Thinking of a terrarium...

[Jessica.Durham1]

So I have a tall 55 gallon tank with a hinged front (the top half of the front folds down) and then I have a screen lid on top. I would really love love love to make it into a terrarium, specifically for some orchids. I have no idea where to start...so I'm begging for any and all input! I currently only have a Cattleya hybrid (label says Michael Edward Boersma 'Carmela'?) and a Dendrobium hybrid (labeled 'Hollywood'). Would these do good in a terrarium?

Questions:

-Lighting? What do I use and what wattage?
-Substrate? Hydroton as bottom drainage?
-Easy, hardy, fast growing orchids?

Thanks in advance!

[tropterrarium]

1) Consider what you want to grow, temperature range, humidity, light intensity. You can set temperature and moisture just to one level, you may be able to modify lighting more locally within your terrarium.
Consider your budget. It can add up pretty quickly.
2) Consider what your room parameters are. If they are different (temperature and particularly humidity), then you have to make sure the terrarium can keep those parameters.
3) Generally, desired humidity is higher than in room. Either remove mesh-screen and replace with glass, plexi, or put glass/plexi on top of mesh. Moisture evaporates VERY fast through screens.
You can maintain humidity manually with pump spray, or automate it with a misting system such as Mistking and automated controller such as the DigitalAquatics Herpkeeper.
4) Light. Most people will add lights. There are several options; fluorescent lights (T5, T5HO) are possibly the most common option. LED is a new option worth investigating. Metal halide is possibly not a good starter option. Mesh screen will reduce light levels, so another reason for removing it. Look at aquarium supply stores, they have a lot of fixtures. Chose a full spectrum light bulb (~5000-6000 Kelvin).
5) Lights add heat! That is why LED with low heat emission are very interesting. So consider that when you decide upon your desired temperature range (i.e., should be higher than room temperature). Cooling a terrarium is possible, but maybe not something you want to mess with from the get-go.
6) Air movement. Most people use computer fans. A little soldering to a variable voltage transformer (or adding a rheostat, if you are comfortable in simple electrical circuitry) will do.
7) Decor: The only limitation is your imagination. Read through some posts here and see all the different approaches people have taken. Some are very utilitarian, others are mini rainforests.

Cattleya and Dendrobiums both generally are high light plants, so you are looking at strong lights. I am not familiar with either of those trade names; I only grow species. Cattleyas generally grow pretty large, so not sure it will fit in your terrarium.

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[Jessica.Durham1]

1 - Would like to keep everything as low cost as possible. I'm not wanting to go super extravagant. Something simple is what I'm looking for, and relatively low-maintenance.
2 - My dad's a computer nut, so there's prolly a computer fan or two lying around.
3 - I have lots of tank and herp stuff, so I prolly have something I can use for lighting already.
4 - I'd use more than just orchids in the tank, like mosses, ferns, and other generics. So, I'd maybe have 2-3 orchids at the most. Any ideas about mini orchids?

It may be a project that has to wait if it will be too labor, and cost-extensive. I've looked at tons of pics and read tons of posts, just wondering about the basics or orchids in terrariums.

[Paul Mc]

I'm stuck on what to use as a substrate as well. I've read you can use hydroton or pea gravel along with a thin layer of charcoal if the water in the tank (such as a water feature) is being reused. I've read that then some people put down sphag moss and then a sort of bark mixture but I don't know if orchids would be happy in this.

[tropterrarium]

OK, low cost.
Your dad may also have some power supplies, so those could be used instead of a wall transformer. Just check for proper voltages.
You will need to cover that screen top. Possibly you have some lids around that could be co-opted.
Lights: Herp light fixtures just work fine. Be careful with the bulbs, though. Herps often have either UV or IR (= heat) lamps. You don't want either for plants. Get full spectrum plant bulbs.
Re your plants, check that they have compatible culturing requirements. Mosses generally require rather high light, ferns rather low (there are exceptions for both, but that's the general idea).
I assume you will shoot for a "normal" condition terrarium, i.e., intermediate temperature (58-60 winter night low, to 80-85 summer day time high) with around 70-80% humidity. Whether you have to heat or cool the tank depends on your surroundings.
Substrate: Expanded clay works well as a bottom layer, I use some ghost wood branches, but don't have a background, as the terrarium is in a window.

Regarding plants, depends a bit what you like. There is a thread in the Terrarium section on good plants. What have been very good plants for me are Epidendrum porpax = perperomia, Sophronites cernua, Pleutothallis grobyi, Dendrobium lichenastrum. The first two are mat formers and flower in winter. Pg is kind of grassy with long inflorescences that appear throughout the year, Dl is a stoloniferous grower also flowering throughout the year. Cadetia taylori is also nice, as are Restrepia muscifera, and Sophronitelia violacea. There are lots of choices, so this will be least of your worries.

[Jessica.Durham1]

Awesome thanks for all the help. I think I have a start at least: finding hydroton!

[tropterrarium]

Hydroton: often supplied by hydroponics supply houses. Occasionally also at gardening centers.

[fishmommy]

to allow free draining and give myself the maximum amount of water storage between siphons in the bottom, instead of using a solid substrate like hydroton I instead take PVC unions and use them to hold up a light grid from the hardware store. I then cover the grid with screen material and add coir to the top.
Here are some pics of my last big terrarium build that shows what I just talked about.
Gallery :: 75g Viv Construction

heres one pic from before I added the coir. Grid, spacers, and screen material in place.

[Paul Mc]

Do you plant your orchids directly in the coir, or do you either mount and/or pot them. I'm assuming if you pot them that you hide the pot.

[fishmommy]

it depends on the plant. Some are potted in moss, the pots hidden, or mounted. The coir is great for things like begonias and ferns and tropicals, but I don't trust it for most orchids. Jewels do ok in coir, but they are the exception. In my experience anyway.
you could use something other than coir, like a bark mulch base, or even a full sphagnum base, depending on your needs.