Humidity trouble

[Christianb96]

im about to buy a long 20 gallon tank for my 2 dictators and i wanted to get some opinions on the best way to keep the heat and humidity up. Right now In my 10 gallon tank I struggle to keep the humidity up because of my ceramic heater (heat is no issue with the lamp). I'm worried that I won't be able to keep the humidity up in the new tank with the lamp. ( I need tempatures of 80-85 on the hot side, and 75-85% humidity) what would be my best option?

 

[RTTB]

If it's a screen top your humidity will be low. I'm old school so for a 20 gallon tank I would use the old aquarium heater in a water filled glass jar method and seal off enough of the vented top to get the right balance of humidity versus air flow. Heat pads on the side or back of tank(not underneath) combined with the right amount of damp not soggy substrate works great too.

 

[Christianb96]

Will a heat pad heat up enough of the tank? I've never had much luck with them. Right now I have a piece of glass over half the top and it still seems to leak humidity. And what is the aquarium heater/glass jar method, I don't think I've seen that done

 

[RTTB]

A big mason jar filled with water with a matching submersible aquarium heater set to a desired temp. Kicks off heat and humidity. Unsightly yes but functional.

 

[Anoplogaster]

Sometimes I wonder if the temperature characteristics of glass do anything with the surrounding air and its ability to hold humidity. I've experienced this keeping reptiles. I can build an enclosure out of waterproof-coated wood with ventilation in the exact same configuration as a glass tank of the same dimensions, but the humidity will be noticeably higher. The only factor I can think of is temperature retention. *shrug*