When making your own incubator do you like the heat tape down both sides and bottom or down the back and bottom and why?
I do the ‘heated water in a cooler’ approach, no heat tape
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I’m in the process of building one now. I gutted an old wine fridge and I was planning on doing one piece of heat tape down the back. I’m also going to install a false wall panel in the back and attach a fan to it for air circulation.
@t_h_wyman- I’ve been curious about your incubation method since I saw a hatchling post you made the other day w/o substrate for humidity, now this for your incubator.
Could you elaborate more and maybe a few pics?
You can DM me if you prefer. Thx
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I was wondering the same thing
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For me it depends on the size/shape of the container your using. I currently use a Monster drink store display cooler/fridge w 12" heat tape from about halfway down sides across bottom. I’ve used a smaller fridge b4 that I had the tape across the sides/back from left-right because of an irregularly shaped bottom. I prefer the sides/bottom for larger containers as heat obviously rises w a small fan on top blowing down lightly to circulate/regulate air flow/temps.
There are so many different ways to incubate that any 1 probably isn’t much better than the rest. As long as you can have consistent temps & humidity needed it’ll work. Eggs don’t know or care as long as needs are met.
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Tyvm. I always like hearing how differently our hobby can be done w similar end results.
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Riley was kind enough to link my older post while I was away yesterday but I will try and take some photos over the weekend and post them so you can get a visual
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Alright, picture time
The cooler
The water reservoir
I cannot remember where I got these pots but they are great for stability
I run, and advocate, two aquarium heaters. One is set to a couple degrees lower than the other and is there to act as a backup should the first one fail. I also have the heaters wired in to a timer and they run a 12/12 cycle
Close up showing the positioning of the recirculating pump
Light grid set on top of the pot. I have some strips of grid zip-tied down to act as props that hold the boxes at a slight incline. This allows any condensation inside the box to roll down the inside of the lid and collect at the low point rather than drip directly on to the eggs
One of my egg boxes. I place a piece of light grid in them to keep the eggs elevated and allow airflow and also keep them out of contact with any water that may collect in the bottom of the box
Close-up of the egg box. I drill a few small air holes, two on each side, to allow better air exchange
Clutch inside a box. I did not reset the min/max temps or humidity from when it was shut down and brought back up so those values are not accurate. I check the system daily and the swing is maybe two degrees and five percent over the course of the season.
Boxes arranged in the cooler. I keep a second min/max in a deli cup that I can easily move around the unit as needed. I can fix six boxes in side the unit which is typically enough for my purposes. I can also fit more than one clutch in a box if necessary
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