An easy to use, low energy incubator for mushroom cultivators
Below we will show you how to get your HotTub set up so you can extended your growing season and speed up the colonisation process.
It heats using a bain-marie / double boiler / water bath type method, basically a tub floating in warm water which gives ambient heat for your myco projects without vaporising your mycelium.
Why do we need to bring the heat?
I've got a heat mat, can I just use that?
I've got a heat mat, can I just use that?
Traditional Heat mats don't radiate heat, they are designed to heat only what is in contact or very close to them.
This often translates into the bottom of your bags becoming too high temp and drying out and the top being too cold to colonise properly.
Once the grain in the bottom of your bag has been overheated and dried out, mycelium is less likely to use it as a nutrient source.
Do mushrooms actually need heat?
Do mushrooms actually need heat?
During the first stages when we are getting mycelium to colonise on agar, in grain spawn or in fruiting substrate we need higher temps. (20-25c is normal) Fruiting doesn't require the same levels of heat for most fungi we are growing at home.
My house is warm, do I need this?
My house is warm, do I need this?
The HotTub is a low energy solution to incubating your projects. If your house is 20-25c consistently anyway, then yeah, you can just pop the bags somewhere in your gaff and it will colonise just fine.
However, if temps drop below this range your mycelium will slow down and ideally we need to get the colonisation part done quickly so we can ensure healthy mycelium for fruiting. The longer this takes, the more the grain could dry out and will be less bioavailable.
What's in the box
HotTub
A grey tub with a hygrometer / thermometer set in the top of it.
TekTub monotub
One of our OG monotubs which fits nicely inside of your HotTub.
Heater
Fish are going to have to adapt to their new coldwater habitat cos we need this.
Foam Pad
Gives a lil buffer between the warmth of the bottom of the container and your projects to prevent overheating.
Chlorine granules
Stops your water from turning green and gross, makes it smell like the local swimming baths.
Chlorine Warnine
We are about to pour chlorine granules into water, use eye protection and gloves.
Do not mix chemicals
Mixing chemicals with chlorine can create chlorine gas which can be deadly.
Lets set things up
Position your tub
You'll need to find a nice spot near a plug socket as your heater will need to be plugged in.
Set the temp
If you live in a very cold house you'll probably need to set this a bit higher. Start at 26c and see how it feels in the tub.
Position your heater
In the bottom of your grey tub pop your heater in the centre using the sucky feet. Run the cable over the side neatly.
Add water
Pour in enough water to cover the heater unit by 5cm (2.5") pour in your chlorine granules. Plug it in and turn it on.
Add foam
Place the foam pad in the bottom of the clear monotub.
Lower tub into water
Lower your monotub (the clear one) into the water, allow it to heat up then add your projects to the tub!
Graincubation
If you are incubating grain spawn then keep the filters free from obstruction.
Pop the lid on
Nice work! Lets keep the heat in shall we? Pop the lid on to keep things nice and toasty.
Colonisation checks
Once a day, have a check on your projects to ensure they are progressing nicely. If you do get any dry appearing grains, mix those into the moist grains and they will be fine.
Troubleshooting
Things aren't getting warm enough
Things aren't getting warm enough
One of the downsides of using a water heater in this situation is that they are designed for heating moving water, what can happen is that the water around the heater thermostat can heat up to the correct temp but most of the water is still too cool.
In this situation, you can swirl the water a few times every few hours when you first set up to get the water temp to even out.
Once you've done this it should remain pretty constant.
If you need to turn up the heater on cooler days, you can do that too.
Can I use the monotub?
Can I use the monotub?
Yeah you can! If you use the HotTub to incubate your grain spawn, when you are at full colonisation you can use the monotub to fruit your mushrooms!
You can find the correct grain & substrate weights here. (See TekTub variant).
Something arrived broken / defective
Something arrived broken / defective
No stress, reach out to us on support and we will get things replaced as per our return policy.