A Beginner's Heliamphora Thread

[CorneliusSchrute]

Alright children! I have something to say....

THANKS! ...and check out my Heli progress. If it weren't for your guidance my plants would still be in a state of atrophy on my window sill.

New growth on the heterodoxa is especially exciting.




Recent updates include 3/4" foam on all sides of the tank and a snazzy eBay-sourced misting device. Temps are making out at 68 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity level between 75 and 94%.

It is in my garage, this setup. I have been worried about it getting to cold in the tank. So far it hasn't been below 60, but this is because I have been leaving the lights on 24/7. Thoughts on this?

 

[hcarlton]

Heliamphora can experience temperatures naturally in the wild as low as the upper 30's on occasion, the table mountains can get very cold at times. The real concern is not so much how cool it gets, but whether or not it gets too warm.

 

[ps3isawesome]

hey, i'm curious what is that yellow ish looking thing hanging outside your tank? Also can i have the maker and model of your fan? i am in the process of looking for a fan.

Do you have a link to the fogger you bought and how is it working?

Thanks!!!

 

[Av8tor1]

http://www.viewweather.com/w7381263-weather-forecast-for-acopan_tepuy-estado_bolivar.html
http://www.viewweather.com/w7417892-weather-forecast-for-amuri-estado_bolivar.html
http://www.viewweather.com/w7380707-weather-forecast-for-angasima-tepui-estado_bolivar.html
http://www.viewweather.com/w7377242-weather-forecast-for-chimata_tepuy-estado_bolivar.html

As a general rule, I don't recommend temps below 60 for Heliamphora,
nor do I recommend strong air flow
My experience has shown either condition over extended periods will lead to poor growth rates and poor health
Consistency is critical with some species.... some variants of neblinae are drama queens if you make sudden changes

but ymmv, only sharing what I have seen based on my personal experiences and research.

 

[Heli]

Interesting Butch, I always assumed they wouldn't mind temps into the 50s at night. I also thought there would be a lot of airflow on top of the tepuis. I guess some species could be growing in more sheltered areas.

 

[Av8tor1]

;-)

me dunno

 

[Maiden]

If i can add my opinion, the period of the year where my helis growth rate is the fastest, and the colors the nicest, is when my setup hit the lower temps in winter times. At 8-12C(nights) and 22-23C(days). But its not a must to make helis thrive.

These are h.minor var minor plants after a cold winter.

heliamphora minor by dals009, on Flickr

From my experience, temps drop at night is not so important for the general health of the plant if the roots stay under 20C all the time.

Also i grow almost all my helis in very small terrariums. Its a way easier to control the RH% and temperatures if the tanks are small. You can hang your grow lights outside the terra, and run a lil fan next to your setup blowing the heat away before it can reach the tank.

The fan will also push a little air flow into the tank if you create a lil 1cm hole on the side of the terra. Like butch said, the air flow have to be very light, but constant. If you lose some humidity inside, just reduce the hole.

Its my opinion

(Sorry for my bad english!)

 

[ps3isawesome]

Hey

Maiden

and

Ava8tor1

thanks for pointing out air flow. I was under the impression they need air circulation. After reading your post, I have decided to only buy a fan to blow at the light. The hood of my tank doesn't cover the entire space which will also allow little but constant air. Is there a fan you'd recommend for a 10 gallon tank?

I have decided to keep my HL nepenthes with a H.Heterodoxa. In the future I will also buy Minor and Nutant. Since I have HL Nepenthes, I"ll need a temperature drop down to the 50's at night. Currently I'm only able to drop the temperature from 77 (25C) to 66 (19C). Is this okay for my heliamphora? Regardless, I am working on lowering temperature otherwise my Nepenthes won't be happy. Thanks for your experience since now I can go ahead and drop the temperature without worrying about the Helis. Although, the first method to cool the tank is an ultrasonic fogger plus a fan. Is that going to kill the Helis if I let little bits of air come in the tank with a fogger? Thanks!!!

 

[Heli]

;-)

me dunno

agh what did you edit out?!?!? The mystery will forever haunt me!

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

@ps3isawesome: I purchased all of gear of eBay or Amazon. I'm pretty cheap, so I spent what was an inordinate amount of time looking for the best compromise between price and five-star reviews. I found the following...

The yellow thermometer/hygrometer: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Outdo...rp_a1_5_p?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CZX83HE744T6TC47KGB

The PC fan: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00066ISVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The AC adapter to which I wired the PC fan (or at least something like this): http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-DC-12V-2...arts_and_Accessories&var=&hash=item2a3ffc6e67

The mist maker/fogger: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mist-Maker-...900?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4616c1657c

I also made a lid for my tank with a piece of plexiglass from a cheap WalMart poster frame.

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

@maiden @Av8tor1 As always, great to hear from expert growers from all around. I'll keep you posted!

 

[ps3isawesome]

CorneliusSchrute

oh my god, you literally gave me exactly what i am looking for. Because i was so lost and just don't know where to begin. THANK YOU !!!!

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

No prob! If you need help wiring the fan let me know.

 

[Av8tor1]

Airflow yes, tornado no...

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

Tornados to be avoided: check! Do the following conditions appear to be tornadic or otherwise excessive?

This is a video of my tank with the fogger on. I have the fan set to a timer to run periodically; it switches on when the mister does approximately for thirty minutes every couple hours.

 

[Av8tor1]

agh what did you edit out?!?!? The mystery will forever haunt me!

Hillbilly logic Luca,

We refrigerate food to preserve it by retarding bacterial digestion, yet Heliamphora depend on bacterial digestion for it's nutrients.
So why would we expect Heliamphora to do well if we kept them excessively cool long term?

Tornados to be avoided: check! Do the following conditions appear to be tornadic or otherwise excessive?

This is a video of my tank with the fogger on. I have the fan set to a timer to run periodically; it switches on when the mister does approximately for thirty minutes every couple hours.

video private
me no seeum

 

[Maiden]

Hillbilly logic Luca,

We refrigerate food to preserve it by retarding bacterial digestion, yet Heliamphora depend on bacterial digestion for it's nutrients.
So why would we expect Heliamphora to do well if we kept them excessively cool long term?

Because cold affect bacteria reproduction, not(or less?) bacteria action. Rain water is already full of bacteria. Also your fridg is at 3C, its a way colder.

Anyway i never feed my helis in winter. They catch springtails. I dont know what to say, but the results are there.

 

[Av8tor1]

doesn't really matter if its action or number, just semantics....
end result is same

but not looking for argument, you grow nice helis maiden, no denying that...
I should have left the comment edited out, my apologies

av out, and done.

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

video private
me no seeum

Might/should be fixed now.

 

[Heli]

Interesting, never thought of that but it definitely makes sense. I really need to start growing heliamphora again once I can make the proper setup. Thanks Butch! I'll definitely keep that information in mind for the future.