What materials are needed to start a terrarium?

[Zacham3]

Long story short - I might be going to college in Seattle and would need an apartment there. It doesn't have enough space so I want to get a terrarium for CPs. What would be a basic list of things I would need in order to start one? I can have up to a 30 gallon tank

If possible, please provide a place on which to get the things (that is if it's not against forum rules)
Thanks!

 

[Peatmoss]

Tank, fan, light.

BAM! Insta terrarium!

Fan can be a wired computer fan or a really small normal one. I use t5 HO bulbs for my plants.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I just used a tank, a light, a hood and some tape.

 

[Zacham3]

Guess I should have been more clear
Can I get specifics? Like what tank, by who, where to get it. Stuff like that?

 

[scottychaos]

Guess I should have been more clear
Can I get specifics? Like what tank,

Doesn't matter.

by who,

Doesn't matter.

where to get it.

We cant tell you, because we don't live where you live..

any aquarium shop or pet store will sell aquariums that will work..
I would look on Craigslist for used aquariums..people get rid of them for really cheap..
you could get a bigger one for a lot less money that way.

FYI, if you are considering VFT's or Sarracenia for the terrarium..don't.
they aren't good terrarium plants..
use only Nepenthes or other tropical CP's that don't require a dormancy..
many sundews will work..

Scot

 

[amphirion]

tank = petstore ie petsmart/petco
light = T8s to T5 High Output lights are highly recommended, hydroponics store
egg crate lighting diffusor = lowes/home depot

problem is that we dont know what you want to grow and if you get to more specialized, more expensive plants, you will need to get customize your tank to satisfy their needs (ie more lights, ultrasonic mister, aquarium heater etc).
long story short: unless dealing with common accessible plants, there is no generic fix.

 

[CreatureTom]

One thing a lot of people forget is reflectors for their lights, in my opinion they are even more important than the lights themselves. I have two 2ft 25W t8s which is actually pretty weak but with a reflector on each it creates a pretty concentrated area of light so my plants are actually on the darker side (so I like to think anyway ) What would you do with the terrarium when you go on holiday/visit home? I'm going to university next year but I'm leaving my tank under the care of my parents and only taking Neps that I can grow on a windowsill because it's just inpractical to somehow take a terrarium across the country everytime I go somewhere!

 

[sarracenia_X]

tank, any random fishtank, size is your choice

lights, any random fixture that fits the tank and has plant bulbs (plant light bulbs that is, dont go and try to shove a gladiolus into the socket!)

fan, go to Radio Shack, buy a PC fan that's a good size for your tank, get a power adapter, cut the plug off, strip both wires, and stick it into the fan's plug.

get some potted neps, stick em' in the tank, get some live sphagnum, put it all around the pots, get some Drosera prolifera, put em' in the sphag, put the lights on the tank, hook up to a timer (unless you want to have to turn them on every morning, and off every night), plug in, and bam! you have a pretty cool setup!

just sit back, watch the neps pop pitcer after pitcher, trim em' when the vines get too high, and just let the dews go crazy! i love the look of ferral drosera in live sphag for the landscaping of terrariums! and anytime the water level gets too low, add some distilled water.

oh, and dont forget to send me some of those nep cuttings!

 

[Zacham3]

Okay so this is my list so far -

Exo terra PT2610 for the tank - http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_medium.php

Hydrofarm t5 lights - http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLT24-2-Foot-Fluorescent-System/dp/B002JQBQZQ/ref=pd_sbs_lg_1

Exo terra Monsoon RS400 for humidity and water - http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Monsoon...2868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337120415&sr=8-1

With all this and a fan, would it sound like a good set up?

What would you do with the terrarium when you go on holiday/visit home? I'm going to university next year but I'm leaving my tank under the care of my parents and only taking Neps that I can grow on a windowsill because it's just inpractical to somehow take a terrarium across the country everytime I go somewhere!

I would be going to the Art Institute and the way their schedule works is, I go to every quarter throughout the year for a total of 3 years. That means that my breaks are only a week or so long and if I have a part time job, I would stay there. The institute is also only about 1 1/2 hours from my house
Plus there is no way I would let my mom take care of my plants! Last time they almost died!

oh, and dont forget to send me some of those nep cuttings!

I'll see what I can do lol. If I do get some neps then you will be the first one I give cuttings to

 

[sarracenia_X]

do you have a radioshack nearby? they have good fans as i have said...

or just raid an old computer, most have at least one fan to cool the Central Processing Unit (CPU)

 

[Zacham3]

I use to build computers so I have a ton of them laying around
Thanks for reminding me though! I completely forgot...

 

[sarracenia_X]

oh, COOL! ive always wanted to build my own computer, customized enclosure and EVERYTHING!! im not a total computer nerd, but i do know a thing or two about the guts of the computer, and how they connect and stuff.

 

[MICKEY]

brie lives in that area and works in a fish shop so might be able to help you out try to pm her

 

[Zacham3]

And that's all you really need to know. It's not hard at all if you sit down and go over a list. Some basic things would be the motherboard, CPU, RAM, sound and graphics card, and memory. Haven't done it in a while but I think that's it...

Anyway, would the things listed make a good terrarium for the plants you mentioned? I would do different dews and make sure the temp and humidity could be controlled before I decide anything else.