Pleurothallid-l mailing list

["Stephan Patnaude" <stephanpatnaude@gmail.com>]

> My larger plants got shelves in front of an east facing window and
> the smaller ones put into a "snake box" (terrarium with sliding front doors
> designed for reptile pets) with three fluorescent tubes above it. Things
> looked good until the warm weather began. It's just much too warm for
> pleurothallids in there. Does anyone know anything about growing  under LED
> lights which are supposed to give off good spectrum light and produce very
> little heat? How far from the lights can the plants be? Do they come in a
> form one could arrange above a terrarium 12 inches by 36 inches? Are there
> better/worse brands or types for this purpose? Is there anything else about
> these lights I should be asking?
>
>
> Gerard Brender `a Brandis,

Hi Gerard,

The best plan is perhaps to put the lights outside of the terrarium
(the top needs
to be transparent) and use a fan to keep the heat from the lights away
from the case.
This also allows you make things as humid in the case as desired
without worrying about
mixing electricity with water.

T5 and compact fluorescent light fixtures of all sizes can usually be
found at pet
suppliers catering to aquarium enthusiasts (although the bulbs/tubes
for this purpose
ane usually do not have the appropriate spectral output).  I prefer
T5/T6 fixtures myself but
the CFL fixtures are also good.  Mixed 6500K and 3000K bulbs/tubes work well 
for
me.

I've never used this merchant, but browsing his selections will give
you some idea
of the wide array of fixtures available.

http://stores.ebay.com/Aquarium-Lights_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Perhaps you could find a nice spot in the basement to put the case in
during the warmer
months.  I'm contemplating this strategy for my long suffering Draculas.

Regards.