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HIghlands / Ultra-Highlands

  • #21
well, I think I am going to continue with this experience for now, simply because I already own most of the material being used, and I am quite sure it will be years before I any plants I buy will be big enough to warrant the size of even a small refrigerator...

it is certainly a more ideal solution... but I am trying to do something really inexpensive here with pre-owned equipment that requires very little modification... I just don't want to get into wiring thermostats and such at this point...

besides... this is kinda fun... I like experimentation!
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Daytime temp with the shades closed today, is holding at 80 degrees, so we are doing a lot better today without the sunlight filtering in... of course, I think the tank is not getting enough light from the two lamps on it, so there is still some adjustment to do...

Anybody think that two tube 24" fixture will provide enough light for judith finn?
 
  • #22
I use a 2 tube 24" fixture on my Rajah,Lowii,Hamata,Burbidgeae,etc. and they are all very happy with it, yes I would say enough light.
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  • #23
Thanks hoss!

What lights do you have in it? standard col white soft white? plant bulbs?

I have one cool white and a plant bulb right now, but I am going to go for a cool and soft white mixture when I go to HOme Depot this week.
 
  • #25
1 cool white and 1 plant growth spectrum bulb. Neps seem to like it.
 
  • #26
After reading about your setup, Ram Puppy, I have to say that I don't think it will work.
I'm not trying to be critical, just want to offer you my perspective.

I recommend the use of a small chest freezer, with the lid replaced with a clear window.
There is no difficulty in wiring a thermostat since one may purchase such an item
designed for use with household current, possessing a piggy-back plug into which you
may directly plug the refrigerator. Moreover, the fridge will not cost much to run since you'll
likely be only running it during the night, and its insulation will only require that it be
on intermittently. You will find that such a system will be far more efficient than what you
have now, I suspect. Furthermore, the thermostat allows one to carefully regulate temperatures
for plants from various altitudes.
 
  • #27
thanks for your imput..

My high temperature today has been 83 degrees, and that lasted for one hour... the constant, has been 82.2.

We shall see how things go tonight.

remember, I'm not going for ultrahighlands... just highlands right now, and I am experimenting for fun.
 
  • #28
OK... I think we are reaching an point to start modifications on this fun little experiment!

I woke up at 10
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0, checked the temp, and it stated it was 75.1 degrees... I suspect it may have gone a little lower in the dead of night, because at 10
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0, I already have sunlight forcing it's way through the shades in this room.

But taking 75 as the low, and 83 as yesterdays high (85 the day before) we have shown this setup does have some cooling power.

To be fair, we keep our airconditioner set to 72, but that is a daily setting, and the afternoon sun on our apartment forces the undersized air conditioner to work hard mid-day, temps get up to 76 to 78... so I am sure the apartment is helping to cool... that is fine by me... it suits my purposes in this instance.
 
  • #29
<Rampuppy slaps forhead with palm>

Guys... I looked inside that fridge today and noticed it was set to "LOW". hehh... I cranked it up to max... shall we see what happens now?

I also took some time and insulated the line all the way to the tank with crepe paper and foil. (remember, air is one of best insulators since it does not conduct very much&#33
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my little air line has swollen to about ten times it's normal width due to insulation, so, imagine a silver dollar sized silver tube starting at the edge of the fridge, and running all the way to the edge of the tank!
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I'll let you know how things turn out.
 
  • #30
To all involved:
As a beginner, and someone who has a particular yen for trying my hand at Heliamphora, I must thank you all for some very educational posts. This topic has been particularly enlightening (not that the others aren't), so thank you thank you thank you.  Perhaps some day, I can get something going like this--however, my cash flow is not flowing right now due to my status as the lowest of the low--a graduate student. But, I digress...

Thanks! Keep these posts coming! And, RamPuppy, I hope this setup works out for you--good luck!
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  • #31
I'm using one cool white and one grolux about... eight inches away from a D. capensis, and its JUST enough to keep the glands ALMOST red, but the tentacles are green/whitey... I don't thing its enough... =/

My truncata likes it... It has started to do stuff, so it may be enough. I'm experimenting with lights (more like living with wut I've got, lol)...
 
  • #32
herbert, you aren't our only graduate student! we have quite a few if memory serves, so keep pluggin... that degree will make up for your lean years!
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well, I've reached the limit of what one pump will do with a constant 75 - 77 today (from what I can tell). So tomorrow night I will install a second pump to see what I can do...

If nothing else, I have discovered a way to cool my larger tank a little bit...

My father and I discussed things the other night, and I think we have determined to buy an old dorm refridgerator from Salvation Army, tear it to pieces, and install it on my 30 gallon hex to see what happens.
 
  • #33
rampuppy,slow down the speed of your air flow. the faster you move the air across the coils the wamer the air is going to be
 
  • #34
hmmm... valid point... will give it a try.

It's kind of fun to see what limits you can push...
 
  • #35
rampup, how is the air temp going w/ your project
 
  • #36
Major setback today! the humidity froze in the air tube
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hahh...

well... serves me right for coiling it through the freezer section... I'm letting it thaw right now...

I am gonna go to the salvation army this weekend and see if I can find a cheap cheap fridge to tear apart.
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I think the experiment, as a moderate form of cooling, was a success, but obviously, does not provide the more drastic reductions neccessary for highlands and ultra highlands.
 
  • #37
rampup, i was in homedepot today and they had a really small chest freezer for like 150+.
 
  • #38
that's a bit more than I want to spend, but yeah, I have seen those...

I think That the small dorm refrigerators can be had for less, the fridge I have been using is a nice mid size version of the dorm fridge, and it only cost me 70 dollars... so I KNOW that around 50 is going to be my initial upper price limit.
 
  • #39
Might be worth keeping an eye on the classifieds or something to pick up a used one. Be sure to plug it in and test it though! hehe
T
 
  • #40
absolutely... buying a leaky one and getting it recharged would be more expensive that buying a brand new one...
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