# 16x16x30 Root Column



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Just a couple teasers for now, as Im still putting the tank together.










Living in miami you cant go anywhere without running into strangler figs and oversized rubber trees with massive tangled root columns that seem to jet out of every branch. The plan is to make this tank viewable from all angles, with a single large gnarled root cluster in the middle and many smaller root strands, all of which extend all the way to the top of the tank. 

There will be no water feature and no expanding foam or carved roots; Im hoping to get the appearance im looking for through many many individual ropes of varying sizes (made into fake vines via the silicone/substrate method). The structure will be a little less permanent than if I made it out of foam, but hopefully that adds to the look. The center column will likely use a large vertical section of PVC as a skeleton, possibly wrapped in hygrolon. The epiphytes will be worked into varying spots along the center column, hopefully adding their roots to the mix


----------



## Mohlerbear (Feb 20, 2014)

It's like a banyan tree. Where did you get that clamp that does 45 degrees?


Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Mohlerbear said:


> It's like a banyan tree. Where did you get that clamp that does 45 degrees?


exactly!

do you mean 90? it was just a standard corner clamp, home depot sells them for less than $10. Lets me be a bit more thorough and clean w/ my silicone than if I was to just just tape

column is more or less complete, the bottom will be drilled this weekend and hopefully I can start construction as well. Due to the height of the tank, and the fact that I wanted 360 unobstructed views (which means the opening to the tank is going to be on the top), Im not sure what to use as a stand


----------



## Derbucher (Mar 27, 2011)

This is going to be a interesting build, I am going to have to follow this. What kind of frogs are you thinking about putting in the tank?


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Derbucher said:


> This is going to be a interesting build, I am going to have to follow this. What kind of frogs are you thinking about putting in the tank?


Thumbs! Varaderos would be nice


----------



## Manzanitadude (Jan 7, 2016)

Looking good. I like the theme too. Hit me up when you looking for wood, I probably have some manzanita that wood work well for your scape. I recognize your username from TPT


----------



## Mohlerbear (Feb 20, 2014)

Hey chef, manzanita dude has some super gnarly pieces of wood! His "root" style pieces would be sweet and totally mimic a banyan tree. I just ordered a pretty large box from him and there isn't one piece that won't look awesome in my big tank. I can't stress to ya more to atleast contact him and get some photos of what he has to offer. Oh yeah, shipping was damn fast! You won't be let down. 



Loading bowls and building vivs! Braaap!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

progress:










Ill need to clean up the excess silicone, but it works well. The other side is siliconed into place and has a hole for the climist nozzle and a hole for the circulation fan wiring












also finished up drilling the bottom and attaching the bulkhead for the drain. The 3" PVC pipe will act as the skeleton for the root column, and will house the circulation fans. I plan on cutting out the black areas; the bottom for drainage, and the circles for fan ventilation holes (the fan sitting horizontally near the top and pulling air from the top and pushing it down through the column and out the holes). Once I get it cut out the plan is to silicone it over the bulkhead and have the entirety of the drainage cut under the eggcrate plenum. When all this work is done, Ill silicone the tank onto the bottom

The pipe will be wrapped in hygrolon and some manzanita branches will be worked into the basic shape, with a ton of fake vines filling in the rest of the space. I also plan on having fake vines hanging from the glass top. I will probably obscure the top couple inches so you cant see the misting nozzles or vine attachments; I was thinking glass etching a 2" band across the top, but Im open to suggestions


I picked up some slate as well, and am considering placing that next to the main root column and having some of the roots drape over the stone. This will also allow for some interesting moss placement


----------



## Jungle_John (Feb 19, 2007)

Very clean silicon lines. Professional.


----------



## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Looking great!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

quick update, manzanita come in today so I can start some construction again tomorrow












HUGE  thank you to Manzanitadude, incredibly helpful and has great prices for some crazy pieces of manzanita


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

progress continues, slow but sure. Gradschool has been killing my free time lately, but I got the majority of the skeleton for the main structure up this weekend


main 3" PVC ventilation tube and bulkhead drain. The vent tube has three 70mm case fans placed along its height and the tubes and top are covered in fiberglass screen. The wiring for the fans will go out a hole I drilled in the top of the tank











the vent tube was covered in hygrolon/spyra from Folius and siliconed over the bulkhead drain. The Manzanita was hotglued into place with enough room underneath to fit the eggcrate plenum pieces. The rock will be added once I get that in place





























Once I have all the fake vines in place, and have installed the plenum and rocks, Ill put the actual tank on top and silicone it into place. As the bottom will be covered by substrate and whatnot Im not too worried about the cleanliness of the silicone lines down there. Im hoping to get a bunch of moss slurry for the hygrolon covered tube in addition to the epiphyte usual suspects. It will eventually be rigged in line w/ the other two tanks with a double mister nozzle


----------



## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Looks good


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

progress continues

made the plenum, got some fake vines and the slate in place. All thats left is to put the actual tank on 

I think prior to that Ill get all the broms and various plants put in place, so I can make adjustments a bit easier


----------



## Eloquentidiot (Feb 28, 2013)

I like the concept and design so far. Nice idea to hide the fans in the central column. Interested to see what plants go into it and what it looks like when grown out. I also really like the 360-deg. viewing ability.
Following along with interest - may have to duplicate some of this in the future!


----------



## Manzanitadude (Jan 7, 2016)

Your layout and concept exceed what I first envisioned, great work.


----------



## GandalfTheGrey (Nov 18, 2015)

Wonderful... I'll be waiting for the final product


----------



## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

this is a very cool project, i like the build up with the ventilation and drain in the middle, its gona be epic


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

thanks all, feedback and suggestions are great

orchids on the way:

_Stenocoryne (Bifrenaria) aureo-fulva
Bulbophyllum Fascination
Dendrochilum formosanum
Tolumnia (Elfin Gem x Golden Sunset)
Neofinetia falcata x Vascostylis Tham Yuen Hae (darwinara charm 'blue star')
Masdevallia Angel Tears_

in addition to these, Ill be grabbing some various neoregelia, and taking some peperomia cuttings from the 20H tank. Im also likely to grab some moss slurry somewhere and apply it to bare spots on the wood and the hygrolon. Once everything has arrived Ill pin everything into place and put the tank top on


----------



## folius (Jan 2, 2013)

Interesting start!


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

folius said:


> Interesting start!


I look forward to seeing how the spyra does, always wanted to try it out!


----------



## holmarie (Nov 30, 2015)

Neat build! I'm curious to see how this looks when it is done! Will be following


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

so moss and orchids are on their way, but I swung by my local "nursery" and picked up some broms. Im almost positive its not actually a registered business, but they have a TON Of epiphytic plants for dirt cheap and they dont use pesticides, so Im there frequently. That means the possibility for small nasties is a little higher than Id like, so I will probably CO2 bomb the tank a couple times before adding microfauna. Still a ways away from completion, so I havent even begun to think about what type of frog yet, but undoubtedly a thumb of some sort

nursery, for reference: 











here is some of what I grabbed:









after cleaning and separating:



























I also got some small broms of an unknown species. Total was a little under $30, so not too bad. 

I added the broms w/ some sphagnum wrapped around their stems to promote rooting; theyre held in place w/ gardening wire for the time being. The small unknown species I attached directly to the fake vines...not sure how well that will work out, but *shrug*

small broms:









with broms added, note spyra in various areas on the manzanita...hopefully the moss will grow readily in those areas. I still have to find room for the incoming orchids, so the setup might change a bit. You can also see the wiring for the fans wrapped up in the top, that will be out of view in the finished version


----------



## GandalfTheGrey (Nov 18, 2015)

Looks great! I'll be waiting for the final product


----------



## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Defiantly an inspiration for future builds, this is surely going to look incredible once it's grown in


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

got the orchids in place, tentatively, and spread the moss around today.























































Because its nice and humid in miami these days, I have the whole setup out on my patio. 










here are some select photos:




























Still need to attach the glass top and add the substrate. The LED lights arrived yesterday, so I need to figure out a more appealing way of hanging them over the tank than just resting them on the top. Im thinking of putting a shelf over the tank and just hanging the fixtures from that

for the time being the plants will enjoy the light and humidity of springtime in miami


----------



## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Wow


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## empire3569 (Apr 4, 2014)

This is insanely awesome, I can't wait to see it finished. Just out of curiosity, where is the local nursery you bought your bromeliads at? I'm located in South Florida too and always trying to look for a place to buy nice broms locally


----------



## GandalfTheGrey (Nov 18, 2015)

Amazing! The orchids and broms look wonderful


----------



## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

It does look pretty neat. Don't leave it outside for too long so as to avoid unwanted hitchhikers


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

thanks for the feedback all, I swear the build is 90% of the fun w/ PDF tanks... will post up some pics if I manage to get the light fixture up.



empire3569 said:


> This is insanely awesome, I can't wait to see it finished. Just out of curiosity, where is the local nursery you bought your bromeliads at? I'm located in South Florida too and always trying to look for a place to buy nice broms locally


7750 SW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL 33143

ledya lestino nursery 



oldlady25715 said:


> It does look pretty neat. Don't leave it outside for too long so as to avoid unwanted hitchhikers


yeah, will probably CO2 bomb it a couple times when I bring it back inside. Frogs are a month or two away from being a reality anyway


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

light fixture is in place.

it is very low budget; two $20 LED floodlights (20w) and some shelving from home depot. For the time being I just used some corrugated cardboard I had left over to hide everything. The hope is to get some white acrylic or something similar

note the piss poor job my stud finder did  will have to get some spackle to patch it up soon










w/ the siding




















STILL have to add the tank top...can you tell Im dreading actually doing it? 

Ive made all the measurements, so everything SHOULD fit with room to spare

please forgive the messy livingroom


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

managed to get the glass cover on top with some help from a friend





























will post photos later as things grow in, but all the difficult stuff is done for now


----------



## kromar (Jun 6, 2015)

i love it! looks great and im sure it will look amazing once its grown in thanks for sharing


----------



## Tivaj (Dec 30, 2015)

Great job....i had a similar idea after seeing how smaller plants grows on bigger ones in Malaysia....but your execution is far better than what i was thinking about

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


----------



## GandalfTheGrey (Nov 18, 2015)

Nice! Have you started thinking about what of thumb you want to keep in there?


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

kromar said:


> i love it! looks great and im sure it will look amazing once its grown in thanks for sharing





Tivaj said:


> Great job....i had a similar idea after seeing how smaller plants grows on bigger ones in Malaysia....but your execution is far better than what i was thinking about
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


many thanks! excited to see it grow in too



GandalfTheGrey said:


> Nice! Have you started thinking about what of thumb you want to keep in there?


yes, but....










I have a trio of Rio Branco's that are great, but I dont know if I want to drop the $$ for more pums unless something special came along. Some Varaderos, benedicta, or vanzolinii would be great... With a tank this big I have some thinking to do when it comes to # of frogs and boldness. 

I havent ruled out other frogs either, particularly reed frogs


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

been about a month since last update, moss is starting to take off. Still large areas of bare spyra, so I might consider some creeping or climbing plants to fill in some of the low-light areas. Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) grows all over the place in Miami and I really like the way it looks, so I might grab some of that as well. 

I also put some pennywort in my terribilis tank thats starting to take off, it looks like terrestrial lilly pads, may consider doing the same for this tank












I put a deposit down on a group of 6 thumbs from UE, but they wont arrive until sept, so here are some pictures of plants




























The high light areas have shown the most moss growth, and have turned the green broms an interesting shade of red:





























slime mold












new orchid root and leaf growth:




















will update in another month or two. Never would have thought that I'd consider plant growth exciting. who knew


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

so I lied I guess, here are a few more photos after some new cuttings


found a ficus pumila, I realize these things will choke out other plants so ill have to keep up w/ the pruning. I also added a couple Resurrection ferns and some more peperomia cuttings














































slightly unrelated, covered the lights for the other two tanks. Wiring needs cleanup, table is still a disaster zone


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

been a while and grad school has a way of pushing everything else to the side.

apparently I ordered a group of 6 iquitos back in the spring and forgot about them till I got the shipping confirmation email. So heres some updated shots of the tank and the newly arrived frogs































































































































There was at least one calling within a few hours, and they all seem to be settling in and eating happily. Bold little frogs too! Looking forward to grabbing more pictures as they explore more and more


----------



## B-Lans (Aug 11, 2016)

That looks amazing! Your frogs are nice looking and seem happy in their new home. I'll be watching this thread for updates.


----------



## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

so how did you wind up sealing the top to the bottom?


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> so how did you wind up sealing the top to the bottom?


sealed it a while ago when I had a friend help me place it on the bottom. Just a thin layer of silicone on the base glass and a thin film on the bottom rim of the top. Its not a clean silicone line like the rest of the tank, but its on the bottom and no one can see it anyway *shrug*


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

more and more bold by the day


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

BEBEHS


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

EGGS


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

Belly full of eggs! 

at least two pairs are breeding, not sure about the remaining 2 frogs yet though

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7-0R1DbHsYNQXJobUNkNWhwX1E/view?usp=sharing


----------



## GandalfTheGrey (Nov 18, 2015)

Nice! How long have they been breeding?


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

more eggs from a couple days ago.

they started calling within the first day. Im not sure of the age, they came in from UE, but they seem to be doing well. For now, im not expecting the first few clutches to develop, but ill be keeping an eye on them


----------



## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Your viv is very very nice and your choice of frogs is very good. I will take some amazonicas as my next frog. Despite the new morph and new species of frogs, often very expensive, for sale, I still love the old, common and cheap frogs.
Keep us updating


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

So now the question becomes, should I remove the eggs and attempt to grow them out in a petri dish? Or just leave them in the film canister?



rigel10 said:


> Your viv is very very nice and your choice of frogs is very good. I will take some amazonicas as my next frog. Despite the new morph and new species of frogs, often very expensive, for sale, I still love the old, common and cheap frogs.
> Keep us updating


Thanks! and I agree, the new morphs are all pretty but so are the well established lines!


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

moved them to a 6 well petri dish, will separate when they hatch. some development:



















If I can pipette that infertile one away I will, but everything else looks promising.


----------



## Fishtank100 (Oct 16, 2016)

very nice! I am going to try this out on my next build very good idea!!
hope mine turns out that nice!LOL


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

updated tad pics


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

almost there










lost one, just stopped developing about a week ago, so I removed it today when I noticed it had clouded over

the remaining three have developed eyes and are wriggling around


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)




----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

tads doing well:










also, new clutch developing! 









Im not sure how many eggs theyve potentially laid in the broms, but I havent seen the males transporting any tads yet


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

these guys have turned into non-stop breeding machines. There seems to be a new batch every week, just mailed my friend 15 or so developing eggs

heres a pic of a tad from of the older batches, getting pretty close to hopping out of the water in the growout tank


----------



## AndrewSkoog1 (Jan 25, 2017)

Amazing build. I would like to try something like this when I get a little better at building vivariums.


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

1st two are out of the water!










a few more are showing signs of leg buds


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

babies


----------



## Keni (Feb 1, 2017)

Very cool setup you have here. I still awesome that they breed like that. I hope to breed them some day


----------



## DVent (Oct 15, 2009)

I wasn't sure at fist but wow this turned out awesome!! Great job with the execution of this idea! You have way better vision then me lol beautiful choice of frogs as well. Any updated pics?


----------



## Art93 (Mar 19, 2017)

What type of bit do you use to make the holes?



chefboyardee said:


> progress:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## chefboyardee (May 31, 2013)

DVent said:


> I wasn't sure at fist but wow this turned out awesome!! Great job with the execution of this idea! You have way better vision then me lol beautiful choice of frogs as well. Any updated pics?


Ill try to get some soon, need a new camera 



Art93 said:


> What type of bit do you use to make the holes?


standard diamond drill bit for glass/tile/ceramics. You can generally find individual bits on ebay for cheap or buy a whole set

15 pcs Diamond tool drill bit hole saw set for glass ceramic marble 6-50mm** | eBay


----------



## Jaco_T (Oct 7, 2016)

does anyone know the name of the plant in the foreground in photos?



chefboyardee said:


>


----------



## zZephyr (Mar 6, 2017)

Jaco_T said:


> does anyone know the name of the plant in the foreground in photos?


The one with the round leaves is peperomia prostrata


----------

