Lighting for extra tall terrarium

[SaraJean]

I am feeling like I am in a bit over my head.... I have finally started to set up a terrarium and I am looking for some help with lighting options. I have not grown under lights before (other than a little supplemental lighting) so this is all new to me. I am still trying to make sense of terms like kelvin, Lux, or what sort of light spectrum orchids need. If you have any articles to recommend, please link those.

I got my hands on a medium extra tall Exo Terra, 24x18x36. Currently the temps are staying in the intermediate/slightly cool range and I would like it to stay there as much as possible. I want to minimize any heat put out from the lights so LED lights are the way to go, correct? Long lasting and energy efficient are also a plus.

With the terrarium being 36 inches tall, I should be able to have some different light zones. I will not be purchasing any new orchids until I get this set up and see how much heat the light fixtures add. So far, I just have a few orchids in rotisserie chicken container that might be happier in the new terrarium. What I am worried about is the top part of the terrarium being way to bright for things like some of the small, intermediate growing Dendrobiums and Maxillarias, or on the flip side, the light not reaching the lower part of the terrarium for Pleuros or Lepanthes. I put in a false bottom so that raised the floor of the terrarium about 4-5 inches

I did not purchase the Exo Terra hood because I was not sure if that is what I need. This is what I have found for lights so far:

Green Gro led bulb, 13 watt, 6500K. I am assuming I would need at least 2 of these and they would fit in the exo Terra hood.
Josh's Frogs Green Gro LED Bulb (13 Watt) | Josh's Frogs

Then there is this 22 inch led that emits 2050 lumens and 6500 kelvin. I think I would only need one of these? Not sure if I would also need some sort of a hood
Terrarium & Vivarium Plant Lighting for Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish | Affordable LEDS at The Bio Dude


I am very open to any suggestions or tips! I would like to get this put together by the end of the month but I am not planning on rushing it. I will be picking up my mistking in two weeks, working on fan placement, and hopefully I can make some sense of this whole lighting thing

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[rbarata]

Visit firstrays.com from our friend Ray. Lots of info there.

[SaraJean]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Visit firstrays.com from our friend Ray. Lots of info there.

Good call. I completely forgot he had info about growing under lights!

[SaraJean]

So I looked up NEHERP that RoryOMoore had posted about in the Trisetella thread. They recommend spotlights for the 36” tall tanks. Can anyone weigh in on this?

Vivarium Plant Lighting Kit For 24X18X36 Terrariums | NEHERP - Your One Stop Vivarium Shop

[Ray]

Take a look at the offerings at lightyourreptiles.com. The Jungle Dawn 13W “enhanced spectrum” lamps were the starting point for the ones I used to have made for me.

Among white LEDs, warmer color temperature chips tend to have more red and far red in them, which is an advantage for flowering plants.

Another alternative is to use multiple PAR20 floodlights in a hood of your own design.