Test terrarium - lessons learned and questions

[L-Dub]

My masdevallias hate the dry weather here in Utah, so I decided I needed to create a terrarium for them. My wife quickly pointed out that we're on a budget, so I needed to make it as cheap as possible.

I got a free ten gallon aquarium off of craigslist. So far so good. I bought a fogger off of eBay for about $21. My wife wasn't so happy about that, but it was the cheapest way I could figure out to humidify and cool the tank simultaneously. I scrounged a computer fan and an AC adapter from my electronics surplus box. And I bought an egg crate light diffuser from Home Depot for about $12.

I lined the bottom of the tank with white plastic from a kitchen garbage bag. I cut a big piece and six small pieces from the egg crate. The small pieces are to lift the big piece off the bottom of the terrarium to promote airflow. The aquarium came with a glass lid that covers most of the top, and I just used some newspaper (temporary) to cover the rest.

Here's the setup with the fogger running:


Here's a view in the daylight:


You can see my intermediate orchid jungle in the background along with our dwarf lemon tree and a few other plants.

Okay, here are some of the lessons that I've learned:

1. A ten gallon tank is quite small - even for masdevallias.
2. Measure once, cut twice...unless you cut it too small. Which I did. There is a larger gap than I wanted between the egg crate and the sides of the terrarium, but it's not a big deal so I'll probably leave it.
3. The fogger does its job quickly - it only needs to run for a couple of minutes to get the humidty around 85%.
4. It's easy to forget that I've plugged in the fogger. I left it running the other night and the tank was a sopping mess by the time I woke up. Fortunately the fogger automatically turns off when the water runs low.
5. The humidity is seeping underneath the plastic on the bottom (partly from the flood), and I'm afraid it will start molding under there.
6. The salvaged computer fan is *loud*; I had to buy a quiet fan to keep our sanity.
7. The glass top that comes with the tank folds in the middle, and it's difficult to move the plants in and out to be watered.
8. I need to figure out lights soon.

I was using the plastic on the bottom to keep the tank and caulk clean. I don't like the water collecting underneath, so I'm considering using some heavy paper or cloth on the bottom instead. Does anyone have any better ideas? I don't want to mount the plants in the terrarium at this point, because I like to show them when they're blooming.

I've ordered most of the parts for the timer project in the recent timer thread (thanks Ocelaris!), and I'll be putting that together soon.

I'll probably replace the glass top and newspaper with some light diffuser plastic (not the egg crate) when I add lighting. I'm also going to figure out a way to hang the fan to get more space and better airflow.

I'm going to replace the sour cream container with something larger for water reserves when I'm on vacation.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can improve things more? Any hints from the veterans?

Bryan

[Orchidophile]

Hello Bryan, that looks like my 10gal. terra except I had aquarium gravel for the bottom. I would stay with the bottom you have now unless mold starts to grow. It looks like your on the right track, pretty soon it will be full of plants and then you need an upgrade.

[calvin_orchidL]

Good job Bryan Posting your experiences in such detail really helps other 'newbies' (like myself) in the terrarium/orchidarium world! I can totally relate with the loud computer fan thing - do you have it wired to an adjustable adaptor? I'm assuming it's a 12V fan which may be too strong - lowering the voltage will provide a more gentle breeze and also be less noisy. Are you using a water-proof fan?

Also, how do you prevent the water from the mister splashing everywhere? Mine makes a lot of mist, but it also produces a jet of water that inconveniently splashes everything.

[L-Dub]

Thanks Calvin!

The fan is just a plain 5V case fan, but it's a large, noisy one! One problem I forgot to mention in my original post is that the old fan pushed so much air that there was a lot of air exchange with the outside through the cracks, and the humidity drops from 80% to under 60% within an hour or so.

The new fan is not waterproof, but it's rated to 80% humidity so I'm crossing my fingers. The new fan is also much smaller and lower airflow, which should help with the small enclosure and air leaks.

I forgot to mention my (temporary?) solution to the fogger splashing. I took a 20oz. soda bottle, cut the top off, used a Dremel tool to cut/melt holes in the side, and then inverted it over the fogger. You can see the bottle sticking up out of the sour cream container on the left side of the tank. The main problem with the bottle is that it's so light that the cord from the fogger tends to push it out of position. I still get a little bit of splash outside of the container, but it's not a big deal.

Kelly's Korner Orchid Supplies sells an umbrella for the ultrasonic foggers for about $5. I'll probably break down and buy one eventually. Kelley's Korner Orchid Supplies

Bryan

[L-Dub]

Tim, thanks for the advice. I'll probably wait and see if mold starts growing under the plastic before I do anything. If I end up doing something, I'm leaning toward putting a thin layer of gravel or sand on the bottom.

I'm already wishing that I had a twenty gallon tank, but my wife only has so much patience for my hobby. I want to get a large orchidarium (something like the larger Exo-Terra tanks) for my intermediate plants, but I'm going to have to save up for it and convince my wife that it won't look too ugly. Part of doing this small tank is to get some experience before I create a large one.

Bryan

[andy83]

Originally Posted by L-Dub

Tim, thanks for the advice. I'll probably wait and see if mold starts growing under the plastic before I do anything. If I end up doing something, I'm leaning toward putting a thin layer of gravel or sand on the bottom.
Bryan

You could also try hydroton. It comes in different brands but its all the same. They are expanded clay pellets used a lot in hydroponics but they make a great replacement for gravel and such in vivariums.

It is pretty lightweight and holds moisture quite well.

Your tank looks nice by the way.

[Orchidophile]

After my 10gal. project I moved them into a 20gal. with a twin tube florescent ballast (was my aquarium) and now they are in my Exo-terra 18" cube with a quad tube florescent fixture, I have some photos in my gallery.

[L-Dub]

Originally Posted by andy83

You could also try hydroton. It comes in different brands but its all the same. They are expanded clay pellets used a lot in hydroponics but they make a great replacement for gravel and such in vivariums.

Andy - great idea using the hydroton. I'm only a little familiar with it. Does it come in a pretty small size?

[andy83]

Not as small as gravel but I've seen it the size of a bit smaller than your average marble. It usually comes in various sizes according to the manufacturer. But mostly the size of a marble I would say.

The smallest I've seen it was at a Petco I think but it's a ripoff there. You're better off getting it from a hydroponics store or the like. Some of the big hardware stores might even carry it.