My roach setup advice please (pic heavy)

[spyder86]

Here are some pics of my setup, please if you see anything wrong tell me cause I'm shooting in the dark here.
I do have the tape on a dimmer to keep it at the right temps.
The tube

lid for a 10g tank under for circulation

temps and humid, im trying to get humid up

probe is inside the tube taped to the bottom directly above the heat tape

2' section of flex watt heat tape duck taped directly to the outside bottom of tube

the connectors, impossible to find in local shops

inside setup

the little devils

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Looks good. You went more complex than Me...lol But it looks good

 

[0mega9401]

nice set up how do u get your humidity up ive had mine for a while but my humidity sucks

 

[hartungs]

It looks good to me too. I am not sure that I would leave the temperature probe in the bin permanently. I would just dangle it in the egg cartons over the heat tape about an inch from the floor for about an hour. Measure the temps to make sure that you are good and then take it out. When you put the lid on be sure that the vent is above the food and water and not over the heated side.

 

[spyder86]

im experimenting, right now i am trying soaking one or two egg crates and it has helped a little and doesn't seem to bother the little guys and gals. the vent is over the food side, and i heated the hole thing, the tape runs the whole length of the bottom of the tube as per what my boss who is an entomologist (doctor in the science of bugs) told me. I work for the USDA in an entomology lab so I get privileged info on mostly useless stuff but every so often i get a gem :lol:

 

[hartungs]

OH NO!!!! You do not want to soak egg crates. Take them out! You will grow mold and bacteria quickly. I would suggest that if you feel you need to increase the humidity level then put in a larger saucer/bowl of water crystals. How large is the vent in the top of your bin? If it is too large then you will lose some humidity. But, I do not worry about the humidity levels in my bin all that much. The most important thing to worry about are the temperatures.

EDIT: I should have read the entire post before I posted. The reason your humidity levels are low is because you have too much heat in the bin. The reason that you only heat one side is so the dubia can regulate their temperature.

 

[spyder86]

moved the thermometer and temp is only 80 at max temp on the dial, don't know if that is good. i will take the crates out and put them in the oven to dry them out. i already have a big, 5'', plate heaped with water crystals. the opening is 7.5" x 7.5''

 

[diggerdrake]

just heat the end where the egg crates are and your humidity will come up a little. Having the cool side allows for the roaches to thermoregulate> they will most likely hang out in the crates til night time and then feed and such. I use a remote temp guage and leave the transmitter on the bottom where the crates are. keeping plenty of water crystals in there keeps the humidity between 40-45% I have 2 lids full all the time. One full of food and once a week they get about 3/4 of an orange (the other 1/4 goes to the hissers) the leftovers from my lizard's salads go to the roaches. Having a cord coming out the tote could give the roaches a way to climb near the top. that is why I have a remote looks like a pretty good setup. I am sure with a little fine tuning you will have plenty of goodies for your beardie

 

[RioReptiles]

If you want to boost your humidity a little, keep the water crystals full and keep them soaked for starters, then you could place a dish towel over the screen to reduce ventilation. I have a blanket wrapped around the bin and over the top for insulation, it helps keeps the temps more consistent and humidity up. I was having condensation form on the inside so it was working too well.

 

[Alix1378]

lucky roaches... long as they dont mind the whole sitting on death row idea