Terrarium Lighting help!!

[DirkHeifert]

I am starting my first terrarium and need help on the lighting. The size of the terrarium it 24 by 18 by 36. I am trying to find out what lights would be the best to use. I would like to go the led route if possible. I will be putting miniature Orchids in it with varying light requirements from low to moderate (high if it is feasible). Please help. PS. i apologize for my writing skills writing is not my strong suit.

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Also if anyone knows of a good video on lighting a terrarium that would be great!! I have looked everywhere and all I can find is 2 minute videos of people showing off their terrariums. But nothing about how they built them or how they light them.

[RosieC]

[catherinecarney]

I don't have a lot of LED experience, but I do have experience with T-5's--both with aquariums (freshwater and reef) and over orchids.

I have a small orchid terrarium that's in an old 20 high (approx dimensions 24 x 12 x 18high). Plants include Den. parishii, Den canaliculatum, Blc. Star Ruby, Aerangis luteo-alba rhodosticta, Angraecum didieri, and assorted mini phals and jewel orchids (and mini-broms, ferns, and begonias). Lighting is a double bulb Current Nova reef light (which sadly they don't make any more--Current has gone to all LED) with full spectrum/reef bulbs. Light intensity depends on distance from the bulbs, so high light plants are up at the top, lower light toward the bottom (or shaded by the ones above).

Am I correct in assuming that you gave your dimensions in L x W x H form and that your tank is 36" high? If that's the case, getting light down to the bottom of the tank (remember, intensity decreases pretty fast with distance from the source) may be a challenge. With luck Ray (from First Rays) will be able to help you since he's tops in the lighting department, IMO.

You may also want to take a look at the threads in the windowsill and lighting sections of this forum to get some ideas. If you're looking for DIY build logs, there are a number of them on various fish and herp forums--aquariacentral, monsterfishkeepers, and vivarium forums all have DIY sections that include lighting.

Hope this helps!

Catherine

[Paul]

Can't help you on the LED Q.

For my 90gal terr (48 x 18 x 24) I have two 100W equivalent cfls and four 200W equivalent cfls.

[Subrosa]

LEDs are tailor made to get light down deep. Each emitter can be fitted with an individual lens, known as the optics. A standard emitter normally produces a cone of 120 degrees. These optics direct the light into cones of varying angles, usually 90, 60, and 30 degrees, with the lower numbers directing more light to the lower areas being lit. The trade off is that each emitter then covers a smaller area. Fwiw I run an LED fixture with 90 degree optics on an aquarium 20"L x 18" W x 30" deep. The fixture is suspended about 18" above the tank, and I grow corals considered medium light right on the bottom. It's a Taotronics 2 channel unit that puts out about 120W, but each channel can be independently dimmed to whatever light level you desire. Lest someone say apples and oranges, growing most corals requires growing plants, since most corals derive the bulk of their nutrition from the photosynthetic activity of microscopic algae which live in their tissues. The only caveat is that units optimized for reef usage tend to be heavy on the blue end of the spectrum to bring out fluorescence in corals.

[catherinecarney]

Thank you Subrosa! I have no LED experience, so finding out how they work to get light to lower levels is great! I'll have to check out your setup if I ever get back into reef tanks!

Yes, reef lighting "is" plant lighting since many corals have a symbiotic relationship with the algae in their cells and NEED the food that is produced by them. Low or poor lighting results in dead corals more often than not.

Most reef lighting systems have the option to change bulbs to get the mix of light that is needed. My former reef light actually has two full spectrum aquarium bulbs in it and the orchids (and other plants) in the terrarium seem to be thriving. Of course, now I'm wondering if the full spectrum lights over the turtles might work for the orchids, too. Hmmmm....

Catherine

[Subrosa]

Full spectrum should work fine for orchids, and as long as the turtles are growing it's ok for them as well. I know I' used to grow lots of stuff successfully under a 1:1 ratio of cool white to warm white tubes. Some turtles, and I'm thinking specifically of Box Turtles, generally need more uv than most folks are willing to pay for and really should be kept outside. Without sufficient uv they can't utilize calcium, so shell and bone growth are inhibited.

[Paul]

It's "apples and oranges!" LOL Just kidding ... couldn't resist temptation. Corals most definitely require very good lighting because of their symbiotic algae.

Subrosa, would you also have a website or two to recommend in which said lights might be obtained (especially any that might be priced for the ... er ... "thrifty" at heart)?

How long have you found said lights to last?

Based on your experience, how many & what sizes would you recommend for the OPs tank?

[catherinecarney]

Yup, turtles need far more UVB than most people realize (or are willing to pay for). I've got an adult eastern mud and a group of juvie Mississippi maps. House temps are in the 60's over the winter, so they're not eating as much or growing as fast, but they're growing and scute development is normal....

Soooo, guess this gives me an excuse to get them nice big tanks and grow orchids above the waterline....

Catherine

[Subrosa]

I got mine on Ebay, there are MANY sellers of these lights! I paid about $160 shipped for mine. Manufacturer is Taotronics. It's been running about 9 months now, several of my customer tanks have been running them over a year, and tank I know of closer to 2 years. A single unit will handle the op's terrarium easily. I'm strongly considering down sizing my reef and using the light on my paludarium which is 36"L x 36"W x 27"H. If it were a reef tank I'd run a second one, but I'm confident I can get good intensity and full coverage by hanging it a bit higher and running it at full power. Currently it's running at about 75% output.