My first Terrarium Build

If you don't mind here is a bad pic for reference:

 

In my opinion, the moss is a bit dry for that one. At least after a recent remounting. Did you soak the moss down ahead of time?

 

Everyone is different. I am starting to use less moss than before but still some use far less. It really depends on the watering regimen and how long they take to dry out.

In the summer I mist 2X a day on most plants and 1X a day in the winter.

Perhaps more frequent mistings.

 

So I went back through your pics and I think the fan is just too strong. Your tank is fairly small. I would also say that the light may be too bright at the moment. Or it is on too long. It is funny that under artificial light you can really go low or high, but I would ease them into it. With it that small the heat will also build from the hood. I would raise it a bit with a spacer.

I have one tank that has much lower lights for this reason.

Another suggest to avoid any gnats. I would remove the moss from laying against the floor. Even if it has clay pellets below it. If I were to do a moss bottom I would re purpose a container or tray with drainage and fill that with moss.

 

I think that is acceptable in terms of humidity for the plants you have but a bit higher at night would be beneficial. I can try and wire up a fan for you with some supplies I have. If I think the speed is appropriate I will pass it on to you.

I am not one to consult with electrical questions, but I think that the fan speed will be determined by the amps put out by the power source. You may only need to change that. Naoki is an excellent one to ask. This stuff comes easily to him and he has done a lot with experiments, data, ect.

The 13wt light should be fine. I would cut back a half an hour at a time until you are getting better water retention on the moss. If the light is simply heating up the tank too much, check out FirstRays.com LED light. I use them now and they are a bit cooler.

 

You can get a fan speed controller, I have a small computer fan with a speed controller.

 

Do you have a link Bill? I am looking for an analog style controller that uses a dial to adjust the setting with as much control as possible.

 

I night mine on Amazon. Hers one that controls four fans: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I2...200_QL40&qid=1408735870&sr=8-2#ref=mp_s_a_1_2

 

Looks great though! I'm converting a wine cooler into a nano terrarium, and I plan on trickling fresh air in with an aquarium pump connected to a gang valve for flow control, giving it a few fresh air exchanges per day. This will be going constantly, with a humidifier connected to my zoomed hygrotherm, which also controls the lights and cooler. I was considering a reptile fogger, but I've had good results with an aquarium pump with an air stone in a bottle of perlite and water, for growing mushrooms. I haven't implemented this yet, so it's just a thought.

 

I'd also add that, the longer I grow orchids, the more I realize the importance if water quality! Aquarists know this is pretty complicated. Unless your tap water has the appropriate pH, KH, hardness and TDS values, you're asking for trouble down the line. Local information on these stats should be available online. I'd suggest starting out with distilled or RO water, then when things are growing well, you can introduce tap water and see what happens. Take what I say with a grain of salt, because my particular tap water is just death in a faucet. Also, distilled water in an ultrasonic fogger is a must. You'll end up with chalky residue everywhere (unless your water is perfect).

 

Orchids often need an adjustment period, it could be that. 75 at night is about 20 degrees warmer at night than my greenhouse, so it might take awhile to adjust.