Soggy Substrate Situation

[TeeRiddle]

Hey guys,

Well after a couple weeks of misting three times a day I noticed the Eco Earth substrate is becoming a bit too saturated. It's almost to the point of being swampy. Not good!

It's pretty obvious that the misting water is building up in the bottom of the tank. I used a siphon and some aquarium airline tubing to siphon most of the water out, but the substrate is still very wet.

What are some things you do to prevent this from happening?

I've ordered a Repti Fogger to help keep humidity levels up to hopefully reduce the need for as much misting. I've read varying reviews on the Repti Fogger, but I figured it's worth a shot. Anything else I could do?

Three guesses who is changing out substrate tomorrow morning

Thanks!

[GrifTheGreat]

Hey guys,

Well after a couple weeks of misting three times a day I noticed the Eco Earth substrate is becoming a bit too saturated. It's almost to the point of being swampy. Not good!

It's pretty obvious that the misting water is building up in the bottom of the tank. I used a siphon and some aquarium airline tubing to siphon most of the water out, but the substrate is still very wet.

What are some things you do to prevent this from happening?

I've ordered a Repti Fogger to help keep humidity levels up to hopefully reduce the need for as much misting. I've read varying reviews on the Repti Fogger, but I figured it's worth a shot. Anything else I could do?

Three guesses who is changing out substrate tomorrow morning

Thanks!

Usually this is either caused by over misting OR the main culprit YOUR FROG!! They do like to splash around d in their water dishes and after a few splashes the substrate will become overly saturated.

Best thing to do is change it like you said you're doing tomorrow. It will happen again, but that's what they do.

[Ra]

Usually this is either caused by over misting OR the main culprit YOUR FROG!! They do like to splash around d in their water dishes and after a few splashes the substrate will become overly saturated.

Best thing to do is change it like you said you're doing tomorrow. It will happen again, but that's what they do.

How long does that coco fiber stuff last before you need to change it generally?

[GrifTheGreat]

How long does that coco fiber stuff last before you need to change it generally?

You can go up to an entire month without changing it as long as you keep up with waste removal and if it doesn't become overly saturated with water from the frog splashing around I. the water dish. oversaturation means stagnant water sitting beneath the substrate and would need to be changed out.

If there is a false bottom in the tank you can easily go a month without changing the substrate, but the same tasks apply. Also check by smelling the substrate. Good substrate smells like fresh dirt so if it smells like fungi, mildew, it fouled water change it immediately.

Hope that helps.

[dpcsquid]

I've heard that the repti-fogger can **** out really quickly, but I've had 2 for over 3 months and they're still going. You would probably want to set them up to a timer once you find how many "mistings" the tank would need daily, meaning that you might want to invest in a hygrometer (which would measure the humidity in the tank for you). I actually find that my heat lamps dry out the substrate fairly quickly in some cases. Do you use a heat lamp? That might help balance it out.

I went ahead and got a hygrotherm for my tank (it turns heat lamps and the repti-fogger on and off as needed to maintain the heat and humidity you set). Being a night-shift worker and unable to mist during the day when I'm sleeping, this has been a godsend. Do NOT buy it from a petstore! YOu can get it on Amazon for about $40 cheaper!

[TeeRiddle]

I've heard that the repti-fogger can **** out really quickly, but I've had 2 for over 3 months and they're still going. You would probably want to set them up to a timer once you find how many "mistings" the tank would need daily, meaning that you might want to invest in a hygrometer (which would measure the humidity in the tank for you). I actually find that my heat lamps dry out the substrate fairly quickly in some cases. Do you use a heat lamp? That might help balance it out.

I went ahead and got a hygrotherm for my tank (it turns heat lamps and the repti-fogger on and off as needed to maintain the heat and humidity you set). Being a night-shift worker and unable to mist during the day when I'm sleeping, this has been a godsend. Do NOT buy it from a petstore! YOu can get it on Amazon for about $40 cheaper!

Hi dpcsquid,

I really appreciate your reply!

I've read some mixed reviews on Amazon pertaining to the Repti Fogger and was reluctant about getting it. I know using distilled water will help prolong the life of it. I've used ultrasonic foggers (like the Exo Terra ones) in a FBT setup years ago and it worked great until the transducer disc wore out. The good thing was the disc was easily replaceable. I'm not sure if they are replaceable with the Repti Fogger.

I did buy a cheapo timer for the fogger because I don't want it running 24x7. I plan on getting a hygrotherm next week from Amazon to help regulate temps and humidity. I did see that it is MUCH cheaper at Amazon compared to PetSmart. I think Amazon has it for about $65 vs $99.99 at PetSmart.

I do have a heat lamp, a 25w Night Glo nighttime bulb that I leave on all the time, but it does little to dry out the substrate once it became saturated.

Thanks for your reply!

[TeeRiddle]

Usually this is either caused by over misting OR the main culprit YOUR FROG!! They do like to splash around d in their water dishes and after a few splashes the substrate will become overly saturated.

Best thing to do is change it like you said you're doing tomorrow. It will happen again, but that's what they do.

Hi Grif,

Thanks for your reply.

I believe it's more of an issue with me misting a lot. I mist pretty heavily three times a day to maintain humidity. I haven't seen him in the water bowl but one time and it was a very shallow dish. I have since purchased a bowl that's a little bit deeper (the other was was too shallow really).

I've replaced the soaked Eco Earth with some fresh stuff. When removing the old substrate I ended up with about an inch of water in the bottom of the enclosure. I was squeezing the coco fiber out as I removed it to lower the risk of making a mess.

Hopefully with the addition of the Repti Fogger it will help with humidity levels and reduce the need for as much misting. We'll see

If the wet substrate continues to be a problem I may try a short false bottom and see how that works.