# Borneo Stream Biotope Vivarium



## Lbacha

Here is my proposed vivarium that I have been working on for a while. I'm starting the hardscape stage and wanted some opinions, first off as of now the tank will be for plants and fish only since it will be a paludarium, if someone can direct me to a suitable amphib that is from Borneo I would love to hear about it. 

Specs
Tank - standard 75g
Light - twin t5 HO dimmable
Hardscape - custom foam rocks
Humidity - mistking and external humidifier
Substrate - aquasoil covered in sand
Air Circ - plenum style fans (Like grimms 150)
Temps - large amount of water will keep temps stable
Water - there will be a sump and the water level will be variable 4"-12" to represent different seasons and rainfall (I'll show you how I plan on doing this later) The waterfall will also be variable from a small trickle "normal operation" to a heavy flow "During the rainy season and daily rainfall"
Flora - The main plants will be rheophytic aroids (bucephalandra, piptospatha and bakoa) and in the water will be cryptocorynes antive to Borneo (Keei and bullosa)
Fauna - undecided right now

The goal of the build is to represent a waterfall going into a pool with rocks and terrestrial flora on either side of the waterfall I got my inspiration form the pics Mike Lo "Jungle Mike" has posted here are some below




























Ok so here are my two proposed scapes right now let me know what you think

Build #1

Original Image









Modified: Brown will be GS with coco coir covering it along with holes for terrestrial plants Tan is sand and Blue is the water level









Build #2

Original Image









Modified: Brown will be GS with coco coir covering it along with holes for terrestrial plants and Blue is the water level









Thanks for any help
Len


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## Evan Keller

Number 2 definitely gets my vote. It looks more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. Great inspiration, looks like it's gonna be a good build!
Cheers


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## hydrophyte

Looks fantastic man. I like #2. It has much better depth.

You'll have lots of room on that rock wall for mounting cool plants.

Hey are you sure you want to stick GS to that nice rock wall? What if you decide you want to change it up later on? If you want to build it up more you could possibly apply a release agent to the wall and then build you form. That way the GS form would be removable.


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## Lbacha

Thanks guys I agree I think 2 is winning me over, the reason for the GS I need to angle the waterfall or it will look too square, the backwall was suprisingly affordable and I will probably trim it down and actually use the trimmings on the side to represent patches of rock in the middle of the coco coir GS mix.

Len


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## eos

#2 got my vote too. Can't wait to see the progress


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## frogface

Number 2. Looking forward to your build!


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## gardennub

Looking good! I like 2 as well.


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## VivariumWorks

If you cut up the two sides, you could always use them for another smaller tank too. This build should be really neat. Looking forward to seeing how you design/engineer everything.


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## wimvanvelzen

hi Len,

That is a great idea and Michael's site is a great source of inspiration. I used it to get ideas for my own hillstream viv: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/49708-new-wooden-hill-stream-tank-constr-jrnl.html 

As for Borneo species. Fish is doable, like Gastromyzon or Rasbora (Rhinogobius are great too, but not really from Borneo). As for amphibians - there are no species available in the trade, as far as I am aware. I have South American frogs in my tank - a Mannophryne would be ideal!


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## wesleybrouwer

wimvanvelzen said:


> hi Len,
> 
> That is a great idea and Michael's site is a great source of inspiration. I used it to get ideas for my own hillstream viv: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/49708-new-wooden-hill-stream-tank-constr-jrnl.html
> 
> As for Borneo species. Fish is doable, like Gastromyzon or Rasbora (Rhinogobius are great too, but not really from Borneo). As for amphibians - there are no species available in the trade, as far as I am aware. I have South American frogs in my tank - a Mannophryne would be ideal!


There are Bornean frog species readily available in the hobby, at least around Europe they are.
Xenophrys, Pedostibes, Megophrys, Leptobrachyum, Microhyla and so on.

I believe most suited of the commonly available species in this type of setup would be either Occidozyga or Hylarana and Odorrana.

Hylarana erythreae, picturata and signata are stream inhabitants,
the Occidozyga laevis or lima are also species that i get in mind,
but you might have to tweak you're shore.


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## chrism

Like the idea- have you looked at Wims hill stream- bloody amazing.

Did you make the rocks or build them?


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## Lbacha

Thanks, Scott from vivariumworks made them for me

Len


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## Lbacha

Ok so I constructed the plenum for the pumps and mounted some rocks to it, I made a slight adjustment to the right side having more of the rock background show and less of a stack and more spread out rocks let me know what you think the left side is close to what I want still thinking baout the right side.

Scape # 3



















it doesn't look like it in the pics but the rocks are within a couple inches of the front glass otherwise I would say I need to move them forward.

Scape #4 (Large rock pile on the right side)



















Len


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## skanderson

as much as i love being a contrarian i think #2 looks nicer. when first scrolling through i thought wow number one looks nice why mess with that. then i saw 2 and understood. i also love the plant selection your are putting in there. not easy to get the bucephalus ive been looking for one for a bit. they are either really pricey or in singapore.


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## frogface

I think I like #3, with the larger water area.


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## Lbacha

frogface said:


> I think I like #3, with the larger water area.


I like the large water area as well how about 4 with the taller rock pile water area is about the same in 3&4


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## frogface

I like 3 more than 4. Having the large rock piles on either side makes it too symmetrical, IMO.


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## hydrophyte

Have you thought about livestock much more? I love this group of _Puntius rhombocellatus_ barbs that I got. They are very active and colorful.


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## Lbacha

hydrophyte said:


> Have you thought about livestock much more? I love this group of _Puntius rhombocellatus_ barbs that I got. They are very active and colorful.


I really haven't even thought about it, it will definitely be something native before I go that route I really need to see how the varying water level works first and make sure there are no spots fish can get stranded, I'm also planning on a low water level 2" during the dry season so the crypts will bloom so fish may not work at all with that plan.

Len


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## dendrothusiast

hey len nice to see you came over from the aquarium forum. Looking foward to seeing your paludarium finished with all those aroids.


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## Lbacha

Yep I've been over here seeing what cool ideas people had for their vivariums so I can work then into mine, I've almost finished the stand and started the application of GS to build up my plenum and internal sump here are some pics
















Len


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## MrMonterrubio

Subscribed.


I'm loving it.


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## Lbacha

Thanks I'm only home on the weekends so hardscape work has taken forever silicone something wait a day for it to dry add foam wait for it to fully expand, I'm almost done so hopefully I'll have picks soon of a finished product I'm going to Thailand for a couple weeks in march for inspiration so it will probably be the end of march before I plant it although most of them are growing in my emersed setup right now.

Len


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## Lbacha

Ok I know it's been a while (a couple week trip to Thailand and the a lot of work) but here are some new pic

Adding coco coir









FTS 









I'm going to finish the coir and plumb the whole thing tommorrow so more pics coming

Len


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## goof901

looks promising!! are you gonna have the hole bottom area filled with water, or some dirt and water?


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## Lbacha

It will all be ware with about 2-3" of substrate


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## hydrophyte

Lookin' good!


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## PatEmig09

Number 2 keep us updated with more pictures. Good luck.


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## Lbacha

It took me a second to realize what #2 was, lol. That is basically the design I went with here it is with the hardscape finished, if you are wondering about the sand shelve it is there so that the waterfall doesn't wash the sand away. I set up the plumbing but I'm going to wait to fill it till next weekend to make sure the silicone is completely cured. I did test the plumbing in the bathroom and it will work good, a slow trickle with the small pump running and a full torrent with the big pump going.

Here it is with a couple teaser plants









Len


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## asid61

Wow. Does it take a lot of work to design something like that?
And the brown stuff on the walls is coco-coir? How to you attach it to GS?


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## Lbacha

asid61 said:


> Wow. Does it take a lot of work to design something like that?
> And the brown stuff on the walls is coco-coir? How to you attach it to GS?


It's been a lot of research and looking for ideas from other members as for coco coir over the GS it's attached with brown silicone

Len


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## Lbacha

Well I filled the tank with water and turned on the pump the waterfall is a success, the big pump makes for a huge amount of water going over the face I'll post some pics tommorrow

Len


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## asid61

pics MUST HAVE. 
I have actually seen very few water features that are open like this.


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## Lbacha

I promised pictures so here we go, the first plants are in the tank.

Here is shot of the tank in it's new home between my window and my aquarium, my big philodendron had to move to the other side of the room.









Here is a closer picture of the waterfall with it's normal water flow.









Here is the first plant to go into the tank, it's nothing special just a Aglaonema simplex but it is native to Borneo and an a good grower and foliage plant, it will probably get a little big for what I want but it is in a net pot with hydroton and sphagnum on top and i will grow moss around the base so it should be easy to remove when I find something a little more rare and exciting.









Here is the tank with the first plant in it.









Here is what my fog maker looks like, its just a humidifier from bed bath and beyond (Thanks Grimm for the idea I think this is the same one you are using)









Here is a shot of the waterfall with the fog kicking in, I'm not sure what type of cycle I will use the fog for it looks neat though but too much gets a little thick wait till you see the next picture.









And here it is after a couple minutes of running









Here is the A simplex and a Macodes petola that now has a new home as well.









Well folk I have a bit to go yet, the sarawak sand doesn't come till tommorrow so the substrate still needs put in the mistking will get added once I caqn find the 5/8" drill bit I bought to drill the holes for it. I won't set up the big ewaterfall till plants have had a little bit of time to establish themselfes, I don't want to wash the moss of the walls, lol..

I'll keep posting as I go this week.

Len


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## VivariumWorks

If you compress/squish the rock half submerged middle right, does your hand feel wet? Is the open cell allowing water to move through the cast like we had hoped? I'm excited to see how this grows in.


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## Lbacha

VivariumWorks said:


> If you compress/squish the rock half submerged middle right, does your hand feel wet? Is the open cell allowing water to move through the cast like we had hoped? I'm excited to see how this grows in.


Yep they hold moisture like we thought they would, they were really easy to work with and as you can see it came out as I planned. Thanks for all the help and I'll let you know how the open cell works going forward I think people will like the results.

Len


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## sjaakdaak

Hi Lbacha,

I just read this topic through and I must say your setup looks just beautiful. You made a remark about fish probably being a problem since you plan to lower the water level for some time during the year. Have you thought about a wild _Betta_ species? There are many species in Borneo and the mouth brooders are suitable for this kind of biotope (and more often than not pretty easy to keep and breed).


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## Lbacha

sjaakdaak said:


> Hi Lbacha,
> 
> I just read this topic through and I must say your setup looks just beautiful. You made a remark about fish probably being a problem since you plan to lower the water level for some time during the year. Have you thought about a wild _Betta_ species? There are many species in Borneo and the mouth brooders are suitable for this kind of biotope (and more often than not pretty easy to keep and breed).


I actually was considering Betta macrostoma, I want to let it grow in first and see if I can get a good shrimp population going.


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## AaronsWorlddotcom

I am sure you will figure this out. The tank looks great. But you should rotate the fitting on your humidifier 180 deg (and/or shorten the line) the dip will fill with water and no more mist...


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## Lbacha

AaronsWorlddotcom said:


> I am sure you will figure this out. The tank looks great. But you should rotate the fitting on your humidifier 180 deg (and/or shorten the line) the dip will fill with water and no more mist...


Already adjusted it thanks for the advice

Len


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## carbonetc

Lbacha said:


> I actually was considering Betta macrostoma, I want to let it grow in first and see if I can get a good shrimp population going.


I found out the hard way that Betta splendens consider shrimp eyes a delicacy. Might want to run a test before you expose all of your shrimp to the Betta genus.


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## Manuran

Good point, but with the large size of Betta macrostoma, (between 5" and 7"+ depending on the locality) they are going to want more than just the eyes!


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## pumiliochaser

Manuran said:


> (between 5" and 7"+ depending on the locality)


Do you know which locality gets to be 7"+, Chuck? That would be an awesome fish to behold!


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## Manuran

Hi pumiliochaser (sorry, not sure which friend this is  )

Anyway, the original "Brunei beauty" gets to be very large, while the various populations in the trade from Sarawak are the smaller ones. Little unlikely that there are a lot of true Brunei fish still around, as Brunei now protects this fish. But fish originating from stock 15 years back or more could be true Brunei beauties. I distributed a fair amount years ago, but I'm not sure what is still is around, I don't think very much. Here is a picture of a pair that the male is about 7.5" I thought they were large until I saw a pair that topped 8" in Japan. The Brunei fish, don't have a lot of the pretty red colors of the Sarawak fish, but the burnt orange and the black heads and the large size make them my preference. The second picture is a younger Brunei male in tannin stained water showing it's colors better.

Sorry to the op, if this is hijacking.


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## Lbacha

Manuran said:


> Hi pumiliochaser (sorry, not sure which friend this is  )
> 
> Anyway, the original "Brunei beauty" gets to be very large, while the various populations in the trade from Sarawak are the smaller ones. Little unlikely that there are a lot of true Brunei fish still around, as Brunei now protects this fish. But fish originating from stock 15 years back or more could be true Brunei beauties. I distributed a fair amount years ago, but I'm not sure what is still is around, I don't think very much. Here is a picture of a pair that the male is about 7.5" I thought they were large until I saw a pair that topped 8" in Japan. The Brunei fish, don't have a lot of the pretty red colors of the Sarawak fish, but the burnt orange and the black heads and the large size make them my preference. The second picture is a younger Brunei male in tannin stained water showing it's colors better.
> 
> Sorry to the op, if this is hijacking.


NP more info on this fish is great, I know they will eat shrimp that's why I want to get a good population of cheap ones going to see if they can outbreeding the Bettas appetite. Keep the info coming 

Len


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## vintage_fish

Having kept and bred Berta macrostoma, and also being a bit of a shrimp enthusiast, I can assure you that no shrimp out there will outbreed a macrostoma's appetite. Small shrimp are their natural prey, and they're GOOD at catching them.

While female macros are super outgoing, males like to have a log or something to hang out in or under. I imagine it's due to those gorgeous bright colors making them a clear target for predators. I think you'd have a very hard time providing suitable shelter in such shallow water for the male to feel secure.

Maybe B. channoides or B. albimarginata would be a suitable substitute? These are both comparatively small, and come from shallower locations (5-10 cm deep, versus B. macrostoma's tendancy toward 30cm depths, all according to collection information from fishbase). They'll probably be a great deal more affordable, too, if that's an issue. And (again, from fishbase, I don't have experience with either of these species), apparently their preferred cover is leaf litter - easy to accomplish in the shallow depth of water in your paludarium.

These smaller Bettas might also not eat your entire shrimp population in one sitting, too....


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## Lbacha

vintage_fish said:


> Having kept and bred Berta macrostoma, and also being a bit of a shrimp enthusiast, I can assure you that no shrimp out there will outbreed a macrostoma's appetite. Small shrimp are their natural prey, and they're GOOD at catching them.
> 
> While female macros are super outgoing, males like to have a log or something to hang out in or under. I imagine it's due to those gorgeous bright colors making them a clear target for predators. I think you'd have a very hard time providing suitable shelter in such shallow water for the male to feel secure.
> 
> Maybe B. channoides or B. albimarginata would be a suitable substitute? These are both comparatively small, and come from shallower locations (5-10 cm deep, versus B. macrostoma's tendancy toward 30cm depths, all according to collection information from fishbase). They'll probably be a great deal more affordable, too, if that's an issue. And (again, from fishbase, I don't have experience with either of these species), apparently their preferred cover is leaf litter - easy to accomplish in the shallow depth of water in your paludarium.
> 
> These smaller Bettas might also not eat your entire shrimp population in one sitting, too....


Thanks for the info I'm a long way off from fish but I do like to make educated decisions, everything to this point in the build has been based on a very narrow ecosystem, the goal of a Clearwater limestone/sandstone stream at a lower 300-500m elevation is the goal. Bucephalandra, piptospatha and bakoa all Borneo endemic rheophytic aroids are the main specimens. Everything else is a complimentary feature including the crypts which will also be Clearwater Borneo endemic species like keei, bullosa, noritoi, etc. the Betta macrostoma actually is found in upper pools of Clearwater waterfalls do its a good addition but I'm sure there are others. Keep the suggestions and help coming I almost feel like I need credits on this because of all the help and inspiration I have got from everyone

Len


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## sjaakdaak

_Betta macrostoma_ is incredibly beautiful, but won't it be a bit too large? I'm wondering what it will think of a water lever as low as two inches. _Betta taeniata_ or _Betta albimarginata_ would probably be better suited and they can equally beautiful when kept under the right circumstances.


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## Lbacha

Here are some pics of the different water levels for the tank, I know things look bare but I'm making sure very thing is tuned in before I add the rare plants (these buggers are more pricy than most frogs, lol). 

Low water









High water (I want to go a couple inches higher but I need to change the sump first)









Here is a shot of the bucephalandra that will eventually call the tank home









Len


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## flyingSquirrel

This build is gonna amazing when it has more plants in!

Where does one obtain bucephalandra from?

thanks


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## Lbacha

I just planted a bunch of C keei (the main aquatic plant for the set-up) here are the pics of the fun.

Mass of C keei that showed up in the mail yesterday









The substrate is inert sand so I decided to doctor it up where I planted the keei. First I dug a hole where I wanted a plant









I then added some used Aqua Soil Malaya to help add some nutrients to the sand









Sand and Malaya mixed in the holes









I then inserted Root Medic root tabs in each hole









Here is a shot of all the C keei planted before I added water









Check out the size of the plant near the top (yellow arrow) it's huge









And finally a FTS with water









Here are a couple new aroids for the tank as well

Piptospatha manduensis









Aridarum sp.









And a second Aridarum sp. (we think it is caulescens) it looks like a small Bakoa









Enjoy Len


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## pumiliochaser

Very nice collection of plants! I am curious why you have the Bucephalandra growing under water? Aren't they rheophytes or are there some pure aquatics?


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## schoolzoo

Looking great. Can't wait to see this one finished.


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## Lbacha

pumiliochaser said:


> Very nice collection of plants! I am curious why you have the Bucephalandra growing under water? Aren't they rheophytes or are there some pure aquatics?


Thanks for the compliment some of you spend hundreds on frogs I do the same for plants, lol. As for the buces I had them emersed but I had some issues with black mold so I emersed them. In their natural habitat you will find them in both environments and like you said they are reophytes which means they can handle the heavy water of streams and they live up to the high water mark. The growth is also different, while emersed they focus on sending roots out and flowering and when they are submersed they send more leaves and new shoots.

Len


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## dendrothusiast

Len that pipto and the aridarums look great and thanks for the buce tips! I was wondering why mine were always sending more roots instead of growing. Are you doing any routine fertilizing or just leaving them be?


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## Lbacha

dendrothusiast said:


> Len that pipto and the aridarums look great and thanks for the buce tips! I was wondering why mine were always sending more roots instead of growing. Are you doing any routine fertilizing or just leaving them be?


I fertilize them submersed and don't do anything emersed a lot of them are in aquasoil so it will have a lot of nutrients at all times

Len


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## dendrothusiast

Lbacha said:


> I fertilize them submersed and don't do anything emersed a lot of them are in aquasoil so it will have a lot of nutrients at all times
> 
> Len


Len thanks for the advice! I was wondering how it should be done for a while now.


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## pumiliochaser

Lbacha said:


> Thanks for the compliment some of you spend hundreds on frogs I do the same for plants, lol.


I don't blame you-- those are wonderful plants. C. keei is one I have admired for a long time. I wish you success and look forward to your updates.


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## Lbacha

Well I've finally added a couple bucephalandras to the tank, 



















Len


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## Lbacha




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## shibbyplustax

Looking great so far, i would like to know how you made those foam rocks. They look very realistic. Keep up the good work.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2


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## Lbacha

Scott from vivariumworks made them for me.

Len


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## Lbacha




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## Groundhog

Dude! $#%# Dude!!

Wow!

Hylarana erythrea or srigata are good choices. Any Theloderma from Borneo? 

Now where the hell does one acquire Bucephelandra or Piptospatha!? (I thought I knew my hygrophilic aroids, but never heard of these:eek


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## Lbacha

Groundhog said:


> Dude! $#%# Dude!!
> 
> Wow!
> 
> Hylarana erythrea or srigata are good choices. Any Theloderma from Borneo?
> 
> Now where the hell does one acquire Bucephelandra or Piptospatha!? (I thought I knew my hygrophilic aroids, but never heard of these:eek


Unfortunately no frogs for this setup it's more for plants, as for bucephalandra and piptospatha they are small rheophytic aroids that are endemic to SE Asia with Bucephalandra endemic to the island of Borneo. As for acquiring them bucephalandra are starting to become more common in the aquarium hobby but in the US they still fetch a price tag of around $50.00 - $100.00 (we are aleays te last to get things here in the US and it always costs a fortune plus these are extremely slow growing plants) a plant. This is quite a drop from the $200 - $300 they were a year ago this time. As for piptospatha, bakoa and Aridarum they are all extremely rare and all fetch upwards of a $100 if you can find them. Just like frogs in the exotic plant arena rare equals expensive and a lot of these don't even have species names yet and have been changing names a lot latly. I posted the build here because I used a lot of inspiration from all the frog vivariums on here even though I never intended to add frogs to it. Hopefully it has shown people you an have a pretty neat area specific tank from an area most people don't know about while only keeping plants.

Len


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## Lbacha

Well here is the waterfall going full bore I don't think I've put any pics of it going yet.

Len


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## Lbacha

I added a Bakoa lucens to the tank, look at this roots there were very few when I first planted it in Malaya, I trimmed them wrapped the root ball in sphagnum then pinned it to the foam with floral pins an then put some moss on the sphagnum to grow in. I hope it likes it new home 

Len


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## dendrothusiast

Lbacha said:


> bucephalandra are starting to become more common in the aquarium hobby but in the US they still fetch a price tag of around $50.00 - $100.00 (we are aleays te last to get things here in the US and it always costs a fortune plus these are extremely slow growing plants) a plant.
> 
> This is quite a drop from the $200 - $300 they were a year ago this time. As for piptospatha, bakoa and Aridarum they are all extremely rare and all fetch upwards of a $100 if you can find them. Hopefully it has shown people you an have a pretty neat area specific tank from an area most people don't know about while only keeping plants.
> 
> Len


I can relate to those facts. I'm hoping to see piptos, bakoas, and arids become more available but they can be just as slow growing as buces' i've ben told by growers. Europe, Singapore, China, and Japan have many different forms. I still trip out when I see eastern asian aquariums planted heavily with bucephalandras. An eastern asian biotope is very rewarding - it's a treat watching my mini rasboras and chocolate gouramis. Len yours is coming along very nicely I enjoy every update you post.


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## flyingSquirrel

This tank looks awesome! Plus I'm a sucker for badass plants. BTW, is that a Trichomanes javanicum (or other Trich. sp.) fern in the waterfall? It's hard to tell in the pic but it looks like it's practically underwater entirely in that waterfall section, maybe a little too much IMO. Seeing any new growth on it?


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## Lbacha

flyingSquirrel said:


> This tank looks awesome! Plus I'm a sucker for badass plants. BTW, is that a Trichomanes javanicum (or other Trich. sp.) fern in the waterfall? It's hard to tell in the pic but it looks like it's practically underwater entirely in that waterfall section, maybe a little too much IMO. Seeing any new growth on it?


Thanks, it is a T javanicum, I have planted it in different parts of the tank to see how it does, that one you mentioned isn't liking the spot but I'm leaving it to see if it will grow new shoots, I really struggle with giving it a good spot, it doesn't like too much water and it doesnt like too little, high humidity isn't enough for it either it needs to stay moist, I'm trying to find a spot where the waterfall splashes it but doesn't soak it. Mike Lo has shown a few pics of it in Borneo in the same habitat as bucephandra so i really want to get Some to do well.

Len


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## shibbyplustax

Lbacha said:


> Scott from vivariumworks made them for me.
> 
> Len


Did he make the rock for the background too?

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2


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## Lbacha

shibbyplustax said:


> Did he make the rock for the background too?
> 
> Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2


Yes here is a pic of everything before I started cutting things up and combining them together,









Len


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## Lbacha

This came from Malaysia as a buce but I think it's a piptospatha ridleyi



Len


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## Lbacha

Well here is the piptospatha I got from Xue a long time ago that really got me planning this setup. I finally got around to adding it and I hope it grows a little faster in its new home.

Len


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## dendrothusiast

Lbacha said:


> This came from Malaysia as a buce but I think it's a piptospatha ridleyi
> 
> 
> 
> Len


def not like any buce I've seen I agree it's some sort of buce. Xue's a great guy - met him in person a while back and he loves the aroids.


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## Lbacha

The fog is rolling in.

Len


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## skanderson

beautiful plants keep posting as they grow in. and let us know when your ready to divide them up.


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## Lbacha

skanderson said:


> beautiful plants keep posting as they grow in. and let us know when your ready to divide them up.


The good and bad thing about these plants are they grow slow but once they establish they should provide me with some nice offshoots that I will definitely make available to people.

I'm really looking forward to getting home tommorrow night I have a nice N ampullaria pitcher plant for the left side and I have more Bucephalandra "N sanggau" and "shine green" I'm also considering adding a patch of C bullosa to the water section.

Len


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## Lbacha




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## Lbacha

Aglaonema simplex








Piptospatha ridleyi








Schismatoglottis picta








Macodes petola








Piptospatha sp. "possibly elongata"








Dossinia marmorata "var. dayii"








Scindapsis pictus









I love all the different leaf types in this tank.

Len


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## Lbacha

Well the right corner is filling in well, the Schismatoglottis is filling in Nicely and the moss is spreading over the rocks, I would guess most people would never realize they were foam unless I told them.

Len


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## hydrophyte

Looking great Len!


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## Lbacha

hydrophyte said:


> Looking great Len!


Thanks man that Schismatoglottis picta I got from you is a really nice plant and looks great in the tank. I'm really excited about how it's growing in and what it will look like in a few months.

Len


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## Lbacha

Current FTS: Things are growing in nicely, the crypts in the water section are growing slowly but they are growing, I need to work on the CO2 issues yet.









Left side of the tank: there is alot going on here the patch of buces is growing but I'm going to have to watch the moss because it's getting a little wild and I don't want it smothering the buces. You can also see the patch of C Keei in the water, its sending out runners so I know it's growing just not all that fast.









The right side which is dominated by a large Schismatoglottis picta, The bucephalandra "Shine green" can be seen on the rocks and it's starting to take hold.









I still think a nice "Y" shaped branch in the center leaning against the waterfall and going into the water covered in moss and plants is int he future I just havn't found a branch I like yet.


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## Lbacha

I added some roots to the tank and things are starting to grow in


Some pics of the grow out tank

























For those of you that like aquariums









Len


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## shibbyplustax

Lookin awesome man

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## mnemenoi

Great looking vivariums. How has the Malasia substrate behaved when topped off with sand? I read in the original post about using Amazonia and with that sort of high flow I could see big issues as it very lightweight and gets mixed up very easily. I really like paludarium and will certainly keep up with the updates. As for some fish species to try out, I might suggest some of the Bororas and microrasbora from Borneo. Some of the Macrobrancium spp. (Red Claw Macro) are from that region and are managable for macros.


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## Lbacha

I really didnt put all that much Malaya in there just a few tablespoons in each hole to add some body to the sand there is also clay tablets and root tabs in each hole, the C keei is growing well but slow and I think CO2 and low light is the main culprit.

Len


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## isoletes

very nice it is looking very natural!


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## Lbacha

It has been a while since I have posted new pics so here they are. I just added new vines and did some trimming, I have turned the mister off for the winter to simulate the dry season, the fog machine is still on and the lower plants get submersed twice a day still. I have a bunch of other plants in my holding tank that need a home so I may be adding some soon.

Both tanks








FTS of the terrarium

















Close up of my new vines I just added a couple hrs ago









Some pictures of my Buce "Shine Green" on a rock (for those of you new to the thread I didn't take these pics in Borneo, lol)

























Shots of the left side of the tank, does anyone want to take a guess at how many different plants are there? This side has alot more diversity than the right side.

























Right side, lots of vines and one huge overgrown Schismatoglottis picta, I trimmed 10 leaves off it today.









A shot from the middle of the tank, the Bakoa lucens on the rock wall is doing really well.









Here is a shot I took of some leaves I thought were really cool, can anyone name them?









Len


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## WeeNe858

great biotope!


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## Groundhog

Be honest--you went to Borneo, grabbed a couple of streamside rocks and put em in a tank, right?



Magnificent, dude.


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## gluedl

Looking awesome!!!


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## MrMonterrubio

I love this tank.


Great job.


Any animals in there?


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## Lbacha

Thanks everyone,

As for the rocks there is actually only one real rock in the whole tank everything else is foam and photos of Borneo by Jungle Mike are what inspired me.

No animals at all I do need some fish in my tank and some day animals may be in the works.

Len


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## Lbacha

Well it's been a long time. The tank was neglected for a little while due to working abroad but is still operating as it was designed to. The flora is slightly different there are a few buces left and the schismatoglottis picta and pussila is still going strong. The main change I made was to move away from it being a Borneo biotope and just going with plants I like.


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## Sammie

Ha! I actually looked for this thread just yesterday. I recently bought some small semi-aquatic aroids from Borneo and needed some inspiration for my next tank
It's a bit of a shame that it's no longer a Borneo biotope but I get it. I've also strayed away from biotope tanks, too many plants I like and too little space


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## Lbacha

Yeah I really am a fan of neoreglias so I had to add them to the tank. I'm still going to replant a lot of the buces and make it so the Borneo theme is intact only on a smaller scale


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## Lbacha

Dawn









Dusk










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## Lbacha

After 6 years I have finally added some fauna, a nice school of cardinal tetras now call this home










Mid day lighting


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## wimvanvelzen

Great fish!
Thought about using Rasbora or the like in a Borneo tank?


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## Lbacha

This has morphed from Borneo to a mixed tank I have a nice school of H rasboras and CDP's in my other tank. Since I added the finnex 24/7 I wanted something that would pop under the lights and cardinals definitely do


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## Groundhog

Can't anyone stick to an actual biotope?!? Here I was, hopin'.... :-(


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## Lbacha

Lbacha said:


> This has morphed from Borneo to a mixed tank I have a nice school of H rasboras and CDP's in my other tank. Since I added the finnex 24/7 I wanted something that would pop under the lights and cardinals definitely do
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Sorry to disappoint, it spent 6 years as Borneo only. It was time for a change, if you go through the thread everything up to this year was 100% Borneo biotope (which is why no fish as I couldn't find a Borneo species I was happy with). 


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## Lbacha

I decided to add more light. The light wasn't as spread out as I liked and the par levels at the bottom of the tank were really low <20. 

A second 48" planted plus was added I wanted to be able to control both lights together which is a nice feature.











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