Nano vivarium with new LED light

Very cute, Mikael! How is watering accomplished?

 

That looks great! I have tried to find terra-cotta tubes locally but no luck so far. I think they stopped using them here in Midwest.

 

Awesome set up
Is this home made or something you purchased?
Either way it is too cool

 

That is beautiful. What is the container made of and where do you purchase it? Thanks
Pearson

 

Looks stunning! Is there any extra heating installed or can such a nano vivarium be kept at room temp?

 

Very nice setup! And EXCELLENT job on the calo.

 

How do you like the penetration of the light through the canopy vs CFL/T5?

 

I know that Mikael does not have any extra heating in this one, I have seen the setup in real life. The LED helps the temperature to stay low enough for these species. If you use T5, the temperature raise to dangerous high levels for these species if you do not take precautions to cool the setup.

 

I can't imagine having a terrarium that you only have to water every 10 days. Even if you ran a misting system, you would have to refill the tank more often, create drainage ect. This setup is realty something to be proud of. It is simple and aesthetically creative. My tanks are more functional and I don't have something that could showcase my plants in a more viewable area. This shows me that there are other options that can really work well.

 

This thread is probably dead, but I was wondering where I could purchase the clear plastic tube, the LED setup, the bottom dish, and mini orchids at a reasonable cost? Preferably from a US dealer or at least will ship to the US. Also how are the LEDs set up? I have no experience with them. I found a terracotta wine cooler that should work as the pipe. I really want to build one of these.

 

Hopefully Mikael doesn't mind me chiming in on this subject…


Have you seen Mikael's website? Most of the specs. for his products can be found on Dusk Tropic - and information on the UHOP LED Modules can be found there in the webshop under "Lighting".

There's only one U.S. dealer that I know of that carries some of Mikael's products; Folius carries EpiWeb, Hygrolon and the moss mix, but I believe they can get any of the other products that Dusk Tropic offers if you contact them with an inquiry.

On the other hand, if you have the time you can easily make your own nano vivarium at a very reasonable cost with minimal tooling. The clear "tube" is actually a sheet of Makrolon - or polycarbonate - around 1/32" thick that can be easily bolted or adhered together to create any size enclosure you could want. The bottom part can probably be made any number of ways but the easiest is to also make it out of polycarbonate sheet by using an adhesive to secure a section of the thin polycarbonate - with the same diameter as the main cylinder (the main cylinder will fit over this section, which will allow water/substrate to be contained) - to a thicker polycarbonate sheet (1/4" or thicker). There are various options available online for LED lighting which you can then use to light the vivarium.

Let me know if you're interested in going down the DIY route and I can give you some more information on how to set one up. I would post some links here but I don't want to step on Mikael's toes - his vivaria are quite nice and probably the best I've seen. You can see more of his wonderful creations over on his flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lika_sweden/sets/72157606521712474/; those photos will give you a better idea of how they are constructed.

 

Thank you JohnsonS. That is very helpful. If I do make a vivarium, it will have to be on the cheap ( I am a recent college grad) so the DIY route is probably how I would go about it so additional info on how to make one from scratch would be helpful. Also do any of you know a source for miniature orchids at a reasonable cost? The sources I have found are all 25 to 35 dollars or more and I imagine I would need a few to cover the tube. I am planning on going to the local orchid show in the fall ( I have never been to one before), would they be available there more cheaply?

 

Don't count on shows being less expensive. There is cost associated with getting there, setting up, displaying, etc., and the host organization often charges for the booth or takes a percentage of the sales.

I have recently set up a couple of "nano-vivs" - the containers are cubic or cylindrical glass vases purchased at discount stores, and I mount a plant or two on a piece of cork bark I then place inside. Sphagnum moss on the bottom maintains the humidity level, and I had a local glass shop make me tops that enclose, but still allow some air flow. At 6", they easily fit on a windowsill or under one of my LED lamps. I'll see if I can take a photo later.

 

Thanks, Ray. What sort of lights do you use for your nano vivs?

 

I took your advice and checked out my local thrift store. I found exactly the vase and dish I was looking for. I just need some lights, plants and I am planning on buying a terracotta winecooler that should slowly weep water which I will cover in ecoweb or hygrolon. Any recommendation on appropriate plants and light setups and were to buy lights?