Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.


Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #21  
Old 04-30-2023, 10:18 AM
itilien itilien is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2022
Posts: 29
Default

So I assume that you have some opening in the tank, because otherwise the humidity inside it will become very high and the water won't evaporate hence the temperature won't drop.

Did you have some problems with algae/slime over the wall? I suppose you did not try to grow orchids on the wall itself, as the wool is very thin.

At the moment I'm planing to make a small tank, probably something about 50x40x25 cm, in which I will use rockwool wall with thickness of about 3.5cm. I circulate constantly water through it and will try to grow pleurothallids in it. The tank will be closed and made from 4-5cm XPS foam, with front and top double/ tripple glass and I will cool the water with peltier.

The thing I don't like is that I cannot shape the wool in a way to look more natural, keeping a god waterflow through all of its volume. I suppose that if the wool is tilted, the surface layer won't have good waterflow.

Last edited by itilien; 04-30-2023 at 10:26 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 04-30-2023, 11:51 AM
Jmbaum Jmbaum is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2021
Zone: 10b
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 133
Default

So I assume that you have some opening in the tank, because otherwise the humidity inside it will become very high and the water won't evaporate hence the temperature won't drop.
The air to be cooled needs to be brought in from the outside, because the air within is already saturated.

Did you have some problems with algae/slime over the wall? I suppose you did not try to grow orchids on the wall itself, as the wool is very thin.

I do grow orchids on the rock wool wall. Taxa with smaller roots work well, Pleurothaillids specifically. I use an aquarium magnetic cleaner for the glass. the moss out competes the algae and cyanobacteria, except under the substrate

At the moment I'm planing to make a small tank, probably something about 50x40x25 cm, in which I will use rockwool wall with thickness of about 3.5cm. I circulate constantly water through it and will try to grow pleurothallids in it. The tank will be closed and made from 4-5cm XPS foam, with front and top double/ triple glass and I will cool the water with peltier.
Because of the very small size you may just want to consider a beverage cooler bought second hand. You can use an thermostat to expand the temperature operation and get the diurnal drop in temperature. you can find them with glass fronts and peltier, heatsinks, insulated and nearly ready. I use a small compression cooling fridge that only needs to run 20 minutes over the course of a day to maintain temperature. You may be going overkill in some areas and neglecting other considerations, we have all been there.

The thing I don't like is that I cannot shape the wool in a way to look more natural, keeping a god waterflow through all of its volume. I suppose that if the wool is tilted, the surface layer won't have good waterflow.
I recommend scoring flowing lines in the rock wool to create texture and direct the water. I embedded my wall with activated charcoal and fine dark oil, it helps it look natural until the moss grows in it. The wool can take in a lot of water so it important that it is well saturated. AND just to throw another variable in the mix, black speaker fabric works really well and visually disappear until the moss grows in.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 04-30-2023, 04:45 PM
itilien itilien is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2022
Posts: 29
Default

I have some experience with cooling:
https://scontent-fra5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...lQ&oe=6453FC35

This one is a 90 liters + 10 liters of cooling box behind it, which is cooled by a compressor from water dispenser. I control everything with arduino. But the cooling is very ineffective and the compressor is annoying me a lot. It has quite a big thermal mass inside and it is struggling to get the temperatures low enough in hot days. I made it last summer.

About the peltier beverage coolers - it is possible to work, but I need to cut the top and replace it with glass in order to install external lights. Also it needs other changes - installing a fence to hold the water, also the fan will be behind the wall... And I also have peltiers, arduino and so on. Beside that I'm an engeneer and embedded developer, so it is fun to experiment with all that. And I beleave that I can get better performance from a Peltier than in those fridges, because I can use much bigger high TDP computer processor cooler than the stock one. Plus more quiet operation because of better quality fan.

About the black speaker mesh - I don't want fabrics, because then it will be impossible to take out the plants if I want to move or split them. This is why I don't want to use hygrolon too.
About the flowing channels - Maybe they could work in a thin wool, but in a thick one I'm not so sure. I want to sculpt something more 3 dimensional with slopes

What dark oil?

Last edited by itilien; 04-30-2023 at 05:03 PM..
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
16”, growing, i’ve, terrarium, wall


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Issues with terrarium growing (Slc. & Angraecum) Bobblybook Terrarium Gardening 4 10-11-2017 02:58 AM
Cool growing 'orchidarium' mozzzlove Terrarium Gardening 3 05-26-2014 05:09 PM
Vivarium for cool growing orchids..in progress.. Literally cool...(build) hcastil3 Terrarium Gardening 6 12-31-2013 12:21 AM
tough fast growing orchid for terrarium with gecko theurbancoyote Advanced Discussion 4 10-14-2011 02:12 AM
growing orchids in a 40 gallon terrarium? deedle Terrarium Gardening 2 09-20-2009 10:19 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:26 AM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.