Fans for ventilation

[Kaben]

Hi guys,

First post here - still researching things before i get my (hopefully!) BB Ambilobe later this year.

Ventilation is obviously very key in the keeping of chameleons and thus mesh cages are reccomended. However here in the UK it can be difficult to keep temperatures up without glass sides. ( I keep poison dart frogs and have had to overcome this problem already, especially since they dont have basking lamps to provide heat.)

I have a 90x90wx45 cm tall exoterra already that i wish to use - but these only have a mesh top. To stop the air from stagnating in my frog tanks i have installed fans, hidden in the background to circulate the air around the tank. The background is made from expanding foam ( i think you call it great stuff in the US) and houses the fans which are 100% safe as they are covered with protective mesh and the end of their ducts to prevent curious critters from getting chopped to bits.

Would this be an OK system to use with chameleons or do you think they would be intolerant of the breeze? They wouldnt have to be on constantly, they can be operated by timer switch and are almost silent.

Not seen anyone else talk about circulating the air manually to ensure freshenss in a glass sided viv, so would be interested to hear your thoughts,

Rob

 

[Seeco]

Well if it does not kill your frogs, the chams will be fine.

The real question is should you just sell that tank and get a more cham oriented one?

 

[Kaben]

Well if it does not kill your frogs, the chams will be fine.

The real question is should you just sell that tank and get a more cham oriented one?

Thanks for the reply -I didnt want to make any assumptions about the chams based on my frogs.

I have seen alot of people using the exo-terras for chams and in theory they should have enough airflow through the front vents and out the top screen without the need of fans, purely through convection. I just like to play it safe and have the backup of fans - i wouldnt want to induce any respiratory problems etc.

In an ideal world I would love to build a mesh cage from scratch but i am just fearful that i wont be able to control the temps like i would in the glass one.

"Summer" time here, if you can call it that, is very variable. It can be 22degrees c one day with blazing sunshine though the windows and the next it could be 12 degrees and raining. Winter i also very cold and i dont always have my central heating on.

Unless of course i bought some perspex sheets to cover the mesh sides up during winter to help keep the heat in? A sort of transformable cage. Do people do that?

 

[myshed]

Thanks for the reply -I didnt want to make any assumptions about the chams based on my frogs.

I have seen alot of people using the exo-terras for chams and in theory they should have enough airflow through the front vents and out the top screen without the need of fans, purely through convection. I just like to play it safe and have the backup of fans - i wouldnt want to induce any respiratory problems etc.

In an ideal world I would love to build a mesh cage from scratch but i am just fearful that i wont be able to control the temps like i would in the glass one.

"Summer" time here, if you can call it that, is very variable. It can be 22degrees c one day with blazing sunshine though the windows and the next it could be 12 degrees and raining. Winter i also very cold and i dont always have my central heating on.

Unless of course i bought some perspex sheets to cover the mesh sides up during winter to help keep the heat in? A sort of transformable cage. Do people do that?

The exo without fans is fine, with fans too it'll be great. I'm in the uk too and have had similar issues, the mesh cages aren't the easiest to ensure heat and humidity. Mine are now in custom wooden vivs that are lined with perspex, but have 12 soffit vents ensuring a good flow of air. Fans are an option i looked at, as they could be mounted inside behind the soffit vents, but as it is i don't really need them. But if you want them, they're fine.

Dave

 

[pssh]

An exoterra should be fine without a fan. However if you do choose to use a fan, it's recommended that you use the fan to draw air out of the enclosure rather than push air in/around.

 

[Alekthechameleon]

If its on a timer im sure it would be fine...just as long as the timer isnt frequent.. like not as much as it being on.

 

[Chameleopatrick]

If its on a timer im sure it would be fine...just as long as the timer isnt frequent..

Not sure if this is good advice or not but..Since there isn't any quality to back up the statement just a quick pat answer. I would discard a post like this from any consideration.

The original question is an excellent one. I use computer fans with all my Exo terra cages. The glass cage first of all is superior for heat and humidity retention. The use of fans with Exo terra or any other type of cage is necessary for several reasons. Air movement allows the cham to move as it would in the wild, meaning that chameleons move the way they do because of air movement. Fans also help prevent mold and chronic wet spots in the enclosure. Fans used with timers are valuable tools to assist in keeping any enclosure healthy. The plants love the fans too!

Now as for which direction it should blow I completely believe you should have the air moving in the cage not sucking air out as others have stated. When the air blows and moves air in the habitat your chameleons will become active and stimulated as well as many hiding bugs. A reasonable schedule of 5 times per day at 10-15 minutes per session has worked incredibly well and has nothing but positive effects to the entire habitat and residents in my care.

140MM fans are cheap and work well, highly recommended.

My Carpet cham enclosure with FAN.

 

[Kaben]

Many thanks for the responses everyone - its really nice to have such an active and helpful forum to seek advise from.

My plan was to have the fans circulating the air internally and allow convection to deal with the movement of air into & out of the vivarium. I also plan to (once old enough) handle and let him move around on a free range tree daily so there should be enough exchange of air from that regardless.

@Myshed - do you ever find that the perspex warps from teh humidity? It was always a big no-no with the frog vivariums because of this trait. Then again frog humidity is much higher

@Chameleopatrick - thanks for the response. I would probably use a variation of 140mm & 80mm fans wired into a variable resitor so i could alter the air speed. It definitely took me a while to work out which speed was most favoured by my frogs. Out of interest, what is that unit on the top of your vivarium? Looks very interesting.

Just incase anyone is interested, this is my frog tank, and the fans are hidden, one behind the waterfall on the left hand side and two in the central cliff face thing. They draw air from teh ground level and push it out across the top of the cage toward the front glass creating a nice circulation of air. It is 36"w*18"h*18"d.


RB-8912 by Robert Bridgens, on Flickr


RB-8923 by Robert Bridgens, on Flickr

These are old pictures - the viv has gron in alot since then!

 

[haydenm14]

Not sure if this is good advice or not but..Since there isn't any quality to back up the statement just a quick pat answer. I would discard a post like this from any consideration.

The original question is an excellent one. I use computer fans with all my Exo terra cages. The glass cage first of all is superior for heat and humidity retention. The use of fans with Exo terra or any other type of cage is necessary for several reasons. Air movement allows the cham to move as it would in the wild, meaning that chameleons move the way they do because of air movement. Fans also help prevent mold and chronic wet spots in the enclosure. Fans used with timers are valuable tools to assist in keeping any enclosure healthy. The plants love the fans too!

Now as for which direction it should blow I completely believe you should have the air moving in the cage not sucking air out as others have stated. When the air blows and moves air in the habitat your chameleons will become active and stimulated as well as many hiding bugs. A reasonable schedule of 5 times per day at 10-15 minutes per session has worked incredibly well and has nothing but positive effects to the entire habitat and residents in my care.

140MM fans are cheap and work well, highly recommended.

My Carpet cham enclosure with FAN.

hi i realize this is very old but if you could give me more understanding on how you get a fan to work on a timer that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nightanole]

You know... If you had the time...

You could make a diy fresh air exchanger like they have in modern houses. Heat Recovery (HRV) and Energy Recovery (ERV) systems.

So if you get it setup right, you could turn over the air several times a day, while maintaining perfectly controlled heat and humidity levels, and have an air filter. Considering a unit that supports 3000 sqft house only draws 80 watts That could be majorly scaled down, or have a high air turnover rate.

 

[haydenm14]

You know... If you had the time...

You could make a diy fresh air exchanger like they have in modern houses. Heat Recovery (HRV) and Energy Recovery (ERV) systems.

So if you get it setup right, you could turn over the air several times a day, while maintaining perfectly controlled heat and humidity levels, and have an air filter. Considering a unit that supports 3000 sqft house only draws 80 watts That could be majorly scaled down, or have a high air turnover rate.

i am creative but i have no idea how to program things or wire things i just need a simple timer thing for a fan haha