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Hello,
I'm building a double rack of vivs in my office with four top ones that are approx 38" cubed (230 gallons) and eight on the bottom that are approx 19" cubed (30 gallons). I would like to keep orchids like phals, phrags and dendrobiums healthy in the top vivs, please help me with your ideas and criticism.
I'm creating two climate zones per viv with a log/branch/tube across the length of the viv about a foot off the bottom, roughly diagonal with side branches. The plastic pipe has holes in the top and filled with orchids that need lower humidity. The large orchid leaves help divide the viv into a top zone with more ventilation and a lower zone with less ventilation.
Each of the pipes is supplied with air where the log contacts the wall. A muffin fan supplys low humidity office air into the tube at the root zone of the orchids. The orchid roots and stem have a constant low flow of low humid air.
A rheostat controlls fan speed. I could use an arduino with humidity feedback, but the first month of operation will probably give me a working idea of appropriate air flow.
Foggers come out the back/bottom of the log and aim downward to the tank floor to mist the frogs.
The intent is to create high humidity at the floor for the frogs and low humidity in the top for orchids. The room air passing through the pipe flows through orchid roots, up and out through the leaves to exit the top of the viv. If too much air flow dries out the viv, foggers would kick on more often.
I need a barrier around the plant holes so inquisitive frogs could not squeeze into the log. I think perforated plastic can be wrapped closely around the orchid stem to prevent frogs, but stretchable enough to to not choke orchid stem growth. The low humidity air rises up the perforations and passes through the leaf and stem zone.
I could even get crazy and experiment with aerosol delivery of fertilizer to the orchids because each end of the pipe could drain condensed water. This might not be any harder than using an aquarium air pump to supply air which is itself placed in a sealed bucket filled with nitrate water and using an airstone to create an aerosol. Perhaps this craziness is best left for another thread.
The rack is now framed but not hardscaped. Even while working at home it will take weeks to frame up the stumps/roots and other features. I will take pics to clarify my wordy narrative.
Please give your thoughts and advice!
Thanks in advance. I live near Washington, D.C. and kept frogs for a long time until family illness made me give them up. It's exciting to get back into them again.
I'm building a double rack of vivs in my office with four top ones that are approx 38" cubed (230 gallons) and eight on the bottom that are approx 19" cubed (30 gallons). I would like to keep orchids like phals, phrags and dendrobiums healthy in the top vivs, please help me with your ideas and criticism.
I'm creating two climate zones per viv with a log/branch/tube across the length of the viv about a foot off the bottom, roughly diagonal with side branches. The plastic pipe has holes in the top and filled with orchids that need lower humidity. The large orchid leaves help divide the viv into a top zone with more ventilation and a lower zone with less ventilation.
Each of the pipes is supplied with air where the log contacts the wall. A muffin fan supplys low humidity office air into the tube at the root zone of the orchids. The orchid roots and stem have a constant low flow of low humid air.
A rheostat controlls fan speed. I could use an arduino with humidity feedback, but the first month of operation will probably give me a working idea of appropriate air flow.
Foggers come out the back/bottom of the log and aim downward to the tank floor to mist the frogs.
The intent is to create high humidity at the floor for the frogs and low humidity in the top for orchids. The room air passing through the pipe flows through orchid roots, up and out through the leaves to exit the top of the viv. If too much air flow dries out the viv, foggers would kick on more often.
I need a barrier around the plant holes so inquisitive frogs could not squeeze into the log. I think perforated plastic can be wrapped closely around the orchid stem to prevent frogs, but stretchable enough to to not choke orchid stem growth. The low humidity air rises up the perforations and passes through the leaf and stem zone.
I could even get crazy and experiment with aerosol delivery of fertilizer to the orchids because each end of the pipe could drain condensed water. This might not be any harder than using an aquarium air pump to supply air which is itself placed in a sealed bucket filled with nitrate water and using an airstone to create an aerosol. Perhaps this craziness is best left for another thread.
The rack is now framed but not hardscaped. Even while working at home it will take weeks to frame up the stumps/roots and other features. I will take pics to clarify my wordy narrative.
Please give your thoughts and advice!
Thanks in advance. I live near Washington, D.C. and kept frogs for a long time until family illness made me give them up. It's exciting to get back into them again.