How to raise humidity in a glass tank

[Gaboon]

Well im getting a BRB and putting it in a glass tank but before i buy it i got my tank setup and tested a few things to make sure my humidity would be just right.

Heres what i did:

1. Cover the screen lid 1/2 with a garbage bag with tape or glue to hold humidity.

2. Use a substrate that holds humidity well such as sphagnum moss or peat moss and mist every other day or so. Be sure to check it often as peat moss is known to mold.

3. Supply a hide box with damp moss in it and place heat pad under this part.

4. Use a large water bowl.

5. Put a small shoebox size rubbermaid in the tank the tank and fill with water. Take a internal aquatic filter and put it in the shoebox size rubbermaid and make sure the outake of the filter is out of the water so that it creates a waterfall effect.

Make sure the nozel of the outake is pointing at the shoebox rubbermaid so it recycles the water and so that it doesnt go in the actual tank inself.

By using this method your humidity will increase drasticaly. I have a 40gal tank setup like this right now with no snake yet and i have been checking my temps and humdity levels and its a constant 82% :D

I know using a rubbermaid is always better but if you can keep the humidity the same as a rubbermaid and supply a extra hide box so he feels secure its all good

[Jeff_Favelle]

Sell the tank to someone with a fish to put in it and buy a Rubbermaid. The snake will very much appreciate that.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Sell the tank to someone with a fish to put in it and buy a Rubbermaid. The snake will very much appreciate that.

Agreed!

[Syst3m]

LOL you guys are brutal some times.

[Blueeheeler]

Rubbermaid is the only way to go, if you are on a budget. I have a melamine cage, quite expensive after you add all of the heaters and lights plexiglass etc...If you only have one snake I would go with the rubbermaid, I had my BCI in one of those 50 + gallons tubs. Humidity was always very good. Good luck and keep us posted. Blueeheeler

[boa]

If you are still going to use the glass tank i would cut out a piece of plywood drill some holes in the top of it and use that should get your humidity high for your rainbow boa.
if the plywood swells or rots away cut a new 1 hope this helps.
a friend of mine has 1 brb for display he hates the idea of rubbermaids so he done what i said to you and he never has any problems.
for the rest of you here saying don't use the tank give it away why don't you help this guy with his questions and help him understand?
you can always make use of somthing for humidty glass or not glass i see it every day.

[Linds]

There is no way to make them suitable for these snakes. By solving one problem, you create another. If you cover any part of the top, you will increase humidity, but you are creating a stagnant environment in which spores thrive in. There is no way around this since tanks have no cross-ventilation. If you don't like the look of rubbermaids, you can purchase or make your own custom enclosures. Tanks only do for environments in which the ambient room humidity is all that animal requires. Anything higher and you need something different. Even with foggers and other contraptions it is often impossible to keep humidity high in tanks unless you cover the top. We must do what is best for our animals, not what is best for us :)

[Dani33]

Could you not use acrylic and drill holes for a lid? That way you wouldn't have to worry about the plywood rotting. The only thing would be securing it asthetically. Not sure how you would do that. Haven't given it much thought.

[Invictus]

I must have super water at my house. Or maybe my aquariums are made of superglass. I have never had problems getting humidity up in open-topped glass tanks with a little common sense and a little restricted air flow.

It's simple - put a water source either directly above or directly below a heat source. Limit, but don't eliminate air flow by placing a towel over the open top. The water will evaporate, and as long as it can't escape, you'll have 80-100% humidity in no time. If you combine this with a moisture-absorbing substrate like sphagnum moss or cypress mulch, your critter will be just fine.

[Invictus]

DISCLAIMER: I still think that rubbermaids or custom built enclosures are WAY better. I'm only giving this suggestion if you absolutely must use an aquarium.

[BoidKeeper]

You could lay the tank on its side and then it's front opening. However I keep my two BRBs in Rubbermaids.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Syst3m]

Originally posted by Linds
There is no way to make them suitable for these snakes. By solving one problem, you create another. If you cover any part of the top, you will increase humidity, but you are creating a stagnant environment in which spores thrive in. There is no way around this since tanks have no cross-ventilation. If you don't like the look of rubbermaids, you can purchase or make your own custom enclosures. Tanks only do for environments in which the ambient room humidity is all that animal requires. Anything higher and you need something different. Even with foggers and other contraptions it is often impossible to keep humidity high in tanks unless you cover the top. We must do what is best for our animals, not what is best for us :)


I have to disagree, with the proper use of fish tank air pumps, and properly placed holes it is possible to create a safe enviroment for a BRB. You will acheive good cross air flow and maintain humidity. But rubbermaids are still easier, cheaper, better, and much more safe. Not to mention a lot easier.

[Linds]

How do you get any cross-ventilation when you can only put holes in the top???? Unless you cut out holes in the glass and install a better ventilation system...

[Jeff_Favelle]

Cross ventilation and Rainbow Boas suck. I found that out 9 years ago.

[Linds]

high humidity + no crossflow = mold (microscopic or visible)

[Jeff_Favelle]

Not in my tanks, and not for the last 9 years.

[Oliverian]

If you only have one snake I would go with the rubbermaid

Hmm.... wouldn't it be better to go with rubbermaids if you have a lot of snakes? Having a rubbermaid for one snake doesn't really make sense, for me anyways. I say go with a nice enclosure that looks great so you can have it on display. If I only had one snake, I wouldn't keep it in a rubbermaid, because there are other types of enclosures that just look great. That's my two cents.

Other than that, if the glass tank is working for you, and everything is good, I say go for it. As long as there are no mold or humidity problems, you should be ok. But you'll have to take some precautions to keep it all in check.

Good luck!
-Tammy R

[Linds]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Not in my tanks, and not for the last 9 years.

Have you gone in there with a microscope? I don't see how any living organism that naturally lives outdoors can benefit from stagnant air. Swamp snakes or not, they still live in area with good air circulation.

[Jeff_Favelle]

LOL, if I can't see it with my eyes, I am not going to worry about it.

And you gotta go to the rainforest. You would be very very very surprised at the lack of air flow. I've heard it actually described as stagnant air! No joke.

Plus, under a rotting log, that's under a pile of leaves, how much airflow do you think is there?

[BoidKeeper]

I get green mold all the time. I was told not to worry about it. How can you not be getting mold Jeff?
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

Change the paper every 2 weeks man. Plus I don't give them NEARLY as much humidity as I used to. I live in God's country (oops, are we allowed to say that anymore? :D). Its prefect for breeding Rainbows, Carpets, Boas, and Balls out here. Just don't tell anyone.

Its getting crowded enough as it is with all the flatlanders and silly Ontario transplants.

LOL

:D

[BoidKeeper]

LMAO Jeff!
Cheers,
Trevor
PS
If that's God's country then me thinks God's gone broke!

[Syst3m]

Originally posted by Linds
How do you get any cross-ventilation when you can only put holes in the top???? Unless you cut out holes in the glass and install a better ventilation system...


It can be acheive two ways, thermo dynamics and with an air pump.

Holes on each side of the cage, left and right. Naturally the hot side will automatically force heated air to rise and leave on the hot side holes, cold air will come in from the cool side holes and fall to the bottom of the tank, causing a constant flow of air in the tank. Effectivly creating better ventilation then vents in the bottom of the tank alone.

Another way wich will also help BRB out is to add an air pump with a stone in the water dish. Consantly bringing in fresh cool air at the bottom of the cage forcing stale stagnant air out of the top.

Oh as far as side vents go, without a vent in the top, the warm humid air isn't going anywhere with side vents, leaving you with minimal air movement in your tank anyways.

[Gaboon]

Obvously rubbermaids arnt *the only way to go* since i have the same temps and humidity in a glass tank.

The only thing they might not like about a glass tank is because they like to hide alot but provide a hide box... Same way either way so it doesnt matter