# Lighting help needed for my 18x18x24



## FrogNub (Aug 5, 2009)

Hello everyone!

I have just started a 18x18x24 terrarium! I did a great stuff background that I siliconed coco fiber, some terra cotta pots and wood to. My bottom is hydroton with a fiberglass screen cut and fitted on top, then ABG and sphagnum moss on top of that.

my plants are:










Peperomia prostrata, Nephrolepis exaltata 'Suzi Wong', Pilea peperomioides, Tillandsia ionantha, Anoectochilus albolineatus (Jewel Orchid), Vanilla planifolia (Orchid).

Pepporomia on the bot left in the base level, Suzi Wong top left, Pilea peperomioides ground floor right, Tilandsia center, jewel orchid tooth picked in place mid left, vanilla orichid mid right.

My lighting is two Exo terra Repti glo lights; 1 5.0 uvb 26w and a 2.0 uvb 26w both in an exo terra compact top

Exo Terra : Repti Glo Compact 2.0, 5.0 & 10.0 / Compact Fluorescent Bulbs










Question:
I just started my terrarium 07/07/11 and it is now 07/10/11, I know it hasn't been very long, but I am seeing my fern in the top left, are orchid in the top right getting a little brown at the tips. I have the lights on a 12/12 cycle. 

I'm wondering if maybe I have too much light or too little light? Maybe too wet? Or maybe I placed my plants in wrong spots depending on their lighting needs. I sprayed my tank once since I first got it started and the humidity inside is STILL at 99%! I think this is great for if I want to get animals eventually, but maybe the plants I have don't like it? Maybe this indicates a lack of ventilation? The tank is not completely sealed at there is a gap between the two glass panel doors in the front. I do have a sealed glass top. There is also a fine white puffy mold growing on a lot of the moss, I'm not sure if that is detrimental.

I was just wondering if I could get a second opinion on this, Thanks!


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## WONTON SALLY (Jun 26, 2011)

from what i have read/been told all you need is the 65k light they come in 10watt, 13watt, 20watt, 26watt. it is a daylight bulb which the plants will like. i started with the 26 watt and then the 20watt all too bright due to where i have them in my basement so i ended up with the 13watt. all come i 2packs at walmart for 7bucks and they are CF's. i dont think you need the the special uvb bulbs. My cousin has used what i mentioned and even a 6light LED light strip and his frogs are still alive after 3 years. 2 tanks he runs like this with no problems.


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## deboardfam (Feb 7, 2011)

+1 to what wonton said.. I run 2 18x18x24s.. both have the exo terra hoods with two spiral compact 26w from walmart for $6 for a 2 pack. My plants are growing quite well.

As far as your pllants etc.. my ferns that I have near the top do the same but still grow. I also moved my glass on top to give about an inch of just the screen as a vent because my humidity was staying too high.


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## Natures Gems (Apr 12, 2011)

FrogNub said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> I have just started a 18x18x24 terrarium! I did a great stuff background that I siliconed coco fiber, some terra cotta pots and wood to. My bottom is hydroton with a fiberglass screen cut and fitted on top, then ABG and sphagnum moss on top of that.
> 
> ...


well as someone else has mentioned you can't do wrong with a 6500k bulb. commonly referrred to as a daylight flourescent bulb. perfect for dart frogs and all plants in the terrarium. i use the daylight bulbs only and my plants grow like weeds. 12 hours on 12 hours off. if the humidity is high try not to water too often. you might want to let the humidity drop to 80-90 percent for the plants before rewatering. too much water could be detrimental. research the plants you have for humidity requirements and if they don't need 99 percent letting it drop a little might help. if you are watering very often that may be too much for the plants. humidity/water is always two different subjects.humidity requirements doesn't necessarily mean water everyday. good luck.


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## CVB (May 30, 2011)

As I'm not familiar with the exact lighting needs of the plants in question, and you will likely want to put quite a bit more plant life in there, it might be hard to say exactly what you need, but everyone is spot on about 6500K lamps. They're easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and don't run exceptionally hot. If overheating isn't a concern, they work very well for general plant growth since they produce light of a spectrum that, typically, peaks fairly close to chlorophyll absorption wavelengths without being hideous in color rendition. In other words, they look good and things grow under them.

As for the bulbs you are currently using, they may offer good color rendering, but if they are over tank glass, the UVB is not likely to penetrate in significant amounts (assuming it is standard glass; low iron glasses, which are expensive, pass more). If you're doing darts, the UVB is likely not of much importance as they can acquire the products of UVB-absorption from dietary sources. If you're housing reptiles, you'll want the bulbs over a screen so the UVB penetrates.

Overall, if you've got a standard screw socket fixture, I'd probably just swap and use normal 6500K daylight lamp bulbs from Home Depot or a similar store. They're dirt cheap and provide everything the plants need without the minor hazard of exposing yourself to direct UVB from reptile bulbs all the time (try not to stare at them, heh). You may also consider, if they're on separate cords, running the bulbs on different timers to create changing light levels throughout the day. Staggering the timers, say having one bulb come on for the first three hours, then both on for six, then the first one off for the last three hours, creates something of a moving sun effect with vaguely more realistic lighting levels.

Edit: Also, as to the mold, others may be able to comment with more authority, but the mold may disappear once the tank is established with springtails and microfauna that graze on it.


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## FrogNub (Aug 5, 2009)

Thanks to everyone for your input. 

I'm going to stop and pick up some new bulbs on the way home from work. I was actually planning on putting quite a few more plants in my terrarium but I wanted to experiment a little with humidity/temperature levels to see what I had. I did spray a LOT the first day I had everything planted. The next time I do I think I will just spray the substrate and background to obtain high humidity, but keep the plants 'dry'.

It's reassuring to hear that the mold will be under control after I introduce springtails, that is kind of what I assumed.

I will post an update on my progress!

Thanks again!


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## FrogNub (Aug 5, 2009)

I think you will all be amused by the progress that I have made in my vivarium. It's quite an upgrade from what I had originally posted.

This is a quick response, I will elaborate more in the near future.


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## DrawntoLife (Nov 12, 2009)

from my years of dealing with plants i haven't found a difference in kelvin besides the extremes like 20000k and -1000k bulbs, i have had my best growth around 10000k however it could be other things as such as substrate aeration, frequency of watering and others, so tbh the color of the bulb depends on your preference not the plants, the plants will adapt to use the light you give them.


focus more on intensity to watt rather than wavelength =p


lighting and plants are pretty much the most experience i have in this hobby


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## trdlabs (Sep 23, 2011)

DrawntoLife said:


> from my years of dealing with plants i haven't found a difference in kelvin besides the extremes like 20000k and -1000k bulbs, i have had my best growth around 10000k however it could be other things as such as substrate aeration, frequency of watering and others, so tbh the color of the bulb depends on your preference not the plants, the plants will adapt to use the light you give them.
> 
> 
> focus more on intensity to watt rather than wavelength =p
> ...


That sounds about right. In the reef tank world a 10,000K bulb is closest to the sun in spectrum.


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## Alter Ego Trip (Oct 23, 2011)

trdlabs said:


> In the reef tank world a 10,000K bulb is closest to the sun in spectrum.


That's not entirely accurate. It doesn't matter where you are; the sun at noonday is around 6500k. 

What you have to take into account with a reef tank, is water depth. Blue wavelengths penetrate deeper underwater than red wavelengths. That is why most corals thrive on 10k+ light, as that is what they get in the reefs. 

I guarantee you plants will grow better under 6k lights than they will under 10+. There is no reason to run a bluer spectrum light unless you like the look. JMTC.


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## jrgobble (Jun 23, 2011)

The blue wavelength can actually be damaging to some terrestrial plants. The lighting also depends on if the plants in the tank are shade or sun tolerate plants. 6500 kelvin is the heat color, but the sun loving plants actually need a little more wattage to survive. The tank looks great. I am glad the plants are doing good for you.


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## FrogNub (Aug 5, 2009)

I have been using 2 different spectrum bulbs. 
#1 13 watt Repti Glo 2.0 Compact Full Spectrum Terrarium Lamp
#2 13 watt Repti Glo 5.0 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp

Exo Terra : Repti Glo Compact 2.0, 5.0 & 10.0 / Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

I figured this would give a good mix of wavelength. I have a mix of shade and light loving plants with a slight skew towards more shade loving. Everything appears to be doing just fine with this set up, especially my begonias and peperomia prostrata. The peperomia is now basically everywhere on the ground floor and looking to start growing vertically!


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