# Terrariumman's vivarium diary thread.



## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

The tank is going to be vertical and I was thinking about keeping a pair of Thumbs. Not 100% sure what kind yet. So, here are a few pictures of my little corner of the house.
BEFORE.










AFTER


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Here are a few pictures of the build.










Underside of the mini stand











Top side of the mini stand



















FTS!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

I installed/siliconed the drain and siliconed a few more parts on the tank. Here are a few pictures. 









Once the door is installed and such, I'm going to start to silicone the tubing.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

A few things I got from the store. Got Coco Husk, Ultra Precious Cat litter, and 2 x 6500k spiral bulbs that are 15 watts but are as bright as 60 watts. Looked through Home Depot and couldn't find any pure Peat moss, called around a few plant nurseries and finally found 2 that sell pure Peat Moss. Went there and got a big bag from them. Here are a few pictures.

























(cherry wood is on top, almond wood is the one that's on the egg crate)





























tubing/pump


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## nathan (Jul 24, 2009)

Looking good so far. Cant wait to see the rest of the build.

Oh and gotta love tanks next to the computer lol I have my Emerald tree boa next to mine


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Here are a few more pictures. Glued the wood to the back and I'm starting on the clay background.









Clay going on the back!









Sticking some clay on the back with my hand, its super sticky!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

nathan said:


> Looking good so far. Cant wait to see the rest of the build.
> 
> Oh and gotta love tanks next to the computer lol I have my Emerald tree boa next to mine


Thanks!

lol Yeah, just turn my head a few degrees and your looking at the tank!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Finishing up the tank... As you can see, there is a waterfall on the top right hand corner. The area where the red lava rocks is so that the water can drain into the false bottom. The red lava rocks are going to be covered in a green mossy plant.



























Any suggestions on where to place the plants is greatly appreciated!!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

BEFORE












AFTER!!











More pictures will be posted tomorrow.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Whoa this build looks awesome already. Looks like a sick bulbo in there


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

fleshfrombone said:


> Whoa this build looks awesome already. Looks like a sick bulbo in there


Thanks! Eh, its my moms dieing Orchid. It was dieing in her pot, so I decided to put it in the vivarium and see what happens, who knows, it might get better.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

A few more pictures I took this morning. The water fall is in action!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Well, I got a few updates! I put in a few more plants, made a little stand for the light, added a fan into the lights stand to keep it from transferring heat into the tank, and a fan in the tank for air circulation.  I'll post pictures tomorrow!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Here are a few pictures I took today! Tell me what you think!!
Fan for air circulation. (don't worry, it will be covered so you want see it)










Canopy hood fan.


















Plants.




















FTS.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Looks very nice. Once it's all planted and filled out it should be quite a show piece. I didn't see any dimensions on the tank, do you have any idea?

BTW: If you don't mind me asking, are those nanocubes?


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

How is the clay holding up near the water section? Have you noticed it soaking up water and becoming slimy and soft yet? Im just giving you a word of caution as you may end up with a colaps that will get pumped all over your tank. I had a similar problem with my background and now I wouldnt suggest having clay within 2" of a water feature.

Anywho, looks good so far.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Wallace Grover said:


> Looks very nice. Once it's all planted and filled out it should be quite a show piece. I didn't see any dimensions on the tank, do you have any idea?
> 
> BTW: If you don't mind me asking, are those nanocubes?


Thanks!! This tank is a 25 gallon tank, dimensions of the tank standing vertical are: 12 inches wide x 24 inches tall, 21 inches long.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

GRIMM said:


> How is the clay holding up near the water section? Have you noticed it soaking up water and becoming slimy and soft yet? Im just giving you a word of caution as you may end up with a colaps that will get pumped all over your tank. I had a similar problem with my background and now I wouldnt suggest having clay within 2" of a water feature.
> 
> Anywho, looks good so far.


Not good at all, I noticed a few minutes after I turned on the waterfall that some of the clay started to get washed away, so I turned it off and its been off ever since. Tomorrow I'm going to go to home depot and cover that whole area near the waterfall with silicone and that should fix the problem. Silicone will then be covered with peat moss.


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

How long should I soak the plants in a 5% bleach solution for? 5, 10 minutes?


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Added a few plants a few days ago. Here is an updated FTS. I got Begonia 'Angel Wing' and Fittonia 'Red Star'.


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## wimvanvelzen (Nov 1, 2008)

Great little tank!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

Thanks!


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## terrariumman (Oct 15, 2007)

I've got some good news and some bad news. Good news is that all plants are doing well and I got some very nice fungi growing in the tank. Bad news is that I messed up on my waterfall and the whole corner of clay melted down. lol I'm going to rebuild that corner and I do know what I did wrong on the waterfall. Here are a few pictures of the fungi.


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