Hello Orchid-fans,

Does anyone have experience with growing orchids in a aquarium?
I guess you need some tools to maintain the temperature and a flow of
fresh air or something?

Greetings Yuri

I have allways been taught that orchids don't like an abundance of
water... ;-)

Grtz. Niek

yuri schreef:
Hello Orchid-fans,

Does anyone have experience with growing orchids in a aquarium?
I guess you need some tools to maintain the temperature and a flow of
fresh air or something?

Greetings Yuri

Niek Hanckmann wrote:
I have allways been taught that orchids don't like an abundance of
water... ;-)

Grtz. Niek

yuri schreef:

Hello Orchid-fans,

Does anyone have experience with growing orchids in a aquarium?
I guess you need some tools to maintain the temperature and a flow of
fresh air or something?

Greetings Yuri



Perhaps terrarium or vivarium is what Yuri meant. Some orchids can be
grown well in such conditions. Pleurothallids are a good choice. Air
circulation is a good idea.

A lot of people who keep dart frogs or other amphibians have elaborate
vivariums with various orchids in them. Personally, I'd recommend a
rotating selection of orchids in that kind of condition. Keep them in
pots (don't plant them in the moss), and shuffle them out every three or
so months. I'd wager very few people do that, though.

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

Rob wrote:

Niek Hanckmann wrote:

I have allways been taught that orchids don't like an abundance of
water... ;-)

Grtz. Niek

yuri schreef:

Hello Orchid-fans,

Does anyone have experience with growing orchids in a aquarium?
I guess you need some tools to maintain the temperature and a flow of
fresh air or something?

Greetings Yuri



Perhaps terrarium or vivarium is what Yuri meant. Some orchids can be
grown well in such conditions. Pleurothallids are a good choice. Air
circulation is a good idea.

A lot of people who keep dart frogs or other amphibians have elaborate
vivariums with various orchids in them. Personally, I'd recommend a
rotating selection of orchids in that kind of condition. Keep them in
pots (don't plant them in the moss), and shuffle them out every three or
so months. I'd wager very few people do that, though.


There has been quite a bit of discussion on this subject lately. Growing
orchids in a terrarium is something I might have wanted to try 25 years
ago but I have no interest in trying it now. I was just thinking
though... I wonder how some of the very small Phrags would do in a
terrarium? Too much water at the roots wouldn't be a problem. Wouldn't
want the leaves dripping wet so air circulation would be needed, as with
other orchids. The limiting factor might be light. Can you get that much
light into a terrarium without growing algae all over everything?

Steve

Steve wrote:

There has been quite a bit of discussion on this subject lately. Growing
orchids in a terrarium is something I might have wanted to try 25 years
ago but I have no interest in trying it now. I was just thinking
though... I wonder how some of the very small Phrags would do in a
terrarium? Too much water at the roots wouldn't be a problem. Wouldn't
want the leaves dripping wet so air circulation would be needed, as with
other orchids. The limiting factor might be light. Can you get that much
light into a terrarium without growing algae all over everything?

Steve

Very small phrags? You have seen these beasts? That is the unicorn of
the phrag world... Schlimii or fischeri would probably be the smallest.
But, even a 'small' phrag is going to be bigger than most terrariums
will support, especially in spike. I'm thinking of your standard 5 or
10 gallon aquarium, horizontal. I guess you could get a vertical tank,
or a very big aquarium.

Of course people grow orchids in enclosed cases all the time. Wardian
cases, or 'Orchidariums', for example. So the same technology would
work for a more naturalistic 'planted terrarium', I suppose. I wouldn't
worry about water at the roots, you could have varying heights of
planting spaces in the enclosure, with the things that want to dry out
up higher, or mounted on wood. Might have to clean the glass
occasionally, but algae and all sorts of things grow on orchids in cloud
forest habitats and they seem to do fine.

Over on the slipper orchid forum (www.slipperorchidforum.com), there are
some threads on frogs and terrariums. At least one of the members does
both hobbies, and has some nice orchids in his dart frog enclosures.
I'd check that out, if you are interested.

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

For the phrags you could try pearcii or klotzschereanom. Both are small.
Orchids Limited had both in April.

Phrags in nature frequently grow along streams and can be submerged during
the wet season. I don't know how either of these would do in a terrarium but
the foliage is more in the six to ten inch range.

Bob


"Rob" wrote in message
...
Steve wrote:

There has been quite a bit of discussion on this subject lately. Growing
orchids in a terrarium is something I might have wanted to try 25 years
ago but I have no interest in trying it now. I was just thinking
though... I wonder how some of the very small Phrags would do in a
terrarium? Too much water at the roots wouldn't be a problem. Wouldn't
want the leaves dripping wet so air circulation would be needed, as with
other orchids. The limiting factor might be light. Can you get that much
light into a terrarium without growing algae all over everything?

Steve

Very small phrags? You have seen these beasts? That is the unicorn of the
phrag world... Schlimii or fischeri would probably be the smallest. But,
even a 'small' phrag is going to be bigger than most terrariums will
support, especially in spike. I'm thinking of your standard 5 or 10
gallon aquarium, horizontal. I guess you could get a vertical tank, or a
very big aquarium.

Of course people grow orchids in enclosed cases all the time. Wardian
cases, or 'Orchidariums', for example. So the same technology would work
for a more naturalistic 'planted terrarium', I suppose. I wouldn't worry
about water at the roots, you could have varying heights of planting
spaces in the enclosure, with the things that want to dry out up higher,
or mounted on wood. Might have to clean the glass occasionally, but algae
and all sorts of things grow on orchids in cloud forest habitats and they
seem to do fine.

Over on the slipper orchid forum (www.slipperorchidforum.com), there are
some threads on frogs and terrariums. At least one of the members does
both hobbies, and has some nice orchids in his dart frog enclosures. I'd
check that out, if you are interested.

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

Rob wrote:
Steve wrote:

................................................ ............I was just
thinking though... I wonder how some of the very small Phrags would do
in a terrarium?........................................ ...............
..........................................


Very small phrags? You have seen these beasts? That is the unicorn of
the phrag world... Schlimii or fischeri would probably be the smallest.
But, even a 'small' phrag is going to be bigger than most terrariums
will support, especially in spike......................................
.......................................

Hi Rob. Unicorns, huh? :-)
Well, actually, Bob said what I was thinking in the post right after
yours. Take a look at this:

http://www.imagestation.com/mypictur...ag%20 pearcei


Oh my, that was longer than I thought. I hope it is viewable for everyone.
Anyway, that is my pearcei in a 4 inch pot. I just ran outside (where
most of the orchids are enjoying their summer camp) and measured with a
ruler to make sure I wouldn't exaggerate the smallness. The highest leaf
is 6 inches above the medium and the two spikes (now flowerless) are 9
and 11 inches tall. I consider that to be a very small Phrag.
By the way, there are two different Phrag pearcei. The little one that I
own and another that is at least 3 times as big. At least. The little
one seems to need to form a small clump before it will start blooming. I
have seen the big one blooming from a single fan of leaves.
I'm not sure if I'm a splitter or a lumper but I think, even though the
flowers appear to be identical, I would split pearcei into two species.
Fortunately, that's not my job.

Steve