Rainforest mist/fog in zoo exhibits

M

Miguel

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, I'm doing some research for a project, and I'd like to know how to achieve the mist or fog effect that we see in some zoo's rainforest exhibits? Are they smoke / fog machines, water misters or some other devices?

Thanks a lot in advanced

Miguel
 
Rainforest foggers

A company called Zoomed makes a fogger/humidity machine that is great for rainforest exhibits. Make sure to use distilled water or the deposits will ruin it quick. It does a great job keeping our rainforest exhibit nice and foggy.

Cheryl Gilman
Animal Care Specialist
Micke Grove Zoo
Lodi, CA USA
 
Thanks Cheryl, I've googled it and found their website. Let's see what I find out!! ;)
Thanks once again
 
The effectiveness depends on environmental factors and so the number of mist nozzles needs to be adjusted accordingly. It is easier to create a very visible mist in situations where the air is still, humidity is not too low and the sky is overcast. In outdoor situations, the mist may be very thick one moment and impossible to see an hour later. Also, all nozzles need to be easily accessible for regular cleaning and the tubing, which is fine, needs to be protected from damage and foot treads.

Perhaps the original and best known supplier here in the US has been Mee:
Zoos, Aquariums And Botanical Gardens Rely On MeeFog Special Effects Fog, Mist, Humidity, And Spray To Add Sensational Fog Or Cloud Features And Cooling Effects.
 
We have a fog/mist system at the entrance to our African Journey. On very humid days it is very, very foggy and difficult to see. That's when we have to turn the timer down so folks don't crash into each other. Its a great effect to see the sitatunga emerging from the mist that drifts into their exhibit! I'm not sure what system we have but I'm fairly certain that it works on tap water, no small feat in a city with fairly hard water.
 
Rookeyper said:
We have a fog/mist system at the entrance to our African Journey. On very humid days it is very, very foggy and difficult to see. That's when we have to turn the timer down so folks don't crash into each other. Its a great effect to see the sitatunga emerging from the mist that drifts into their exhibit! I'm not sure what system we have but I'm fairly certain that it works on tap water, no small feat in a city with fairly hard water.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the water there is very hard. Are you certain the system doesn't have its own filters? They almost always do.
 
Thanks everyone! I'm looking for a system that can provide mist or fog just for its look so there's no real "active function"... And I only need it to last a few minutes.

Basically I want to create the effect of "the sitatunga emerging from the mist that drifts into their exhibit".

I'll have a look at what you guys are mentioning, I'm sure there's something similar here in Europe.

Thanks a lot

Miguel
 
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In Hagenbeck's Troparium the fog results from small nebulizers that are insert in the ground between the plants.
Unfortunately I can't find a picture of them.

In a small butterfly-house in my home's near they use another option. They have a rain-machine. One or two times a day its raining there and because of the heat the rain becomes fog.
 
If you want it for a one-time short term effect how about using dry ice? Putting a bit of water on it will create quite the cloud.
 
Rookeyper said:
If you want it for a one-time short term effect how about using dry ice? Putting a bit of water on it will create quite the cloud.
Click to expand...

I've looked at that too, but I'll need to create that effect 4 times a day, all year around... That's a lot of dry ice.
Also I'm concerned about using it around animals (vapors and stuff like that).

I might experiment with a smoke/fog machine used on discos, and see if that works.

For those of you who have seen the water system, does the fog moves (circulate or disperse) if an animal or a person walks through it?

Thanks everyone for helping me on this!!
 
Above all , resist the temptation to ever dare to use any water that has not been prepared according to regulations as per drinking water.Otherwise , if there should ever be a problem with a cryptosporidium or a Legionnaire´s disease outbreak in your area , you would be a prime suspect as a user of an atomized water source in a public area.There could be fatalities, and you never want your zoo to even appear in a list of suspect institutions.Your zoo may be using recycled water for horticultural purposes , but you must never under any circumstances atomize (mist ) this water.The microscopic size of water droplets produced in misting systems make them an ideal vector for any number of micro-organisms.The last thing your zoo needs is to provoke the local health authorities with this issue, or be unnecessarily involved in a public health scandal.
 
Thanks European Fauna! We only use safe water in our facility so I hope this won't be a problem.
But I'm still researching about this and I'll be testing some fog/smoke machines to see if they can create the effect I need. I still don't know if the "fog" created by the water atomizer moves the way I want, or if it moves at all when an animal walks / flies through it...

Thanks a lot for your input though it's an important point to consider!
 
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