Glass fogging up/Half land half water tank

[TheMurrays]

I am building a half land half water tank for fiddler crabs. I just turned on my heater today, and now the glass is fogging up. Does this go away? There are openings in the top, but it's not enough ventilation I guess...

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Make a gap in the glass lids about 1/2-1inch the entire length of the tank at the front. The hot air will rise up the glass in the front of the tank and (hopefully) keep it clear.
I hope that makes sense. If not I'll reword it.

 

[TheMurrays]

That makes sense. Problem is, I've heard that fiddlers are great climbers. And escape artists. I have covered the holes in the back (with a mesh like material... it has holes) to keep them from escaping. Maybe I could cover the front of it too, although it would look dumb haha.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

If it keeps them in and the glass unfogged then I'm sure you can make something that looks alight.

 

[Wy Renegade]

How about removing the lid and replacing it with a screen top? They make them for the assorted tank sizes, or you can DIY. Will keep the crabs in and let the heat out.

 

[DragonFish71]

Or get a small fan, like a computer fan and have it blow across the top. That would pull the humidity up from the tank.

Fiddlers are great escape artists, I used what they call wire cloth screen and formed it into a lid. Once fitted, they couldn't push it out (I used a heavier gauge) and it still allowed air flow.

 

[foster53]

How about removing the lid and replacing it with a screen top? They make them for the assorted tank sizes, or you can DIY. Will keep the crabs in and let the heat out.

My thought exactly

 

[skiweeangel]

Never thought of this problem. Let me know how you overcome it.

 

[TheMurrays]

Thank you for the ideas! I pushed back the lid just enough to let some air escape, but not enough for the crabs to get out. When viewing them I open the top, and close it when I walk away. My husband is wanting to make a wire screen for the lid portion. I have a couple concerns. One is that the wire will get very warm from the light, which may or may not be a problem. Another is that the wire will start to rust from the moisture. Thoughts?

 

[Wy Renegade]

If he's a DIYer, I'd recommend something like this;
Clear mesh top

 

[TheMurrays]

Thank you! I'll definitely show him this!

 

[corinne118s]

I'm having the same problem with my newts.. Except they can fit through anything! I have used heat lamps on wire tops for my lizards before and nothing happens. Maybe over years it will start to deform but I wouldn't worry about that. Appearance wise it isn't beautiful though..