Chilly orchidarium? - Orchid Board

calvin_orchidL · #1 06-17-2008, 11:24 AM

Ross - thanks for the advice...I got a small clamp fan which I am now blowing in between the lights and the tank...will take some pics soon!!

Tindo - on hot days (I have no airconditioner in my room) it goes up to 80...but I recently got a cool-mist humidifier that I may get going to cool things off. PS - how is your tank goign? I loved reading your construction log on the vivarium forum

I still need to wire up my muffin fans and mount them inside the tank, as well as install the egg crate bottom...still debating whether or not to line the bottom of the tank with a layer of hydroton pellets to keep humidity up, but I'm worried about fungus and gross stuff growing in the perpetually moist hydroton. Nonetheless, humidity is a problem...I'm finding that if I have the fan on (the clamp one only at the moment, which kind of blows under the lights and also into the tank...my tank has no cover), things dry out real quick...I'm still looking for a piece of scrap glass large enough to fit over the tank. My poor mounties suffer even if I forget to water for one day..:S

I saw someone on another forum actually fill the bottom of their tank with water, and use an aquarium pump to keep it clean...he's from alberta where it's really dry and even though his tank is an open top, he gets 70-80% humidity which is great.

Right now, my biggest obstacles are
a) moving the stupid lights to water the plants...having a orchidarium with above only access is a royal pain...but maybe if one day I get an automatic misting system and won't have to lift the lights off every 2 days, it will be less stressful

b) Timers! Each timer hogs up a huge amount of space on the power strip...the area next to the tank is like a wire forest, and I'm sure it's an electrical hazard..but I need my lights on timers, as well as a the fans, and then I want to rig up a mister to the a seperate cycling on/off timer as well. What to do!