Heating a terrarium for Nepenthes Rajah

[evergreen]

Does anyone know how i could heat a terrarium for a Rajah? I deffinetly have the cool night-temps it needs but durring the winter here the day temps seem too cold. I've heard heating pads/mats dont work so well and I don't know if a heat lamp would burn its leaves.

any suggestions?

 

[Capslock]

What are you using to light the tank with? If you're using bulbs, that usually would provide enough warmth.

Capslock

 

[evergreen]

I was gonna use a flourescent strip light because i thought that would replicate the sun better but that might not supply as much warmth as incandescent? I don't know, will it?

 

[theyellowdart]

Incandescents will definately get warmer, but they should not be used for grow lights. It's just the wrong kind of light.
Like Capslock said, I think the fluorescents should heat it up enough, especcially if it's going to be in a terrarium.
What kind of temps are you getting during the day?

 

[SirKristoff]

Rajah, like any highlander, doesn't need very warm temps, 70 is perfect, and that is easily obtainable in a terrarium with a strip light, you don't need to heat it. I live in western washington, and I don't need a heater for my growrack, I had a terrarium this time last year. Without a heater and it hit 80 easily.

 

[DrWurm]

Yeah, lol, I don't understand why you'd need a heater for rajah. A cooler maybe.

 

[evergreen]

thanks guys, for a while i thought i had to go buy a light to get it to 85 degrees being right now about 74 degrees.

 

[evergreen]

While on the subject of Rajah i heard somewhere that they grow well in live sphagnum moss, does anyone know where i could get a good amount for a good price? if not is there any other "substrates" that work just as well?

 

[Capensis]

I am currently using 60-70/40-30 LFS/orchid bark.
Edit: I don't own rajah btw Just saying what I use for my neps

 

[vraev]

Rajah, like any highlander, doesn't need very warm temps, 70 is perfect, and that is easily obtainable in a terrarium with a strip light, you don't need to heat it. I live in western washington, and I don't need a heater for my growrack, I had a terrarium this time last year. Without a heater and it hit 80 easily.

N.rajah is not an ultrahighlander. I have had nepenthes veterans explain the niche of the rajah to me. The rajah appreciates warmer days around high 70's to low 80's in the morning while getting 50's at the night. Any sway of temperatures from this ideal range makes the plant grow slower than its regular pace of a leaf in 2-3 weeks. My rajah currently takes around 4 weeks or so to make a leaf due to lower day temps.

 

[evergreen]

wow, with the propper conditions it could grow faster than my truncata? nice.

 

[evergreen]

Could I put both plants in the same terrarium?

 

[SirKristoff]

vraev i didnt call it an ultra highlander i said like any highlander...lol

 

[vraev]

true! But I was just picking at the "70 is perfect". That is perfect for ultrahighlanders. rajah is pretty picky in its own way. It tries to be original I guess.

 

[SirKristoff]

70 is perfect if he cant get it much warmer is what i meant lol...and Rajah is a highland/ultrahighlander....it has to be to have hybridized with Villosa but it does not require the cold nights like villosa, though it appreciates it into the low 50s, upper 40s..

 

[evergreen]

Could a truncata and rajah live in the same terrarium?

 

[Capensis]

I wouldn't doubt it, but I'm not a nep expert

 

[Nepfreak]

rajah's not an ultrahighlander now? This is more confusing than politics!

 

[vraev]

nope! N.rajah is just a highlander. There are only few species that fit the ultrahighlander category based on their local altitude. N.villosa, N.lamii, N.aristolochioides are 3 which belong to this classification. However, aristolochioides has a wider range than the other two extending into the "highland" category.

Its not confusing. its just depends on how strict you are. In the end, all these plants need night time cooling. Relative cooling levels and day time max temps are lower for villosa and lamii...but most of the others have the standard highland temperature ranges of 75 to 85F day and 55 to 65 at night.

 

[SirKristoff]

Vraev, rajah extends into ultrahighland temps as well, read my post above. Many rajah grow with villosa in the wild. Note the hybrid between villosa and rajah, N.x Kinabaluensis