I bought a sportsman cabinet incubator from a friend a while back ago. To boost the humidity on day 18 I really need the humidity pads that go in the water. Instead of the humidity pads would those big sponges from Walmart work? Is there a big difference?
I got some really dense sponges from Menard's because they were really cheap and good for a lot of different uses. I tried them instead of the humidity pads and they did not work at all. They just wouldn't wick the water up like I thought they would. If the sponges that you are considering are a very porous and non-dense they might work but I never got around to getting any very porous sponges to try. If those sponges are very dense, they will not work.
Natural sea sponges are very absorbent and "fluffy". You can find them in most arts and crafts store. They also have a LOT of exposed surface area. I think it would probably work great.
Can you bleach a sea sponge? If I spent the money on one, I'd want to use it over. I bought a cheap pack of sponges at the dollar store, and cut them into 1 - 2" strips and they worked great in my small home made incubator. I wired a pudding cup to the wire upright section that keeps the chicks away from the electronic stuff, stood the sponge (s) in the cup, and added water as needed with a syringe hooked to a piece of aquarium air line tubing. If you get the cheap ones, there's a cellulose one that wicks well, and then a plastic one that's more shiny that doesn't wick well at all.
I wouldn't bleach even a regular sponge, but that's just me. I use tea tree oil and scalding hot water to disinfect mine.
