deathjester
deathjester
Hey all.
Time for my first post!
I have started as a winter project a Highland Nepenthes Terrarium. An i'm quite please with the results! There is still a lot of improvements that could and may be done. But not bad for a first timer I think. A terrarium with lights was the only way to go since my window is... well look at the picture.
.... ya, artificial light it is then. So Here is the terrarium
It's made from a used 45 gallon fish tank(36Lx24Tx12W) snagged it from Craigslist for 30 bucks! cleaned it then added a mix of 2 bags small rocks and 1 medium bag charcoal (The growy kind). Added a speraity layer thing. Then Piled on 5 inches of 70% bark mulch and 30% Sphagnum Peat Moss.
I Had the gauges mounted at the top of the terrarium but they gave me wacky reading's, i will get to that later.
For the lighting I am using two 4ft duel bulb, T8 lights with reflectors from Home depo. 20 bucks a pop. I am running 1 cool white and 1 natural sun light AKA "soft white" in each strip. They rest over the tank edged and overhang, but I like that as i can grow other stuff in the over hang. They are 15inch from plats right now is that to far?
<a href="http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/deathjester2000/?action=view¤t=Picture400.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/deathjester2000/Picture400.jpg" border="0" alt="side light"></a>
Growing in the over hang is "lucky" my lucky bamboo.
I added Tinfoil around the terrarium to help reflect some light back. Also I have added weather stripping to make the lights sit better and have less gaps. Over all I think they work well. Got them on a cheap o timer, running for 14.5 hours a day. They heat up the terrarium perfectly to around 75C every day and the gap on each side seems to be that magic number for humidity control. Humidity hangs around 60% all day long, then at night spikes to 80% or 90%. It seems to have trouble dropping bellow 60C at night. I'm testing something now and might have got it.
This little puppy i use to control the humidity. Cost a whopping 40 bucks with a replacement disk just in case (more then the tank) but i LOVE IT! The Fogger uses a wireless remote control and has cool patterned LED's. I turn this suck on every morning as I take my morning shower.
The time it take for 1 shower is apparently a 1:1 ratio to get 60% humidity on the dot for most of the day. Amaze your stoner friends with pretty lights and fog to!
I think this should support my plants fairly well. Controlling the Terrarium is to say the least an art. The more time i spend at it the better i get.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and reading about my Terrarium. I have never done a wright up on a forum before so this mew turf as well. I would love any and all feed back i can get, comments, questions, Advice would be most appreciated. I have had the plants for a week now and they are starting the long process of acclimatizing.... my Judith finn is exploding with growth already though.
I will post some picks of my collection later when i make a grow list.
Till then ride safe.
Time for my first post!
I have started as a winter project a Highland Nepenthes Terrarium. An i'm quite please with the results! There is still a lot of improvements that could and may be done. But not bad for a first timer I think. A terrarium with lights was the only way to go since my window is... well look at the picture.
.... ya, artificial light it is then. So Here is the terrarium
It's made from a used 45 gallon fish tank(36Lx24Tx12W) snagged it from Craigslist for 30 bucks! cleaned it then added a mix of 2 bags small rocks and 1 medium bag charcoal (The growy kind). Added a speraity layer thing. Then Piled on 5 inches of 70% bark mulch and 30% Sphagnum Peat Moss.
I Had the gauges mounted at the top of the terrarium but they gave me wacky reading's, i will get to that later.
For the lighting I am using two 4ft duel bulb, T8 lights with reflectors from Home depo. 20 bucks a pop. I am running 1 cool white and 1 natural sun light AKA "soft white" in each strip. They rest over the tank edged and overhang, but I like that as i can grow other stuff in the over hang. They are 15inch from plats right now is that to far?
<a href="http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/deathjester2000/?action=view¤t=Picture400.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/deathjester2000/Picture400.jpg" border="0" alt="side light"></a>
Growing in the over hang is "lucky" my lucky bamboo.
I added Tinfoil around the terrarium to help reflect some light back. Also I have added weather stripping to make the lights sit better and have less gaps. Over all I think they work well. Got them on a cheap o timer, running for 14.5 hours a day. They heat up the terrarium perfectly to around 75C every day and the gap on each side seems to be that magic number for humidity control. Humidity hangs around 60% all day long, then at night spikes to 80% or 90%. It seems to have trouble dropping bellow 60C at night. I'm testing something now and might have got it.
This little puppy i use to control the humidity. Cost a whopping 40 bucks with a replacement disk just in case (more then the tank) but i LOVE IT! The Fogger uses a wireless remote control and has cool patterned LED's. I turn this suck on every morning as I take my morning shower.
The time it take for 1 shower is apparently a 1:1 ratio to get 60% humidity on the dot for most of the day. Amaze your stoner friends with pretty lights and fog to!
I think this should support my plants fairly well. Controlling the Terrarium is to say the least an art. The more time i spend at it the better i get.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and reading about my Terrarium. I have never done a wright up on a forum before so this mew turf as well. I would love any and all feed back i can get, comments, questions, Advice would be most appreciated. I have had the plants for a week now and they are starting the long process of acclimatizing.... my Judith finn is exploding with growth already though.
I will post some picks of my collection later when i make a grow list.
Till then ride safe.