Hold my hand? Creating a mini orchid viv

[oneshotveth]

I just started getting into orchids, and I want to learn how to make something like this:

Where/how do I start? I want it in my bedroom, which I keep pretty cold, like I live in Massachusetts, and I still have my A/C on. I would like to have one of as many different mini orchids that would all live in the same conditions. I'm going to do my own research, but if someone could at least get me pointed in the right direction, I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks in advance,

Brian

[WhiteRabbit]

[PaphMadMan]

A few questions that will help direct the discussion...

How cold is cold? And is the temperature of the room the same year round?

How large are you planning for it to be?

Do you know what kind of lighting you will use?

Viv(arium) usually implies some kind of animal life will be present. What? Or will it just be plants?

[oneshotveth]

the terrarium would be an extra 12X12X18 I have, with a light setup right above it. It would only be able to take regular screw in type bulbs.

I used viv, because I also do dart frogs, and it's easier to type than terrarium, but no, there won't be any animals in it.

I would guess that 65-70 in the winter, and 65-high 70's in the summer.

Hope that helps

Brian

[Kevinator]

If your summer high is in the 70's range, then its easy for you to make a diverse mini-orchid vivarium. Pleurothallids would do great under those conditions and there are thousands of different varieties to choose from. They also don't need much light at all and flourish under cold temps and high humidity. They suffer otherwise. Don't attempt to grow them if you don't have pure water on hand. Make sure to have a small fan in there to give them air circulation. Some notable ones include the Lepanthes genus, Dracula lotax, and the smaller Masdevallias.

[PaphMadMan]

With room temperature 65 F to upper 70s F, keep in mind that the temperature inside the terrarium could easily be 20 degrees warmer with the lights on, depending on the kind of light you use. It will probably remain somewhat warmer than the room through the night as well. That is definitely in the range for warm growing orchids only. That still leaves you lots of choices, but definitely keep in mind there are many species you can't grow because it is too warm at night. That's the first consideration.

The second consideration is light. You need to determine exactly what your light source will be - what kind of fixture and bulbs - before you select plants. The light intensity will limit what plants you can grow successfully, and keep in mind that the bottom of the terrarium will be getting less than half the light intensity as the top. The light choice will also affect the temperature. More light = more heat.

As mentioned, you will need an internal fan, as shown in your example photos. You may also want to arrange for an external fan, as one way to help control heat.

[oneshotveth]

So, it seems like I need to:
1. Set up a tank in my bedroom
2. Decide on what I think I will want in there
3. Figure out what lighting I will need
4. Add lighting
5. Measure and track temperatures for a while
6. Then buy the plants

Sound right?

[FroggyKnight]

Originally Posted by PaphMadMan

With room temperature 65 F to upper 70s F, keep in mind that the temperature inside the terrarium could easily be 20 degrees warmer with the lights on, depending on the kind of light you use. It will probably remain somewhat warmer than the room through the night as well. That is definitely in the range for warm growing orchids only. That still leaves you lots of choices, but definitely keep in mind there are many species you can't grow because it is too warm at night. That's the first consideration.
for an external fan, as one way to help control heat.

Ok, I highly doubt that a 20 degree jump will happen. I have many vivariums and terrariums (15+ at the moment) and I believe a 5-10 degree jump would be more likely unless the OP decides to use very strong lighting. The temp could actually be even less than that if you use evaporative cooling to your advantage. I keep my orchids just like my dart frogs, with a glass lid and a one to two inch strip of ventilation in front. I also mist every other day. This is the same reason why clay pots work so well for cool growing plants. By letting evaporation do its job, you can keep stuff nice and cool. Of course, if keeping temps low is a priority, LED lighting is a great option. firstrays.com has some nice screw in LED bulbs that I personally really like.

It sounds like many pleurothallids will work well in your temps. There are plenty of those orchids that love the cool/intermediate range and I use a few in my frog tanks as well. Pleurothallis grobyi is a nice hardy species if you like the smaller stuff. Small orchids are nice since they take up less room

Good luck and keep us updated on tank!

[diego_p]

I used to have a 18x18x18 exoterra dart frog set up with a couple pleurothalis orchids (I don't remember what the names were on them, but I got them from Jerry at orchids Ltd.) Both the frogs and the orchids did just fine when I was using just the tropical UVB light, and the Temps held right around 61
night time and 72 day time and the humidity was in 90s.
so I don't know if that can help somehow, but I think that with your Temps you could probably use some CFL lights that don't produce nearly as much heat as most of the other bulbs or there. You just have to get a full spectrum bulb or one blue and one red to give the orchids a better range of light therefore promoting better growth.

[hcastil3]

Originally Posted by diego_p

I used to have a 18x18x18 exoterra dart frog set up with a couple pleurothalis orchids (I don't remember what the names were on them, but I got them from Jerry at orchids Ltd.) Both the frogs and the orchids did just fine when I was using just the tropical UVB light, and the Temps held right around 61
night time and 72 day time and the humidity was in 90s.
so I don't know if that can help somehow, but I think that with your Temps you could probably use some CFL lights that don't produce nearly as much heat as most of the other bulbs or there. You just have to get a full spectrum bulb or one blue and one red to give the orchids a better range of light therefore promoting better growth.

hahaha this guy lives near me similar set up as mine too