Building a new orchid enclosure.

[Wouter]

So it is finally finished =) Well, not finished but it runs, still have some tweaking to do and will wait a couple weeks to test things before i start with the aquarium.

In the pictures you can see how i attached a small AC unit to the tank using duct tape to lead the cold air to the tubings (which i would like to insulate for better performance). The ac is in a small storage room next to the tank leading the pipes over the falce ceiling to the tank for a clean result.

For the rain system i had ordered 3 new nozzles ontop of the 3 i already had. I thought they would be exactly the same but turned out they were different, everything fits perfectly but the new nozzles seem to draw more water than the old ones making the old ones just drip instead of spray when the system is turned on Guess i will order 3 more new ones somewhere in the future as i cant see how else i could get the new and old ones working together.



Other than that im very happy with the result and the new room for new orchids =)

[tropterrarium]

Nice set-up. Can you tell me a bit more about the air-conditioner? brand, model, airflow rate, BTU rating, required temperature drop, low temperature reached?

Second, how do you keep humidity up? As far as I understand, AC units rather dry air out (hence the dripping from AC units). I would see the following options:
- take relatively dry room air, cool it and send it into the terrarium. If the air is very cold, the flow rate could be low, but you may get very pronounced cold spots in your enclosure.
- take terrarium air, cool it, but I would think that a lot of moisture is lost due to cooling.
- Humidify cool air (e.g., bubble through water), but then you get back pressure on the AC unit, and heat exchange with water, so water also has to be cool.

You also mention, that you keep the AC unit in a closet. Doesn't the unit overheat in no time? Or where does the excess heat go?

I've gone a different route, cooling water and have air blow over the water feature. That way, if anything, humidity is increased. The water chiller is in the main room, so the air volume available for heat exchange is the entire house.

I took note of the expanded clay you use at the bottom of your tank, have done the very same!

[Zoi2]

I love your set up.
Joann

[Connie Star]

Awesome! The creativity and ingenuity of orchid people never ceases to amaze me.

[jrodpad]

Wow! Can I have one?

That's quite a set up. Wouter are you an engineer-type person or are you just one of those folks who are naturally good at making these types of complex systems work?

Either way - I'm so impressed. Nice work.

- J

[UKCat]

Very impressive, have you decided which fish to put in it yet?
another good small fish is The Japanese Rice Fish or Medaka (Killifish) a very small fish and a small tank heater/thermostat combi would work very well for them, with the waterfall you wouldn't have to worry about airation either.

When are you coming to the UK to build my one?

[Call_Me_Bob]

you would have to filter the water somehow, or else you would have to change the water daily

[Wouter]

Thanks for the compliments =)

UkCat: I havent decided on the fish yet as i want to make sure i have everything perfectly set for my masdevallias to be happy because once i start with the aquarium it becomes harder to make big changes inside the tank
Those japanese rice fish do look interesting tho, certainly will look into those, the Kilifish however appear to like jumping out of the water and im not planning to cover up the aquarium

Help: i am currently using an old external eheim 2211 filter to pump the water back up to the waterfall, just have to figure out what new materials i need to put inside as its been standing in the basement for several years.

[Tindomul]

Ok, that is just about the coolest tank I have seen in recent years! How did you make the waterfall? Last time I tried that my flow rate was good but I ended up making too much splash, haha. Bad for viewing.
I have one terrarium with a little pond about 12 x 12 foot print and 3-5 inches deep, with lots of plant roots and stuff all over. I have one fish, the zebra fish, but its the glowy one that is orange. Genetically engineered to test for pollution or something. Its a great looking fish and its been alive for like 5 years. By itself. Well it has one red spotted newt as a mate.
Oh is that the fog generator or something in the first few pics?

[Wouter]

For the waterfall i just cut out square pieces of styrofoam and put them ontop of eachother with toothpicks untill i had the right height of the waterfall. then i used a hot blade to melt out the waterfall instead of cutting it out to make it look more natural, just push the hot blade sideways instead of cutting with it.
The sides and back i covered with black silicone to prevent leaking into wrong places (think i will cover the black sides you can see now with epiweb aswell, not sure yet).
Last i covered the front with 3 layers of grey grout mixed with a sealant, each new one a little thicker than the last, letting it dry slowly in between layers.
For the splashing i think i got lucky with the smooth slope, got it right first time (not counting the fail waterfall earlier in the thread)

Those first 2 pics show the top of the AC unit with a tube taped to it leading to the top of the orchidarium. My fogger is only a very small ultrasonic fogger hidden in the top of the waterfall in a small water reservoir i made there. (which is quite handy since it never runs out of water, just need to make sure my aquarium water level stays up.)

Little update, i sealed the tank a little better covering all the small gaps between doors and the cover with transparant silicone. Now i get as low as 16°c at night and the day temperature doesnt seem to go over 20°c. Think this will work out just perfect for mid summer temperatures (hope i dont kill the plants inside with the silicone smell, altho i can barely smell it inside the tank, only outside)