Some engineering issues

[calvin_orchidL]

Hi everyone,

It's been great gathering inspiration from all your terrarium/orchidarium setups! My T5 lights finally arrived and I'd like to fashion some sort of orchidarium setup over an old 80 gallon tank I have, but I've run into some engineering problems.

First, how do I mount the lights on top of the tank? I have the tank on the floor, because the only way I can work with the plants is to reach in from the top and it's just easier to do that with the tank on the ground. This makes it impossible for me to hang the light fixture (a 4 ft fixture) from the ceiling (and my ceiling is quite tall too). Is it okay just to sit the lights on top of the tank?? It seems a little precarious.

Secondly, I have some wood I was thinking of using to build a simple hood type contraption that's about 6" tall, which is enough to hang my lights inside, but I'm worried about the weight on the tank. I've never been able to examine how a tank hood looks in person, so any help or suggestions would be appreciated....ie how is a wooden hood mounted on a tank and can the sides of the tank support the weight on top?

Finally, in terms of fans, I have yet to cut the glass for the top of the tank...there's one of those plastic frame things lining the top of the tank which come with aquariums upon which 2 panes of glass can rest upon...(I'll try and take some pictures later if this is confusing). Should I cut a little slot of glass that's the size of the fan and put the fan in it, for air-exchange to the outside, or is it okay to have just both fans hanging inside the tank (still have to figure out how to mount them).

Sorry if the questions are vague Hopefully some of this makes sense!

[Ross]

I'm sure there will be lots of suggestions, so let me offer mine. I wouldn't set the light fixture directly on the tank for a couple reasons. First, safety. Any moisture that gets into or onto the fixture could cause an electrical problem. Second, the light right on the tank will lead to heating problems while it is running. The lamps run at approx 90-95 degrees F. So you will want to find a way to blow the heat away before it gets into tank.

If you are planning a top for the tank, why not cut a couple pieces of wood to set crosswise under the fixture and on top of the tank to raise it a few inches? This way you can run a small desk fan through the space between the lights and the tank? Something like I use two of these on mine.

[calvin_orchidL]

Thanks Ross! Those are good points - I do have wood that I can use to raise the lights above the tank a few inches....but the lights would still be resting on the wood at the ends - is that safe? I will definitely put some fans underneath to blow away the heat

[Ross]

Originally Posted by calvin_orchidL

but the lights would still be resting on the wood at the ends - is that safe?

Yes, as long as the wood is dry. It's only 90+ degrees - not hot enough to cause a fire. Don't be tempted to use anything metal.