If you had to choose....

Horaceunit

Established Member
I have this
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2x3x4 enclosure set up. I have an exo-terra monsoon 2 that I need to get up and running. This will be temporary and I will be getting a mistking before I get a cham. I also need a fogger and a UVB meter. Here's the question: would you get the UVB meter first, or the mistking? Just to be clear I will not be getting a cham until I have everything set up and have everything I need. The monsoon I already have and currently I am just hand misting the plants. I'm leaning towards the UVB meter at this point so I can get the UVB distance dialed in from the light to the basking branches. That way I can change the branch heights if needed. Thanks for any thoughts!
 
I would get the UV meter first since you do already have the monsoon. Super nice set up.
You may want to pull your feeder cup a little ways. My chameleons seem to prefer them higher, rather than lower. At the top 1/2 is where they seem to do better.
 
I'd do the Solarmeter 6.5 first as well. You already have a mister, and if you didn't, then you could hand mist, but you have nothing to check one of the most crucial aspects of correct husbandry. Misting is something you can get away with because there's so many options, and they can be dirt cheap methods. The UVB meter is needed to make sure your chameleon will be healthy. Agree with the feeding cup being higher, too
 
Hey thanks for the comments! I cam within a chameleons eyelash of ordering the solar-meter but decided to go for the mistking. I have a build thread going too and threw the question in it and a response there was to get the mister so I can make sure both misting and drainage are both working correctly. The other thing was I realized the hydration mounts I got from Dragon Strand have 2 holes for either the monsoon or mistking. That would mean putting a hole in the screen top and then having to put a second one in for the mistking and having a hole to cover later. Seems to make more sense to only have to set up misting once. So I went ahead and ordered a mistking from one of the forums sponsors Josh's Frogs. Thanks again!
 
Again (from the other thread) I would get or build the UVI meter first.
Since you've already ordered the MK, I would set it up and see what you get.
When I set mine up—with several nighttime misting sessions—I found humidities sufficient; a fogger would be redundant. YMMV.

I just went through a similar exercise with the Missus' tortoise table. Some baby tortoises require ridiculously high humidities for shell formation, etc. but the natural humidity generated 1" off the misted substrate is proving more than sufficient.
 
The main deciding factor came from the realization that there was going to be a lot more to setting up a mistking than there would be in using the uvb meter. For instance I'm going to need to build a shelf in the cabinet stand so I can get the water reservoir higher than the pump for gravity feeding. That's what made me go for the mistking. Currently ambient room humidity is right around 50%. When I hand mist the enclosure really well I can get it around 80-85%. These readings are with a Govee bluetooth monitor.
 
The main deciding factor came from the realization that there was going to be a lot more to setting up a mistking than there would be in using the uvb meter. For instance I'm going to need to build a shelf in the cabinet stand so I can get the water reservoir higher than the pump for gravity feeding.
You don't need a lot of height. My reservoir is sitting on a stacked 2 x and 1 x (2¼" above the pump intake) and operates just fine.
 
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