Terrarium Room Build (Pic Heavy)

[TysonUnderwood]

OK, I did a bit of research online, and my project for the weekend will be to measure the light the light in my terrarium. I'm posting the directions here in case anyone else reading this is interested.

You can use the light meter built into a 35mm camera that has manually adjustable settings. To determine the number of footcandles of light reaching an area, prop up a large sheet of white paper or cardboard at a 45-degree angle. Set the camera’s ASA dial at 100 and the shutter speed at 1/15 of a second. The f-stop reading you get can then be translated into the approximate footcandle level, as listed below.

At ASA 100 and 1/15 second:
f/1.4 = 1.25 footcandles
f/2 = 2.5 footcandles
f/2.8 = 5 footcandles
f/4 = 10 footcandles
f/5.6 = 20 footcandles
f/8 = 40 footcandles
f/11 = 80 footcandles
f/16 = 160 footcandles
f/22 = 320 footcandles

Lumens = Footcandles x 10.764

[chinoanoah]

Originally Posted by TysonUnderwood

OK, I did a bit of research online, and my project for the weekend will be to measure the light the light in my terrarium. I'm posting the directions here in case anyone else reading this is interested.

You can use the light meter built into a 35mm camera that has manually adjustable settings. To determine the number of footcandles of light reaching an area, prop up a large sheet of white paper or cardboard at a 45-degree angle. Set the camera’s ASA dial at 100 and the shutter speed at 1/15 of a second. The f-stop reading you get can then be translated into the approximate footcandle level, as listed below.

At ASA 100 and 1/15 second:
f/1.4 = 1.25 footcandles
f/2 = 2.5 footcandles
f/2.8 = 5 footcandles
f/4 = 10 footcandles
f/5.6 = 20 footcandles
f/8 = 40 footcandles
f/11 = 80 footcandles
f/16 = 160 footcandles
f/22 = 320 footcandles

Lumens = Footcandles x 10.764

How do you do this with a digital SLR?

[TysonUnderwood]

I'm using a Canon, but basically set the camera to shutter priority mode (TV mode on mine), then set the iso to 100 and crank the dial to 1/15 seconds. Looking through the viewfinder, whenever you push down to take a photo, the display lights up and shows the f-stop. You can see it changing as you move the camera around to other targets. Aiming at my monitor, I get 7.1, so that is somewhere around 30 footcandles. 30x10.764=323 lumen/sq meter of light hitting my monitor. It is a very rough measurement, but it is a start if you don't have an actual meter.

[EriksReptiles]

Awesome Build! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks Erik

[Fishman]

I am now subscribed as well... Very cool.

[TysonUnderwood]

Quick update...

I put a couple coats of grout on one of the walls. I still need to do at least one more to get the final stone color I'm looking for. Currently, the grout is fairly strong, but I can push my finger through it if I try. Hopefully the 3rd coat will make a difference in this.


I also took some light readings this morning. They are obviously low, so I'll have to see what they look like later on today. Here are my readings so far (Roughly measured in lumens with my camera.)

[TysonUnderwood]

I have a quick pump question. I'm looking at getting a Via Aqua 1300 to power my water feature. The head of the outlet is about 5 1/2 feet high, although it is still adjustable. I'm hoping to be able to get a steady stream of water coming down the wall without it being overbearing/dangerous to frogs. Does anyone have any experience with these pumps or any other suggestions?

[Energy]

Originally Posted by TysonUnderwood

I have a quick pump question. I'm looking at getting a Via Aqua 1300 to power my water feature. The head of the outlet is about 5 1/2 feet high, although it is still adjustable. I'm hoping to be able to get a steady stream of water coming down the wall without it being overbearing/dangerous to frogs. Does anyone have any experience with these pumps or any other suggestions?

According to the link you provied the maximum head height is 6'. The output is 370 gph but that is probably at zero head height. At 5.5 feet I would guess you will be getting maybe 50-100 gph.

Find a chart on it. Are you familiar with head height charts? Most pumps have them and if they don't- then avoid that pump.

The chart will tell you how many gallons per hour it will pump when the output is anywhere from 1-20 feet above the pump.

Mag pumps are very reliable and can be either submersed or out of the water which makes them versatile. They also have a fairly good head height output ratio. I think they are one of the best "multi-purpose" pumps around. They come in a variety of sizes that all relate to their output. For instance a "Mag 9" will generally output 900 gallons per hour at zero head height.

[Energy]

Pond & Fountain Pumps: Pondmaster Mag-Drive Pumps

Here you go.

There is a flow chart under"more information" according to it a mag 7 will pump about 400 gph at 5.5 feet of head height.

hope that helps.

[jubjub47]

Mag-Drives hold up really well also. We use them at work in our service trucks and they hold up to all sorts of abuse.