cool mist fogger / bacteria ?

[little leaf]

First let me say , I dont have a cham right now , but these are questions I am thinking of because I am building a cage that is 3' deep, 4' wide, and 7 ' tall, its a triangle shape, fits in the whole corner of my family room, I was wondering if anyone knew how long it takes for bacteria to build up in water? I have a cool mist fogger ( about 1.5 gal storage tank) but my question is... how long does it take for bacteria to grow in water? I dont want to give my cham ( when I get another*Laurie*) a cool mist bacteria shower I am just starting to build this, and want to avoid any mistakes - I had originally planed a waterfall, but know now NOT to have one - so now I am worried about bacteria in my fogger tank - just want to be sure to do it all the right way I watched ALL of Jdogs vids, but he never says how long his water stays in the fogger tanks -
any advice would be great ty

 

[tenchijin]

I would think that it would be fine if you cleaned it every 1-3 weeks or so.

 

[CLP]

The cool mist or ultrasonic humidifiers are not as much of a concern as the warm ones which is why they are recommended. That being said, I soak mine in a 10% bleach solution weekly. Just make sure to rinse well. You should also be cleaning/disinfecting any drippers/misters too

I think you'll find that you'll go through the water in the tank every day or two in the winter months. Just make sure you're water is OK for your cham - i.e. if it's tap water, best to treat it with a reptile water treatment first in case there's any nasty chemicals. I use spring water or RO in my humidifiers, misters and drippers.

 

[little leaf]

I would think that it would be fine if you cleaned it every 1-3 weeks or so.

oh, ok, well, it would run empty in about 3 days when I did use it for a short time, and then I would wash it, I was worried about any water also laying in the mist "pipes" - it will pump the mist up the back of the cage, and out the top so the mist falls threw the cage, so there really in no "standing" water except the tank itself - but that is a lot longer than I thought- so that is good the whold cage is being planed around a montane cham - just not sure what exact one yet - but I think a Quad or Jackson - ( or both , i do have 2 corners

 

[little leaf]

The cool mist or ultrasonic humidifiers are not as much of a concern as the warm ones which is why they are recommended. That being said, I soak mine in a 10% bleach solution weekly. Just make sure to rinse well. You should also be cleaning/disinfecting any drippers/misters too

ok, I will do weekly then- I am planing it so I CAN take all parts moving water/mist apart very easily - any other suggestions? the drain is under the floor, and is piped right to the outside thew the foundation - I did not plan a U trap in it, so there will be no way for water to stand under it , and it will also let air in , so that should stay dry - I have planed this from time we built the house- and after 18 yrs ( lol) its time to build it

 

[nightanole]

http://www.amazon.com/BestAir-3BT-6-Humidifier-Bacteriostatic-Treatment/dp/B000CMHLMG

what i use. No cleaners. I use half the recomended dosage, just enough to prevent red algae. Not sure why you cant use in for ultrasonics, and the company doesnt make a baterialstat for ultrasonics...

 

[deadhd5]

http://www.amazon.com/BestAir-3BT-6-Humidifier-Bacteriostatic-Treatment/dp/B000CMHLMG

what i use. No cleaners. I use half the recomended dosage, just enough to prevent red algae. Not sure why you cant use in for ultrasonics, and the company doesnt make a baterialstat for ultrasonics...

I would be worried using this in an ultrsonic since an ultrasonic just creates vapor through vibration and not evaporation. It seems like there is a risk it could be putting a mist of some very nasty chemicals into the air

 

[nightanole]

I would be worried using this in an ultrsonic since an ultrasonic just creates vapor through vibration and not evaporation. It seems like there is a risk it could be putting a mist of some very nasty chemicals into the air

Unfortunately one year i didnt keep my ultra sonic cleaned very well and the whole room got coated in some vinegar smelling algae/mold/fungus. I switched to evaporators an havent had any troubles other than calcuim caking on the non metal pads.

 

[deadhd5]

Unfortunately one year i didnt keep my ultra sonic cleaned very well and the whole room got coated in some vinegar smelling algae/mold/fungus. I switched to evaporators an havent had any troubles other than calcuim caking on the non metal pads.

Thanks for sharing your experience, that sounds awful! I will make routine maitenance of my humidifier a much higher priority.

Did you have to scrub down the whole room?

 

[little leaf]

when I first got it, it came with little "anti bacteria " pills - but I threw them out because I thought they would be un safe- now I wish I would have kept them to see if they were safe, it said to put one in every week - they were tiny small pill looking things- the mister even has a little "cage" in it for them- I will try to see what they were - if it is safe for a baby, maybe it was ok for a cham?? I did not want to trust it tho - so i pitched them - if I find any info on them will post it

thanks for your help guys - I just don't think I can bear losing another cham from something I did wrong- ( not that I did wrong, but just want to be sure to do all correct )

 

[Carlton]

when I first got it, it came with little "anti bacteria " pills - but I threw them out because I thought they would be un safe- now I wish I would have kept them to see if they were safe, it said to put one in every week - they were tiny small pill looking things- the mister even has a little "cage" in it for them- I will try to see what they were - if it is safe for a baby, maybe it was ok for a cham?? I did not want to trust it tho - so i pitched them - if I find any info on them will post it

thanks for your help guys - I just don't think I can bear losing another cham from something I did wrong- ( not that I did wrong, but just want to be sure to do all correct )

It is also affected by your water. I use reverse osmosis filtered water in my foggers and they do seem to stay clean longer because there's less organic material going into them. I routinely rinse my tubing, pvc piping, and the humidifier base in a water/bleach solution as well as a vinegar solution (to remove mineral deposits).

 

[little leaf]

yes, these are the things I need to know I have a well, but we are on all sandstone, so our water is great - it taste like rain - I love it and we do not have any type of water treatment system, and I have very little to no mineral deposits on anything in the house - but I know there must be some- so I dont want any build up in my stuff - or in my cham- lol - hmmm, another question now.......how do I know if my water is ok for him? - is there a test I can do ??