Terrarium Fogger for Amphibians

In the captive amphibian world, humidity is one of the most monitored abiotic factors of terrariums behind temperature. Household humidifiers have been around for a while now, but only recently that technology has broken out into the herptile keeping community. Many people choose to raise humidity levels with misting systems, hand sprayers or using a combination of under-tank heat pads with water. Many misting systems can be expensive, difficult to set up for the non-do-it-your-selfer and even an eye sore. Reptiles magazine did a piece on misting system in March 2010. The most important point made in this article is about water droplet size. The smaller the droplet, the more persistent the humidity. The more persistant the humidity, the less water you will expend in having to keep your amphibian moist. Ultrasonic fogging machines are a great option for this principle. Their fog is extremely persistent and also provides and aesthetically pleasing sheet of fog in your terrarium.  Today I will review two products that attempt to utilize ultrasonic fogging technology.



Exo-Terra puts out a cheap alternative to more expensive fogging/misting systems with their ultrasonic Fog Generator. The system is very simple to use and does not require any assembly. Simply place the fogger into a body of water deep enough to reach the water-level indicator and plug it in. Fog will begin to rise from the body of water and fill your terrarium...

That is, if this product even works out of the box. I recently tested this product on my Red-Eye Tree Frog tank. This was a cheap alternative to an expensive misting system so I went for it. Right out of the box it was very simple to set up. The fogger only worked for about 20 seconds. I returned my failing product and replaced it with a new one. Again this new fogger did the same thing. I figured I was using it incorrectly. I searched the interweb for tips on how to get this fogger to work with many interesting answers. Many reviewers were saying this product failed as quickly, if not quicker, than mine. Another thing to worry about with this fogger is the potential for extreme heat. This fogger is designed to be placed in your terrarium water-source in close proximity to your animals. Several people have reported an extreme increase in temperatures or even burns on their amphibians due to this product. Although I have not experienced this myself, it is worth noting. A simple way to avoid burns is to create an external water reservoir and guide the fog into your tank using tubing. Finally, if you do get this product to work and avoid burning your animals, there is a high turn-over rate on ultrasonic disks. The disk will corrode quickly requiring you purchase a separate disk and disk removal kit.

All in all, if you want put your money into a fogging system, avoid this product at all costs. I highly recommend Zoo-Med's Repti-Fogger.




Zoo-Med takes the ultrasonic fogging system to a convenient, safe and external housing. It is the same ultrasonic fogging principle used in Exo-Terra's fogger, only more reliable and keeper friendly. For $8 bucks more, you can purchase Zoo-Med's product. The housing for the fogging system is sleek and definitely not an eye sore. The fog can then be directed by plastic hosing to your terrarium. An added benefit is the hosing will fit PVC fittings allowing you to span and fog several terrariums at a time. I also liked how you were able to adjust the amount of fog produced. The water reservoir stores roughly a liter of water, and with adjustable fog amounts, you can spread out the reservoir refill frequency. I have been using two foggers for almost a year now without any failures in fogging disks. I will clean the disks off every now and then because calcium will build up over a period of time. The only thing I wish this product had was a timer. Zoo-Med's fogger has only an on and off setting. For keepers who are looking to have 15 minute fog intervals once an hour, you will have to purchase an electrical light timer from your local home improvement store.

Zoo-Med's Reptifogger is a reasonable alternative to expensive misting systems and is a great way to avoid Exo-Terra's Fog Generator. I highly recommend this product. Be aware that this is only for humidity purposes. Many amphibians require droplets or the sound of rain to trigger breeding behavior, so these fogging systems will not help in that regard. Eventually you may require a more expensive misting or rain system for your amphibians, but this fogger will definitely suffice for now.

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Exo-Terra Terrarium

I recently started using two Exo-terra Glass Terrarium for a group of frogs that is extremely good at escape. This is my first use of swinging door terrariums. The majority of the animals I work with are housed in simple aquariums with slide or sit-on-top lids. Anyone used to working tree frogs or animals that easily get excited knows how much a pain normal aquariums can be to service. The new swinging door, closed top terrariums being offered by Exo-Terra and Zoo-Med as simple methods that essentially solve difficult escape artists.

My initial reaction to the Exo-Terra 18x18x18 terrarium was skeptical. I generally avoid Exo-Terra products but these tanks seem to be fairly decent for the price. Exo-Terras are actually a little better suited than Zoo-Med's counter-part terrarium. The double doors in these models aid in servicing each side without leaving another large escape route on the other side of the tank. These tanks are also non-tempered glass so drilling is possible for drainage. Some added features I liked about these tanks are the power-cord holes and guides that allow a seamless background without any ugly wires and mess inside the carefully planted or decorated tank. All wires are able to be concealed behind the pre-formed polystyrene. This is another added feature I liked about these tanks. We've all seen how herpetological artists are able to create detailed and beautiful backgrounds with supplies found at home depot...but who has time for that? The polystyrene provided is a subtle background that blends well. Epiphytic plants and drift wood can even be pushed into the background to add an extra element of detail to your vivarium. Finally, the tank is very well sealed. All glass doors swing closed and fit like a glove. Poor sealing could be very difficult when trying to efficiently keep your terrarium humid, Exo-Terra seems to do a good job.

I am very pleased with Exo-Terras Terrariums. The only reservation I have is in the door mechanisms. The tank I use does not give the option for an easy locking device. For some, that may not be a big problem, but for those of us with meddling siblings it can be a problem. Although I haven't had a problem yet, the door latching mechanism seems quite flimsy and could be at risk of wear and tear. We will see.

All in all, a very good product and worth the money with the packaged light fixture. It may be pricier than an aquarium of its size, but its well worth the few extra bucks from a keeping standpoint.