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MIster: Bring down the temperature?

Hey im almost finished my my new terrarium, I measured the temperature, 35 DEGREES CELCIUS!!!
alright i have a spare mister and i have in in a container in my terrarium, will this bring down the temperature to about 25 degrees celcius? maybe i should fix a fan to cool the lights?
 
not quite sure what you mean by mister but I doubt it will drop the temperature noticeably. What kind of lights are you using and how is it set up?

What is the temperature outside the terrarium?
What kind of plants are you puting in it?
 
Your going to need some serious air exchange in order to effect the temp that much.
 
hi,
the room temperature is 28-30 degrees celcius
The set up is 2 ft tank turned on its side and i have about 150w pl lights blasting down
i plan to put sundews, pings, VFTs, cephalotus and shorter sarrs in it

Anyway i added the mister to my terrarium and the temperature dropped by only 1 degrees celcius
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I have air exchange the high temp is caused by singapore's hot weather and the lights, i guess ill start up some old DC fans to cool down the lights

1 more thing, i tested the mister for about 15 minutes and when i came back, the whole tank was flooded, some water was dripping down (the tank is on the second level of a shelve)

how many times should i turn on this mister a day? if i turn it on for the whole day, my wooden structure would rot!

thanks!
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Well, why the heck didnt you mention you were in singapore!
Of course evaportive cooling wont work for you, your in one of the most hot and humid places on earth. You need to have dry air inorder for that to work effectively.
You need to get your self an air conditioner and plumb it to the tank.
You could also try using a peltier, http://www.peltier-info.com/
 
I think the mister will make more problems than it will solve. About the only genus that might benefit from such would be Nepenthes. Drosera certainly dont appreciate it.
 
thanks Khaim i think ill fix up some old DC fans to cool the lights down, i live the air is not too humid in my apartment because it is 7 stories above the ground
Tamlin: I had an extra mister lying around and my drosera was not producing much dew, i also wanted more air circulation so i thought turning on the mister a few times a day will help, hmmm maybe for some extra humidity i can take away the mister and use just the container of water?
that might be better

thanks
smile.gif
 
Wes,

In my conditions I find that if the plants are getting enough light, dew follows. Most of my Drosera, in fact all of them, are in about 40-50% relative humidity. I don't grow in terraria, and use these mostly for starting out plants. Light is the single most important factor. with it you get strong healthy plants with good dew. Remember, the "dew" is not really dew, it is closer to mucilege. I have had plants in nearly dry substrates and low humidity produce dew. The mist will act to water down this mucilege, and also promotes the growth of fungi that can attack the glands that produce the dew. Once the glands are attacked, they never recover. So what you end up with is an otherwise healthy (but dewless) plant. My best plants are on a rack with 6 40 watt floureascents over them. No glass or plastic between them and the light. Glass and plastic cut back most of the spectrum the plants need. In the winter months when the hear runs I hanf a plastic sheet over the front of the rack, but that is all. I even have started growing the Queensland Drosera like this, and they are doing well.
 
I had previously used a mister (those that create a mist-like effect by ultrasonic means) in my terrarium. Nowadays, I find that the plants do well without one, so I do not use it. However, one point to note, with a mister running, it does keep a terrarium at a relatively constant temperature without the addition of a cooling fan.
 
  • #10
hmmm thanks tamlin that explains alot! So are you saying that glass in between the lights reduces the amount of light that reaches the plant in a way?

40-50 RH? Thats good! Means i can grow my drosera in the open without a tank! does that mean that i can keep it together with sarrs?

i did a set up like yours for my nepenthes, lights without anything glass/plastic and it's blazing hot! maybe more than 45 degrees celcius! (now it is not as hot because i gave it more much more air circulation, less humidity
sad.gif
) how do you reduce the heat?

thanks!
smile.gif
 
  • #11
I have a terrarium.  It has 6 24" 20 watt flourescent lights on top with a piece of plexiglass in between the lights and the tank.  When I first started it up it would get to about 95 deg. F (35 C) just like your's.  I put two little dc muffin fans on the the lights and now the temp usually doesn't get much over 80 F (26 C).  Here's a pic of my fans:
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-buckeye
 
  • #12
Wesx,


If your Sarracenia grow well, so should the Drosera, but you must take care to bring them into harsher conditions slowly.  Screen the sun using white plastic garbage bags for a 1 or 2 weeks.  Be observant, and make sure they are in tray water.  Full morning sun is ok, but later in the day at first some screening will be needed.  Then, late afternoon and evening sun is good without the cover.   I think you get the idea.  Broken sunlight is also ok.  Most of the Drosera seed you have should do well like this.

As for the Nepenthes, I am not very skilled with the genus, and have only a passing interest in them.  Mine are in a tank which gets light but no direct sun.  I always lay my tanks on the front so the top is towards me, and this is covered with a sheet of plastic.  I have 6 flourescent tubes like I described before sitting on the glass.  It gets too hot in summer, but the rest of the year works well.  The climate is cool here with a good nightime drop, which the highland species need.  I spray the plants on hot days, and if it gets too hot I ventilate the tank for awhile. My results are not great: I just dont have the space to grow them well.

Even a thin sheet of plastic food wrap cuts out much of the spectrum the plants need!  It is best to grow them in lower humidity, and directly under the light tubes (as close as possible).  As I said, if Sarracenia and Dionaea are growing well, so will most Drosera.  It may take time and effort to grow plants used to a terrarium out in the open, but if you go slowly, each new leaf will be more adjusted, and healthier.

I hope this helps you.  I used to grow everything in terraria, but find this approach produces the best plants.  An advantage of starting fresh from seed is the plants are more naturally acclimated to your own unique conditions.

Keep in mind that different climates may produce different results.  I think the most important thing will be to gradually adjust the plants to your natural conditions.  Once you have done this, it will be much easier to provide enough light for good growth and typical color.
 
  • #13
thanks great info tamlin and buckeye!
that helps! too bad i can't use my new and improved terrarium any more, i think i will have to get a custom made one instead which will cost me alot , ...too much glass which cuts out light spectrum...and extra cooling fans to cool my lights
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Hey tamlin i remember you talking about this turning the terrarium on the side idea, how did it work out for you? did your plants grow well?
i dont want to waste the tank have now, ill use it for seed germination then, ill change the lights to weaker ones
too bad i don't have much natural sunlight now, only window sills with very little sunlight, all are blocked by tall buildings
also how much light do you recomend for drosera and VFT in a standered 2ft tank?
thanks
 
  • #14
[b said:
Quote[/b] (wezx @ April 09 2004,12:24)]Hey im almost finished my my new terrarium, I measured the temperature, 35 DEGREES CELCIUS!!!
alright i have a spare mister and i have in in a container in my terrarium, will this bring down the temperature to about 25 degrees celcius? maybe i should fix a fan to cool the lights?
Sounds to me like you gonna roast your plants by any means...150Watts is madness.
have to get a thermometer myself...see that the temperature is just right
smile.gif

(Don't want my plants frying like my bical did...read the second page of the nep or foreign boards...I need serious help on my perishing bical...)

BWT: Buckeye, nice DIY fans you got there! I think I might try that when I've got more free time...
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Jason
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  • #15
Tamlin, you grow ye plants in your house?
How do they all fit...
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  • #16
My standard reply to how much light is always "as much as you can afford". I think a standard shoplight fixture with twin bulbs would suffice for the area you describe. Remember the distance between the bulbs and the plant is very important: the difference of even a few inches is significant.

Using the t errarium lying on its front usually brings the plants closer to the lights, and this is good. The method works well for me: I get increased "floor space", and it also lets me use cracked tanks which a local Petstore owner is willing to give me for free. I put the cracked front down.

Yes Jason, all the plants are inside during the cold months. I have a dedicated grow room in addition to a growspace in the kitchen. I also use a lot of flourescent lights, around 35 of them along with a 1000 watt HID lighting system. This season will see a great reduction in my collection since I can no longer afford to maintain them.

Most of my plants are outside between April and October in ambient conditions.
 
  • #17
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Using the t errarium lying on its front usually brings the plants closer to the lights, and this is good.  The method works well for me: I get increased "floor space", and it also lets me use cracked tanks which a local Petstore owner is willing to give me for free.  I put the cracked front down.

does that mean that you will have to use more lights? does the cut out spectrum thing affect the plants?
 
  • #18
Yes, I do use more lights when I utilize the terrarium.  Once the seedlings have some growth, they are removed from the terraria and placed on the rack where I slowly harden them off.  Pots of small seedlings are placed in Zip lock bags, and left open for longer periods until they may be done away with.

A good indicator to show if the plants are getting enough light is color: if the plants are getting enough light they will have good red glands, just as they look in habitat.
 
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