he hybrid
Ascodenda
Suksamaran Sunshine is
good for growing above the aquarium as its
rootsneed tobedippedor sprayeddaily.
All photos:Dr. J.Schmidt
NEWS105
6
bovethewater
This iswheremany orchids of tropical
origin findwhattheyrequire–highhumidity,
warmth,andbright light.Butbecareful–they
need tobegenuine tropical plants, asmany
orchids from temperate latitudes, as well
those frommountains in the tropics, won’t
toleratepermanenthightemperatures!
Whichorchids–aswellas
Tillandsia
and ferns
– are suitable for maintenance above the
aquarium is something the plant enthusiast
must discover for himself, as this form of
culture isstillrelativelynew.Orat leastvirtually
nothinghasbeenwrittenabout it todate,so
there is as yet no published information on
cultivation. Tips and hints can, however, be
found in the literature on the tropical and
moist terrarium, as well on the paludarium,
which is a combination of aquarium and
terrarium. Inpracticepaludariumandswamp
aquarium are alternative terms for thewell-
knownbottlegarden.
Onedrawbackmustbementioned,however:
the tender leaves and flowersof aquaticand
marsh plants growing emerse above the
water’ssurfacewillimmediatelyattractaphids
andotherparasites.
Parasites
These particularly include so-called woolly
aphids, plus shield lice and thrips are
sometimespresent.Hence regularchecksare
Plants
If aquatic plants that don’t need a lot of light are grown in thewater area, then a powerful aquarium
lamp canbe installed somedistanceabove the surfaceof thewater.The intervening space thusgained
is ideal for the cultivationof orchids.
A
Two lovely hobbies combined together? And it works better than you
might think! But one prerequisite is that you say goodbye to the light-
restrictingcoveronyouraquarium...Open-top is thewatchword!Powerful
suspended lighting replaces themanufactured aquariumhood.Andnow
theaquariumplantscangrowoutof thewater andwill oftendisplay their
beautiful flowers. But with a little skill matters can be arranged so that
sufficientspace remainsbetween thesurfaceof thewaterand the lighting
for our secondhobby– theorchids.However thereare special conditions
andadditional factors tobe taken into consideration.
Orchidsabove theaquarium -
moistairandagooduseof space
byDr. JürgenSchmidt
