Maintaining tank parameters

[reckoner225]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post! I have a giant pixie frog, and I seem to be having trouble maintaining the proper parameters for the tank. I have a 20g long, with a glass top that has about an inch and a half gap at the back for airflow. I use eco earth for my substrate, a water dish, a heating pad (appropriate for tank size and placed on the side opposite the water dish), and I mist every day. My temps seem to stay steady around 76-80 and I'm really having trouble keeping my humidity up. When I had him in the 10g it was very easy to keep everything desirable. Since I moved him to the 20g long, I've been having trouble getting the humidity over 70 - 75. This is causing him to stay completely buried most of the time. I was looking into a heat emitter and after digging a little deeper, heard that they weren't great because it was just dry heat. I'd like to know anything I could do to get my temp/humidity up to where it needs to be. Thanks!

[jasonm96]

Hey

Make sure there is adequate ventilation, usually a full screen top is only half covered. I have a full screen top. I can't believe that the heat mat is only reaching that temperature. A lot of brands can reach a temperature of 100F directly on the heated glass, a thermostat is always essential to control their output (you can't adjust the heat by wattage as you would with bulbs) Use a digital thermometer and place the probe under the mat for a proper temp reading, it will be warmer than the top and your frog will be spending most of its time burrowed. Temps should be above 80F during the day. Having said that, most keepers use spotlights since they like to bask and it's more natural. No need to pay attention to humidity, just keep the substrate moist