SoLongFairWell Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 OK folks it's like this... As you may remember from my past terrarium questions I'm absolutely clueless with lighting technology etc. My wife made me get rid of my old terrarium as it was ugly as hell. It was a two-foot fish tank with no lid and I had two fluorescent tubes perched on top with a couple of garden canes. So I've been without a terrarium for the whole of this year. I'm wanting a new small terrarium and am asking for advice as to what I should buy as I have no knowledge of grow-lights at all. It only needs to be small, and not cost a fortune. No more than two feet long. Also needed will be a heat mat or soil warming cable. The only things I will be growing in there are Petiolaris Droseras. I need to be able to buy this online as there are no grow stores and such like here in Ireland that I'm aware of. I also don't know if I need some sort of ventilation in it or not as considering the temperatures need to be up at around 30C then I assume it must have a lid. All of your help would be very much appreciated. Point me in the direction of web-links for me to buy stuff. Of course, if you already grow the Petiolaris complex yourself then replicating your own setup could be the way to go. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 If you're after an 'out the box' simple setup, these T5 units are 2ft long and kick out good light... http://www.3ch.co.uk/lightwave-t5-propagation-light-4-way-short.html (They do a 2 or 4 tube version) I've not used them myself, but would go for these if I wanted a fluorescent setup on a tank that size. I'm currently building a custom LED system for my 2ft terrarium but is much more expensive and DIY heavy! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks Stu. I would definitely fit into the remedial DIY class if it existed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paul y Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 aquarium or vivarium shop will have everything you need, give neil woodward a shout on fb he runs pier aquatics and will have everything you need and cvs you definitely want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotcarnivorousplants Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Get an exo terra one, really they work well. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmatil Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 I have a Lucky Reptile terrarium and highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 I'll take myself off to the pet store and see what I can find. I liked the Exo Terra as it has front doors. The only one I can find on Amazon is 30cm cubed which is too small. I want 60cm long but I'm concerned that any 60cm one will be too high as the lights will be too far from the plants. How high is too high? Bare in mine it's for Petiolaris Drosera, not Nepenthes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 I have a Lucky Reptile terrarium and highly recommend it. Is yours one of the wooden ones? If so, how do you manage with keeping the base free of water to avoid damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Right folks I was out looking at terrariums today and am going to go with the Exo Terra 60x45x45 unless you think 45cm height is too tall. I am concerned that the plants may be too far away from the lights so need input on this. Regarding the lighting, Exo Terra make a 3 bulb in a row compact fluorescent canopy and I'm not sure if I'll ned 2 of these or one. The light needs to be bright and I'm not sure if I place this along the middle of the length that it will provide enough light to the front and back. It can be seen here http://petstop.ie/reptiles/reptile-heating-lighting/exo-terra-compact-top-60cm-3-light-canopy Can someone tell me what kind of light bulbs I'd need? The Exo Terra ones are designed for reptiles and cost a fortune. I'm certain compact fluorescent bulbs are available much cheaper, perhaps on Amazon???? Links would be helpful for them. Also, would the end of any alternative bulb fit into the Exo Terra light unit? According to Amazon the unit is for T10 which I'm assuming is the bulb size. Finally I've been looking at heating mats. The Exo Terra large heat mat is 20x20cm and is available in Rainforest or Desert. I don't know which option kicks out the most heat and if I'll need 2 or even three mats in fact. I'm assuming I'll be able to buy some sort of generic plug-in thermostat online that will control the power source to the heat mat plug. As far as I know Petiolaris Drosera require temperatures of around 30 celsius (when in growth) and somewhere in the lower 20-25 range when dormant in winter???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel van den Broek Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 This was made by Melanie (Creepy) based on my pictures and text: It's a couple of years old but the tank is basically the same..though I now no longer use the 3 t5 but 2 28wat "Easy LED" 6800 K full spectrum led bars. Less power but the plants have never done better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thanks Marcel. Actually I've still got my old tank (same dimensions) in the shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peabody Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Richard, Check out a Greenhouse Sensation thermostat. It's dead easy to set the temperature and can switch upto 300 Watts so that's more than enough for heat mats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 I managed to source the Aquatlantis Easy LED 20w lights from Aquaristic.net in Germany. I've ordered two of them. I also ordered a 75w aquarium heater. I've gone for the higher wattage as I will likely be able to put this setup in my greenhouse in the frost-free section so I need to be able to boost the heat output of the heater to allow for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 All ordered. I now only have to get the piece of wood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmatil Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Is yours one of the wooden ones? If so, how do you manage with keeping the base free of water to avoid damage? Hi Richard. No I have a glass one. I like the front doors as they are the sliding type whereas Exo Terra has hinged doors. Mine is 1 m high (about 3ft), width is 80 cm and depth 50 cm. The lights hang inside the terrarium at about 30 cm fron the plants. The fixtures are Arcadia Ultra Seal IP65. Hanging the tubes inside also heats up the terrarium nicely, although during the winter I have additional heaters (not mat or cable). Good luck with your project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoLongFairWell Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Thanks Pmatil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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