I posted this in another forum, but I'd like to get the opinion of as many people as I can.
"I've always wanted to try to grow C-I Pleurothallids and Oxyglossum Dens. like Den. cuthbertsonii, but there's no way I could do it in my current conditions. Living in Louisiana, it's next to impossible to grow anything much cooler than I-W.
I was talking to a northern vendor at a local show, and she told me she'd heard of people growing cool growers in florist fridges and installing lights strong enough for the plants to grow. This got me thinking. At this point, I have no room for a huge florist fridge or money for that matter...
It hit me that maybe I could use a thermoelectric wine chiller to keep my temps down. Depending on the model, these keep temps anywhere between the upper 60s to the mid 40s. If I did this, I'd buy one with a glass door and light it from the outside using either CFLs or high powered LEDs to reduce heat.
What I don't know is how the chiller unit would hold up to the humidity needed for these plants and also if air is circulated by the unit. I'm just in the thinking/ research stage at this point. I'd love to hear everyone's input on this both positive or negative.
This idea might be totally farfetched and impossible to achieve. If you guys think that's true, let me know, so I don't waste time trying to figure that out myself. If you have other suggestions for cooling a tank set up, those are welcome as well."
Ray mentioned that it might be hard to light this from the outside because most wine chillers have tinted glass.
I've found a few that have clear glass, so I still think it may be possible to light from the inside. I'm open to thinking of some other way to light this, but I'm not sure of any other way that will limit heat output.
Also, my other concern is how standing water will affect the actual unit. When I originally asked the question, Ray suggested that the humidity should not be an issue because at lower temperatures, there isn't a large amount of actual moisture in the air.
I'd like any and all critiques/ inputs on this that you may have. And Ray, if I misinterpreted any of your previous statements, I apologize.
"I've always wanted to try to grow C-I Pleurothallids and Oxyglossum Dens. like Den. cuthbertsonii, but there's no way I could do it in my current conditions. Living in Louisiana, it's next to impossible to grow anything much cooler than I-W.
I was talking to a northern vendor at a local show, and she told me she'd heard of people growing cool growers in florist fridges and installing lights strong enough for the plants to grow. This got me thinking. At this point, I have no room for a huge florist fridge or money for that matter...
It hit me that maybe I could use a thermoelectric wine chiller to keep my temps down. Depending on the model, these keep temps anywhere between the upper 60s to the mid 40s. If I did this, I'd buy one with a glass door and light it from the outside using either CFLs or high powered LEDs to reduce heat.
What I don't know is how the chiller unit would hold up to the humidity needed for these plants and also if air is circulated by the unit. I'm just in the thinking/ research stage at this point. I'd love to hear everyone's input on this both positive or negative.
This idea might be totally farfetched and impossible to achieve. If you guys think that's true, let me know, so I don't waste time trying to figure that out myself. If you have other suggestions for cooling a tank set up, those are welcome as well."
Ray mentioned that it might be hard to light this from the outside because most wine chillers have tinted glass.
I've found a few that have clear glass, so I still think it may be possible to light from the inside. I'm open to thinking of some other way to light this, but I'm not sure of any other way that will limit heat output.
Also, my other concern is how standing water will affect the actual unit. When I originally asked the question, Ray suggested that the humidity should not be an issue because at lower temperatures, there isn't a large amount of actual moisture in the air.
I'd like any and all critiques/ inputs on this that you may have. And Ray, if I misinterpreted any of your previous statements, I apologize.
