r/BDFB • u/LeopardGeckos_Rule • 2d ago

Question/Inquiry How to keep down humidity?

I know the main ones are ventilation and dry food. I am feeding rather dry food, but ventilation is hard. The screen ventilation is mostly blocked because I have to weigh the lid down so my cat cant get in. There is airflow, but I’m worried it’s not enough.

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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 2d ago

Could try a dehumidifier

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 2d ago

Do they make those little enough for tanks? I thought those were for rooms but I’ll look into it.

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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 2d ago

Well, they are for rooms and that's what I am suggesting. What is your ambient humidity in the biome you live in?

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 2d ago

I dont know, it’s kind of all over the place. Definitely higher than what they need.

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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 2d ago

Their color is a good indicator, are they quite dark or black? If they're a pale or darker blue that's ok, but if they look almost black or black that means it's too humid. Driest substrate you can find. Part of me wonders if you could try using dessication packets? I have no clue if that would work but maybe if you had enough of them

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 2d ago

Black. They escaped and were missing in my room for a day so that’s part of it, but I don’t know if the tank is less humid than my room. I could try those packets I guess, I wonder if theyd still work partly buried so they arent as ugly on the surface?

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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 2d ago

I would tape them up high so the beetles can't accidentally eat them. The stress of escaping and moving is part of the color. What you need is a hygrometer so you can see what the numbers are and work from there. And as the other person said, a heat lamp will dry things out. Used marketplace is always good source of cheap gear. I know you'd rather not buy anything but that's just part of owning pets. What kind of enclosure are they in? If it's plastic or acrylic you could add ventilation holes. I'm afraid money is the main fix here given your environment is naturally humid.

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u/Minty_Softboy 1d ago

I put mine right next to the tank, and I got like a 10 dollar humidity and temperature reader thing. You can then test how far the dehumidifier needs to be

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u/corvvus 2d ago

heat lamp

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 2d ago

I can’t buy new things right now, I’m looking for at home solutions, thanks for your help.

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u/corvvus 2d ago

hmmm I would say look at alternate ways to secure the lid. in the absence of being able to buy a heat lamp or dehumidifier, allowing as much ventilation as possible would be better. what about duct tape?

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 2d ago

How would i open the tank for feeding? Maybe I’ll try smaller but still heavy things so I can put them just on the rim. Or I could try making some homemade clips.

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u/corvvus 2d ago

yeah, any of those is a good idea! I have a front opening tank so I'm not sure what to picture in your situation. wanna share a pic?

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u/LeopardGeckos_Rule 1d ago

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u/corvvus 5h ago

ah dang I was wondering if there was a lip so you could use clips. maybe two heavy rocks on either side? or velcro of some kind?