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Planning on getting a 29 Gallon Terrarium but not sure of what I will do for lighting

This weekend I am planning on getting a 29 Gallon terrarium. It is 30 inches wide x 12 inches deep x 18 inches tall. I'm just not sure what kind of lighting I would put over it. The total room in the wall I am putting it in is 35 inches wide and 24 inches tall. This means I'll have to get something that is shorter than 3 feet and doesn't protrude more than 5-6 inches above the terrarium. I've done some looking around in the forums, but all I can find are 4 foot lights. Recommendations?

Also, this is going to be only for Lowland Nepenthes. No other plants.

Edit- Mission complete!


IMG_459899.jpg


Not much going on right now. I plan to add more now that I have a nice environment for lowlanders.

IMG_460199.jpg


In the middle center are two new N. Amp's that arrived in absolutely horrible condition due to poor packaging a week ago. The one on the left is most likely going to die. In the back is a Rafflesiana that hasn't shown any growth at all in a Highland environment in a months time. Hopefully that will change. On the sides are various germinating seeds.

Also, humidity isn't usually that high. It's normally around 77%. Pictures were taken right after misting.
 
Thats a ruff one.
I think you can find 3 ft shop lights. mine are 4 foot by 6 inches so those wont work, but I think a set up like mine with 3ft lights would work well for you. Try going to your local home depo, mugukins, ect and get some one to show you all the lights.
Both of the places i went (homedepo/mugukins) had many, many different light strips that were not shown on there site. in fact, the ones i got were not on home depo's we site but the moment i go there the dood said " terrarium light? HA! i got something perfect for you even have covers that wont let the lights hit the tank" bata bing bata boom light for terrarium.
Wright down the measurements and type of lights you wont/can use and bring the list to any place that sells lights. Tell them what its for and people are normally blown away and will go out there way to throw you info on were to get them.
good hunting
 
Thanks for the info.

I've looked at several hardware sites including Home Depot and I haven't really found much under 4'. Hopefully they do have a larger selection than on their websites like you say. :)

Since the Terrarium itself is 30 inches, and the width of the wall opening that I am putting it in is 35 inches, a 3' light probably wouldn't fit. I'm most likely going to have to get one thats 2' wide at most (don't think they make any that are 2'6" ).

I've heard some people getting a 2-tube 2' fixture, but it turning out to only be 20 watts per tube and their plants not getting enough light. Supposedly they don't make them in 40 watts. I'm not too sure on this though.
 
Yes 2 ft T12 shoplights are only 20 watts each tube. Six tubes of them works fine for a 29 gallon but there are better options available to you.

If you're going to order stuff online why not get something really good and look into reef keepers power compact tubes. The kind I'm thinking of for your setup are 2 ft long and 55/65 watts each. They come with a ballast and two 12 foot long waterproof cords and bulb mounting hardware so they can be put into any aquarium canopy. I use them over my fully planted Anole lizards terrarium which is a 50 gallon "cube" who's dimensions are 30"L x 18" W and 24" H. They push out a lot of light compared to normal Fluorescents.

Here is the pre-wired ballast for the 55/65W PCs:http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-55-Watt-Pow...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ee8826c8

Here is a link to the 6700K DAYLIGHT version of these bulbs (they sell the higher K rating for corals but you don't need these for a terrarium):
http://cgi.ebay.com/55-65-Watt-Stra...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439acf930a

If you go this route make sure you buy bulbs that match your ballast. Both items above are matched "straight pin" arrangement but they do also have "square pin" arrangements as well. There' no difference in output quality just that square pin (Japanese) bulbs won't fit into a straight pin (German) ballast cord and vice versa. I always use the above seller when I buy ballasts or replacement bulbs. I have both the 2 foot and 3 foot versions of these daylight bulbs & ballasts.

Good luck with whatever lighting you choose.

If you want to "save" on lighting buy the slightly larger 55 gallon tank and then you can use 2x 4 ft twin tube shop light fixtures. Non standard sizes almost always means you wind up spending more $ on lighting.
 
Wow swords great info. How's the heat output on those bulbs? Could you grow heli's or ceph's under two 55W fluorescents, or is the heat output too high? With the ballast sitting outside the terrarium I imagine the heat output would be very low, but I gotta ask. I'm bookmarking that page for when I build my new terrarium - if the heat output IS low, you just made my venture into ceph's and heli's a whole lot easier.
 
While I haven't played around with aquatic plant setups for a while. Several years back, AH Supply was one of their highest recommendations. They have very high light output and meet your size restrictions. However, they do not give them away...
 
Yes 2 ft T12 shoplights are only 20 watts each tube. Six tubes of them works fine for a 29 gallon but there are better options available to you.

If you're going to order stuff online why not get something really good and look into reef keepers power compact tubes. The kind I'm thinking of for your setup are 2 ft long and 55/65 watts each. They come with a ballast and two 12 foot long waterproof cords and bulb mounting hardware so they can be put into any aquarium canopy. I use them over my fully planted Anole lizards terrarium which is a 50 gallon "cube" who's dimensions are 30"L x 18" W and 24" H. They push out a lot of light compared to normal Fluorescents.

Here is the pre-wired ballast for the 55/65W PCs:http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-55-Watt-Pow...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ee8826c8

Here is a link to the 6700K DAYLIGHT version of these bulbs (they sell the higher K rating for corals but you don't need these for a terrarium):
http://cgi.ebay.com/55-65-Watt-Stra...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439acf930a

If you go this route make sure you buy bulbs that match your ballast. Both items above are matched "straight pin" arrangement but they do also have "square pin" arrangements as well. There' no difference in output quality just that square pin (Japanese) bulbs won't fit into a straight pin (German) ballast cord and vice versa. I always use the above seller when I buy ballasts or replacement bulbs. I have both the 2 foot and 3 foot versions of these daylight bulbs & ballasts.

Good luck with whatever lighting you choose.

If you want to "save" on lighting buy the slightly larger 55 gallon tank and then you can use 2x 4 ft twin tube shop light fixtures. Non standard sizes almost always means you wind up spending more $ on lighting.

While I'd love a bigger tank, it wouldn't fit in the wall. The opening I am putting the Terrarium in is 35 inches wide x 24 inches high x 15 inches deep so if the Terrarium+lighting combined is larger than that, it won't fit.

Also, isn't $83 a bit pricey for a Ballast? Seems like I could buy a computer power supply for half that and ghetto rig it to be able to run a dozen lights. I'm hoping to spend less than that on the entire lighting setup.

I may be able to fit 6 tubes, though the housing would have to be very compact and the tubes might all touch each other as the terrarium is only 12 inches deep leaving 2 inches per bulb.

While I'd love to get something really good, I am restricted by a budget. Thanks for the recommendations, though. :)
 
....isn't $83 a bit pricey for a Ballast? Seems like I could buy a computer power supply for half that and ghetto rig it to be able to run a dozen lights.

You have much to learn my young apprentice... the two couldnt be more different

http://home.howstuffworks.com/fluorescent-lamp4.htm

If you could ghetto a dozen lights off of puter power supply, trust me everybody would be doing it... ;)

search, read, learn
Av
 
Tamer,
You used to be able to get 2ft T12 twin tube strip lights at home depot who's housing was less than 4" wide - the bulbs stuck out a tad from the sides so there was enough room for 3 in a 12" space. You had to wire a power cord to the ballast in these models they weren't plug and play. I used them and ran 6 tubes over my old 29 gallon. However you are still spending quite a good deal on the lighting because each strip was $24.99 (whereas a 4 ft strip is $7.99) plus you have to buy two bulbs for each which again, non-standard size are higher than 4 footers and the power cords to wire them.

I've made a few frankenstein DIY projects myself such as a variable temp hot wax carving pen and home made piggy-back humidistat but I don't think I'd try to jeri-rig a power compact ballast. Maybe it would work, if you try it please make a post!

Veronis,
You can use the PCs for anything you want but for HL plants you will really need to put the PCs behind glass (real or plexi-glass) as they do create some good radiant heat along with the intense lighting. I use them naked (no glass) over my Somalian plants and it gives them nice "tattoo" patterns and colors that generally happens only under real sun. But anyway, glass stops most of the rad heat but allows the light benefits. If you have a combination of glass between the bulb and plant and combined with fresh cool, moist air blowing into your enclosure you're all set for HL. I used them on my old one level HL setup and I will probably will be using the 96 W PC tubes in my new HL setup since the power cords are waterproof and I'm not positive about the "all weather" ability of T12 strips when the chamber is going to be bathed in fog off/on all day and night. I'll just have to build some reflector boxes to house the PC tubes in to move them behind glass cos there will be 2x pair hanging on shelves inside the humidified chamber and one pair on top illuminating the top shelf.
 
  • #12
I've never used the T5 systems so I can't offer any opinion on them. It looks like that kit comes with the bulbs (that's cool) but how much are the replacement tubes when you do have to buy them yourself? I couldn't find that size on the sellers shop, only 4 footers. Make sure you'll have a ready access to replacements from at least two sources for when that day finally comes.

They have T5 lamp setups at Lowes but I think they are different type of T5 compared with these.
 
  • #13
There are quite a few online retailers that sell Spectralux lamps, but there probably aren't any around town.

I actually tried all of the hardware stores, and none of them carry any Fluorescent lamps shorter than 4'. This includes Home Depot, Lowe's, and OSH. So regardless of what I get, I won't be able to get replacement lamps from anywhere except online. It's a shame as shipping is quite pricey.

I haven't tried any of the nurseries, though.

Edit- There are quite a few hydroponics stores around here the sell the bulbs. And for $3.00 at that!
 
  • #14
Some updates on my Terrarium:

IMG_4594.jpg


As you can see, space is limited where I wanted a Terrarium. I found that a 29 Gallon was perfect for the place I wanted to put it.

IMG_4595.jpg


So far the only things I have are the 29 Gallon tank ($59), 5 3-inch-tall PVC pipes ($5), a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer that was meant for Cigar collections ($12), and a huge piece of plastic eggcrate intended for a lighting fixture ($10) which I will cut tomorrow and place on top of the PVC pipes.

Still waiting on my T5 2' 4-bulb ($120 including bulbs) to come in the mail, an electrical outlet timer ($12), and finally I need to get a glass piece cut into a 28 1/8" x 10" x 3/8" glass piece cut for the top (probably around $10 at Ace).

Total Terrarium cost comes out to $228. Much more than I intended to spend, especially on the lighting, but I think it will be well worth it in the long-run. I'll post more pictures once I get everything, including the lowlanders I'm putting in it, together.
 
  • #15
The 29 gallon terrarium has killer dimensions. You'll probably want to suspend the t-5's high as you can.
I was reading about people mounting their t-5's to the ceiling so they wouldn't be burning leaves.
 
  • #16
I've got just enough room in between the top of the tank and the cupboard for the T5 fixture, so unfortunately I won't be able to lift it any higher. I hear a lot of people actually raise their plants up further to the lights because they don't get enough light. Not sure about T5's though. It will have 2x 5,000 Lumen bulbs and 2x 2,000 Lumen bulbs.

Also:

+Eggcrate

IMG_4597.jpg


Due to the clearance on top, the eggcrate is 2 inches shorter than the depth of the tank.
 
  • #17
I have run T5's for some time

Just a FYI, cold spot temperature of T5's is 130f with the center of the bulb reaching 165f
you will have an oven if you aren't careful...

You might want to consider possible airflow requirements


Been there, done that and still do it :)
Av
 
  • #18
I have run T5's for some time

Just a FYI, cold spot temperature of T5's is 130f with the center of the bulb reaching 165f
you will have an oven if you aren't careful...

You might want to consider possible airflow requirements


Been there, done that and still do it :)
Av

I have an inch in the front and an inch in the back that allows enough passive airflow. The temps actually haven't increased even slightly from the lighting and I have it sitting right on the glass.

IMG_459899.jpg


Not much going on right now. I plan to add more now that I have a nice environment for lowlanders.

IMG_460199.jpg


In the middle center are two new N. Amp's that arrived in absolutely horrible condition due to poor packaging a week ago. The one on the left is most likely going to die. In the back is a Rafflesiana that hasn't shown any growth at all in a Highland environment in a months time. Hopefully that will change. On the sides are various germinating seeds.

Also, humidity isn't usually that high. It's normally around 77%. Pictures were taken right after misting.
 
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