


> Its still not on the shelves at my local Petsmart.


immediately...I think you'll find it at all the reptile shows, for sure.


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

how bout a video?


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I'll be filming a video showing the product in use this Friday - expect it to be up on JoshsFrogs.com in the near future.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

epiphytes etc. said:


> how bout a video?


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

They just got it in at my LFS and have it hooked up to the display viv at the counter. The all-in-one design is certainly appealing but the manufacturing "fit and finish" seems relatively poor. A look at Jason21's pics will kind of give you an idea of this (thanks for the great pics BTW). I wouldn't call it 'cheap' but it's not the kind of product that screams durability. One thing I've learned in my years with saltwater tanks and my first few vivs is that if an electronic device has moving parts or handles water then you should ALWAYS spring for proven quality. I've never regretted paying more for Eheim pumps or Jager heaters since they have never failed me.

Even if you are able to get the Monsoon at a relative bargain for $90, You will only pay 30% more for MistKing's starter system. Most people buying from their LFS will pay full list and even drsfostersmith.com has their Monsoon price set at $120. At this point it is pretty much a wash.

The Mist King Starter System
$100 - Starter System.
$28.00 - Seconds timer
$5.00 - Five gallon bucket at HD

The MistKing can run up to 20 nozzles(double the Monsoon), the seconds timer has programmable events instead of intervals, and the system can be upgraded for no drip. Add to that the fact that you are supporting a small business that stands behind their product better than Hagen and I think the MistKing is the obvious choice.
The only advantage I can see to the Monsoon is that it looks inconspicuous and is portable. If you absolutely had no place to conceal a mister then I could see the value of the Hagen product. As far as portability goes I can't think of ever needing to have it. Even if you are going to shows then an old fashioned spray bottle does fine for a day or weekend.

Just my opinion. I'm probably going to order the Mist King this weekend so I can stop manually spraying twice a day.


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Philsuma said:


> immediately...I think you'll find it at all the reptile shows, for sure.


Great somewhere else that is not locally available all time to everyone.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

jpstod said:


> Great somewhere else that is not locally available all time to everyone.


There's a show close enough to everyone....

If you were refering to _yourself_ for instance....here's your place / date to see a monsoon in person:

NARBC North American Reptile Breeders Conference


and here's the list of shows all over the U.S of A....

kingsnake.com - the information portal for reptile and amphibian hobbyists.


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Philsuma said:


> There's a show close enough to everyone....
> 
> If you were refering to _yourself_ for instance....here's your place / date to see a monsoon in person:
> 
> ...


Well I don't consider a show 150 miles away one time a year convenient. Especially when Not everyone works MON-FRI 8-5.


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I set one up and played with it at work today - I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the ease of setup, fineness of the mist, and overall simplicity of the system.


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

jpstod said:


> Well I don't consider a show 150 miles away one time a year convenient. Especially when Not everyone works MON-FRI 8-5.


There has been considerable buzz about this product and a lot of froggers will be picking them up as they trickle into stores. Give it a week or two and there will be enough feedback for you to make an educated decision without actually seeing the product in person.


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

TheOregonKid said:


> There has been considerable buzz about this product and a lot of froggers will be picking them up as they trickle into stores. Give it a week or two and there will be enough feedback for you to make an educated decision without actually seeing the product in person.


And if it does not trickle into a local store ... still no option other than MAIL ORDER.


----------



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Its being made by hagen, almost all pet stores order from hagen. I dont know what the issue is.


----------



## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

bussardnr said:


> Its being made by hagen, almost all pet stores order from hagen. I dont know what the issue is.


I guess it's on some sort of "roll out" schedule....

I called "that fish place" and they said it's "on order" and expected in "soon".


----------



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Is there really a roll out schedule? Hagen doesn't use distributors any longer, so the stores can't get it from their weekly supplier. Perhaps they are just waiting till they have enough of an order.


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

bussardnr said:


> Its being made by hagen, almost all pet stores order from hagen. I dont know what the issue is.


Local Petco Not Carrying them and Have no idea if they are gonna Carry Them

Local Petsmart : See Above

Local Pet Store: specialize In Birds and Fish does not carry Hagen Products

I don't see a problem either.... 

Availability is the Key to being a Viable source in the Hobby...Mail Order only is Not. No Offense Marty. Many people in this Hobby are Young and Do not have Credit cards


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Thats the Main thing I am looking into the Availability to find on shelves vs. mail order


----------



## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

TheOregonKid said:


> I wouldn't call it 'cheap' but it's not the kind of product that screams durability. One thing I've learned in my years with saltwater tanks and my first few vivs is that if an electronic device has moving parts or handles water then you should ALWAYS spring for proven quality.


This is my concern as well (coming from a guy who actually put down good money for a Skilter when they first came out for the reefkeeping hobby).

I like the idea of all-in-one put togetherness of the product, and although it was probably made with Dendrobatid hobbyists in mind, I imagine it's more for the 'casual' hobbyist who has one or two enclosures...not an entire rack of tanks that need to be misted.


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

that spray looks more like a hard jet


----------



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

they are claiming it will run 8 nozzles


----------



## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I looked through the owner's manual, and it claimed up to 6 nozzles.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

TheOregonKid said:


> They just got it in at my LFS and have it hooked up to the display viv at the counter. The all-in-one design is certainly appealing but the manufacturing "fit and finish" seems relatively poor. A look at Jason21's pics will kind of give you an idea of this (thanks for the great pics BTW). I wouldn't call it 'cheap' but it's not the kind of product that screams durability. One thing I've learned in my years with saltwater tanks and my first few vivs is that if an electronic device has moving parts or handles water then you should ALWAYS spring for proven quality. I've never regretted paying more for Eheim pumps or Jager heaters since they have never failed me.
> 
> Even if you are able to get the Monsoon at a relative bargain for $90, You will only pay 30% more for MistKing's starter system. Most people buying from their LFS will pay full list and even drsfostersmith.com has their Monsoon price set at $120. At this point it is pretty much a wash.
> 
> ...



You can pick one up at a crazy price for the next few days only...http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/sponsor-classifieds/63039-mistking-starter-system-99-99-a.html


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

jpstod said:


> Local Petco Not Carrying them and Have no idea if they are gonna Carry Them
> 
> Local Petsmart : See Above
> 
> ...


Paypal...lot's of online shops take it and all you need is a bank account. You can also go to any Walmart or Target and buy Visa gift cards...no offense, but I don't think you've explored all of your options.  Mail order is the bomb because you save so much money. I'm all for supporting my local independent pet stores but I'm in my 20's and have yet to reach a point in my life where I can afford to pay 40-50% more just to support small business. Even Petco and Petsmart seem to sell most of their stuff at MSRP which baffles me.
As far as mail order not being a "viable source"...I disagree. Internet commerce EXPANDS availability. There are a lot of people on this board from remote or rural communities who would never be able to get into the hobby without it. The internet is really what has brought this hobby to where it is today. It also allows small specialty enterprise like the folks at Mist King to exist. Without the internet and mail order it would be very unlikely that they could make a living because they appeal to the advanced hobbyist and 80% of pet stores serve the casual hobbyist. Plus, what are the chances of a small shop manufacturing herp spray systems getting national distribution of their product in brick and mortar pet stores.
I'm not trying to argue, just throwing in my two cents.  Good luck!


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

TheOregonKid said:


> As far as mail order not being a "viable source"...I disagree. Internet commerce EXPANDS availability.


A lot of Folks Will not Mail order.
If It is not in a store they won't buy.

I can tell you this. If a Mister had been on Local shelves when I started I would have bought one Immediately. I did buy a HabbaMister because it was for sale at Petco..Fortunately it was on Clearance for 20.00 otherwise I would have wasted more money on it.

Again You threw out a few Options for paying but it is a Hassle for people to go through hoops to be able to order but none are as simple as walking into a store and buying straight off the shelf.


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

Marty said:


> You can pick one up at a crazy price for the next few days only...http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/sponsor-classifieds/63039-mistking-starter-system-99-99-a.html


Thanks Marty!

I literally just ordered!

To all you fence-sitters, Marty says this deal will be expiring soon. 

Here's what I paid.

Starter system $89.99 (must use code STARTER10 while in your shopping cart)
Screen corner mount $5.00

UPS shipping to Oregon is a steep $35 because it's coming from Canada. You would think our governments would find a way to standardize shipping rates considering that Canada is our #1 trading partner.....oh well.

NICE! I just got a Mist King for only $4.00 more than what I would have paid for a Monsoon on DrsFosterSmith.com with shipping!
I'm excited about the years of reliable service that it is sure to provide me!


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

My Tax return is due in on the 28th..

I may just go up to the Next Level on Mistking because I know I will have more Tanks anyways.


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

skylsdale said:


> This is my concern as well (coming from a guy who actually put down good money for a Skilter when they first came out for the reefkeeping hobby).


LMAO!!!  Don't worry my friend, this happened to MANY of us over the years and is still happening to many people since these garbage "skimmers" are still on the market. Really a great idea...too bad it simply doesn't work. I've always enjoyed the threads on reef boards of people modifying them in order to make them actually skim. The resulting FrankenSkilters are always worth a laugh...and some of them actually work!!! The money I wasted on cheap skimmers is why I decided to not dick around and just go straight to the MistKing.


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

Got mine hooked up on 2 18 x 18 x 24 ....and so far love it.



I would like better nozzles for it, though.

Any body started modding these yet?


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Venutus1 said:


> Got mine hooked up on 2 18 x 18 x 24 ....and so far love it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ya mine shoots lucerfase genes mixed with a lucerfin substrate contained in nano scale ballistic buckyballs...the effect is like a star trek hypo spray harmlessly injecting all the animals and plants with the nano spheres via the spray causing everything to luminesce for about 15 minutes after spraying. Of course thats only at night during the day it auto switches to another reservoir and a different set of mods activate which essentially shoots a spray of bio-degradable glitter throughout the tank


----------



## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

Dendro Dave said:


> Ya mine shoots lucerfase genes mixed with a lucerfin substrate contained in nano scale ballistic buckyballs...the effect is like a star trek hypo spray harmlessly injecting all the animals and plants with the nano spheres via the spray causing everything to luminesce for about 15 minutes after spraying. Of course thats only at night during the day it auto switches to another reservoir and a different set of mods activate which essentially shoots a spray of bio-degradable glitter throughout the tank


Put down the Bong and step away from the computer.......


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

bsr8129 said:


> Put down the Bong and step away from the computer.......


LOL...thats not my scene  This is me utterly sober/clean!


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

haha 
Dendro Dave, you crack me up.


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

Dendro Dave said:


> LOL...thats not my scene  This is me utterly sober/clean!


Well, aside from a serious frog addiction.


----------



## fishman72 (Jan 21, 2011)

I am just starting the frog thing after years of a Saltwater addiction. It seems to me (correct me if I am wrong) that looking at the two systems that the Monsoon is a thow away type if it goes bad. Mist King to me has an advantage because you can replace parts instead of replacing the whole system. I am still debating on what to purchase yet


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

fishman72 said:


> I am just starting the frog thing after years of a Saltwater addiction. It seems to me (correct me if I am wrong) that looking at the two systems that the Monsoon is a thow away type if it goes bad. Mist King to me has an advantage because you can replace parts instead of replacing the whole system. I am still debating on what to purchase yet


It's a pretty close toss up. Your going to get better quality from the mist king, and pricing wise their new starter system is the same. On the other hand if your putting this in a living room or setting up a nice display tank the exo looks a bit nicer. I would probably recommend the mist king though.


----------



## Rancorrye (May 3, 2010)

My red eyed tree frog seems to enjoy it


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Well one month in and failure #2 same issue as before, water leaking inside the head of the unit... Hmm... I'm starting to suspect that switching out the mist nozzles is the culprit... Anyone have any issues yet? or try switching nozzles out? I have an e-mail into Hagen tech support to see if they believe this could of caused the leak, or if they believe it is a manufacture/design flaw. I'm assuming i'll most likely get the common you moddified the product its your fault.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

jason21 said:


> On the other hand if your putting this in a living room or setting up a nice display tank the exo looks a bit nicer. I would probably recommend the mist king though.


You just have to ask yourself if you're buying a misting system for the way it looks or the way it works.

sorry to hear about the 2nd failure. Hope you can sort it out.


----------



## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Marty said:


> You just have to ask yourself if you're buying a misting system for the way it looks or the way it works..


Well, Dave seems to have found a way to mod it to spray out biodegradable glitter and make animals glow in the dark. Can yours do that? XD 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/62518-exo-terra-monsoon-6.html#post550396

Just kidding! I love my mistking system


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Marty said:


> You just have to ask yourself if you're buying a misting system for the way it looks or the way it works.
> 
> sorry to hear about the 2nd failure. Hope you can sort it out.


 Thats very true, to be though honest I got it for neither reason. I bought it more because I enjoy being a guinea pig and testing new products, seeing what it is that makes them tick so to speak. Therefore when someone asks me if I do or dont recommend a product I can give them an informed answer. 

That and i just really enjoy taking stuff apart.


----------



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Okapi said:


> Well, Dave seems to have found a way to mod it to spray out biodegradable glitter and make animals glow in the dark. Can yours do that? XD
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/62518-exo-terra-monsoon-6.html#post550396
> 
> Just kidding! I love my mistking system


Personally I thought the shotgunning of nano sized bucky balls containing firefly genes for genetic transfection was the more impressive mod but whatever floats your proverbial boat. No stealing... Patent pending! Plus "swim"(Plausible deny-ability), had to get creative with the funding so there may be some national security concerns and drama from unfriendly foreign governments  


This message may self destruct....but probably not. 

Sincerely,
"Swim"


----------



## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Dendro Dave said:


> Personally I thought the shotgunning of nano sized bucky balls containing firefly genes for genetic transfection was the more impressive mod but whatever floats your proverbial boat. No stealing... Patent pending! Plus "swim"(Plausible deny-ability), had to get creative with the funding so there may be some national security concerns and drama from unfriendly foreign governments
> 
> 
> This message may self destruct....but probably not.
> ...


Hello "Swim",
While it was an interesting idea, it is common knowledge that the real money is in glitter. 
Just look at the millions made by the Twilight saga and the reasoning behind it: 
Vampires: scary (not good for making money)
Vampires covered in glitter: sex appeal (the money maker)
Fire flies: a child's curiosity on summer nights (children dont have money)
Fire fly genes: an entomologist's curiosity in a lab (Labs cost alot of money)
As you can see, the glitter will bring in the bigger bucks.

Sincerely,
Idonthaveasecretalias

PS- I hope you arnt patenting the self destructing message invention.....


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

Mine is still chugging away ... so far so good.


----------



## TheOregonKid (Nov 25, 2010)

It will be interesting to see who does the first mods on these. I'm figuring that a 'FrankenMonsoon' will most definately have a better pump. That ChinaStar pump looks El Cheapo and I'd be very suprised if it can really handle the amount of sprayheads that Hagen claims. If the pressure is too low then the mist wont be fine enough and you would be far better off just using a spray bottle.

The flooding failures already seem to be a big pain in the booty.

Any thoughts on possible mods?


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

TheOregonKid said:


> Any thoughts on possible mods?


I would say possibly replacing the Container with a larger reservoir.

I Modified mine by purchasing a Ultimate Misting system from Mistking at Arlington NARBC.

Thanks Marty...Now I just need to get Motivated and Hook it all up.


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

> Any thoughts on possible mods?


 not a whole lot of point in modding them. Given everything is integrated in the circuit board it would require some extensive mods to upgrade to a bigger motor. I.E. relays, secondary power supply, etc... In which case you would be spending more than what its worth. The only mod i've done is swapping out the mist nozzles, which i would strongly recommend against at this point, until I can get a definite answer as to whether this caused the leaks or not.


----------



## clownonfire (Jan 18, 2011)

I've stumbled upon this thread yesterday when two of my Monsoon units started failing. They were gifts from someone who thought my frog room needed a mist system... I had my eyes on the Mist King. But the gift was very generous in nature. 

One of the unit is attached to my P. terribilis and R. ventrimaculata tanks (two nozzles in each), and one in my Atelopus spumarius tank soon to be attached to my D. azureus tank. Or so I thought...

For some reason, both of them started showing signs in the same week. They both started accumulating water in the main computer/timer part. And both now are on the fritz, misting each 1 minute, no matter what setting I put it on. 

These were gifts from family members in the US, and I can't have them exchanged here in Montreal, even after contacting customer service. So I am stuck with two new defective units.

At this point here, I will opt for the Mist King. Everyone I know that uses it are very happy with the system. I have more confidence at this point that it will not let me down. 

When I will get the Mist King, I will write a review. I know it already has a solid reputation, but after this disappointment, I feel I should also share my opinion on the Mist King. 

Eric


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

Yeah, I returned mine. It was a good idea but it seems they went a little over board on cost savings and ended up producing a rather poor quality product.


----------



## Kirru (Aug 20, 2010)

jason21 said:


> The tank in my pictures currently has a group of 3 auratus in it.
> 
> Thank you, I just figured i'd give people a chance to see what another hobbyist experiences are with this product rather than just what the sales ads say. Like I mentioned before this is by FAR no mist king, the only thing I see it has over mist king is that it had nicer look and plug and play set-up. If anything though i think this may actually help out mist king, enticing beginners who are normally scared off by the idea of having to do any kind of DIY work to set-up a misting system. Allowing them to get their feet wet per say (pun intended) and realize how nice and benificial it is to have an automated system and eventually encouraging them to move up to bigger and better just as most of us do starting out with something simple like a single pair or group of auratus then next thing ya know you've got a frog room and a wall O tanks.
> 
> As a side note I probably wouldnt of gotten this system if it wasnt for the fact my girlfriend works at a petstore and got it for substantially less than retail





Dendro Dave said:


> 55...thats about what I'd like to see this product sell for retail...maybe up to 70. At that price I'd likely try one, at 9 bucks less then the new mistking starter I gotta go mistking if I go automated


i looked at at this way as well... cost of monsoon... cost of mistking.... i went with mistking.. and this is my first viv.. ever lol


Philsuma said:


> Looks like a whole lot of retail stores have this one the shelf now, and the retail price point is @ $90 bucks, which I still think is too high to get it into the hands of the average hobbyist.
> 
> Now a high-end reef tank or SW product, maybe....those people are used to paying $$ for stuff, but your average frog keeper......nah....I just don't think they will be stocking too many of these that will sit on the shelves for long periods of time....





frogfreak said:


> Is that because froggers are cheap?


i have a 40g saltwater aquarium that has been up for two years, may be three i can't remember... i have gotten most things for free or at a steep discount.. or i dont buy them cause i am cheap

heck, i bought i use RO system, added a DI canister and upped it to 75gpd from 35gpd.. and it came with an auto shut off vavle, 42g brute trach can and float valve. all for $100, i think that was cheap.. but what i learned quickly and i tel anyone wanting to get in to saltwater keeping... if you know you are goin got need it and not have it fail... pay the price for proven quality over some cheap crap..




good review, wish i had seen this but decided against getting it


----------



## Venutus1 (Feb 13, 2010)

*Re: exo-terra Monsoon-- if theres a will, theres a way*

I was one of the few who liked the monsoon... even though it was kind of chinese "plastic-y".

But now, 4 months later...mine went crazy too and started spurting off random at all times, not every 8 hours like it was set for. 
And I had to drain out wet vivs more than once. 

It is sort of hard-plumbed in, so I didn't want to remove it.

Anyway, here's the fix I thought I would share.
It works goo, BTW. 

I just stuck an inexpensive digital timer on it!

When the power is cut to them, they turn off...
But when the power comes back on, 
they turn on and go thru an "on" cycle to re-set themselves.
So, in effect, you CAN control them with a timer.

The timer is set to turn it "on" now every 8 or so hours for 3 min.

NOTE: It doesn't run for the whole 3 min. It just goes through a 20 sec. cycle. 

Just thought I would put it out there to see if it helps anyone.

BTW, Mine was a gift, too.
Otherwise, I would have gone with Marty's Mist King. 

Todd


----------



## jason21 (Nov 21, 2009)

I really liked them too at first. I'm glad to hear that Im not the only one who had issues.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

Dont want to brag about the size, but the 3 on the right are MistKing pumps ;-)


----------



## LookinRound (May 1, 2011)

Marty said:


> Dont want to brag about the size, but the 3 on the right are MistKing pumps ;-)


now now Marty, size isn't always all that matters...


----------



## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

Marty said:


> Dont want to brag about the size, but the 3 on the right are MistKing pumps ;-)


Is size ALL that is important to you...


----------



## bshmerlie (Jun 2, 2010)

Marty said:


> Dont want to brag about the size, but the 3 on the right are MistKing pumps ;-)


Just be careful Marty. In the 70s Honda and Toyota came out with dinky little cars and everyone laughed and said they couldn't compare to our big powerful GMs and Fords. They took over the industry within twenty years. Always look to improve your product and design and that will keep you the leader in the market. The Monsoon has you beat on aesthetics because its a self contained unit (no bucket). If they address and fix their design flaws and maintain the hundred dollar price point you will lose market share. I simply say this because I also own my own business. I would look at their design flaws as simply a delay and not a win. Sleek and contained is where you need to look into taking your power and efficiency. All four qualities in one product will eventually be the winner.


----------



## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

Hi Bshmerlie,

Over the last few years everyone was always bashing the piston pumps since they lacked in many ways. I know because few years back I sold them too. With the larger piston pumps you could still produce mist, but durations could only be very short (max 2min or 5min on the better ones) and these were typically very loud and overheated very fast. I remember testing one dry without thermal cut off and in 30 minutes the surface of the pump reached about 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Caused the tubing and fittings to melt off the pump.

This is by far the smallest piston pump I've ever seen. Monsoon has a thermal protection on their pump so that should not happen. I just find it amazing that as long you put something in a pretty package, it becomes fabulous (at least to many!). I'm too small of a fish to compete with ExoTerra, their distribution network is global so I don't pose a threat to them in any way and I'm probably not even a speed bump for them. They tend to operate in a different niche but with some overlap for sure.

I was thinking of making a "pretty" version of the MistKing, but the cost of molds is just nuts. In the end, a misting system isn't really a product that you showcase. It's sort of out of sight out of mind. Hide it in the cabinet, set it on a timer and forget about it.

Not having a fixed reservoir isn't a weakness IMO. We have customers that use 1 gal jug or a 50gal drum or plumb directly into RO and for their misting systems. I just set up a ZOO that has the misting equipment in one location and the misting nozzles 100 feet away servicing a a series of herp exhibits. I think the Monsoon and MistKing are just completely different products used in different ways. 

I think there is a difference in the clientele that that uses both systems too. On one side of the spectrum are the main stream PetStore shoppers that like everything pre-made and packed in retail boxes and on the other are the die hard hobbyists that tend to optimize, think and rethink everything until they get exactly what they envisioned. You know the types ;-) What's the best recipe for the FF cultures, what clay mix should I use for the background, How to build the waterfall so _Riccia fluitans_ looks just perfect, etc. I think MistKing is on one side and Monsoon is on the other side. Nothing is ever absolute, so like I said, there's overlap for sure.


----------



## blankminded (Jan 3, 2008)

Has anyone tried using the mistking nozzles on the monsoon?


----------



## curlykid (Jan 28, 2011)

No, I'm sure everyone has switched to MistKing by now.


----------



## Donnyj (Jan 23, 2016)

Don't know if I missed something while scanning through this thread so I will post anyway. Just bought the Exo-Terra Monsoon RS400. Got it all set up and ready to go per instructions. Set the dials to run at every 12 hours for 8 seconds. Turned it on to cycle and it's running approximately every 4 minutes for 2 seconds. Right out of the box. Is there a fix for this or am I going to have to dis-assemble, dry it out and return it??


----------



## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

I've had mine (RS400) for 4...maybe it's 5 years. Never had any problem with the actual unit. I've had the nozzles clog up, but I suspect that's my own fault for not using RO water. I haven't had to replace anything yet.


----------



## joneill809 (Feb 25, 2012)

Donnyj said:


> Don't know if I missed something while scanning through this thread so I will post anyway. Just bought the Exo-Terra Monsoon RS400. Got it all set up and ready to go per instructions. Set the dials to run at every 12 hours for 8 seconds. Turned it on to cycle and it's running approximately every 4 minutes for 2 seconds. Right out of the box. Is there a fix for this or am I going to have to dis-assemble, dry it out and return it??


I'd return it. I have four of these (before I setup a wall of tanks I had them scattered around the house on different misters) and three have failed in a similar way - running every few minutes for 30+ seconds eventually flooding the viv. I retired two in favor of a mistking and the third failed unit I put on an external minute timer. That external timer has worked without issue for years, but I think I am done with monsoons unless they are $50 and accompanied by an external timer


----------



## C los7 (Sep 24, 2015)

I've had mine for over a year without any issues yet.


----------



## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

I'm glad your monsoon system works. Mine lasted less than a month. It now serves as a reservoir for my mistking. 


If you leave the monsoon system "on" and hook it to a digital seconds timer, you can bypass the faulty monsoon timer and your system should work fine. I still recommend saving up for a mistking value system. The monsoon system just doesn't compare when it comes to droplet size or coverage area.


----------



## waverz (Nov 14, 2012)

Anyone happen to have the IR codes for the RS400? Would love to be able to use my Harmony programmable remote to control the Monsoon.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk


----------



## RichardA (Jul 15, 2009)

They sell a remote for them. Not as nice as your remote though lol


----------

