Finally did it! Here it is!

[RandomGemini]

I spent some time deciding what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it.

I was going to skip doing a water feature. I originally set the terrarium up with just a deep bed of moss. Then I decided to do it anyway after learning that I could use it as a vehicle to keep the terrarium cool, because mine was getting a tad too warm for my dracula. Having the water feature drops the temp inside my terrarium by about four degrees over the ambient temp in my house. This is what I needed for my cool growing species and hot summer days. It also maintains humidity a lot higher, averaging around 88% over the course of a day.

I purchased some plants and have a friend with another terrarium this size that he's hanging on to for me, in case some of my plant choices need a warmer setup. I have room to put them both on the same table side by side. I also tried to choose things that I think I can grow without the terrarium if I have to.

So here's what I've got, for now:

Dracula Lotax
Haraella Retrocalla
Masdevallia Mendozae
Schoenorchis Fragrans
Lepanthes Saltatrix (which may move to its own space later on down the line.)
And I picked up a tilandisia (did I spell that right?) because it was inexpensive and looked neat. Maybe it will thrive, maybe it won't.

For the substrate, I have a bed of hydroton, with a piece of mesh material and then a bed of sphagnum moss over the top of that to create the floor. Nestled inside the hydroton is the teeny pump that runs the trickle of water down the back of my tank.

All of this is packed into a 12x12x18 exo-terra terrarium.

I have a large piece of grape vine that I sprayed with bleach water, then rinsed thoroughly, sprayed again with hydrogen peroxide, and then baked in the oven at 250 degrees for a couple of hours to kill bacteria and mold spores.

I'll be using this to mount plants on.

I think I'm good for now, on plants anyway. I did want some kind of vine, but now I'm thinking a live moss might be a better fit.

Here's the pic! I probably should have quarantined the plants, but they all came from the same vendor.

[silken]

Wow, it's beautiful! Great job!

[RandomGemini]

Thank you! I spent half an hour with that piece of wood, trying to figure out how to situate it so you could see the waterfall behind it and still have high spots for higher light plants. I wanted to put the air plant on the left, instead of the right, I think it looks better that way, but the flow for the water fall is there.

I'm thinking I may wire some sphagnum to the back to diffuse the flow a bit more and hide the port for the fountain.

[Hiester]

I like the looks of your garden. What type of lighting are you using?

[RandomGemini]

Thanks!

I'm using the exo-terra fixture that fits with the top of this terrarium and a CFL bulb. I had a heck of a time finding a bulb with the right color temp for plant growth. The bulbs they sell for these terrariums in store are expensive (24$ each) and don't put out the right spectrum for orchids. I ended up grabbing a four pack of 100w equivalent CFLs at Home Depot for half the price of one bulb at the pet store. I grow Phalaenopsis under one of these in the winter, so I've shaded the plants that need less than Phal light.

If I have some that don't thrive in here, I'll take them out and move them to my office under the T5s.

[nikkik]

That's fantastic! Great job!

[Hiester]

Thanks, Random.

I'm still trying to decide how to replace some old T12 fluorescent fixtures which I've had for a long time as grow lights. There are too many choices these days, what with the CFLs, LEDs, T8s, T5s etc. ... LOL <that last one's not a light type...

I think I might stick with four foot T8s as still the most economical choice. They'll work under the same architectural set-up as what I currently have in place.

[RandomGemini]

The CFLs are nice, because you can stick them in a floor lamp with a telescoping arm and have supplemental lighting that fits in with your decor.

I grow my oncidiums and cattleya under t5s. I've been happy with them so far.

The important thing is the color temperature, no matter what type of bulb you choose should put out a color temperature between 5,000 and 6,000 kelvin. Most flourescents do, so you should be safe.

Good luck!