Orchids other than phals for beginners

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by LadySoren

As far as hydrometers go (those are the humidity meters right?), all the inexpensive ones on like Amazon have very mixed reviews as to their accuracy.

You're right that they're not terribly accurate. There's no way to calibrate most of them, but they're close enough for most purposes. The AcuRite ones for 10 or 12 bucks are okay. I like the ones that also display the highest and lowest temp and RH for a 24 hour period (resets every 24 hours, beginning with whatever time you inserted the battery).

Basically, when you see readings like 20 or 30%, you know your RH is a lot lower than optimal.

[DweamGoiL]

If you buy a hygrometer that cannot be calibrated, just use the salt test. All you need is regular table salt, a bottle cap, and some water:

Place the salt in the bottle cap (or other small container).

Dampen the salt with water. Do not put so much in that the salt gets "sloppy". You want a damp pile of salt in the bottle cap.

Place both the hygrometer and the bottle cap full of damp salt in the ziploc bag and seal it well. (It is important not to let air on or out while the test is going on.)

Keep it like this for over 8 hours.

After 8 hours in the damp salt environment, the actual humidity inside the bag will be 75%. Compare it to your hygrometer, your hygrometer should also read 75%. If not, you will then know exactly how far off your hygrometer is.

[LadySoren]

I have heard of that. So it actually works??

[DweamGoiL]

Yup *nods*

I have hermit crabs in a 65 gallon tank and humidity is really important in keeping their habitat. This is how it's done

Of course, some hygrometers are better than others. I have used the Honeywell or Meade TM005 (manufactured in the same factory, but Honeywell brand usually costs more. The sensors are also interchangeable) wireless ones when I need more than 1 sensor, and the AcuRite 00325 (has a magnetic strip on the back, which you can use to hang it up). The AcuRite is a nice basic hygrometer and works well and is reliable.

[kindrag23]

@DweamGoil wow that is some serious hermit crab tank. lol, how many do you have?

[The Mutant]

I started out with ordinary NoID Phals, purchased mostly from the local flower shop. Then I decided that I needed to learn how to care properly for them, joined about two million different orchid forums, and discovered Phal species... If you like Phals, and they do well in your conditions, check out the species and see if any of those aren't to your liking.

After Phals, I got bitten by the Paph bug, and now I have mostly Paphs (species, which are harder than hybrids, but I've never claimed to be clever ), including those that I most probably won't ever flower, since I'm also a windowsill grower (I can get the light requirements okay with the help of my T5, but the colder temperature some of them want, is trickier to accomplish).

I've also gotten one Phrag Green Hornet, and as others have said, it's actually quite easy to care for, once you've gotten over the fact that it can't get too much water, and one Dendrobium normanbyense.

Neither of my plants require any winter rest, or other such things, since I can't provide it. I can't get anything that's too big, since I don't have the space.

What I'm trying to say is, use your conditions as a limit and surf this forum for anything that catches your fancy. Also, have in mind how much money you are prepared to use to tweak your conditions (humidifiers, extra lighting, etc.). When I started my obsession, I wasn't even going to make my own substrate mix, since I thought that was totally over the top (and, yes, I thought the people who did it, were slightly crazy), but now I wouldn't even go near anything premixed for my chids.

Oh, thing to check before you venture into the land of the utter orchid-nuts; your water quality. What type of water do you water your chids with? Rainwater (the best I believe), RO-water, or tap water? Some chids are more sensitive to water quality than others (Phrags for example), so it's good to know.

[DweamGoiL]

Originally Posted by kindrag23

@DweamGoil wow that is some serious hermit crab tank. lol, how many do you have?

Believe it or not, I don't have that many. I do have 2 jumbo purple pinchers (one is the size of a small orange and the other is about the size of a large lemon). These guys need a lot of room to dig during their molt. I also have 2 Ecuadorians, which are also diggers and 2 Ruggies. I originally intended to get more, but now I don't have as much time so they ended up with a nice large enclosure.

When I first clean it up and the crabs haven't wrecked the tank, it looks like this:

[kindrag23]

Talk about an awesome set up. Them are some spoiled babies, my tortoise is the same except if I put anything in his cage with him he tries to burrow underneath it. The nut; I swear I think someday he will give himself a concussion, if I put plants in there he either stomps over them or eats them....So I gave up slightly.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by Silje

I just have to say that my aerangis have turned out to be a bigger challenge for me than my angraecums regarding humidity, but maybe it's ok if you grow it in a pot and not mounted. I complete understand your choice! Angraecoids are just irresistible if you like white flowers.

I'm not usually a fan of a plain white flower, but that orange dot in the center on the variety I mentioned just made it for me. That little pop of color put a huge grin on my face when I saw it! I was planning to grow it potted, not mounted. I'm going to mail order some phals first and see how I do with mail ordering those first, so I might hold off on this orchid until next year. Thanks for the heads up on them!

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by DweamGoiL

Believe it or not, I don't have that many. I do have 2 jumbo purple pinchers (one is the size of a small orange and the other is about the size of a large lemon). These guys need a lot of room to dig during their molt. I also have 2 Ecuadorians, which are also diggers and 2 Ruggies. I originally intended to get more, but now I don't have as much time so they ended up with a nice large enclosure.

When I first clean it up and the crabs haven't wrecked the tank, it looks like this:

Well, I don't want to hijack the thread, but...is there a reason why you filled up your tank with so much "dirt"?
To raise the whole surface closer to the light?
I thought the "dirt" is supposed to be replaced with fresh one often to keep hermit crabs healthy?

By the way, I think you should start a new thread about this animal! I really like them!