Product Research 1: Monsoon RS400 by Exo-Terra

Over the past couple days, I've really pondered on how many products I bought without knowing if they're truly necessary or if I should even be using them at all, such as the UV lamp and the calcium enriched Cricket Quencher. So I've decided to try doing a little more research into various products that I may one day purchase. For now, I'll just see what others have to say and weather or not I think this is a product I could use. If I decided to buy it later on, I'll definitely put it up to personal review.

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Monsoon RS400 High Pressure Rainfall System
(Research Phase)

For my first product, I'm cheating a little. This is a product I've definitely already done some research on, but it won't hurt to gather up said research and list it here. It might just help someone.

Having tried my hand at keep my terrarium humid, I can definitely understand the need for something a little bigger than a hand mister, and so far, the Monsoon RS400 by Exo-Terra looks like a pretty stellar candidate, at least for my needs.

Check it out here in a video put up by PetSolutions on YouTube.

Why I need it:
-I need to make sure the substrate is moistened every day to ensure proper humidity levels, which in turn help with shedding and overall health.
-Geckos often drink their water off of leaves or even the tank walls, since this is most likely their natural behaviour, so daily mists are essential.
-Rainfall occurs on a fairly daily basis in tropical rainforest (you think?), and I'd like to try to emulate that as much as possible.

Why this product:
For one, this product is designed specifically for the tank I use, namely Exo-Terra's own brand of terrarium. The tube-work fits into the provided inlets along the top of the terrarium and the nozzles are held in place via suction cup. If you're the Handyman Hobbyist Herpetoculturalist, you can probably rig up something of your own design. I chose not to. At least, not at this stage of my "career".

The system is also pretty programmable, from what I've read, which is pretty neat. One could set it to spray off a couple seconds, twice a day.

You can also plug up to six nozzles into this system, which includes two right out of the box, so one could theoretically hook up two to three vivariums.

What compares to it:
After reading a couple chat rooms and watching some YouTube, I've noticed that in place of a direct mist system, some folks go with a fogging system, which might serve one better for various reasons. The reason I came across that seemed most sensible is pooling. If you don't have an absorbent substrate, you might want to consider a fogger.

I, for one, prefer the mister. It seems more like rain and it gives the whole terrarium a nice moistening, which would be great for an all-natural vivi. Not to knock the fogger though. Foggers totally add that "rainforest feel".

I cam across a couple humidifying options:
-The option that kind of seemed strange to me was the Ultrasonic 360 Humidifier from Safety 1st, which is actually used to humidify nurseries. Then again, if you have a big enough enclosure, or you keep the entire room at the right humidity level, this might work. But for me, this isn't even an option. I like my humidity to be direct and discrete.
- Foggers, as mentionned above, might be better for the person who wishes to avoid pooling or over-watering their enclosure. Both Exo-Terra and Zoo Med boast a fogging system in their respective catalogs. ExoT's fogger, however, is more of an add-on to their waterfall systems. Cute, but it could be kind of cumbersome to have an entire waterfall in your habitat just to add a little fog. On the other hand, Zoo Med's Repti Fogger doesn't really seem to have a decent way of incorporating into your vivarium. The kid I found on YouTube actually cut a hole in the screen top of his enclosure. Definitely not something I would consider. I think in this case, I would either simply place it on the screen and let the fog seep through the ever-so-permeable screen top, or rig up a funneling system to put on top of the tank.
In my opinion, both present very viable methods of humidification. It just depends on how much room you have to spare in your set-up.
-My personal favorite, the Monsoon RS400.
-My current option; using a small, hand-held spray bottle. It's cheap, it's simple, it works, but it's more labourious, less measured and so on and so forth.

Useful links and videos

Product links:
Exo-Terra's Monsoon RS400 Rainfall System
Exo-Terra's Fogger and Waterfall 
Zoo Med's Repti Fogger

Videos:

Monsoon RS 400 in action
Video put up by (name) on YouTube.

Here's an example of the Monsoon RS400 being used to mist a dart frog set-up. All frog-related cuteness asside, this is a really nice terrarium. It's also a great showcase for the rainfall system.

Repti Fogger setup and function
Video put up by (name) on YouTube.

This video is put up by HerpCare101. It's a kid named Steve showing off the system and how it works with his tree frog set-up. You can see what I mean about the system being hard to incorporate into your habitat without remodeling your lid.


Some other useful vid links include:
-A video from joshsfrogsvideos showing the installation of the Exo-Terra Monsoon (video)
-A link to the YouTube channel for HerpCare101. I haven't explored it much, but it seems like a great place to peruse. (channel)