Hi there, long time lurker new time member. live in Alabama around the Gulf Coast and Birmingham areas. Going to school for Elec engineering. Growing Many Drosera, Sarracenia, and Dionaea. I currently have a 10 gallon aquarium converted to a terrarium. I currently have two issues at hand. Lighting and temp control.
1. Lighting- The plants in the terrarium require 900-1100 foot candles of light and I'm trying to Squeeze this into the aforementioned 10 gallon terrarium. The plan is to use 2 of the Fulham Workhorse 5 ballasts to power 8 F15T8 flourescent lights. 4 of the lights are along the bluer end of the spectrum and produce 700 lumens each, and the other 4 are on the red end of the spectrum which produce 595 lumens each. Giving a grand total of 5180 lumens. The lights will be approximately 5-7 inches away from the plants, and the surface area is approximately a square foot. My question is, is this enough lighting?
2. Temp. Control- The plan would be to place in the terrarium, a mechanical thermostat, that turns on a fan essentially keeping the area cool. Using a mechanical thermostat would save on electricity simply because of the way a mechincal thermostat works, (it reaches a target tempurate and closes a circuit) turning on the fan until the area is back to normal temp. My concern would be that condensation and bare wiring do not mix, so would this work? Or would a digital thermostat work better? Need some feedback quick, plants are getting leggy and droseras are not producing dew and are greenish. If you know of a better way and some products please post in reply if it's not to much to ask. Travis Teal
1. Lighting- The plants in the terrarium require 900-1100 foot candles of light and I'm trying to Squeeze this into the aforementioned 10 gallon terrarium. The plan is to use 2 of the Fulham Workhorse 5 ballasts to power 8 F15T8 flourescent lights. 4 of the lights are along the bluer end of the spectrum and produce 700 lumens each, and the other 4 are on the red end of the spectrum which produce 595 lumens each. Giving a grand total of 5180 lumens. The lights will be approximately 5-7 inches away from the plants, and the surface area is approximately a square foot. My question is, is this enough lighting?
2. Temp. Control- The plan would be to place in the terrarium, a mechanical thermostat, that turns on a fan essentially keeping the area cool. Using a mechanical thermostat would save on electricity simply because of the way a mechincal thermostat works, (it reaches a target tempurate and closes a circuit) turning on the fan until the area is back to normal temp. My concern would be that condensation and bare wiring do not mix, so would this work? Or would a digital thermostat work better? Need some feedback quick, plants are getting leggy and droseras are not producing dew and are greenish. If you know of a better way and some products please post in reply if it's not to much to ask. Travis Teal