Ways to keep my terrarium cool?

[pappydew]

125w of light over 10 gallons seems like a pretty legitimate reason for the over-heating...

 

[31drew31]

That fan is way too big for my terrarium. My terrarium is a 10 gallon tank.

Maybe you are misunderstanding me or I am misunderstanding you. Your lights are on the outside of the terrarium correct? That fan is only a 6" fan which has a clip on it to attach to a rack or whatever. Set the fan up so the wind is blowing directly across the light which will remove a lot of the heat penatrating into your terrarium.

Even a regular house fan would do the trick.

 

[Wolfn]

125w of light over 10 gallons seems like a pretty legitimate reason for the over-heating...

For a ten gallon tank, how much lighting would be sufficient?

 

[pappydew]

I've never kept Helis or Cephs, and those are probably the most light demanding plants you have. The capensis and filiformis certainly dont need that much.

 

[Wolfn]

Okay, update on the situation. I've upgraded to a 20 gallon tank (twice as large as the previous one) and instead of aluminum foil, I've got white cardboard lining the sides. I'm still using the 125 watt bulb for lighting.

However, the temps are still hovering between 85f (with an air gap) and 90f (closing the air gap and increasing the humidity)


Would 85f be acceptable to the plants? So far they appear to be doing fine but during the winter when it's supposed to get cooler, the temps will be around 80f during the day but have a significant drop at night. Further, the plants are sitting in pots that are 5inches in height so the plants are now 11 inches from the bulb. Is this too far from the bulb? The plants seem to be doing okay, but they aren't coloring up as much as they used to, even though the sides of the tank are lined with white cardboard.


Is there another material I could use to reflect light back into the tank that wouldn't insulate the tank and cause it to heat up?

 

[pappydew]

IME probably not. I've still yet to keep Helis or Cephs so I cannot comment on their requirements, but 85-90F is very much pushing it for the dews. 80F would most certainly be ideal if you can accomplish that. I think the distance from the bulbs is probably ok if it is at the risk of causing them to instead be scorched by the light. All mine are around the same distance from the lighting.

How good are the relectors in your light fixture? That is just as, if not more, important than anything external to the tank.

Have you added any fans to at least increase air movement? Is it still enclosed?

 

[Cindy]

I grow Cephs at my balcony in lowland conditions year round. The temperature ranges from 77F-94F. However, no Heli has ever survived those conditions for long.