# Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer?



## Mr. Bronze (Aug 22, 2009)

Hello to all Froggers,
Im new to frogs im in the process of building a 20 gallon Vivarium. I was searching for a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer and came to notice complaints for the Fluke Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer in amazon. Some say "Accuracy Questionable - Poor for an Electronic Device", another one says "Very variable": Amazon.com: Fluker's Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer: Home & Garden.

My question will be to all the Froggers that still use the thermometer and hygrometer: 
What is the best affordable device to monitor temp and humidity?


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## Mr. Bronze (Aug 22, 2009)

Thanks I search previous threads on the topic and got my answer, which is to either use analog (still unreliable), or the hand,eyeball and intuition.


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## rcteem (Mar 24, 2009)

i eyeball/ analog/ and the digital one...so far digital works varily well for me but have had them go out after a while


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

after a few months it a hygrometer wont be 'needed' since by that time you should have a good idea of what looks right. the thermometer is a different issue, its a good idea to put one in each tank, preferably one with a probe so that the unit doesnt get any moisture on it, or analog.

james


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

Yeah, I agree after a period of time you'll get used to judging the humidity of your tanks based on plants and other factors. 

As for thermometer, I strongly suggest getting a Temp Gun (pref. one with a laser sight) as it allows you to measure temps in specific areas of your vivarium.


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## NMiamiguy40 (Feb 23, 2010)

the ir temp gun with the laser is for measuring surface area and not air temps. Still best to go with a analog and digital. The ir temp gun would be great to measure a basking rock for desert type animals.

I used to have a uromastyx that is now in a breeding program and the ir temp gun was a crucial thing to have as the basking site had to be 130F. but when i pointed it at the wall of the tank it was 115F however the air temp was at 100F. 15 degree mistake could mean life or death for a dart frog. I am not a dart frog pro but i do know alot about ir temp guns and there proper use.


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

Well we don't have basking spots for darts so the fluctuation in temperature should not be anywhere near that. I use my temp gun all the time and it is usually right inline (maybe 1degree) off with the air temps in the viv. IMO it is a very valuable tool to have in the hobby as it allows us to gather temperature information at various levels throughout the viv.


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## NMiamiguy40 (Feb 23, 2010)

im not saying you cant use one. just saying its not that necessary with darts. A ir temp gun is for measuring surface temps. The analog and digital temp items are for air temps. its that simple.


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

NMiamiguy40 said:


> im not saying you cant use one. just saying its not that necessary with darts. A ir temp gun is for measuring surface temps. The analog and digital temp items are for air temps. its that simple.


I disagree. IR temp guns can be extremely important for darts. 

I will give you an example. When introducing my 1.1 pair of leucs to their new viv I noticed that they spent 90% of their time hidden. Ambient temp read 79 degrees...so no biggie, right? Wrong, using the temp gun I found that the open areas of the viv were registering 82 + degrees. Lowered the wattage of one of the lights and now they are happily exploring all areas of the tank throughout the day. 

I am quite certain that I am not alone when stating that temp guns are excellent tools for good husbandry of darts. 

As for air temps, point your temp gun to the glass of the viv and you will get a pretty damn close reading to the the digital or analog probe.


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## NMiamiguy40 (Feb 23, 2010)

a pretty dam close reading is not the exact temp.

Your findings with your darts getting bolder could also be them just getting more comfortable with there tank. Also only using 1-3 subjects in the same tank is not going to give a conclusive answer to how they got more bold. You need many more tanks exactly the same tanks and frogs to do that. 

Temp guns are made for one thing and thermometers were made for another cant dispute it. so i am going to bow out of this thread. 

They only reason i chimed in is so a new person does not go out and get a ir temp gun and use nothing else and think there getting a true air temp reading. It will never be true. "pretty dam close but not true."


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