cloud forest terrarium - an attempt

[estación seca]

Why did you choose plastic instead of glass?

[DirtyCoconuts]

a couple of reasons;
1- ignorance, when i was first starting out i thought the aquarium panels were all tempered glass so i did not want to ruin them with drilling
2- mail order- once i found out that regular old glass can be used i was already in the pandemic and having a sheet of plexi delivered is possible while a sheet of glass is a taller order
3- YouTube- most of my learning came from watching other do their builds or show off their work. i never saw a front made of glass and so i thought it was not possible early on

when i redo this tank in a few years (or make another) i will probably do either glass or 1/4" acrylic

[Dusty Ol' Man]

5 square inches of "in" at the top and 1 and 1/2" of "out" at the bottom.
If this is passive airflow, out should be at the top and in at the bottom. The smaller entry area will only increase the speed of airflow. The in and out volumes will be equal. I like what you've done here. Keep the updates coming.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

5 square inches of "in" at the top and 1 and 1/2" of "out" at the bottom.
If this is passive airflow, out should be at the top and in at the bottom. The smaller entry area will only increase the speed of airflow. The in and out volumes will be equal. I like what you've done here. Keep the updates coming.

you are correct- i was not being clear- i designed it for passive and then added the fans as i was pretty sure it needed to be boosted...i tried the fans as exhaust but the wet air killed the first two fans in a matter of days. i swapped the air flow and these fans have not hiccupped even once

[estación seca]

I wasn't scolding... I was collecting information for when I retire.

[DirtyCoconuts]

coupla recent shots from the weekend

spike happeneing

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

I have a few different "settings" in the tank achieved by mixing the lights, the fans and the waterfall/cloud machine.

i try to get a warmer drier morning to let the tank breathe and dry and then moisture with movement at dusk, some stangnant moisture throughout the night and cool and breezy predawn to initiate the warming period.

this is the start of the evening clouds arriving

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

[wisdomseeker]

Fantastic!

Very nice job with your thread and showing the progression of your project, along with turning a fledgling idea into a full flight reality.

[Fuerte Rav]

Quote:

the rest of the minis and wet plants are doing really well...it is a little disorganized as i figure out how to do the labels in a better way to make it look more like a botanical garden and less like a crime scene (labeling the bullets, we are former prosecutors so...).

Hi DC
This comment about a crime scene stuck with me and I've found myself pondering it on several occasions! Could you make dark coloured labels and write on them with a UV pen? You'd be able to read them with a UV torch but if they were black/brown/green they wouldn't stand out so much under normal conditions. Just a thought!

Your set up looks great, I have great admiration for people who can create such wonderful environments.

[Tindomul]

I really like the hardscape design. Good job!!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Thanks! That’s the one part I really felt good about. All the rest I am looking for lessons and such (lol)

I messed up a lot of the build process and how I will do maintenance but the look, I was instantly pleased with. Thank you!