Wardian Case

[Alana]

I have been toying with the idea of making a small wardian case from an old 55 gal fish tank. This is actually seems like a great solution for my soon to be growing collection (I will be attending the Orchid Show for the area orchid society on March 20 and 21) I don't have the room for a greenhouse and wouldn't have the plants to fill one reguardless. I know that I will need several things for it, a humidifier (or mister), a small fan for air circulation, and a light system (among other things), and that it will take alot of work. I would welcome any suggestions and ideas to help me on my little pet project.

[smartie2000]

Sounds like you have a start. I would suggest compact fluorescent lighting.

I have been wanting one too! I have a 25 gallon (tall).

But I think I'll be using it for temporary use for display purposes, some slipper blooms seem to not hold as long on household windowsill I am hypothesizing, due to lower humidity. And maybe to grow some masdevallias

I hope you get some better answers though.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Alana, try doing a search here. There are others who have posted photos and information on growing in a wardian case or fish tanks that might be helpful for your project. I look forward to reading about how yours develops.

Cheers,
BD

[gidi]

for light use a t4 or t5 bulbs i'm useing t4
air circulation you can dismount or buy 2 40x40 mm computer fans 12v dc, for the fan you buy a usb to usb cable you cut one end and reveal the cords cut off the cords that are not black or red, then when you are left with the black and red only attach the red to the red cable of the fan and the black to the black cable of the fan, then tape them with electric tape so the wire is not expose to hand touch and also to humidity.
you can also check in youtube for how to make a USB fan.
you can add a mini fogger which is cheap for adding more himidity when necesery.
also if you want to have the bottom of your tank full with water (like i did) you can but an internal aquarium filter, to clean the water and arrabge that the pump will drop the water from almost the top of the tank making the impacting water splash and creating even more humidity. i also add 2 heaters for have water temp of about 28C do have water vapor to increase humidity.

[pavel]

For the fan you can also get an AC/DC variable adapter. This allows you to change the speed of the fan(s) if desired.

You can also use cfl's for lighting -- I'd suggest the 75 or 100W equivalents.

IME a heater may not be needed. In my tank the proble is generally temps getting a bit higher than I want

[Alana]

Thanks for the great info guys! Love the idea for water in the bottom with an aquarium filter. have to make sure I get a good wire stand to keep the plants well off the bottom. I was checking the 55gal, not sure if I'm gonna use that one now, as it seems a bit on the short and wide side. Have to look around for a taller tank.

[gidi]

For the fan you can also get an AC/DC variable adapter. This allows you to change the speed of the fan(s) if desired.

You can also use cfl's for lighting -- I'd suggest the 75 or 100W equivalents.

IME a heater may not be needed. In my tank the proble is generally temps getting a bit higher than I want

you can reduce temp by adding more fans that blow our air also can attach the fan wire to a dimer so you can control fan speed

[Alana]

Hmm, do you guys think that using large plexigall sheets, cut to my specific size, self framed, and sealed w/ silicone would work better? I could even have holes cut in certain location for the fans and water filters/humidifier. Any feedback?

[gidi]

in my country glass or plexigal has more or less the same cost for a square meter.
glass will stay clear and transparent much after we reach the end of our lifes.
plexigal will start to lose his transperecy with time, if it gets direct sunlight it will be much faster for this kind of applecation you need special coating which cost more, but since it's orchids i guess direct sunlight isn't an issue here
plexi scrathes more easily than glass does.
glass is a better heat conducter so if the room te,p is colder it will start to reduce the tank temp, so the heaters will need to work more (electricity bill)
plexi is a poor conductor so the inside temp is influenced slower from the outside temp (room, roof, ect..) it can stand higher temp than the temp a heater otputs but it's not recomended that a heater will touch the plexi, so a the heater needs to inside a oval pyrex bowl or somthing of that kind where there is now risk of mealting.