Looking for advice on new terrarium setup

[TylerK]

Hi all,

I just got a new Exoterra setup this past weekend and I'm looking for some advice on how to set it up...a few questions.

1. Lighting: The tank came with a light hood that can take two 26W CFLs. Along with light from my south-west window should this be enough?

2. Temperature: Because I'm using the sun to provide most of the light it can become quite hot in the tank. Curently I have a fogger that moderates the temperature somewhat. Does anyone have any other methods that might help?

3. Plant maintenance: While I intend to plant some plants directly into the terrarium, some of my more loved orchids I want to be able to take in and out for maintenance. Has anyone found a way to do this and still maintian a planted terrarium look rather than just a glass case with orchid pots in it?

Thanks,

Tyler

[harrywitmore]

Tyler, I have a few comments.

It will help to have an exhaust fan to dissipate heat but it will also lower humidity drastically so be careful. I would not allow sunlight to directly hit the terrarium.

If you use something like treefern or EPIWEB on the back of the terrarium you can mount your orchids on things like bark or sticks and move them in and out as you please.

I have a vertical 125 setup and I have many mounted orchids in it. It look pretty natural.

[TylerK]

Thanks for the response Harry.

Is it just for the heat buildup that you would avoid letting sun hit the tank? I have a thermometer in there now, and the temperature seems to top out at about 42C (107F) when things are at their hottest. With the fogger in there I can get that down a few degrees. Any cool growing plants would obviously not work, but it shouldn't be too big of an issue for warmer growing plants should it? Do you think there's a danger of the temperature getting even higher?

What I've found so far is that it's great for producing a temperature differential between day and night. The orchids that I've put in there so far seem to have perked up because of the higher humidity, but the big concern of course is if there's a chance that it will get significantly hotter in there than I've seen so far.

My plan for the back of the tank was cork slabs and sprayfoam. Maybe with a piece or two of cypress driftwood embedded in the sprayfoam. I think I mentioned much of my intended setup in a previous thread to which you responded. Like yours, it's going to be primarily for epiphites so I don't have to worry too much about having substrate and drainage layers on the bottom of the tank. I plan to carve a water reservoir into the sprayfoam at the bottom to collect runoff from the fogger/mister setup.

Tyler

[harrywitmore]

Yes, my primary concern would be heat and I think 107F is too hot for most things. I also believe that changes in the angle of the sun could mean it could get hotter at different times of the year. I would shoot for no higher than 95F. I'm trying cooler growing things and 85F is the max on mine at the top of the tank with it about 10 degrees cooler at the bottom.

[TylerK]

Thanks. I'll try to keep the exposure to direct sun down to a minimum. Hopefully in the process I can keep the light at the required levels too. I don't particularly want to be running a lot of supplemental lighting.

In my favour, most of the stuff I'll have in there are warmer growing, lower light Angs. I took a look at my culture sheets and while some of them can tolerate those higher temperatures, you're right in that most of them would seem to prefer things in the mid to high 90's.

Tyler

[billc]

As far as putting it the sunlight, I remember reading a thread about a year ago that said to keep it out of direct sunlight because of algae and temperature regulation issues.
I'm sure one of the tank growers will chime in and get you the correct answer.

Bill

[Epiphile]

Hi Tyler,

I've got an upended 30 gallon aquarium with one of the fixtures you have over top and I'm able to bloom lower-light Bulbophyllums without too much trouble. The tank does get a little indirect light from an east-facing window, but nothing enough to significantly raise the temperature. The lights alone tend to do a good job of keeping the tank on the warm side during the day.

If you're planning on sprayfoaming the back, perhaps setting in plastic pots a size up from those housing your plants (assuming they're potted, of course) before the foam dries might give you little places in which to stick pots. Just a thought, I guess.

Aaron

[TylerK]

Hi Aaron. I see you're a new member. Welcome to the forums I've only been around a few months myself.

I'm hoping with a combination of natural light and the hood I have I can bloom some medium light plants, but if not, I do have a pretty intense T5 fixture I can mount over my growing area. For aesthetic reasons though I was hoping to get away without doing it. I have a small condol, and my growing area is in my bedroom.

I actually have little plastic baskets I can insert into the spray foam, and was looking at possibly doing that for some non-orchid plants (ie. ferns etc...). Most of the orchids I would likely keep in there are mounted though. Maybe I can do something similar there, and create little "sockets" into the foam so I can plug-in/pull-out the orchids for maintenance.

Tyler

[Epiphile]

Hi Tyler,

Thanks for the warm welcome. You know, I've been wondering why one couldn't put higher-wattage CFL lamps in those fixtures- they're self-ballasted, so, past size restrictions of course, couldn't one put a, say, 42 watt bulb in the fixture? Does anyone have any ideas?

Oh, and let me know if you find any good leads for epiphytic ferns in and around the area here- I've found that few of the ferns to be found in the local garden centres do well in my terrariums with time. I'm guessing it's the temperatures, but I may just have bad luck with them.