ideas on how to get the temp up??

[spish]

i have a homemade incubator (using a terrarium and heat mat ) and it keeps a wonderful steady temp (had it on for 5 days now and its kept the same temp the whole time with a humidity of 63%. but the temp is only 89 degrees

any ideas how i can up the temp without adding an extra mat/heatlamp etc? would adding a 'substrate' maybe help or making fake walls out of polystyrene blocks so the space to heat up is smaller?

any ideas greatfull recieved. i have 7 months to perfect it for next years chicks..but would like to get it sorted before then for a trila run if possible!

 

[LaurenM23]

Adding foam to the walls should definitely help with insulation. This may be a dumb question, but do you have some sort of top or lid for the incubator? If not, you could use a layer of glass to trap the heat...anything less solid would allow too much to escape, I would think.

 

[spish]

yes it has a plastic sliding lid..it is really an aquarium that i always used to keep snakes in, but now they have something bigger i was left with this empty tank and thought id give it a shot as an incubator

 

[LaurenM23]

Could you try a higher wattage for your bulb? Move the light right against the lid (assuming it isn't already)? Also, are we certain of the accuracy of your thermometer. I'd hate for you to go to great lengths to increase it a ton, only to find that it was off 5 degrees or something. The fact that it is holding the 89 steady suggests that the insulation factor is good...the heat is just not there. If you use a higher wattage bulb and find that it is producing too much heat, you might consider getting a plug-in dimmer (Lowes and Home Depot sell them for around $10). It would give you great adjustability without having to move the actual light all over the place.

 

[spish]

im not actually using the bulb in the tank, im using the heat mat from the terrarium (uses less electricity than the heat bulbs and is 'safer' as it wont burn anything) i could try turning the light from the aquarium on but its a uv light so wont give off much heat!

 

[LaurenM23]

Sorry...I completely missed the "heat mat" part. I read it and registered a mat on the bottom...not one producing the heat!

Hopefully an expert will come along to help here...I've never heard of using the heated mat for incubating. You might just not be able to get enough heat going in there. The idea of decreasing the amount of space in the unit is good, though. I am wondering if there is a way to decrease your ceiling height or layer some reflective foil coated foam material on the underside of your lid (to push the heat radiation back down toward the egg). The pad might could give off enough heat, if it wasn't rising away from the eggs too much. I would take care not to close in on the eggs too much from all sides...you'll want some air movement in there or you'll never be able to keep the humidity in check.

 

[spish]

think im gonna have to play around a bit with it. im now thinking heat mat one end of the tank, polystrene divider down the middle and foil on the underside of the lid. some small round holes at the top and bottom of the polysyrene wall. then on the other half of the divider, my large low dish with water in, and a small mini fan for circulation?

heres a pic of the terrarium/aquarium in question so you know roughly the design. the lid folds up (like a concertina effect) the large 'pool' in there on the right hand side is what i use for the water. ive left the 3D foam background in for extra insulation. the substrate, house and sticks are all out of course!)
im also wondering weather to put the cork substrate back in as the tank seemed warmer with that in, but am worried what effect the higher humidity will have on it (maybe great place for bacteria to grow??)

 

[LaurenM23]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I have been seeing those small fans popping up in tons of stores lately, for some reason. I like the design...you could use the tree as a mini-roost if you used this set up as a brooder and put it back in! Not so sure what they'd do in the house...probably get stuck and panic...leaving it out might be a good idea! haha

I'm not sure if the substrate would be good or bad. With cork, I'm thinking that it might wick up too much of your humidity. Since you've got plenty of time, perhaps you could try it both ways. I would start with a new piece, though, since it is so porous...getting it disinfected would be VERY challenging.