# Experimental 10gal for utricularia and other various plants...



## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

So for a long time I've been meaning to set up a viv and experiment with that black foam filter material from this thread...
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...c-filter-foam-fans-vents-ff-lids-etc-etc.html
... as a background/growing media like hygrolon and epiweb.










And mostly planted....









I put the foam in with beads of silicone around the top frame and down the sides/corners. Did an uncharacteristically clean silicone job. Where it meets the front glass was almost as neat as the factory job. I didn't seal along the bottom since substrate will hold it against the glass there. Then sectioned off back corner with driftwood and made a leca/gravel drainage then put foam on top and then a substrate mix of the aquatic substrate i used in the front, some peat, sphag, whatever was handy really. Put a tree fern pot in for the Parochetus communis.

Plant list (and Google images)...

Micro liverwort sp.










No pics, but also added a little bit of live sphagnum moss, from a patch at the top of a vertical 10 near the light, the only time it has ever come back to life for me. There is also some Pogostemon Helferi 'Downoi' or blyxa Japonica but not susure which cuznit is so small and beat up. There is also a small portion of some semi aquatic grass or something. Looks like a big green sea urchin when it is larger... font know what it is. Think it was a hitchhiker with the utricularia.

Utricularia sandersonii









Dwarf Baby Tears (HC)










Utricularia graminifolia 










Selaginella apoda










Parochetus communis










Veronica beccabunga









I had planned to impregnate the foam with some fine peat to help facilitate plant growth on the foam, but I forgot and added the substrate, so I guess I'll try getting the foam wet and rubbing dry peat onto it at some point.

I didn't really scape this much because I want all the surface area for the utricularia and stuff but I may add some things at a later date. So there we go, just a basic emersed growing area, and a raised area with drainage. Oh and there is almost 50 watts from 4 small CFLs over or shining into the front of viv.

Nothing to exciting...for now, we'll see what happens


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## SDK (Aug 11, 2014)

Really great thread idea!

I use this stuff to cut replacement pads for aquarium filters and have a lot of it on hand. 

I will be watching with great interest and may try this on a 10G vert I am planning...


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

Nice stuff, this will be interesting for me, as i had The Same idea with aquariumfilters and Hygrolon Instead of epiweb. Got 3 large filter Mats here, to try it out as well


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

OK I was trying to error on the side of to much light rather then to little as that seems to be a lot of why my utricularia fail, but algae quickly smothered much of it. So I added some more of the other plants on my list, and scaped the viv a little...










And actually I was able to score some more utricularia so I'll post an updated update pic soon.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Updated update pic


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Update, and crappy pics...

I planted some commelina and veronica beccabunga, but pulled it because of was over shadowing the smaller plants. I pulled some of the UG growing in front right corner and replaced it with a very small portion of U. Uliginosa, and put some U. Calcyfida in the back right corner. The blue oxalis is a bit smashed and thinned out cuznit was intertwined with the commelina I pulled out, it should rebound soon.

I actually got a refund on that utric order because the box and plants were smashed, not packed well, and a couple of the portions were even smaller then the small portions I was expecting. Kinda feel like an ass know because it is all surviving... if just barely. I've ordered from them before, and they made this right so they will get more money from me eventually... assuming they continue to offer stuff I want.

There is also at least 3 mosses from outside. One that has hung on in my vivs for years, and 2 more that I think require more light so have died off, but there is 30-40 watts of CFL over this 10gal so we'll see 

The AC foam filter background has some biofilm, and some of the UG rooted into it and stuck there when i ripped out the portion in the front right corner. The material doesn't wick water as much as I thought it would. Would probably work better with hygrolon backing it or if I wouldn't have forgotten and impregnated it with milled sphag and/or peat like In had planned. I'm hoping that if the UG at least continues to root into it, and more biofilm takes hold it will wick more, and stuff will start creeping up it... Walls of UG and U. Uliginosa would be pretty cool.











Also got one of these thingies from NE Herp to try... Moved some moss, micro liverwort, dwarf baby tears, UG, blue oxalis, sag. Apoda and veronica into it. Probably have to pull some stuff eventually, but the top layer is mostly partially buried cork with long fiber sphag packed around it because that micro liverwort really likes growing on moist woods and sphag, and that is the main point of this tank since I've been promising to make that more available to people for years, (I keep destroying things in remodels and/or periods of neglect).


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