# Best way to Humidify a Tank



## Darmelc (May 28, 2013)

Hey All,
          Just picked up a 18x18 Exo-terra upright terrarium. I am housing my Trinidad Chevron (Psalmopoeus cambridgei) in it. what is the best way for me to keep a constant humidity level in there? The biggest issue with this whole setup is the house that i live in. Due to its set up we have an industrial dehumidifier that we have to run almost daily. Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Just trying to keep my 9 yr old Chevron happy and healthy.


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## Stan Schultz (May 28, 2013)

Darmelc said:


> Hey All,
> Just picked up a 18x18 Exo-terra upright terrarium. I am housing my Trinidad Chevron (Psalmopoeus cambridgei) in it. what is the best way for me to keep a constant humidity level in there? The biggest issue with this whole setup is the house that i live in. Due to its set up we have an industrial dehumidifier that we have to run almost daily. Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Just trying to keep my 9 yr old Chevron happy and healthy.


Read *Humidity*.


Enjoy your little 8-legged wonder!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Darmelc (May 28, 2013)

Awesome thanks Pikaia! ill have to get my science teacher wife to interpret for me and maybe she will learn something along the way


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## Stan Schultz (May 29, 2013)

Darmelc said:


> Awesome thanks Pikaia! ill have to get my science teacher wife to interpret for me and maybe she will learn something along the way


If you only knew how many times I read and reread those links, then wrote and rewrote that webpage in such a way that I didn't sound like a blithering idiot. I think I still failed! It's tough for several reasons:

1) We've been brainwashed with garbage for so many years.

2) We're not accustomed to thinking about science stuff like this. Who has ever had reason to think about what happens to water in space or a vacuum? Who even remembers what the *gas laws* are from high school physics? Who was even *TAUGHT* the gas laws in high school physics? ("*Boyle's Law*, schmoil's law! We don't need no more stinking laws around here!") How many of you actually took a high school physics course?

Tough, indeed! I don't blame you for needing an interpreter.


Enjoy your little 8-legged Einstein!

Reactions: Like 2


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## Darmelc (May 30, 2013)

Ha yea barely got through earth science so I never worked about physics.  There is a reason i married a school teacher I. We talked about your page toque and she started laughing. She just taught humidity today.  We will sit down soon to interpret your page together (had trends to throb when I try alone) Thanks again

 Calgary is freaking awesome lean more towards Banff myself though

---------- Post added 05-30-2013 at 01:09 AM ----------

I think i should also learn to use my phones keyboard more effectively... sorry for the all spelling errors


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## Kazaam (May 30, 2013)

Unless you're dealing with a sling a large shallow waterdish will provide it with all the humidity that it needs.


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## Darmelc (May 30, 2013)

i do have a King Baboon sling that i am wondering about humidity wise but i think i have it good with the sling.


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## Kazaam (May 30, 2013)

I mist my slings once every 2 weeks on one side of the jar and never had any problems with that.


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## Darmelc (May 30, 2013)

I am houseing my sling in a plastic deli container and the sub i put in there was pretty damp to the point that there is moisture dripping off the side and top of the container. I'm not sure if it is too humid in there and i should rehouse the sling in a new container with dry sub or just let it roll and see what happens (i have bad luck with slings so i may be over analyzing this). Any thoughts on this?


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## Bongo Fury (May 30, 2013)

Darmelc said:


> I am houseing my sling in a plastic deli container and the sub i put in there was pretty damp to the point that there is moisture dripping off the side and top of the container. I'm not sure if it is too humid in there and i should rehouse the sling in a new container with dry sub or just let it roll and see what happens (i have bad luck with slings so i may be over analyzing this). Any thoughts on this?


Sounds pretty wet to me, I would increase ventilation a bit.


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## Darmelc (May 30, 2013)

I have the Lid pretty punctured should I do some more side punctures or make a mesh top for it


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## josh_r (May 31, 2013)

A very good article on humidity Stan. From what I have noticed, where most people go wrong, is not supplying enough air flow to prevent stagnation. When most people think about humidity in their cages, they think of condensation on the glass or sides of the container. Most people fail to realize that you can have descent levels of humidity with very little to no condensation on the glass or container walls. With adequate air circulation, the humidity can be kept high in a cage with no condensation build up and the cage is prevented from going stagnant. There have been experiments done on this topic with many dart frog keepers and they found that you don't even need vents in the cage. As long as adequate air flow is provided, the cage does not stagnate, thus resulting in good health of the many orchid and other plant species as well as the frogs. Stagnant conditions will readily kill many orchids and plants. ( I do not recommend a setup with no ventilation, by the way)

It is true that most dart frog keepers keep their setups unneccesarily humid. With many deli cup setups I have seen with T´s, I would say the same comment applies. Only difference is the spider is being kept in such a confined space with little to no air flow. This can cause an excess build up of stagnant humid air, leading to the death of the spider. As is stated in the article, many species can be kept just fine in a drier setup. The focus should be less on the humidity requirements for your spider and more on adequate airflow. If the spider is provided with damp substrate and good airflow, the humidity will be high enough for the requirements of the spider without going stangnant, whether it is a naturalistic set up or a deli cup. 

Not to get off topic....  This is based on readings from your article

 I have only seen or heard of 6 Arid species that make a ring or turret around their burrow entrance in north america.... A. mojave, A. sp 'hualapai' (mojave and hualapai are not the same spider), A. joshua, an undescribed blonde spider found in Nevada, and 2 undescribed species from Mexico. Paloma only makes half a collar or no collar at all. The remainder of species that I know of all have flat burrow entrances that are flush to the ground, even in washes or areas prone to flooding. I have speculated that the turrets are to prevent flooding, but that doesn´t explain why other species which live in the same areas do not make them. It also does not explain why the species that have evolved this trait, when found in areas that are not prone to any flooding, still find it necessary to make the turrets. Another theory I had was ventilation or 'air conditioning', similar to what termites and many ant species in arid areas do. they build chimneys designed to catch wind as the wind blows faster just above the ground than it does right at ground level. most of these turret building species of T´s come from very hot and very dry desert habitats, mainly, the Mojave desert. What are your thoughts on this Stan?

I also read your natural is not better article. You state that there is no proof that it is better, yet you do not state proof that it is not better. I think any tarantula would be much happier on a natural soil rather than something like perlite or vermiculite or astroturf. I for one have noticed much more natural behavior from my spiders and better breeding when set up in soils that closest mimic what they came from. You compare mortality rates of wild animals to mortality rates of captive animals with the only comparison being predation in nature vs the naturaistic setup. You are comparing mortality rates in nature which are full of predators that eat the crap out of the slings to the naturalistic setup which has zero to very little predation. How can you compare the two in that manner??? You state that the naturalistic setup could very well lead to the demise of your spider, yet you make no claim as to how this can be true. Yes, we will never mimic nature perfectly in the terarrium, but a naturalistic setup does not mean the demise of a spider. I have had great success in keeping many species, singly, or in colonies in very naturalistic setups with no troubles at all.... in fact, more natural behavior out of my spiders.

Your example of human conditions is irrelevant to keeping tarantulas. You are basically saying that because humans have succeeded far better in our artificial environment, then tarantulas will too. The only reason being is we have cut out the predation factor. It has nothing to do with naturalistic setup or not. I would like to see some concrete evidence behind your statements, not just your personal opinion.


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## Formerphobe (May 31, 2013)

> I have only seen or heard of 6 species of Arid species that make a ring or turret around their burrow entrance


Several of my Brachypelma sp made turrets when they were burrowing slings.  I currently have 4 A. enzendami slings (~1.25") each of which created amazing turrets when I rehoused them a couple weeks ago.  One is >2 inches tall.  Some of my Ceratogyrus have also made turrets.



> The focus should be less on the humidity requirements for your spider and more on adequate airflow. If the spider is provided with damp substrate and good airflow, the humidity will be high enough for the requirements of the spider without going stagnant, whether it is a naturalistic set up or a deli cup.


+1!

Because of my mom's health issues, our dehumidifier works overtime.  RH in the house is usually <30 so I tend to water my spiders more frequently.  Ventilation is key, whether the species is arid, moderate or swamp dweller.  Ventilation holes can be added or covered up as needed for the individual.  I don't bother with hygrometers.  I monitor by state of the spider.


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## josh_r (May 31, 2013)

Not sure if you realize, but I have commented on north american species... I am sure there are several old world species that also build turrets, but i made no mention of them in my post because I am not near as familiar with them as I am the north american turret builders, which I have extensive experience with in the field.

And monitoring by state of spider is the way to go as any experienced hobbyist learns to recognise the health conditions of their spiders. 



Formerphobe said:


> Several of my Brachypelma sp made turrets when they were burrowing slings.  I currently have 4 A. enzendami slings (~1.25") each of which created amazing turrets when I rehoused them a couple weeks ago.  One is >2 inches tall.  Some of my Ceratogyrus have also made turrets.
> 
> 
> +1!
> ...


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## Formerphobe (May 31, 2013)

josh_r said:


> Not sure if you realize, but I have commented on north american species... I am sure there are several old world species that also build turrets, but i made no mention of them in my post because I am not near as familiar with them as I am the north american turret builders, which I have extensive experience with in the field.
> 
> And monitoring by state of spider is the way to go as any experienced hobbyist learns to recognise the health conditions of their spiders.


Last I checked, most Brachypelma are North American species.  I mentioned the OW arid turret builders as an aside.  I didn't realize the discussion had become restricted since the original post was about a native of Trinidad.

Many keepers, both novice and experienced, become dependent on a numbered gauge versus monitoring the overall presentation and thrift of the animal(s).  Humidity is never a constant in a natural setting anyway.

I'll retire from this thread now and let you more experienced keepers carry on.


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## josh_r (Jun 1, 2013)

Brachypelma are not true turret builders. As you stated, they made turrets when they were slings. True turret builders express this habit well into their adult lives. And my comment was in reference to something out of his article.... I put "not to get off topic, but" before I wrote the statement. I assumed that would be a sign that I was changing the subject..... the origin of the spider in the OP´s post is irrelevant as the question was about humidity, not the actual spider. 




Formerphobe said:


> Last I checked, most Brachypelma are North American species.  I mentioned the OW arid turret builders as an aside.  I didn't realize the discussion had become restricted since the original post was about a native of Trinidad.
> 
> Many keepers, both novice and experienced, become dependent on a numbered gauge versus monitoring the overall presentation and thrift of the animal(s).  Humidity is never a constant in a natural setting anyway.
> 
> I'll retire from this thread now and let you more experienced keepers carry on.


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## moose35 (Jun 2, 2013)

Formerphobe said:


> I didn't realize the discussion had become restricted since the original post was about a native of Trinidad.


 
Trinidad = new world  


moose


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jun 2, 2013)

Darmelc said:


> Ha yea barely got through earth science so I never worked about physics.  There is a reason i married a school teacher I. We talked about your page toque and she started laughing. She just taught humidity today.  We will sit down soon to interpret your page together (had trends to throb when I try alone) Thanks again
> 
> Calgary is freaking awesome lean more towards Banff myself though
> 
> ...


Yeah banff is gorgeous.  However if you keep heading west it gets even more gorgeous.  Nakusp BC is probably my favorite place to go during the summer.


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## Stan Schultz (Jun 2, 2013)

josh_r said:


> A very good article on humidity Stan. ...


WHOA! Now I have competition in the long-winded department! Just kidding, just kidding!

:laugh:


I'll need to take your post home and read it thoroughly before I reply.







Enjoy your little 8-legged Einstein.

---------- Post added 06-02-2013 at 06:11 PM ----------




EightLeggedFreaks said:


> Yeah banff is gorgeous. ...





Too, commercial!






EightLeggedFreaks said:


> ... However if you keep heading west it gets even more gorgeous.  Nakusp BC is probably my favorite place to go during the summer.






Ahhhh! The hot spring!


Next on the list is Clinton. The dirt roads through the surrounding mountains are almost unbelievable!







Too bad we don't have any native tarantulas up here. Does anyone make 8-legged parkas?


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## josh_r (Jun 3, 2013)

Yeah, that was a bit long winded.... Guess you do have competition 

By the way Stan, as far as the naturalistic setup response, I am in no way disrespecting you or your knowledge. I respect you and know you have plenty of knowledge. I am solely curious as to why you think this way and what proof you have to back your statement.. as you have done very well on your humidity article. 

I look forward to your response  take care

Josh




Pikaia said:


> WHOA! Now I have competition in the long-winded department! Just kidding, just kidding!
> 
> :laugh:
> 
> ...


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