Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
My house is consistently warmer and drier in the winter than any other season!
Wow
oke: just like our houses in Canada. Well, Alberta for sure, anyway. 
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Wow
oke: just like our houses in Canada. Well, Alberta for sure, anyway.
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
Rose, is your aquarium bottom is solid? You haven't had any holes drilled in it for drainage, right? I wouldn't really want to have to do that if I get an aquarium. Thanks.
arcticshaun
Well-Known Member
Nice yellow Masdevallia. J &L had a table at the last show I attended but I snagged a Neo 'cause I already had a few Masdevallias.
I can't keep the lid on my mainly Masdevallia tank because some spikes are too long (M. princeps flowers are large as well). This means it is harder to maintain higher humidity but I think I get away with it with air circulation and little heat stress in the summer (I do have some spotting on my leaves). With forced air heating winter is the hardest season on my Masdevallias too. I definitely prefer to collect intermediate or at least warmth tolerant Masdevallias (although M. veitchiana and M. caudata keep calling me). I'm also leery of repotting Masdevallias due to the fine roots but if I let them go past two years I see a quick decline.
Shaun
I can't keep the lid on my mainly Masdevallia tank because some spikes are too long (M. princeps flowers are large as well). This means it is harder to maintain higher humidity but I think I get away with it with air circulation and little heat stress in the summer (I do have some spotting on my leaves). With forced air heating winter is the hardest season on my Masdevallias too. I definitely prefer to collect intermediate or at least warmth tolerant Masdevallias (although M. veitchiana and M. caudata keep calling me). I'm also leery of repotting Masdevallias due to the fine roots but if I let them go past two years I see a quick decline.
Shaun
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goldenrose
Guest
No - not drilled. The egg crate sits 1" off the bottom, so the plants don't sit in water. The fan is probably a bit too strong but the plants seem to like it.
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goldenrose
Guest
Thanks Shaun - all the cool-cold ones keep calling to me too! The flowers are huge & the colors so vibrant, it's hard to resist them!
I repotted all my masdies in fine fir bark because I was leary about the sphagnum souring in the solid plastic pots. The roots had more substance than what I thought! (and I want to know what I'm dealing with). The drac I left in sphagnum but it's in a net pot, so I would think more or better air circulation & it less likely to sour?
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
Rose, where is the muffin fan in your aquarium set-up?
My set up is similar to yours except my aquarium will actually be sitting under T-8 lights and so the lid is going to have to be translucent. I'm trying to figure out what to use for the lid and then how to maybe mount the muffin fan on the lid. I'm also wondering if that kind of set up will then allow too much dry air to be pulled in and blown on the the plants, defeating the whole purpose of trying to raise the humidity.
My set up is similar to yours except my aquarium will actually be sitting under T-8 lights and so the lid is going to have to be translucent. I'm trying to figure out what to use for the lid and then how to maybe mount the muffin fan on the lid. I'm also wondering if that kind of set up will then allow too much dry air to be pulled in and blown on the the plants, defeating the whole purpose of trying to raise the humidity.
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goldenrose
Guest
It's the box on the left side, it's in the rear corner setting on top of an inverted bonsai pot.Rose, where is the muffin fan in your aquarium set-up?
.... I'm trying to figure out what to use for the lid and then how to maybe mount the muffin fan on the lid. I'm also wondering if that kind of set up will then allow too much dry air to be pulled in and blown on the the plants, defeating the whole purpose of trying to raise the humidity.
..... that's easy - plexiglass! When I redo my big aquarium which has a glass top, I'm going to cut the corners, those will be the vents & I can close down the corners with almost anything if the humidity is dropping too low.
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
Doh, thanks, I see it now. I was thinking that was a hygrometer.
Yeah, we were thinking plexiglass for the lid too, but I'm going to try a plastic seed-starting tray lid first and actually mount the fan on that. They're very lightweight, but they're the perfect size to fit over the aquarium and ultra-cheap to try as an experiment anyway. Stay tuned.
Yeah, we were thinking plexiglass for the lid too, but I'm going to try a plastic seed-starting tray lid first and actually mount the fan on that. They're very lightweight, but they're the perfect size to fit over the aquarium and ultra-cheap to try as an experiment anyway. Stay tuned.
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
Here's what mine's looking like...
View from the top:
We mounted the fan to the underside of the plastic dome. Hope you don't mind the pirating of your thread goldenrose
View from the top:
We mounted the fan to the underside of the plastic dome. Hope you don't mind the pirating of your thread goldenrose
I had a really bad experience [or 3] w/ closed terrariums for pleuros and masdies!!!
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
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goldenrose
Guest
Not at all! We're learning!Here's what mine's looking like...
We mounted the fan to the underside of the plastic dome. Hope you don't mind the pirating of your thread goldenrose
The back of the fan is mounted flush? Are the circles we see part of the fan or holes in the top?
If I remember he steamed them.
We found out not long ago Eric has a warm apartment. This is my way of thinking & obviously I'm not experienced - Venting is going to bring in fresh air but there are times heat needs to escape & seeing warm air rises, I would think this is also a way for some heat to escape??? Where are the majority of vents found on a GH?
Yoyo_Jo
Catt's Meow
Those are holes drilled in the top of the plastic lid to allow the fan to pull in fresh air. The humidity is staying at a constant 67% with this set up.
The thing w/ some masdies and most dracs is they need humid and cool!
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goldenrose
Guest
My GH is a pretty consistent 65% & masdies did not do well. I'd tape up several of the holes. I adjust the top on mine slightly but can pretty easily keep it 80-90%. I'm getting new leaves as well as flower spikes.
Most definitely! We had a couple of unseasonably warm days & the temp was creeping up, when it hit 78, I put a couple of cups of ice in, dropped the temp down 5-6 degrees! They can be warmth tolerant but my understanding is they'd do better at lower temps.
Now, if I lived in the Rockies or Maine, then it'd be a different story and I would have masdies growing outside!
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