Quote:
Originally Posted by Epiphile
Hey, that's great news. And so you're running two of these hoods with a total of about 164 watts? I'm not surprised things are growing like crazy. Did you end up installing cooling fans in the hoods? I'd like to see how you placed them.
Glad you're having such success with your terrarium.
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Yes,
About 160 watts of spiral compact Flourescent in two hoods with no added reflection (I plan to potentially add some mylar to increase the reflectance after I test for heat. So far the heat is manageable, and cycling the lights through the day probably helps. They cycle over about a 14 hour period right now. Leaves towards the middle are probably getting about 800 - 1000 footcandles, maybe a little more, when all 4 compacts are on.
I was going to put the hoods on top of glass or plexi inorder to trap more humidity and add a fan. And I may still do that, but the culture seems right for these Vanada alliance miniatures and the Phal as is.
I raised the light hoods up a bit with some spacers (anti-slide pads) and space them so that there is some room all around for heat to escape the terarrium. It will be interesting to try closing it off (once I fashion a fan) and see what the increased heat and humidty does.
Before putting them in the terrarium I had them in a North by North West facing window, with a supplementary 6500k 23w CF in a reflector very close overhead. They were barely thriving. Once i put them in the terrarium, with the artificial lighting...boom! They took off!
I was originally worried about heat from the larger CFs and they do raise the temperature to a max of about 78-80F in the day and going down to a min of 60F at night (the min max are usually within 10-12 degrees though).
Humidity averages about 40% going down to about 30% at night and higher after spraying of course. Both miniature orchids (Neo finetia and Sedirea japonica) have trays, and occasionally I leave water in them to raise the humidity (the roots are well above the water for the most part but the Neo's roots have dug down the face of the rock they sit on and into the sand at the base (where water will sit). Seems to like it.
I had planned on giving it the eggcrate (light baffle) treatment to give different platforms and a backing to attach mounts for additional miniatures. Then I saw some vivariums and started dreaming about a steamey jungle and a Crested Gecko living in harmony with the orchids. Then I pictured him eating them. Then I came back to earth and realized I have limited time and things are doing well as is. So perhaps it will go back to being supplemented by a substrate to hold water at the bottom for humidity, and egg crate for supports, or I may dispense with the artificial look of egg crate altogether and just use the substrate (those round clay balls) with clay pots for risers, maybe a little water pump for a small humidity waterfall. Or maybe it will stay as is. We'll see.
Hybrid Mode
