Cool mist humidifier?
 

Hello everybody. I need to boost humidity levels in my growing chamber (55 gallon aquarium). Currently I use a regular steam producing humidifier and I grow mostly Intermediate to cool pleurothallids so I'm having some temperature issues. Has anyone ever used one of these before or have suggestions to cheap ways of boosting the humidity that i can put on a timer for when I'm at work. (DIY contraptions are no problem)

Yes I do it in my set up. Cool mist humidifier from a drug store range anywhere from $20 to $100. The cheap one works fine. I also have a tiny fan, on the same time as the humidifier. Really works. It is on during the day. This set up is for a mini green house.
Andrew

Great, thanks Andrew! I'll go buy one today then.

Yes, you can get "cool mist" humidifiers fairly cheaply and rig up some kind of hose to take it into the tank (they have fans built in, so can "pump" fog short distances). There are versions mean for fogging terraria, like the ReptiFogger, Reptile Fogger in Reptile Care Supplies | eBay

You can also try a bowl of water and one of those mister/fogger things they sell for indoor fountains; it takes a bit of messing around to get them at the right level - and of course as they spit out water into the air, the water level changes... So it's probably worth DIYing a float device (from polystyrene or similar) that will keep it at the right level in a deeper container. Ideally, you'll need a fan in your tank to spread the humidity around, otherwise you generally end up with a "fog layer" at the bottom - but even diffusion will eventually raise the humidity in the rest of your setup.

You can pick them up quite cheaply on ebay (e.g. Mister Fogger in Indoor Water Fountains | eBay), or have a hunt around on TheGoogle.

Of course, you can also consider a misting system, but those aren't exactly cheap.

---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 AM ----------

Oh, if you want a little more control of the humidity, something like this will probably help
Amazon.com: Zoo Med HygroTherm Humidity and Temperature Controller: Pet Supplies

Whatever option you go for, try to use the purest water you can easily obtain. I found our local tapwater (400-600 uS conductivity) left salt deposits on leaves of many plants when used for fogging.

wow.. thanks Discus. I'm seriously considering that humidity/temperature controller. I had no idea they could be so cheap! I may even return the humidifier and get the fogger. Amazon has a package deal that includes the controller, the fogger and a dual gauge for $90. I saw the fogger at a big box pet store for like $150 so I kind of scrapped that idea. Anyway thanks again.
Karl

HygroThem works great (and the price is really good now). I have one for orchid grow tent, controlling a normal humidifier and exhaust vent. Then another one for a music instrument room. One unit is slightly off in terms of RH reading, but it's not a big deal (you just set the set-point a little higher to compensate). I don't know about the reptile humidifier, but it may be better with the normal humidifier. Living in North, I checked out quite a few humidifiers, and I like this one:
Amazon.com: Crane Drop Shape Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier with 2.3 Gallon output per day: Health & Personal Care

With ultra-sonic humidifier, you might want to use RO water if you don't like the white dust.