[GhostRidr]

So it's been a couple of weeks since I put my new tank into commission, with the daily misting. The one thing I've been concerned about in my tank is the humidity. More specifically, the false bottom. It was my thinking that all this daily misting (sometimes twice a day--I've been fiddling with the venting to get it just right) would result in water going into the false bottom. But there is zero water in my false bottom. I'm wondering if I should just pour some water into that, and let it naturally wick up through the substrate. Opinions?

 

[eyeviper]

I have always filled my false bottom up to a certain desired level. I always have a pond or water feature in my vivs so I put an aquarium heater under the floor which makes the water warm and allows for more evaporation. If you dont have access to the false bottom cavity then the false bottom is more for drainage than anything else. Water will be drawn up by your plans and transfer to the soil which will in turn create your humid environment once it evaporates out of the soil. An aquarium heater speeds this up. i would fill your false bottom up to about half way and see where that maintains your humidity. once your soil reaches its saturation level the humidity will remain pretty constant. hope that helps.

 

[RikRok]

From what I have read(as I'm a newb myself) you do start off with some water already in the false bottom. Half way as stated above or even a little more would be correct from what I have seen and apparently it takes a while for it to actually fill up since it is used by the plants and evaporation.

 

[varanoid]

you do not need to have standing water in your false bottom. I keep a little, around a quarter to a half an inch on the bottom because it seems to keep the humidity up a little higher in my vivs which is a challenge in dry southern cali. If your humidity levels are already sufficient, then it is not necessary. Experiment a little and see what works best for your situation.