Cooling a terrarium?

[DartEd]

There are ways to reduce the increased heat from the lighting but the previous response are correct. The terrarium is always going to reach the minimum temp of the room it's in. If the lighting is part of the problem, reverse your day and ight cycles so that they're on during the coolest time( at night ). Also elevate the lights a few inches above the vivarium and have a fan blow towards the lights. This will disipate heat. Some people remove the reflectors from the lights as well. This allows the heat to rise out instead of concentrating around the light and being forced downward.

[deranged chipmunk]

i would build a test tank first, and then experiment. i also would use florescent lighting, set on a reverse schedule, like Ed suggested and re-usable freezer packs in a water feature. just a thought.

[numpty]

There are ways to reduce the increased heat from the lighting but the previous response are correct. The terrarium is always going to reach the minimum temp of the room it's in. If the lighting is part of the problem, reverse your day and ight cycles so that they're on during the coolest time( at night ). Also elevate the lights a few inches above the vivarium and have a fan blow towards the lights. This will disipate heat. Some people remove the reflectors from the lights as well. This allows the heat to rise out instead of concentrating around the light and being forced downward.

Hi, and thanks for the ideas.

I'm not even thinking about lighting at the moment ... just reducing ambient temperatures would be the first challenge.

It might seem counterintuitive, but nighttime temperatures might actually be higher in my place than during the day, since the heat builds up and is stored in the brickwork. Also, in summer the outside air temperature never drops below 30C (what is that, high 80sF?), even in the predawn "chill". So, the day-night light reversal might be moot.

The layout of my place doesn't really help. The spare room where I'd consider keeping frogs isn't air-conditioned at all. I could leave the door open and it would catch some of the A/C from the living room, when we have it on, but at night we only have A/C on in the bedroom. It's costly enough without running two A/Cs through the night.

i would build a test tank first, and then experiment. i also would use florescent lighting, set on a reverse schedule, like Ed suggested and re-usable freezer packs in a water feature. just a thought.

Yes, I'd definitely want to experiment with a test tank first, though it might get pricey if I decided to play around with peltier coolers and the like. Freezer packs in a water feature ... hmmm, that's a thought. I've played around with freezer packs in the past for my carnivorous plants, and they usually return to room temperature pretty quickly when temps are high, but it gives me an idea. I wonder if I could somehow pipe a dribble of cold air from a packed cooler into a terrarium throughout the day, and change the packs when they begin to melt. Pretty high-maintenance, but I wonder if it would work at all.

Thanks for tips, guys!

[deranged chipmunk]

back in the 80's, i used to cool my saltwater tanks by running my canister hoses through a modified beverage cooler filled with ice water. it wasn't exactly precise, but it was effective. i still do it to this day with some smaller tanks if the heat gets really outrageous. i use the freezer packs only because i have a buttload of them for fishing. saves me loads of cash in ice each year.....lol

[deranged chipmunk]

sorry, forgot to make my point, i was thinking cool the water, cool the air

[Jimbok3]

I've been working on a highland plant terarium for a while now with mixed results. Using peltier chips (and cpu heatsink/fan combo) works to a degree but alone does not do a thing, adding in an ultrasonic fogger and having a small pump circulating water through the cooled "heat" sink works fairly well (About 10 to 15 degree drop). If your willing to mess with electricity (12 volts for the peltier and required fans setup) and adding water to the mix go for it

Forgot to add, don't put your temperate CP's in a cooler at night! They enjoy the heat and humidity (trust me here), use the cooler for the required winter dormancy.

[numpty]

I've been working on a highland plant terarium for a while now with mixed results. Using peltier chips (and cpu heatsink/fan combo) works to a degree but alone does not do a thing, adding in an ultrasonic fogger and having a small pump circulating water through the cooled "heat" sink works fairly well (About 10 to 15 degree drop). If your willing to mess with electricity (12 volts for the peltier and required fans setup) and adding water to the mix go for it

Forgot to add, don't put your temperate CP's in a cooler at night! They enjoy the heat and humidity (trust me here), use the cooler for the required winter dormancy.

Hi! Good to see another CP grower on here.

Interesting observations about the peltier approach. It would have to be a long-term project as I don't have much free time at the moment, but I'll try to scope some stuff out next time I'm in the vicinity of a tech market. Oddly, although they make a lot of the equipment out here, I've always found the electronics to be surprisingly pricey.

About CPs and the cooler ... after a few years of experimenting I actually find this is vital for some of my plants. D. capensis, which everyone thinks is indestructible, will go downhill in summer in no time at all unless I offer cool nights, and I find my Cephs, D. intermedia, Heliamphora, etc, benefit as well. Nights can be just staggeringly hot, especially since I live in a built up area, and while my Sarrs and Dionaea cope okay, others don't. Luckily winter is cool enough for a natural dormancy (again, the conventional wisdom is a bit off as my temperates will happily go dormant when nightly minimum temps are still above 15C/60F ... it seems that photoperiod is a more important trigger).

Again, thanks.

[Jimbok3]

My highland terrarium is for heliamphora and my cephs (the helia died on me while in the hospital for a few days another random fungal outbreak ), I'm surprised that d. capensis is struggling for you mine doesn't care about anything. If your a member of flytrapcare forum, you'll find me with the same username as here.

[Adam R]

sorry, forgot to make my point, i was thinking cool the water, cool the air

my thoughts as well. along with lighting that puts out minimal heat