# InSitu Alto Orchid Build(Pic Heavy)



## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

Hi,
Here is the progress on my InSitu Alto. Inspired by Doug's(Pumilo) "Jungle Gym" build. Approximately 150ish orchids. Background is tree fern fiber, attached using black aquarium silicone. Branches are attached using silicone, egg crate, and great stuff. Great stuff is carved, then painted with Drylok and cement color. I used aquarium foam in the "gap" where all the water runoff collects. There's a substrate barrier on top of the foam and ABG on top of the barrier.

No frogs yet, but have 3 Oophaga Pumilio Bastimentos "Red Frog Beach" that will be arriving once the weather and shipping services get their acts together.

- Gotham


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

Here are some closeups of a few orchids and orange slime mold i discovered


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Hello and welcome , that's a gorgeous build


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Love the design!



ihsodg said:


> View attachment 304273


What species is this? I like it.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Hello and welcome , that's a gorgeous build


Thank you! I've still got quite a lot of space that I want to fill in with more orchids...but my wallet is hurting...



Socratic Monologue said:


> Love the design!
> 
> What species is this? I like it.


Thank you! I appreciate the compliment. The orchid in question is Dendrobium Dichaeoides(creeping type). I got lucky and found it at Andy's Orchids. 

Here it is


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## amgini (Jun 10, 2011)

Great looking tank! Could you share some details how you attach the branches? Thanks.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

amgini said:


> Great looking tank! Could you share some details how you attach the branches? Thanks.


Attaching the branches was pretty easy. I used manzanita wood from the manzanita store. I started off by using duct tape to hold the branches in the positions i wanted to attach them in the viv. 










Once all the branches were secure and wouldn't move at all, I gently lifted the points of the branches i wanted attached to the sides/back of the vivarium and put in a generous layer of silicone. I then placed a cut piece of egg crate on top of the silicone and replaced the branch on top of the egg crate. I then added even more silicone on top of the egg crate and branch area touching the egg crate. After that, I immediately used great stuff foam on top of the egg crate, branch and uncured silicone to completely seal that area in. I sprayed the foam with water as soon as I applied it so it set quickly. Once the foam set enough that it was not tacky to touch(approximately 10 minutes), i poked a small hole in it and flattened it completely so that when it cured it felt hard as stone. I was very liberal with the application of silicone on the glass, prior to spraying the great stuff foam, because of horror stories people have of their backgrounds pulling away after a few years. The egg crate, in this case, is what the great stuff grips onto.

Once the curing process was halfway complete(approx. 4 days), i carved the great stuff with a drill and a wire brush attachment to achieve a more natural look. I then mixed up drylok with concrete color and painted the great stuff.










Once everything was cured, I used black vinyl wrap that i bought on Amazon to cover the two sides up for a cleaner look.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

Quick update on what the tank looks like now. Things are starting to grow in a bit.


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## Mtkid66 (Jan 12, 2022)

Beautiful tank. Thank you for the detailed description of the process. So many options for design.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

Mtkid66 said:


> Beautiful tank. Thank you for the detailed description of the process. So many options for design.


My pleasure! I'm still quite new to it, but I was able to deduce from my research that the silicone, eggcrate, great stuff combo method is one that holds up more than straight great stuff to glass


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

That's awesome!!! What is your watering schedule like?


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## Ravage (Feb 5, 2016)

I love the slime mold- it looked like a Japanese lacquer.


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## jclee (Jul 13, 2009)

Yes! Slime molds are always a treat.


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## IShouldGetSomeSleep (Sep 23, 2021)

ihsodg said:


> Quick update on what the tank looks like now. Things are starting to grow in a bit.




What's this neat plant in the back?


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## Anda (Jan 18, 2020)

It looks like a _Psygmorchis pusila. _Likes hot, humid and bright conditions, but a short lived species.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

TeddytheFinger said:


> That's awesome!!! What is your watering schedule like?


I think that just providing a misting schedule would not help you much unless I gave you some more background information.

I live in a semi arid region(35-40%ish room humidity) in southern California with room temps stable at 70-71 degrees at all times. I also have 4 mist king nozzles. I leave my two viv fans(noctua fans) on 24/7, pointing directly downwards(opposite of InSitu's directions). The fans only turn off 5 mins before misting, and turn back on 5 mins after misting. I installed them incorrectly, but noticed that all the orchids liked it that way, so i left them that way. I leave my top rear vent open about an inch and a half. My top front vents stay open 3-4mm or so. I also have the open front vents in the tank. With that information, here is my misting schedule:

7am - 25 secs
1pm - 20 secs
3pm - 8 secs
6pm - 30 secs
11pm - 20 secs
2am - 18 secs

I'm still playing around with the schedule slightly, mostly with how many seconds of misting, but it seems like all the plants like this current schedule.

I also let the tank free drain into a reservoir. The way the alto is designed, the water catch has about 1.5 inches that can fill up before the tank drains, so i always have about 1.5 inches of water in the catch.



IShouldGetSomeSleep said:


> What's this neat plant in the back?
> View attachment 304362


It's an Ornithocephalus Bryostachyus. Likes warm temps, medium light.


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## ihsodg (Nov 3, 2021)

Little update:
Some orchids are blooming now!


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## Frogaroo88 (2 mo ago)

How is this viv looking now ? Super curious to see how it looks almost a year on. Any chance you could please share a pic ?


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