# LED light for bottle/vase terrarium?



## velvetundergrowth (Jul 9, 2019)

Anyone got any leads for a good LED grow lamp that would be suited to sitting in/above the opening of an enclosed vase-type terrarium? I've seen plenty of people using them with great results but can't find any good options. 

I want to start building a couple of automated "eco bubble" terrariums to house small, interesting examples of exotic flora & fauna. The terrariums would each feature automated lighting, heating, air circulation and misting.
The electrical components will all be housed in a circular "hood" that sits atop glass sphere (standard goldfish bowl). 

Surprisingly the most difficult thing to pin down is the LED lighting. So any tips would be really helpful


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## The Seraph (Jul 9, 2019)

velvetundergrowth said:


> Anyone got any leads for a good LED grow lamp that would be suited to sitting in/above the opening of an enclosed vase-type terrarium? I've seen plenty of people using them with great results but can't find any good options.
> 
> I want to start building a couple of automated "eco bubble" terrariums to house small, interesting examples of exotic flora & fauna. The terrariums would each feature automated lighting, heating, air circulation and misting.
> The electrical components will all be housed in a circular "hood" that sits atop glass sphere (standard goldfish bowl).
> ...


I used a compact florescent bulb, with three watts per gallon. I found that LEDs tend to promote algae more than CFLs. How big is this case going to be? Anything less than five gallons and I would not put any animals in there. Five gallons is still kind of small for anything that is not shrimp or one small fish.


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## velvetundergrowth (Jul 9, 2019)

The Seraph said:


> I used a compact florescent bulb, with three watts per gallon. I found that LEDs tend to promote algae more than CFLs. How big is this case going to be? Anything less than five gallons and I would not put any animals in there. Five gallons is still kind of small for anything that is not shrimp or one small fish.


They would mostly be terrestrial vivaria to house small/medium Inverts. 
We're talking glass globes about a foot in diameter. So a good amount of space for small critters and plants.

Think something like the BiOrb Air but smaller.


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## The Seraph (Jul 9, 2019)

velvetundergrowth said:


> They would mostly be terrestrial vivaria to house small/medium Inverts.
> We're talking glass globes about a foot in diameter. So a good amount of space for small critters and plants.
> 
> Think something like the BiOrb Air but smaller.


Oh, I thought this was aquatic. Haha, never mind then. I have no clue on LEDs. Sorry I could not be of help.


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## velvetundergrowth (Jul 9, 2019)

The Seraph said:


> Oh, I thought this was aquatic. Haha, never mind then. I have no clue on LEDs. Sorry I could not be of help.


Well at least one will technically be a paludarium as I want to recreate a desert pool to emulate the natural habitat of _Triops. _

Reactions: Like 1


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## The Seraph (Jul 9, 2019)

velvetundergrowth said:


> Well at least one will technically be a paludarium as I want to recreate a desert pool to emulate the natural habitat of _Triops. _


Ooh, that sounds hella nice. You should make a picture thread once you are done with those.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## schmiggle (Jul 9, 2019)

Probably almost anything on the market will work for you--LED bulbs are very bright. That does depend on what you're trying to grow, however. I would go for no less than 800 lumens, and I would also go for warm lights over cooo ones (closer to 3000K than 6000K)


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## bulbophyllum (Jul 9, 2019)

What about some of those LED under the cabinet puck lights?  Just look for ones that run on 120v.


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## damhan (Jul 10, 2019)

velvetundergrowth said:


> Anyone got any leads for a good LED grow lamp that would be suited to sitting in/above the opening of an enclosed vase-type terrarium? I've seen plenty of people using them with great results but can't find any good options.
> 
> I want to start building a couple of automated "eco bubble" terrariums to house small, interesting examples of exotic flora & fauna. The terrariums would each feature automated lighting, heating, air circulation and misting.
> The electrical components will all be housed in a circular "hood" that sits atop glass sphere (standard goldfish bowl).
> ...


Have a look at this: https://www.thespidershop.co.uk/cylinder-terrarium-p-4275.html#.XSWe-hHTU1I

and this: https://www.thespidershop.co.uk/lighting-c-36_117.html

I don't have them, so I can't say how good they are, but it may give you some ideas....

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## AzJohn (Jul 10, 2019)

I use high quality fresh water aquarium lighting on my dart frog enclosures. I grow all kinds of plants in them.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Sunset (Feb 12, 2020)

The Seraph said:


> I used a compact florescent bulb, with three watts per gallon. I found that LEDs tend to promote algae more than CFLs. How big is this case going to be? Anything less than five gallons and I would not put any animals in there. Five gallons is still kind of small for anything that is not shrimp or one small fish.


You can put a betta


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## maisie8 (Apr 8, 2020)

some plants don't thrive well on LED's because of a small colour spectrum. Warmer colours are usually better as green chlorophyll photosynthesises from red light best. one thing I've heard about enclosed terrariums is they can overheat very easily, especially if they're in direct light, and this can kill any plants/animals inside.
I have a sealed terrarium with a wandering jew (t.zebrina) inside which has grown really well over the past few years since I made it, I keep it in a light spot but out of strong sunlight. It is in a bottle made of green glass though (all I had at the time) so is definitely not getting lots of red light, however I figure this is okay as its doing well, and it originates from the rainforest so is used to shady green light, plus its leaves aren't just green!
Shade and moisture loving plants are your best bet for things like that
It sounds like its going to be amazing, definitely post some pictures when you're done!


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## bulbophyllum (Apr 8, 2020)

Try to find a 6000-6500K puck light.

Reactions: Like 1


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## spiderpilot (Oct 18, 2022)

bulbophyllum said:


> Try to find a 6000-6500K puck light.


Do these work for providing just a little radiant heat? I know that they don't need it but the majority of my animals have come from a breeder that swears by giving them a slight temp gradient in the adult enclosures. Only thing is IDK what kind of lights they are using but these puck lights seem popular.


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## The Snark (Oct 18, 2022)

spiderpilot said:


> Do these work for providing just a little radiant heat?


You have a paradox there. Most small interior LED lights that produce heat are cheap, burning off excess current instead of regulating it. As such they should be considered undesirable in contained habitats, even a fire hazard. Voltage divider type LED housings should be made of ceramic material. Cheap versions are all plastic.
And a caution for everyone regarding LED lighting. The market is flooded with cheap unregulated LED lights, often marketed in packaging identical to the properly regulated versions.

(Technical. LEDs cannot handle excessive current. There are two ways to reduce current, by a regulator that turns them on and off (which causes flickering) or through a simple voltage divider pair of resistors which produces heat). A test of regulated vs unregulated can be made by seeing how much current they draw. For a single small LED they can draw no more than 250 mA or so, but voltage dividers circuits will draw several times that as the resistors heat up and burn off the excess current.)

Reactions: Like 1


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