# NEW 40gal VERT VIVARIUM! converted from my old Paludarium



## raimeiken

I don't know if anyone remembers my old Paludarium here. It's been a while since I posted pictures of it. 




























Here it was way back maybe a year ago.

I decided to convert it into a vertical tank since I didnt have much vertical space with this 40gal breeder. So I tore it down several months ago and threw most of the plants away especially that creeping fig. That thing covered my tank! I saved the broms and tillys and put them in a separate tank.

After a lot of reading, research and planning. I Started on the conversion. 









I sketched it out on Google's sketchup software. First, I had to tackle the cabinets that I had to build to fill both sides of the viv and the top. I didnt want all that extra space to go to waste. 

With my excitement and busy schedule I forgot to take construction pics of the cabinets and the viv itself 

The two on the sides are regular cabinets made from plywood. Cut them with a circular saw, sanded, glued and nailed together, painted and stained them.

The one on the top is where I mounted my AHsupply lights from the old Paludarium.









So here's what the viv looked like after it was all done.

I siliconed tree fern panels on the background along with some cork barks. I filled the gaps with Great stuff and covered that with concrete binder mixed with peat moss. Oh and i smeared some mushed up aquasoil mixed with sphagnum moss on the fern panels. That's what that brown mud is on the back wall. 

I decided to go with a Euro style vents at the bottom. I used Lexan to make it since it's easier to drill holes through it for my drain and so I can run my misting and fogger underneath the false bottom. (I have a more close up pics of the vent if you scroll down some more)

The driftwood in the center is from the old Paludarium, I just had to saw off some of it's branches since they were too long. 














































I ran the misting tubes under the false bottom and behind the tree fern panels, then I silicone it to the top of the viv. I just used regular misting nozzle from homedepot. I dont need the more expensive nozzles to water the plants. I also installed a valve so I can control how much water is getting pumped out of the nozzles.

The tubing for the fogger also went underneath the false bottom and up the right side of the viv, behind the cork bark and tree ferns. Then I siliconed it behind the black trim of the tank in the front. It's hard to see it. I'll show you more pics of it later. I also installed a shut off valve on this so I can control the amount of fog coming out of the tubes.









So here's the viv back on the stand with all the cabinets on it.


















Here's a more close up pic of the vent with all the tubes and fans(the fans arent point straight forward, they're tilted up, I just put the covers on the back like that to prop them up) hooked up.


















Here's some close up pics of the top just incase you were wondering on what I did with the top vents.

I didnt like the look of the screen door type of vent. It didnt look 'clean' enough for me. So I cut a piece of Lexan, grab my boring bit and bored five 1 3/4" holes. I cut out some screening in circles, went and got some black rubber gaskets and siliconed them on the holes. Im really pleased on how it turned out 



















The front of the viv is one big piece of glass I cut out. I didnt want to use Lexan since I scratches so easily. I drilled two small holes on the sides and screw in small piece of lexan to lock the glass door in place









The substrate I used is a mixture of peat moss+perlite+sphagnum moss+orchid bark














































Here's a close up pic of the misting system.




































And as promised, a close up pic of the fogging tube I silicone in the inside of the viv.









Fogger is on









after about 5 mins









pic of the cool mist humidifier i rigged up  (i got the idea from of the users in here)









pic of the whole set up


This vivarium is FAR from done. Im still in the planning stages of it. I just threw in the old broms I had from the paludarium. They arent looking tip top since I just had them in a small container  But just having been there for a few days, they're starting to show their red colors again and sprouting roots all over. 

I'll update you guys ones I get plants in there. Im thinking of filling it with lots of broms, mini orchids, ferns, tillys and begonias.

Make sure to keep and eye out for the updates


----------



## MJ

That looks amazing already man! I love vivs that have 3 sides covered well done


----------



## divingne1

That is going to be an awesome viv. Can't wait to see the progress.
Candy


----------



## Mywebbedtoes

You did your research, thats for sure. Well done! I look forward to the plant out of this.


Wayne


----------



## themann42

that's gonna grow in real nice. sweet setup


----------



## Bob Fraser

Nice job, great set-up and photo's. keep us posted.


----------



## Julio

looks great!! i love the old style too. i think that tree trunk makes a great center piece.


----------



## rollinkansas

Looks good. I can give you the OT discount and send you some plant cuttings once its warmer outside.


----------



## ChrisK

I keep seeing my humidifier in other peoples' houses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i did a double-take again like when i saw it like in capitale's thread haha  that whole system looks sick man! what are you planning on keeping in there?


----------



## Geckoguy

Looks great! I like both of them too bad you had to take the old one appart


----------



## bmasar

Just curious as to why you added perlite?


----------



## Okapi

Looks great! Cant wait to see it grown in.


----------



## raimeiken

Julio said:


> looks great!! i love the old style too. i think that tree trunk makes a great center piece.


Yeah, that thing set me back $50-$60 from eBay



rollinkansas said:


> Looks good. I can give you the OT discount and send you some plant cuttings once its warmer outside.


SOWEETT! do you have an online store?



ChrisK said:


> I keep seeing my humidifier in other peoples' houses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i did a double-take again like when i saw it like in capitale's thread haha  that whole system looks sick man! what are you planning on keeping in there?


ahaha! that humidifier is perfect, it's so easy to rig it and also it's pretty cheap. Im not planning on keeping anything in there for now because of my busy schedule. Just plants for now. Who knows I might change my mind when it's fully planted 



Geckoguy said:


> Looks great! I like both of them too bad you had to take the old one appart


yeah i had to take it down after seeing so many great vertical tanks here! I got jealous with all the vertical space you guys had for plants to grow in. Plus that creeping fig was taking over the place, it even managed to climb out of the canopy!



bmasar said:


> Just curious as to why you added perlite?


just for extra drainage. I ran out of orchid bark, so I threw in some perlite


----------



## Ed Holder

Wow! That is a great re-build!, Three sided vivs really add to the depth and give you that feeling of being in the jungle imo. Good job on the build journal as well. What are the dimensions of that tank?

Ed


----------



## melas

Excellent! Thanks for the detailed documentation! This is going to look great grown in! Good luck!


----------



## raimeiken

Ed Holder said:


> Wow! That is a great re-build!, Three sided vivs really add to the depth and give you that feeling of being in the jungle imo. Good job on the build journal as well. What are the dimensions of that tank?
> 
> Ed


it's a standard 40gal breeder tank. 36 inches long by 18 inches deep by 17 inches high


----------



## iljjlm

The tank looks great. Please post some pics of it when it is fully planted. 
Dave


----------



## raimeiken

iljjlm said:


> The tank looks great. Please post some pics of it when it is fully planted.
> Dave


will definitely do


----------



## Ulisesfrb

Awesome tank. I also the way you covered the 3 walls. 

Ulises


----------



## ggazonas

The viv looks awesome. I liked it the other way as well. I also really like the 3 sides with backgorund on them. I've been doing that lately. By any chance do you know what type of would that stump is?


----------



## clwatkins10

Wow! Very nice viv! Very well built


----------



## raimeiken

ggazonas said:


> The viv looks awesome. I liked it the other way as well. I also really like the 3 sides with backgorund on them. I've been doing that lately. By any chance do you know what type of would that stump is?


no, sorry i dont know it. It's been years since I got that stump on eBay

heres pics of it when I first got it









FRONT









BOTTOM

the hole that you see in my vert now is around the back of the stump, which goes all the way through the bottom of it. It's pretty neat


----------



## Derek Benson

Very awesome. I have six 40 breeder verts to finish soon and I love the inspiration. I was going to do 3 sides covered on each, but am opting for just one since I have so many to do. Once again, excellent stuff!


----------



## raimeiken

Derek Benson said:


> Very awesome. I have six 40 breeder verts to finish soon and I love the inspiration. I was going to do 3 sides covered on each, but am opting for just one since I have so many to do. Once again, excellent stuff!


thanks, man! post up some pics when you're done with them. I wish I had more room for more tanks. These 40gal breeder tanks are like the perfect dimensions for a viv. try doing a few of them 3 sided, some 2 or whatever. Just dont rush the job, you'll regret it later on.


----------



## raimeiken

a little update:

I replaced the old mist nozzles that I reused from the old Paludarium because they werent spraying right. Probably got clogged up. Oh well, they were cheap anyway. So I went to ace hardware and found some nice brass mist nozzles. I got 4 of them for only $7-8...not bad




















Oh and also I noticed a plant growing out of the cork bark so I took a picture of it. I have no clue what plant it is. Sorry for the unclear pics, the camera was having a hard time trying to focus on this tiny leaf.




























Does anyone have any idea what it is? I noticed a few more growing on the tree fern panels.


----------



## ChrisK

Yeah those little tiny 2 leaf stems pop up from time to time in mine also usually in a potted plant or near where I put one in a tank, no idea what they are though. they don't hang around too long


----------



## tzen

Great job. I am getting to really like vivs that have their green balanced by brown-- all the wood really adds structure.
I was wondering about the nozzles. Do you have any type of filter before the water goes in?

As for that seedling, until you get true leaves, id. is impossible.


----------



## raimeiken

tzen said:


> Great job. I am getting to really like vivs that have their green balanced by brown-- all the wood really adds structure.
> I was wondering about the nozzles. Do you have any type of filter before the water goes in?
> 
> As for that seedling, until you get true leaves, id. is impossible.


nah, just straight from the pump out the nozzles. I dont think i really need one since Im not using any expensive nozzles here.


----------



## raimeiken

I finally got some plants ordered. 








































































This one was listed for $0.00! so Im assuming it was free! ahaha I got a couple of them.












They havent come yet, I just put the order in. I cant wait to put them in the viv 

My next order of plants should be broms and begonias.


----------



## melas

Nice! I've always been a fan of tillies! You have quite a few colors represented here!


----------



## raimeiken

yeah I love their colors. I was going to grab a few more but the ones I wanted were sold out


----------



## swirlygig

I ain't much when it comes to darts...but I would watch those brass misters...The brass can leach copper  

I am huge into reefs and one brass nozzle took out an entire tank of a fellow reefer...jmo, but use caution...


----------



## raimeiken

thanks for the warning! but im not going to keep frogs in this one. If i decided to though, I'll keep it in mind to switch out the nozzles.


----------



## dannyces

hey can you post the plant names and where you got them i really love the colors
Danny


----------



## raimeiken

I got them from Plant Oddities 

Tillandsia aeranthos miniata-Single Plants
Tillandsia concolor-Small Plants 4-5in.
Tillandsia fuchsii forma gracilis
Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata
Tillandsia ionantha-Guatemalan Form
Tillandsia "Houston"- Stricta x recurvifolia
Tillandsia neglecta x stricta
Tillandsia tenuifolia-Bronze Tip-Single Plants
Tillandsia stricta-"J.R. Hybrid"

in that order of the pictures










I also got this one, I just forgot to post it, it's called Tillandsia andreana

They have a great selection and they offer free shipping too. If you cant find some of these plants, look at the top of each page there's a button there to take you to the next page. I didnt noticed that button at first  OR some of these are in their "hybrid" section.


----------



## melas

WOW! Cool site! Did you see the plant collections? 20 species of Tillies to your door for $20 . . . crazy! I'll be going here next time! Thanks for the link!


----------



## raimeiken

yeah but I really wanted to be specific on that plants that go in my viv. I dont want just random things being thrown in there.


----------



## melas

Definitely! I'm just saying that's crazy cheap! I might get a pack just to put around my house! I'm certain they won't be anywhere as nice as the ones you picked.


----------



## raimeiken

Oh no doubt it's a great deal and Im sure they'll throw in some nice ones in there too


----------



## dannyces

wow thats a great site im gonna send out an order today 
thanks for the names and the link. 
Danny


----------



## Mywebbedtoes

I will sound like a jerk, but this tank was brilliant before as a palidarium. I would have kept it like that. But I am sure your end product will be very nice.


----------



## raimeiken

Mywebbedtoes said:


> I will sound like a jerk, but this tank was brilliant before as a palidarium. I would have kept it like that. But I am sure your end product will be very nice.


yeah, if only I had an extra tank, I would've kept that and maybe replanted it or something


----------



## raimeiken

**UPDATE**

I finally got the Tillandsias in the mail yesterday. They got delayed due to the weather over there in Kentucky. 

So here they are









These plants are simply stunning. I didnt expect some of these to be that big 









Tillandsia aeranthos miniata









Tillandsia andreana









Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata









Tillandsia concolor









Tillandsia fuchsii forma gracilis









Tillandsia ionantha-Guatemalan Form









Tillandsia neglecta x stricta









Tillandsia "Houston"- Stricta x recurvifolia









Tillandsia stricta-"J.R. Hybrid"

 _________________________________________________

Pics inside the viv after I planted them in there






















































I placed them up in the top where they wont get misted much + more light.

Ignore the broms in there, I'll replace them in a few weeks with better ones


----------



## stitchb

WOW! This post is amazing. I'm going to start a viv in a couple weeks and seeing this I'm getting soooo anxious! I'm sure it won't own up to this but it's something to aim towards lol. Thanks and KEEP US POSTED!


----------



## raimeiken

Anyone know what this is? I found it growing on the treefern panel behind a driftwood



















The thing looks creepy. I dont know if I should take it out or let it grow some more in there ahaha


----------



## LittleDip

I love it. Looks very natural. I like the air plants, adds a nice touch to the vivarium.


----------



## raimeiken

UPDATE

Big update! Some of the Miniature orchids I bought a few days ago already came in! I didnt expect them to come at all today. My dad just went out the front earlier and found two boxes outside...UGHH the mailman didnt even bother ringing the doorbell. They must've been sitting there for hours. 

Anywho, I opened the boxes and holy crap, they packed these plants very well and neatly.









Schoenorchis fragrans (this thing is about the size of a freaking quarter! It's so cute ahaha!)









Sophronitis cernua (this one looked like it got a bit of frost damage from shipping)









Aerangis fastuosa









Gastrochilus Japonicus









Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes (bigger than what I expected)

Other than minor frost damage on 1 or 2 leaves, overall they are in great shape. 

Next step was to unmount them from the cork bark they came in, put some more sphagnum moss on them, tied them up and mounted them in my Vivarium













































as you can see, I did a bit of rearranging. I'll continue to do so the more plants I get, so I can put them in their ideal spot. 



I also notice the big Tillandsia on the left side has two flower spikes coming out! They werent there when I first got them  








It's kinda hard to see the red spike coming out the middle and another one on the left side.

I'll post more pics as it blooms


----------



## Nate

I love it so much! Your making me jealous of yours now... my tank doesn't look half that good. Can't wait to see more pics.


----------



## raimeiken

Peace said:


> I love it so much! Your making me jealous of yours now... my tank doesn't look half that good. Can't wait to see more pics.


ahaha thanks man! I'll post more and more pics as more plants come in.


----------



## thedude

wow man this is awesome! one of my favorite tanks for sure. i cant wait to see all the plants you put in there.

nice job!


----------



## Leptopelis

It's looking really nice! Great tank.


----------



## EricT

Could you possibly post some more info about the Cool air humidifier? Is there a thread that you used to gather your info or was it just trial and error? Great thread by the way! Thanks for posting and keep us up to date!


----------



## raimeiken

yeah man I found a thread here in the parts and construction forums. Here it is

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...eally-easy-ultrasonic-humidifier-journal.html

You can find the same Humidifier for cheap on ebay for like $30

Then go to your hardware store to find the fittings for it. I dont know where he got his but when I went to Ace hardware I couldnt find a fitting that flushes all the way in so I had to silicone it in there.


----------



## squishy81

nice viv.....this has given me some good ideas


----------



## raimeiken

^^ Im glad I can help ahaha


----------



## EricT

raimeiken said:


> yeah man I found a thread here in the parts and construction forums. Here it is
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...eally-easy-ultrasonic-humidifier-journal.html
> 
> You can find the same Humidifier for cheap on ebay for like $30
> 
> Then go to your hardware store to find the fittings for it. I dont know where he got his but when I went to Ace hardware I couldnt find a fitting that flushes all the way in so I had to silicone it in there.


That's what I was looking for ...Thanks... I am looking into a few different humidifiers. I may end up trying 2-3 different ones since I have tanks in different areas that will need them... Thanks again...
Very helpful...


----------



## jaybr123

extremely nice, i hope i will be able to build something like that one day!


----------



## raimeiken

pretty easy to build. If you guys have any questions on the build just ask away


----------



## raimeiken

Progress pics of the Tilly









ahaha I just noticed that there's a 3rd spike coming out from the top









close up of the top spike












Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes' has one spike coming out nicely
























...annnnd then there's this guy....I haven't taken it out yet. I still have no idea on what exactly it is LOL. kinda looks like a mushroom, but I dont know. Anyone have any idea on what it could be?


----------



## Leptopelis

The "mushroom" is ugly, but i don't have a clue what it is. Looking foreward to an update of the viv.


----------



## raimeiken

ahaha yeah it's definitely ugly...but who knows it might turn pretty when it fully grows


----------



## Ziggi

I wish I was as good as you hehe.
Very nice!


----------



## raimeiken

**BIG UPDATE**​
I finally got some Neoregelias! WOOHOO! 

after researching, going through lots of bromeliad pictures on the net and long hours of picking and choosing... I got what I wanted! 

I got 9 Neoregelias in total. Lots of small ones, a few medium size ones and 2 big ones (which I'll grow outside the Viv)

I'll post top and side views of the plant so you can get a good idea on the size of these plants.

(CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR BETTER QUALITY)

*








Neo. Blueberry Muffin









Neo. Blueberry Muffin









Neo. Datanion









Neo. Datanion









Neo. Domino









Neo. Domino









Neo. Fanfare









Neo. Fanfare









Neo. Close of Day









Neo. Close of Day









Neo. Morona









Neo. Morona









Neo. Tigrina









Neo. Tigrina

_________________________________
.....annnnddd the big ones









Neo. Kawika x Hawaiian Rainforest









Neo. Kawika x Hawaiian Rainforest









Neo. Takemura Princeps









Neo. Takemura Princeps * 

_____________________________________________
























































































































































The pics look a bit dim because I turned down the brightness in the camera. They were turning too bright so I had to tone it down a bit. maybe I'll retake some shot with a bit more brightness next time.

It took about an hour arranging all the plants in there, yet Im still not satisfied with it. I think the stump in there is taking too much space...Im thinking of taking it out  what do you guys think?

I had to move the Tillandsia Brachycaulus Miniata again since it was getting wet from the old spot and it's losing some of it's redness now


----------



## Leptopelis

It looks fantastic! 
Where you going to keep any frogs in there?


----------



## Julio

nice brom collection!!


----------



## stitchb

raimeiken said:


> The pics look a bit dim because I turned down the brightness in the camera. They were turning too bright so I had to tone it down a bit. maybe I'll retake some shot with a bit more brightness next time.
> 
> It took about an hour arranging all the plants in there, yet Im still not satisfied with it. I think the stump in there is taking too much space...Im thinking of taking it out  what do you guys think?
> 
> I had to move the Tillandsia Brachycaulus Miniata again since it was getting wet from the old spot and it's losing some of it's redness now


I think it looks awesome I wouldn't change a thing! I like how that arrangement of plants and wood elements gives the viv a sense of movement. I think the stump definately adds some charisma and the tank def wouldn't be same without it-so I say keep it!I have to say I am a fan at this point soooo my opinion may be a tad biased LOL Keep up the GOOD WORK!!!


----------



## frogparty

nice brom choices, like that blueberry muffin


----------



## raimeiken

Yeah I love the blueberry muffin too. here's a pic of it when it matures


----------



## raimeiken

stitchb said:


> I think it looks awesome I wouldn't change a thing! I like how that arrangement of plants and wood elements gives the viv a sense of movement. I think the stump definately adds some charisma and the tank def wouldn't be same without it-so I say keep it!I have to say I am a fan at this point soooo my opinion may be a tad biased LOL Keep up the GOOD WORK!!!


ahaha thanks, man! I'd really hate to take it out too, but I gotta see what out of the viv without it. If I dont like it then I'll put it back in.


----------



## beachbabe18509

Look at those broms..... gorgeous.. i know what happening to my next paycheck


----------



## raimeiken

beachbabe18509 said:


> Look at those broms..... gorgeous.. i know what happening to my next paycheck


I know right? hahaha I spent already close to $400 on plants in this Viv and I want MORE!


----------



## raimeiken

***UPDATE***​
As I noted before that I was still not completely satisfied in the way I the viv looked.
I toyed around with the idea of taking the stump out...I didnt like it either, so I turned the stump upside down. Now with it's root system facing up, I have more place to put the broms on and the orchids and still have room at the bottom to plant more plants. 

Oh by the way, I also got some new plants in there.

Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068
Hoya Retusa
Hoya Darwinii
and a few Pennywort growing at the bottom.

Here's the results. tell me what you guys think:









































































this Tilly is in full bloom now! 









i got this big bare spot in the corner that's begging to be planted. Im thinking maybe some type of alocasia or maybe ET fern? I need some suggestions. I want some type of plant that can tolerate low light conditions, moist substrate, and a plant that has big leaves.
​
I still have 3 more miniature orchids coming. They're delayed for the 3rd week now because of the cold weather over there in CT. I also just ordered 3 mini ferns. I'll post pics when those come in.


----------



## frogparty

I would be stoked to have it even without frogs. Get some crazy bulbophyllums in there or a restrepia or 3 my avatar is cirrhopetalum(bulbophyllum) tingabarensis... wouldn't it look cool floating in space in your viv? the pseudobulbs are like 1/4" with a leaf thats like 3/4" and the flowers are way bigger than the plant. 
You will need to get an a$$ load of frogs to go in there if you ever hope to se them...lol


----------



## frogparty

cirrhopetalum tingabarinum









bulbophyllum kalimpong









bulbophyllum fascinator









bulbophyllum wendlandii









restrepia muscifera


----------



## raimeiken

awesome orchid man! how much do those cost?


----------



## frogparty

anywhere from 20 to 25 bucks from andys orchids. He doesnt have all his plants listed by a long shot, so just tell him what you are interested in. He grows like 9000 different types of orchid. All but the kalimpong are from him.


----------



## Laxgoal100

those orchids are beautiful!


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> anywhere from 20 to 25 bucks from andys orchids. He doesnt have all his plants listed by a long shot, so just tell him what you are interested in. He grows like 9000 different types of orchid. All but the kalimpong are from him.


if only I knew he had more not on his website. I wouldnt have spent more $$$ on shipping from buying from other online vendors


----------



## raimeiken

These are the ones that I got in there growing. 

these pics are obviously not mine, I just wanted to show what their blooms look like.









Aerangis fastuosa









Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta









Angraecum didieri (still waiting for this one to come)









Gastrochilus Japonicus









Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes (mine has a flower spike)









Pleurothallis grobyi (still waiting for this one to come also)









Schoenorchis fragrans









Sophronitis cernua


----------



## frogparty

the great thing about bulbophyllums as opposed to pleurothallids is that they are WAY HARDIER!!! They can take higher light, higher temps and are more forgiving of less than ideal circumstances. They also tend to "ramble" around where its mounted, less so with the tingabarinum since the plant is so small, but the medium sized and larger ones will crawl around through your broms and root in all over the place. The kalimpong is supposed to be super floriferous once it gets established.


----------



## frogparty

I almost picked up one of those gastorchilus from andy at the flower and garden show, but the woman said Id already spent enough money. He had haraella odorata as well, I wanted that. He had this rediculous restrepia he wanted like $90 for, 3 inch flowers
My tax return will be getting split between him and michaels bromeliads. Gotta get a few of that blueberry muffin-super stoked on that bom


----------



## raimeiken

AHHHH you're making me wanna spend more $$ lol! I already spent a good sum of money on the orchids I got. 

Do you have any pics of your orchids? or are those pics you posted above yours?


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> I almost picked up one of those gastorchilus from andy at the flower and garden show, but the woman said Id already spent enough money. He had haraella odorata as well, I wanted that. He had this rediculous restrepia he wanted like $90 for, 3 inch flowers
> My tax return will be getting split between him and michaels bromeliads. Gotta get a few of that blueberry muffin-super stoked on that bom


I had Haraella retrocalla on my list to buy too but I ran out of money  and also Lepanthes calodictyon. I have no clue where to buy this one. It's sold out everywhere I look









Haraella retrocalla









Lepanthes calodictyon


If only i lived in a more humid place, I would've gotten more Neoregelias from Michael. Especially the bigger ones. I actually bought two big ones that Im trying to grow outdoors right now. They're doing great so far, but I'll have to take them in once the 100+ degree temps sets in lol


----------



## frogparty

Those above aernt mine cause I just got most not too long ago. Pics of some others posted yesterday in the what have you got blooming thread. Taken by me
I think all told I am up to like 100 different kinds now. Most in the house, but I use pleurothallis allenii, pleurothallis microphylla, restrepia brachypus, restrepia muscifera, oncidium croesus, dendrobium oligophyllum, sarcoglottis sceptrodes, dryadella zebrina and all the aforementioned bulbophyllums in vivs. Bulbos are my new favorites, I like the wierd looking stuff. The wierder the better. Otherwise I really like paphiopedilums, phragmepediums and the cattleya crosses. 
I need a bigger house... lol


----------



## frogparty

Haha, I almost bought that lepanthes as well from andy!! Can't bring the woman to places like that with me, she shuts me down. Like $150 is a lot to spend on orchids? Bah humbug. If she hadn't been with me I would have dropped like 500 dollars at his booth alone. I learned my lesson though, the little lady has to stay home when I go to northwest frog fest.


----------



## raimeiken

ahaha! good thing my girl never asks how much I spend on these plants, or else she'd yell at me ahaha

I need to get a few of those bulbos. I gotta see how these will do in my tank first then I'll expand from there.


----------



## frogparty

Yeah right, you know you're going to andy's site right now. hehe
But seriously though, you made some nice selections already.


----------



## raimeiken

I actually am in his site window shopping LOL


----------



## frogparty




----------



## raimeiken

In what conditions do you have your miniatures growing in? like how often do you mist them, fertilize, what's the humidity, light, ventilation etc?


----------



## frogparty

All minis are in vivs or tanks or over the sink in a west window. temps from 60's at night to low/mid 70's daytime for now... up to low 80's in the summer. Misted whenever I remember to. Frog tanks get misted 2 or 3x aday before I leave in the am, when I get home, and usually an hour or 2 before the lights go out. All get 13 hours of light a day frog tank or no. If they are in frog vivs, no fertilizer, if outside a viv, they get 5ml/gallon of botanicare pure blend pro, soil formula. I use spagnum or spagnum/ tree fern fiber mix or mounted w/spagnum wrap. I collect rain water to use, britta filtered if its been dry and I don't have rain water. Frogs get rain water only. WATER QUALITY IS AS IMPORTANT FOR ORCHIDS AS IT IS FOR FROGS! I use reptiglo fullspectrum bulbs, 6700 k rating. only because I can't find the ge daylights anymore around here. At least the reptiglo's give you 6700k instead of 6500k. Lots of pleurothallids and other orchids get purple coloration in their leaves if under bright enough light, and I haven't found these to bee too bright at all, (no burning). Broms also color up quickly under these bulbs. Humidity is high, always 70 pct or more. easy in a tank or over my sink, because we don't have a dishwasher, every day when we do dishes the steam rises up to greet the plants, this is where all my tillandsias are as well. I never even spray them, the fog is enough


----------



## raimeiken

awesome! I use RO water for all my plants. I definitely cannot collect rain water here, since it rarely rains lol.

I was looking for some compact flourescent duo bulbs that have a 8000k color but I couldnt find any. I love the combination of 6500k + 8000k lights. I have it over my planted tank.


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..​(click on the pictures to zoom in to see a better picture)

I got a few plants in the mail. I finally got the last batch of orchids I ordered 3 weeks ago. They were delayed due to cold weather over where they came from.

First here's some pictures on what they'll look like when they're in bloom. (these aren't my pics)









*Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta*









*Angraecum didieri*









*Pleurothallis grobyi*​

then I got a few mini ferns from a board member also  

Lemmaphyllum microphyllum
Microgramma vaccinifolia
Davallia repens
Polypodium polypodioides


______________ORCHIDS________________










*Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta*









*Angraecum didieri*









*Pleurothallis grobyi*




______________FERNS________________









*Lemmaphyllum microphyllum*









*Microgramma vaccinifolia*









*Davallia repens*









*Polypodium polypodioides*



______________VIVARIUM SHOTS________________









Fogger on


















Tillandsia in full bloom




































I like how this shot turned out 









brighter shot


















Close up shot of *Angraecum didieri*


















*Davalia repens*









full Viv shot


_______________________________________


I got a hold of a carnivorous plant enthusiast through a board member here and the guy is nice enough to offer me this plant I've been looking for. I should get it by next week 








*Cephalotus follicularis*​
the same guy might have a cutting of Nepenthes ampullaria 'speckled' for me









if he doesn't then I'll be getting a Nepenthes ampullaria 'Harelquin' and have a carpet of pitcher on the bottom of my Viv


----------



## stitchb

*Gasp*

Man this just keeps getting better and better!!! What's the viney-plant on your background??

As always sweet setup-keep it up!!!


----------



## RachelRiot

Wow, it is absolutely stunning. I love it.  What is the brand of the fogger you are using? I have been looking everywhere for one that we could retrofit and I cant find anything.


----------



## frogman824

That looks amazing. The time and money you put into it definitely shows. I might've missed it, but what kind of frogs are you planning on putting in there?


----------



## raimeiken

stitchb said:


> *Gasp*
> 
> Man this just keeps getting better and better!!! What's the viney-plant on your background??
> 
> As always sweet setup-keep it up!!!


the one with the big leaves hugging the back wall? It's a Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068

I got it from Antone  sweet plant indeed. I can't wait for it to spread around the wall



RachelRiot said:


> Wow, it is absolutely stunning. I love it.  What is the brand of the fogger you are using? I have been looking everywhere for one that we could retrofit and I cant find anything.


Kaz Personal Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier. Just search for it on eBay and you'll find some. I got mine for $30 shipped



frogman824 said:


> That looks amazing. The time and money you put into it definitely shows. I might've missed it, but what kind of frogs are you planning on putting in there?


Im not thinking of putting in any frogs in there yet. I want the plants to be all established and spreading before I put a frog in there


----------



## Julio

this thread is making want to add some orchids to my tanks!


----------



## Yarak_Eric

Gonna post a stupid question that has more than likely been answered in other threads. Is it safe to have frogs and carnivorus plants? Would be a neat combination, but I'd think the frog would try to hide in the pitcher plants a bit much. Would be neat if they could without ill effect. Just an uneducated question.


----------



## raimeiken

The Cephalotus has some pretty darn small pitchers, but if they do go in it, they can easily get in and out of it.


----------



## Yarak_Eric

Awesome, all I wanted to know. With all of the plants you're working with you have an infinite amount more knowledge than I about plants or frogs. Is there any risk of a frog who gets to relaxing in a pitcher, having any damage caused by whatever digestive fluids the plant uses? I'd assume (as I've never worked with those types of plants) that the fluids take awhile to break things down.


----------



## raimeiken

Yarak_Eric said:


> Awesome, all I wanted to know. With all of the plants you're working with you have an infinite amount more knowledge than I about plants or frogs. Is there any risk of a frog who gets to relaxing in a pitcher, having any damage caused by whatever digestive fluids the plant uses? I'd assume (as I've never worked with those types of plants) that the fluids take awhile to break things down.


ahaha I certainly do not have an infinite amount of knowledge in plants or frogs. For most of these plants, this is the first time Im keeping them. But I did read a lot about the plants before I purchase them. 

You should search in the plants section of this forum about carnivorous plants or pitcher plants. There's a lot of people asking the same question as you are about keeping them with frogs. You'll find lots of answers there my friend


----------



## frogparty

That nepenthes you chose is one of the only ones I would personally recommend for a viv. The aussie pitcher plant is a good choice as well. Tank is looking super awesome with all the new additions, just imagine having even half those orchids blooming at the same time!!!!! Making me want to make a 3 walled vert of my own!!! 
Pm me whenever you want to trade some orchid cuttings, I've got some more sweet stuff I haven't mentioned yet, and more on the way. First of my crazy bulbophyllums is throwing buds in the viv, pics soon
One of my fav vivs so far, and definitely one I would choose were I a frog


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> That nepenthes you chose is one of the only ones I would personally recommend for a viv. The aussie pitcher plant is a good choice as well. Tank is looking super awesome with all the new additions, just imagine having even half those orchids blooming at the same time!!!!! Making me want to make a 3 walled vert of my own!!!
> Pm me whenever you want to trade some orchid cuttings, I've got some more sweet stuff I haven't mentioned yet, and more on the way. First of my crazy bulbophyllums is throwing buds in the viv, pics soon
> One of my fav vivs so far, and definitely one I would choose were I a frog


I'd definitely trade some orchid cuttings with you  I love those bulbophyllums you got! But it'll be a while before I get any cuttings from the ones I got.


----------



## frogparty

Dude, I just got my very own blueberry muffin brom in the mail today, along with a cosmic dream, andy ann, bananas foster, and mocha mint. Might have to start a vert viv. I love those little nepenthes. You won't have any fruitflies escaping, I can tell you that. I will have some bulbophyllum cuttings soon, but Ive got some other stuff that should be dividable as welll in a month or two


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> Dude, I just got my very own blueberry muffin brom in the mail today, along with a cosmic dream, andy ann, bananas foster, and mocha mint. Might have to start a vert viv. I love those little nepenthes. You won't have any fruitflies escaping, I can tell you that. I will have some bulbophyllum cuttings soon, but Ive got some other stuff that should be dividable as welll in a month or two


got any pics of those neos?


----------



## Yarak_Eric

frogparty said:


> Dude, I just got my very own blueberry muffin brom in the mail today, along with a cosmic dream, andy ann, bananas foster, and mocha mint. Might have to start a vert viv. I love those little nepenthes. You won't have any fruitflies escaping, I can tell you that. I will have some bulbophyllum cuttings soon, but Ive got some other stuff that should be dividable as welll in a month or two


Sounds like you're growing something illegal almost! Sounds tasty though!


----------



## frogparty

Let me take some here quick and I will put them up. They don't look the greatest cause they got shipped in the cold, and were wrapped up pretty well, but they will bounc back.
andy ann









cosmic dream









banana's foster









mocha mint


----------



## frogparty

The last 2 are pretty big, like a foot tall almost, so they will have to go in a bigger viv-darn hehe


----------



## raimeiken

that mocha mint looks delicious ahaha!

I got 2 big ones too, but I got them on purpose. Im growing them outdoors in pots then I'll bring them in when it gets too hot outside. I dont remember if I posted pics of them here but here they are now.









Kawika X Hawaiian Rainforest









Takemura Princeps










Both will be about 2ft in diameter when mature


----------



## frogparty

yarak-eric you are funny... not going to pretend I don't know what you are talking about
the naming seems very similar though hehehehe. I knew you were a hippie 
rameikien, I like those bigger ones of yours, The 2 larger ones will only get like 12" across, but I still think they'd look best in a bigger viv. Maybe another hex.


----------



## stitchb

raimeiken said:


> the one with the big leaves hugging the back wall? It's a Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068
> 
> I got it from Antone  sweet plant indeed. I can't wait for it to spread around the wall


What conditions does it need in order to thrive (ie Temps, humidity, and watering, relative lighting)? I love the vine types that hug close to thier mounts. I think i may have to invest in some haha

Thanks


----------



## raimeiken

Mine is relatively new so it hasn't sprang any new growth yet. I hope Im providing it with the conditions it likes.

I actually have two cuttings of it. One is on the back wall, gets misted directly and gets direct light. The other cutting is on the right wall. It doesnt get as much water and it's partly shaded, but both cuttings arent showing any bad signs. and it's really humid in there throughout the day, even when the fans are on.


----------



## stitchb

raimeiken said:


> Mine is relatively new so it hasn't sprang any new growth yet. I hope Im providing it with the conditions it likes.
> 
> I actually have two cuttings of it. One is on the back wall, gets misted directly and gets direct light. The other cutting is on the right wall. It doesnt get as much water and it's partly shaded, but both cuttings arent showing any bad signs. and it's really humid in there throughout the day, even when the fans are on.


Ok cool. There's a post in the plant section called 'shinglers' all about this type of plant.

Antone has some pretty sweet types. Mebbe ill shoot him a PM and ask about them.

Thanks for the reply!


----------



## raimeiken

stitchb said:


> Ok cool. There's a post in the plant section called 'shinglers' all about this type of plant.
> 
> Antone has some pretty sweet types. Mebbe ill shoot him a PM and ask about them.
> 
> Thanks for the reply!


yeah he does have a ton of cool ones. Go here Welcome to Dischidia that's his website. Then ask which ones he has available. I dont think all of them are listed there.


----------



## Nate

Holy!!!!

That is the most amazing viv I have ever seen. I can't wait to see it when the plants are fully established. This looks way better then your paladrium, I am glad that you made this! Keep us posted on what you are doing next with it, I would just love to see what frogs you put it (and how many you put in just to see them ) hopping around in their!


----------



## raimeiken

I got the Cephalotus and it looks amazing! 

I took it out of it's small pot and planted it in the Viv. Hopefully it'll do well and wont die back since these guys are notorious to dieing back when their roots are disturbed.


----------



## stitchb

Ahhhhhhhh!

Those look scarey haha! Are the pitchers or flytraps? Thy kinda look like a happy compromise of both. Im interested to see how they progress-should be a cool experience any way it goes.


----------



## frogparty

Looks good. As long as you were gentle with the transplanting it should be ok. If it does die back, though, you should just leave it in there, and it should rejuvinate. Make sure to keep it very moist


----------



## raimeiken

Dont Cephalotus like it a bit drier, unlike Nepenthes? It's pretty humid in the tank but that spot it's on right now doesnt get as much misting as the other parts.


----------



## frogparty

They still like it moist, especially since it looks like its mounted. Good drainage is key for these, as they detest stagnant conditions. They like high humidity, and wouldn't like bog conditions, but still need to be moist. I hear these can be maddening to grow, seem like they are happy, then suddenly die for no apparent reason. Good luck, and send me a cutting if it does well, will trade. I hear these do better with a drop in temps at night similar to highland nepenthes. Bright light should bring out better colors in the pitchers, greener pitchers if light is lower.


----------



## clwatkins10

Wow, your tank is amazing! It is looking VERY good!


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..

I finally got the last piece to this puzzle! N. ampullaria 'Harlequin'. I swear, this is the last plant Im buying! Im broke  LOL!

here's some pics of it:


















It's got three cute little pitchers already 











and also the orchid that was in spike finally opened one of it's five flowers today 


annnnd the Cephalotus sitting happy in it's new spot. I dont see any die backs yet, hopefully it'll stay that way..


----------



## frogparty

Nice!!! That little nepenthes looks like a tissue culture plant, am I right? Be patient with these, and keep that humidity up. The tissue culture ones seem to have thinner leaves, and are much more succeptible to humidity fluctuations. My tissue culture nepenthes seem to grow much slower for a while, then finally blast off after a year or 2 in the same place


----------



## raimeiken

I believe it is a tissue culture. hopefully it'll do great for me. Do you fertilize your nepenthes?


----------



## frogparty

Yeah, I use 5 ml/gallon botanicare grow and FOLIAR FEED them lightly about once a month. Less in the winter. Once they get bigger and start producing good pitchers, I cut back on the foiar feed, and just toss bugs into the traps for the all natural approach. I pity the beetle that finds its way into my house! Since my pitchers are in a window, and the temps drop so much at night because they are right near the glass, I don't get new pitchers for a couple months each year. The first of this years crop of pitchers has just opened, with many more to come. The old pitchers are dried up from the lid halfway down, but the lower halves are still good. Got plenty of fluid and the bugs are still slowly dissolving and feeding the plant. Some people cut these pitchers off, but I leave them till they are completely dry. I feel cutting them off at this stage robs the plant of nutrients it would otherwise get. Make sure you spray the undersides of the leaves if you foliar feed, more stoma there for better uptake of nutrients


----------



## raimeiken

wow thanks for the info man! i'll keep that in mind the next time i spray the leaves. i used a 20-20-20 orchid fertilizer earlier.


----------



## frogparty

I personally love botanicare pure blend pro and no other fert will ever touch any of my plants. I have tried them all and find it to be THE BEST!!!!


----------



## Derek Benson

Any problems with that lexan warping at the top? I was talking with a friend and he mentioned how that being 18" of lexan would not hold true/straight for very long and create a gap there for possible escapee frogs. We were thinking glass would solve the problem, although it would be more work to drill a glass piece. Either way I am going to borrow the idea of the gasket and screen for my 40s, excellent idea in my opinion.


----------



## raimeiken

Derek Benson said:


> Any problems with that lexan warping at the top? I was talking with a friend and he mentioned how that being 18" of lexan would not hold true/straight for very long and create a gap there for possible escapee frogs. We were thinking glass would solve the problem, although it would be more work to drill a glass piece. Either way I am going to borrow the idea of the gasket and screen for my 40s, excellent idea in my opinion.


No warping so far *crosses fingers*  I doubt it'll warp. It doesnt get that hot on where its at. Plus even if it warps in the future, I can easily replace it. Glass is definitely better, but I just didnt wanna mess with drilling glass especially with that size of holes and how close they are to each other. I was already getting frustrated with cutting it LOL. 

Go ahead and try it out. It definitely looks better than the screen door vent look, in my opinion. Looks more "sleek" 


Note on the gasket. You dont have to use rubber gaskets. i had trouble siliconing it on the lexan because of it's elastic and smooth surface. I had to rough up the surface a little to get it to stick. You could use some other things to cover up around the circular screen. I just used these since they were the only thing that I could think of when I was at the hardware store. Oh and by the way, the gaskets will have a strong scent of rubber. The smell didnt go away until a few weeks later. So that might be a concern if you're keeping frogs in there. It'll be better if you can find Nylon, or plastic gaskets with the right diameter. I was going to use that kind but I couldnt find any that were that big.


----------



## Derek Benson

I was thinking a small screen thats pre made for like draining/plumbing, not sure if they make them in 1" sizes, etc. I will have to look around, it would be nice to skip the gasket/screen assembly and just silicone the small screens in place.

I suppose you could always just silicone the screen to the back side of the lexan and then disguise the front with a circle of some type.

As for the warping I would be concerned about the humidity as well as the lighting, but you say that's not a factor. Agreed, drilling the glass would be more challenging.

Definitely let me know how the lexan holds up. I think I will try one and then start making a few glass ones as well.


----------



## raimeiken

Been experiencing some die-back from the Cephalotus. Some of it's pitchers are turning brown  

and one of my orchids has been having some problems. Getting black spots on it's leaves and falling off. I lost 2 of it's leaves so far. I treated it with Thiomyl and moved it at a drier spot. But it also looks like I have new growth spots on where the leaves used to be 






















I got the Phal. Mini Mark Holmes blooming still. The second flower is opening now too


----------



## frogparty

Sorry to hear about the cephalotus. As long as the leaf loss on that orchid is from the bottom leaves, I wouldn't worry, as the crown looks good. Those new growth points look like they could be new shoots, but without a closer pic its hard to say now. Once they get just a bit bigger it will be easier to tell, could be new aerial roots


----------



## raimeiken

i was just worried because of how quickly the black spots spreaded on those two leaves and turned yellow then fell off. 

But im not too worried about the cephalotus. They're known to dieback like that when you first get them, then they'll regrow back


----------



## frogparty

When orchid leaves decide to go, they go QUICK! Still looks healthy though, so I wouldn't worry. Be neat if it branched out for you. Aereangis? 
I hope that cephalotus makes it, you just don't see enough of them around. Such a neat plant. Any thoughts yet as to possible future inhabitants?


----------



## orchid_man

Looks like Angraecum didierii...it has a great root system, it should be fine!


----------



## frogparty

angraecum... goood call. Hope it blooms


----------



## raimeiken

orchid_man said:


> Looks like Angraecum didierii...it has a great root system, it should be fine!


yes indeed it is! Im really hoping that I wont kill it because I really love its flower!


----------



## raimeiken

here's a bit of an update









the Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata has been growing pretty quickly. I guess it likes its spot 









My Gastrochilus japonicus about to flower









The Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes' still in bloom. Two of the flowers fell off already but I still got 3 going strong









Full viv shot


----------



## frogparty

ohhhhh yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh!
Still one of my favs. Hows the cephalotus doing?


----------



## Anoleo2

Very nice; I really like the openness of the bottom and how it then leads to the tillandsia forest up top!


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> ohhhhh yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh!
> Still one of my favs. Hows the cephalotus doing?


sadly lost all the big pitchers, but now is sending out a new one. Im crossing my fingers on this one 

The N. ampullaria lost 2 of the 3 pitchers. one of them was already wilting when I first got it, but the other one wilted too because of transplanting it again. But the leaves are fine though. I cant wait for it to start carpeting


----------



## frogparty

Maybe the new growths will be better adapted to the viv. Ive got my fingers crossed as well


----------



## raimeiken

I hope so ahaha!


----------



## frogparty

with the nepenthes, its my experience that if the pitchers get tipped and their juices emptied the pitchers shrivel. I want to see it go nuts in there, I know it wil once it gets settled in


----------



## raimeiken

Anoleo2 said:


> Very nice; I really like the openness of the bottom and how it then leads to the tillandsia forest up top!


thanks man!

I got a few strands of baby tears at the bottom from the planted aquarium. Hopefully it'll start carpeting so I'll have something green at the bottom


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> with the nepenthes, its my experience that if the pitchers get tipped and their juices emptied the pitchers shrivel. I want to see it go nuts in there, I know it wil once it gets settled in


is it fine to spray some water in there? or should I let it fill itself up with it's own digestive juices?


----------



## frogparty

just let the new pitchers do their thing. Once they start to shrivel, theres not much you can do. The ampullacea doesn't really have the pronounced "lid" like most others do that keeps water from entering the pitcher and diluting its enzymes, so some water will get in there regardless, but I don't see a benefit from adding more. Never helped stop shriveling in my experience. Once the new pitchers form, they will have all the juices they need.


----------



## frogparty

How much and what kind of lighting do you have for this?


----------



## raimeiken

I had a AH supply kit, that I just tore from it's fixture, and just rigged it onto the cabinet I made on the top. 

They're two 36W Duo-Tube 6500K 2G11 Base Compact Fluorescent










AHsupply sells the bulbs for quite some dough. I found a place that sells them far cheaper

dt36/rs 36W Duo-Tube 2G11 Base


I actually wanna add more light in it, but I dont know if I have room for it


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..

I got a few plants in bloom or almost in bloom












Here's the 'Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata' about two weeks ago









and here it is now! 



















_________________________________________









Neo. Domino










_________________________________________









Gastrochilus Japonicus

_________________________________________









and here's my poor little Cephalotus, bouncing back from a die back. It's got three little pitchers coming out now ​


----------



## frogparty

looks great!


----------



## stitchb

raimeiken said:


> and here's my poor little Cephalotus, bouncing back from a die back. It's got three little pitchers coming out now ​




So they did come back!! They looked like they were goners there for a while haha! How are the rest of your tillies doing? I was thinking about getting some pretty soon.


----------



## raimeiken

the other tillies are doing great especially the one that bloom a while back. It has a lot of new growth all over. I actually propagated it. I took the two big ones on it's side out. I have them in a separate place now


----------



## bobberly1

It's amazing how many blooms you're getting, it's nice that they're all so happy in there. What's the humidity and ventilation level in there, generally?


----------



## raimeiken

I bumped up the duration of the fans in there by a lot and the humidity at the bottom goes as low as 68%

The fans I think turns on every two hours for two hours or less. At night time they turn on also but doesnt stay on for that long because it might get too dry in there.


Im still constantly tweaking things in there.


----------



## GeorgiaB

First of all, congrats!!! This viv is AMAZING! 

I am so jealous but it has given me more incentive to get into the more technical plants  Do you happen to know any suppliers who will ship plants to canada? It is so difficult to find plant suppliers here with the variety that you guys can get down there. 

Anyways thanks for putting up this awesome thread and for the inspiration! 

Keep up the good work,
Georgia


----------



## raimeiken




----------



## Mworks

That ^Tillandsia^ is stunning - one of the best I've seen.

Regards
Marcus


----------



## raimeiken

thanks man!

Honestly though, I thought I was going to lose that tilly the first few weeks I had it. When I first got it, it had a lot of redness to it then It started getting more green everyday I had it. Plus I couldnt find the right spot for it, until now


----------



## Mworks

Where did it find its right spot? high up with lots of light and not too much constant high humidity?

Regards
Marcus


----------



## raimeiken

yeah pretty much. At first I had it in spots were it got way too much water and not much light. Now I got it in the highest spot, dont get directly hit with the mist, lots of light, and good ventilation.


----------



## Mworks

Excellent - I'll have to try and find a couple and see how they do in a new vert I'm building.

Regards
Marcus


----------



## stitchb

raimeiken said:


> thanks man!
> 
> Honestly though, I thought I was going to lose that tilly the first few weeks I had it. When I first got it, it had a lot of redness to it then It started getting more green everyday I had it. Plus I couldnt find the right spot for it, until now


Is that the ionantha or the brachycaulus? It looks AMAZING!!!! About how big is it-I think I'm gonna jack your swag and get one too lol


----------



## raimeiken

stitchb said:


> Is that the ionantha or the brachycaulus? It looks AMAZING!!!! About how big is it-I think I'm gonna jack your swag and get one too lol


it's the Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata and it's about 6-7" in diameter. It's simply stunning. go ahead and get one, you wont regret it


----------



## raimeiken




----------



## raimeiken

UPDATE

sorry I havent updated in a while. A few things happened in the weeks that passed. I'll start with the bad: My Nepenthes Ampullaria died  I couldnt get the conditions right for it. It was caused by a root rot. I've read that once it starts, it's hard to get rid of it. It just slowly killed the plant even after I tried to change the substrate. I realized that the substrate i had was soaking in too much water, it became compact. So I added more orchid bark to let more air in and have it drain more water.

Good news is that the 'Polypodium polypodioides' (resurrection fern) started growing like crazy. Since the person I got it from didnt unroot them from the tree bark, a lot more little ferns are growing out of it now and Im slowly cutting little pieces of the bark and spreading it around the tank. 



























my 'Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068' on the wall STILL haven't grown any new leaves, but it has rooted it self. I dont know how long until they start spreading. 

I also purchased a new light kit. I found it on eBay for really cheap! $30 + shipping, and this thing retails for over $100 

I mounted it right in the middle and moved the older ones to the front and back.










I set them so that the old ones turn on first, then later in the middle of the day, the newer kit turns on for 6 hours. then they turn off and the older ones stay on for another 2 hours until they all turn off. 

You probably noticed that I only have one bulb in the new light kit, that's because the other bulb it came with was a blue actinic light for reef aquariums and it didnt look pretty LOL. Im currently hunting for another bulb with the same color as the others.

Another good news is that my 'Gastrochilus Japonicus' flowers finally opened up 3 weeks ago and they're still going strong


----------



## ray1taylor

Looks real good. It would look amazing with lots of plants/grown in.


----------



## raimeiken

the crushed sphagnum moss I rubbed in the beginning is starting to grow also. I cant wait until the whole backgrounds are filled in


----------



## moore40

nice looking tank man. very very jealous.


----------



## stitchb

Hey John
I been waitin for an update!!! This is still my favorite setup on the site! Do you have any full tank shots?


----------



## raimeiken

ahaha sorry for the lack of updates. Been busy with school, work and other things.

I did replace my misting nozzles a couple weeks ago. I finally got fed up with having dry spots around the viv since I cannot really play around with the positioning of the nozzles. So I went and got 5 Mistking nozzles! I love these things! ahaha I find myself playing with them every morning I wake up. Changing their positions and everything. Im actually seeing some results around the viv. It seems that the humidity at the top has risen due to more coverage of water being sprayed and the plants are liking it a lot more.

I havent had any bloom from any plants this summer yet.

I'll post up some pics tomorrow when I get a chance.


----------



## raimeiken

.::UPDATE::.









Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata (This is the new lil' guy that came out of the one that bloomed last spring.)









Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068 (This one FINALLY showed some new growth. Im quite happy about it. I cant wait until it covers the back wall)









Sophronitis cernua (looks like im about to get a bloom from this guy)









The tree bark that the resurrection fern came on started growing tons of different little ferns, so I started taking it apart and spreading them all over the tank walls.








































































I can never take a full tank shot showing the tillys on the top since its so darn bright up there​
The back wall looks so bare right now. I need more plants to cover it that's why I cant wait until fall so I can start ordering plants again


----------



## JohnnyRD

> I siliconed tree fern panels on the background along with some cork barks. I filled the gaps with Great stuff and covered that with concrete binder mixed with peat moss. Oh and i smeared some mushed up aquasoil mixed with sphagnum moss on the fern panels. That's what that brown mud is on the back wall.


A question or two...what type of concrete binder did you use? I've looked for something that is inert but can't seem to find anything in the area. I love the look much more than the traditional coco / silicone. Also, will the aquasoil / sphagnum last long term?

Thanks 

John


----------



## raimeiken

JohnnyRD said:


> A question or two...what type of concrete binder did you use? I've looked for something that is inert but can't seem to find anything in the area. I love the look much more than the traditional coco / silicone. Also, will the aquasoil / sphagnum last long term?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> John


The concrete binder I used is the Ace hardware brand, which you can only get at Ace Hardware store. I dont know of any other substitutes for it. Search around the forum to see if other people have any suggestions. 

The aquasoil/sphagnum mix I just mushed into the tree fern panels. obviously some of the aquasoil will run off when sprayed. But I still have it on the panels and the sphagnum is starting to grow out of it


----------



## JohnnyRD

raimeiken said:


> The concrete binder I used is the Ace hardware brand, which you can only get at Ace Hardware store. I dont know of any other substitutes for it. Search around the forum to see if other people have any suggestions.
> 
> The aquasoil/sphagnum mix I just mushed into the tree fern panels. obviously some of the aquasoil will run off when sprayed. But I still have it on the panels and the sphagnum is starting to grow out of it


Awesome, I have an Ace very close to my house. I'll check there tomorrow, thanks John!


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..
The little 'Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata' is about to bloom again  I love this thing!


















I moved a patch of fern next to my 'Angraecum didieri' to place at the bottom of the tank and to my surprise I found this hiding behind the fern 



















Looks like it's about to open up either today or tomorrow. I'll post more pictures onces it opens up!
​


----------



## frogparty

bitchin!!!!!!!


----------



## raimeiken

i didnt get a good shot of it but here's the flower.

the snails has gotten to it before I did grrrrr....

How does one get rid of snails in their vivs? I've seen a few of them here and there and I just pick them out. I think they hitch hiked from the tree bark that the resurrection fern came on.


----------



## stitchb

John I love this sooo much I wana marry it! haha do you have any planed additions or are jus gonna let things chill and fill in? Idk of anything that could make this any better but...gives me something to look forward to i guess lol



raimeiken said:


> How does one get rid of snails in their vivs? I've seen a few of them here and there and I just pick them out. I think they hitch hiked from the tree bark that the resurrection fern came on.


Idk how successful it would be in a viv but my grandparents use a shallow dish of beer to keep slugs off their tomatoes and other veggies. I guess the scent attracts them and somthing in the beer (sodium i suppose) makes them melt and they can't escape. It works really well for them I guess if gnats aren't an issue you could put a slice of apple or something in the center as additional bait...

Hope that helps. Keep up the good work and please keep this updated!


----------



## Rick

seal up the viv and throw in some dry ice.


----------



## raimeiken

stitchb said:


> John I love this sooo much I wana marry it! haha do you have any planed additions or are jus gonna let things chill and fill in? Idk of anything that could make this any better but...gives me something to look forward to i guess lol
> 
> 
> 
> Idk how successful it would be in a viv but my grandparents use a shallow dish of beer to keep slugs off their tomatoes and other veggies. I guess the scent attracts them and somthing in the beer (sodium i suppose) makes them melt and they can't escape. It works really well for them I guess if gnats aren't an issue you could put a slice of apple or something in the center as additional bait...
> 
> Hope that helps. Keep up the good work and please keep this updated!


Thanks for the advice!

ummm i was thinking of adding an ET fern in there, but im waiting until fall before I make that purchase. Still too damn hot over here


----------



## raimeiken

I threw some Dichondra seeds in the tank a week ago and a few of them sprouted already. (sorry I dont have pics) anyway, a couple days ago, I woke up and looked in my tank and noticed that a few of the seedlings were gone! I knew the snails were at it again, so I finally tried the beer trick yesterday in hopes of catching these snails.

I got home late from work, turned the lights in the tank and I found this monster near the trap!










well at least to me it's big  i've seen a few that were a quarter of the size of this thing. I saw a few snails hanging around the container as well and also a worm looking thing, but I couldnt catch it. it was too quick to hide in the tree fern panels.

Im thinking of just bombing this thing full of Dry ice to suffocate all the little pests in there. Im tired of seeing my flowers and foliage get eaten by these little *#&#!


----------



## frogparty

[email protected]*k slugs! Im sick of em! I think I have em all ead, then 3 week later, more little bastards!!! 

Best of luck bo


----------



## fleshfrombone

I'm loving this thread more and more every time I check it out.


----------



## pet-teez

I'm not usually a fan of tanks with tillys but I dig this one!
I'll be keeping an eye on it


----------



## Tran2la

Really nice work. What happened to that ugly mushroom thing?


----------



## raimeiken

Tran2la said:


> Really nice work. What happened to that ugly mushroom thing?


I took it out a long time ago lol.

I haven't updated in a while. I'll take some pictures soon, since the tank has gotten greener in that past few months


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..










































































































































































































































​


----------



## stitchb

SWEET SWEET SWEET! all your plants seem to have really taken off and youre getting some excellent moss coverage too! i took my tank home and no one was watering it (damn younger siblings) so everything died ...oh well now i can start over lol... 
Hows your gastropod situation so far-did you get it taken care of???
Lookin great, as always


----------



## raimeiken

Thanks! 

Yeah I havent had any problems with any snails or slugs at all. 

The Xmas moss really likes the conditions in there.


----------



## frogparty

still one of my all time favs here! too bad its so noticeably frog free.......


----------



## thedude

man i love this tank! especially all of the ferns and moss growing all over that tank.


----------



## raimeiken

Yeah i definitely love all the ferns in there. I keep propagating them and spreading them all over the tank. 

I got them from this tree bark that a forum member here sent me that had "resurrection fern" growing on it. Then after a few weeks all kinds of ferns started growing out of it  it's nuts!


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> still one of my all time favs here! too bad its so noticeably frog free.......


don't worry I'm planning on tearing down my 50gal planted aquarium and get out of that hobby. I'll have more free time and maybe get some frogs for this viv


----------



## Fishman

This is an amazing viv! Thanks keeping up with such a detailed build and planting journal. So often the good ones die out after a few posts.


----------



## raimeiken

Thanks man!

I'm not planning on tearing this down anytime soon. I wanna see how green this thing can get!


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..


I did a few remodeling in the Viv. I added a few more driftwood at the bottom portion of the tank. One going across and another going from the ground up the back of the tank. 

I covered both with Christmas Moss right away from my planted aquarium. Surprisingly, none of the moss died, it just started growing on the driftwood.

Here's some shots that I took today. Enjoy!






















































































































































































​


----------



## frogparty

looks better everytime I see it! Just needs frogs


----------



## Ulisesfrb

I can honestly say that this is one of my all time favorites. Every time I see it, it just makes me want to build one as beautiful as yours. I'm so jealous. Beautiful viv. I truly love it.


----------



## raimeiken

Wow, thanks for the kind words!


----------



## Marty

Gorgeous looking tank !!!  Great plants too !!!


----------



## pet-teez

*DROOL*
I just looked at the update pictures and thought of plants taking over the inside of a tree that lost it's top (like if the top broke off and there was a little nook area left in the base). Easily a favorite


----------



## raimeiken

I need your guy's suggestion here. 

Im thinking of changing the lights i have running on this tank. I feel like Im not getting enough light in there from those 4 CFL @36watts each. especially at the bottom of the tank. 

if you guy's have noticed from the beginning of the tank that the broms i had in there lost their coloration, quite possibly due to the lack of intensity from the lights 

I was thinking of switching to a metal halide fixture. would 150watts be over kill or not enough? this tank is 4ft in height.


----------



## frogparty

150 sounds good
just watch the temps. I know you have no frogs in there, but you dont want to overheat your ferns and orchids


----------



## harrywitmore

I personally think you will loose the lush look when you apply more light. I understand wanting colorful bromeliads but your tank is better than almost any I have seen and I think you may lose that look. Good luck!


----------



## frogparty

yeah, im agreeing with harry! id hate to see it take a downward turn


----------



## raimeiken

I'll place the light higher so it won't heat up the tank, plus I'll add another fan to cool it down. 

why do you guys think it wont be as lush? is it because of the rise in the temperature?


----------



## frogparty

yeah
An you never know how the ferns will react to the increase in light.
I suppose you could try it, see how things react and go from there


----------



## raimeiken

man, i don't know where to find a 150watt MH light

all the ones im finding are HPS not MH

I see some 175watt ones but I think thats a bit too much light.

you guys got any suggestions?


----------



## frogparty

you cant find a 150? weird
Ill look for you
a 125 would be better maybe


----------



## Mworks

Hi John,

like the others I'd leave the lighting as you have it. The viv at your last update looked fabulous! It reflects a rainforest in that in parts not much light reaches the ground layer hence no lush growth down there.

Be happy in the knowledge that you have achieved a mini rainforest in a viv and get on with building another - this time with frogs!!!!!

Regards
Marcus


----------



## raimeiken

hahaha thanks! but i got no more room for another tank!


I read around some forums and someone posted a link to this store selling a 150 watts for a decent price

150W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

they even offer an 8000k bulb  i might go with that if I dont find anything else


----------



## frogparty

8000k wont color up your broms well
redder is better for brom color, but worse for plant growth


----------



## raimeiken

so 6500k then?


----------



## harrywitmore

I think your ferns will suffer. But, since the light is changing it will just change the overall look of the tank as plants adjust to the different light. As bromeliads will color up other plants will also adjust and may even disappear. 

But, never know till you try!


----------



## 1210

6500k or 6700k (Daylight) is best for plant growth (veg) most natural type of lighting.


----------



## raimeiken

I have been running an 8000k bulb on my planted aquarium and it seems to pop the colors of the plants real well. This color has recently been popular in the planted tank community, so Im going to go ahead and try it out on my viv, but I'll get a 6500k as well to compare with the 8000k


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..
since it has warmed up a bit, I decided to buy a few plants for my viv. 

I moved a few of the broms out into my grow out tank to make some room. 









I moved the "Neoregelia Morona" out of that corner and put a mix of sand/perlite/sphagnum moss in that little pocket. I pulled some leaf cuttings out of my Cephalotus and planted them on that. Hopefully they'll grow! ahaha 
I had some bad luck the first time I tried the leaf cuttings. After a few weeks, the leaves just melted. But hopefully i get it right this time.









here's a pic of my Cephalotus. It grew lots of leaves for me to pull and propagate during it's winter dormancy.


















This "Dischidia sp. ALJ-12068" cutting is finally getting some new growth after a year of planting it 









My "Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes" has a flower spike growing, but I've already noticed that one of the flower buds has turned yellow already. I have no clue why?









I recently planted some pennywort at the bottom of the tank again. The last time I did this, they just died off. But this batch is already showing some new growth.



I have a few plants that I would like to get an ID on.








first one is this little cute plant that I found growing on the base of a vine at my local homedepot store. I decided to take some and grow it here in my Viv and so far they're doing great! 









and this fern. I don't know what type of fern it is, but it's one of the many ferns that started growing out of the bark that my resurrection fern came on. any idea what it is?









here's some more of that little unknown plant. And my little Mimosa pudica seedlings growing in the back 



annnnd onto the new plants that recently moved in my Viv








a Sundew - "Drosera spatulata" to be exact.









Biophytum sensitivum. Sorry, frogparty, i couldn't wait for the seeds. I stumbled upon this while shopping around blackjungle lol! i just had to get it. But I'll still plant the seeds that you sent me!



















and lastly, another Nepenthese Ampullaria 'Harlequinn' but this time I got a bigger specimen. The last one I got was smaller and it died out on me, i think because of the lack of light it got since I planted it on the bottom of the tank. This one I planted a little higher. I put some screening at the corner of the tank where a brom use to sit in to create a pocket for me to plant in and I filled it with a mix of sphagnum moss/perlite/sand

hopefully this one will do better than the last. 


​


----------



## frogparty

That unknown plant is an oxalis. Its a total weed and will take over in there. Its seed dispersal is quite efficient, and youll get it EVERYWHERE before long. Id remove it like nowish. Im glad that Cephalotus is still kickin! Awesome plants


----------



## raimeiken

well I guess you should throw away the one I sent you LOL!

it looks cool though. I keep it around for a while, but I'll keep it in check


----------



## frogparty

it spreads by runners quite quickly too, watch it closely.


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..​

I haven't updated in a while. There's been a lot of good growth in the tank this spring, especially that I've had the Metal Halide Light installed, I've noticed some coloring coming back or started to show up in my plants! 









My 'Tillandsia concolor' has always been green under just the fluorescent light but now has started to show some red ever since I got the MH lights installed



Another example is my Neo. Fanfare. It used to look like this when I first got it









and over a few months it turned green from the lack of light it needed. (it's the one on the bottom left)









Then I took it out of the tank for a few months and put it in my grow out tank because it wasn't looking pretty anymore 

Then I decided to put it back in after I got the MH lights and here it is now after a month of being in there 










My Nepenthes Ampullaria's old pitcher compare to the new one









the new one has a much darker red coloring to it




























My Phalenopsis Mini Mark 'Holmes' in bloom again









My Gastrochilus Japonicus also in bloom









My Venus Flytrap was also in bloom a couple weeks ago but I forgot to take a pic of it. But here's a pic of the plant anyway lol









New Neo Blueberry Muffin pup growing 










The Pennywort has really been taking off at the bottom of my tank









I also found some moss growing when I was at a local nursery. So I grab some and put it in the tank. So far it's doing great in there.




















Here's some full tank shots




























here's a shot of the two fans I installed at the top blowing at the MH light to cool things down. Without them, the temps at the top of my tank were reaching over 110+ degrees! LOL so I raised the lights a bit and put the two fans in there. Now the temp hovers over 90+ degrees at the top portion of the tank. The plants up there are all doing fine without any burnt leaves or signs of dryness.

(it's an older pic than the ones above. Notice how green the Neo fanfare is compare to the one I posted above)








​


----------



## wimvanvelzen

That is a great looking tank!


----------



## frogparty

Still my favorite vert!!! the MH is making things look great!!


----------



## raimeiken

a little update.

My Tillandsia "Houston"- Stricta x recurvifolia was growing way too big so I decided to take it out of the viv and moved it to my smaller grow out tank. But I moved back in one of my "Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata" and just after a few days being up there with all that light, it turned very dark red and now about to bloom


----------



## Ulisesfrb

I said it before and I will say it again. One of my favorite vivs of all time. All it needs is some frogs and it will be 100% perfect. Right now you are at 99.999999%


----------



## raimeiken

.::UPDATE::.





























another big pitcher growing


















flower spike





































the pennywort is really starting to take over. I need to trim some of it out​


----------



## GRIMM

Im so glad for the new update, as this is the first time I have seen this tank. A-Freakin-Mazing!!!! I just spent the last hour sifting throught the last 23 pages in complete awe of the quality of plants haha. I always hated Tillys, now I love them!

If you could do me the courtesy of answering a couple quick questions that would be great, and save me a little reading time as this thread is huge.

-Are all the plants mounted without soil (excluding the ones in the bottom substrate of course) Just using various mosses and orchid mix I'm assuming...
-How many watts per gallon would you say your current lighting configuration is giving you. Also, what colour temps do the seperate fixtures output?

Thank you so much! Very inspriring to say the least!

Edit: And just another note...I was under the impression that this tank was +100 gallons...Thats how well planted and thought out it is!


----------



## AaronAcker

Great inspiration just as I'm about to start my 40 vert! Amazing. 

Wanted to say thanks for telling us what each plant is also, a great help.

*Still think some frogs should call this home.


----------



## raimeiken

GRIMM said:


> Im so glad for the new update, as this is the first time I have seen this tank. A-Freakin-Mazing!!!! I just spent the last hour sifting throught the last 23 pages in complete awe of the quality of plants haha. I always hated Tillys, now I love them!
> 
> If you could do me the courtesy of answering a couple quick questions that would be great, and save me a little reading time as this thread is huge.
> 
> -Are all the plants mounted without soil (excluding the ones in the bottom substrate of course) Just using various mosses and orchid mix I'm assuming...
> -How many watts per gallon would you say your current lighting configuration is giving you. Also, what colour temps do the seperate fixtures output?
> 
> Thank you so much! Very inspriring to say the least!
> 
> Edit: And just another note...I was under the impression that this tank was +100 gallons...Thats how well planted and thought out it is!


Tillys are some of the easiest plants I've ever kept, not to mention awesome looking when in bloom.

The plants I got on the walls (tree fern) are mostly mounted with no substrate. I just carve a hole and shove them in there and let them fill it in. The Orchids I mount with orchid bark with a mixture of sphagnum moss. Tillys are just straight on the panels. 

Ferns - Whenever I take a cutting of a fern, i just cover it with sphagnum moss and mount it. 

The carnivorous plants have their own special mixture of substrate. Like sand + peat + moss.



*Lights*

When I first started, I only had 2 compact fluorescent bulbs in there, each 18-24watts i think. both are 6500k in color. 

after losing a lot of color and lack of growth, I decided to upgrade to metal halide lights.

I moved the two fluorescent bulbs to the side and mounted a metal halide bulb right in the middle (150watts) 6500k. 

I have them setup to where the fluorescents would turn on first in the day until 10-11am then the metal halide bulb turns on until 6pm. then the fluorescents turn off at 7:30pm.

I had to mount 2 computer fans also to cool down the bulbs because of how hot the metal halide gets.

I've had fantastic results ever since I added that bulb  


thanks for the compliments!


----------



## raimeiken

AaronAcker said:


> Great inspiration just as I'm about to start my 40 vert! Amazing.
> 
> Wanted to say thanks for telling us what each plant is also, a great help.
> 
> *Still think some frogs should call this home.


thanks! yeah i had to list them because I knew people would probably ask about them lol!


----------



## BlueRidge

This thread is awesome!!! This is exactly what I wanted to do with my tank except 2 side by side. I have a 40 breeder laying like your paludarium was on a custom stand. I measured it and if I stand the tank up to make a vert I can fit 2 side by side. I currently have 2 39w T5 bulbs so I may have to buy another 2 bulb fixture.

Only question is " Where are the frogs"??????


Awesome tank!!!!


----------



## Dartfrogfreak

The tank is looking great after the Bromeliad shipment.

I would move the Neoregelia 'Morona' up closer to the light. N. mooreana is one of the parents and it loves light! Its not gonna do nearly as well down there wher you have it


Todd


----------



## raimeiken

Dartfrogfreak said:


> The tank is looking great after the Bromeliad shipment.
> 
> I would move the Neoregelia 'Morona' up closer to the light. N. mooreana is one of the parents and it loves light! Its not gonna do nearly as well down there wher you have it
> 
> 
> Todd


yeah it's turned green and lost it's reddish color ever since I got it, but it's so big now that i have no room up there for it


----------



## raimeiken

JaredJ said:


> This thread is awesome!!! This is exactly what I wanted to do with my tank except 2 side by side. I have a 40 breeder laying like your paludarium was on a custom stand. I measured it and if I stand the tank up to make a vert I can fit 2 side by side. I currently have 2 39w T5 bulbs so I may have to buy another 2 bulb fixture.
> 
> Only question is " Where are the frogs"??????
> 
> 
> Awesome tank!!!!


yeah I wanted to do the same but I didn't have another tank, thats why i just filled the space up with custom cabinets.


----------



## terrariumman

raimeiken said:


> Been experiencing some die-back from the Cephalotus. Some of it's pitchers are turning brown
> 
> and one of my orchids has been having some problems. Getting black spots on it's leaves and falling off. I lost 2 of it's leaves so far. I treated it with Thiomyl and moved it at a drier spot. But it also looks like I have new growth spots on where the leaves used to be
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I got the Phal. Mini Mark Holmes blooming still. The second flower is opening now too


Gorgeous tank/plants!!! Where did you get your Orchids from?


----------



## terrariumman

raimeiken said:


>


Gorgeous tilly! What kind of tilly is this?


----------



## raimeiken

That Tillandsia is called 'Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata'

really great plant for Viv since it likes more water than most tilly's I've kept. Plus it grows and clumps rather quickly


my orchids were ordered from various different online stores like
andy's orchids
Botanical LTD
Oak Hill gardens


----------



## terrariumman

raimeiken said:


> That Tillandsia is called 'Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata'
> 
> really great plant for Viv since it likes more water than most tilly's I've kept. Plus it grows and clumps rather quickly
> 
> 
> my orchids were ordered from various different online stores like
> andy's orchids
> Botanical LTD
> Oak Hill gardens


Okay, thanks! Also, where did you get the 'Tillandsia brachycaulus miniata' from?


----------



## raimeiken

Plant Oddities


----------



## terrariumman

raimeiken said:


> Plant Oddities


Thanks for the link!


----------



## raimeiken

A little update...


here's this pitcher 2 weeks ago before it opened up.












and here it is today  (That's a quarter I'm comparing it to) these things are just getting bigger and bigger each time!











the plant itself is getting a lot bigger too. 











here's another pitcher that's about to open up


----------



## fleshfrombone

I know the focus is on the pitcher, and great job, but what is that clump of grobyii looking orchid to the right in the last picture?


----------



## GRIMM

fleshfrombone said:


> I know the focus is on the pitcher, and great job, but what is that clump of grobyii looking orchid to the right in the last picture?


^^ +1 ... I was totally thinking the same thing 

Awesome pitchers...I think its safe to say that to get proper colour from pitchers, you need some intense lighting. Mine have never gotten that deep, or large before. Great stuff!


----------



## Mitch

I just read through the entire thread, and this viv is just absolutely amazing. I hope to do something like this one day...


----------



## raimeiken

fleshfrombone said:


> I know the focus is on the pitcher, and great job, but what is that clump of grobyii looking orchid to the right in the last picture?


yeah you got it right! it's a Pleurothallis grobyi

I still haven't gotten it to flower but each time I pull a leaf and plant it elsewhere, it easily takes root


----------



## raimeiken

GRIMM said:


> ^^ +1 ... I was totally thinking the same thing
> 
> Awesome pitchers...I think its safe to say that to get proper colour from pitchers, you need some intense lighting. Mine have never gotten that deep, or large before. Great stuff!


Thanks! Yeah I have them under 2x18watt compact fluorescent and a 150watt metal halide.

The metal halide has really brought out the colors and growth of my plants. I highly recommend using them instead of just fluorescent lights. It'll really bring out the intense color of bromeliads like tillandsias and neoregelias.




Mitch said:


> I just read through the entire thread, and this viv is just absolutely amazing. I hope to do something like this one day...


Thanks!


----------



## fleshfrombone

raimeiken said:


> yeah you got it right! it's a Pleurothallis grobyi
> 
> I still haven't gotten it to flower but each time I pull a leaf and plant it elsewhere, it easily takes root


Awesome! So that means you wouldn't be opposed to sending me some right  It looks really great. Maybe it needs a super dilute fertilizer to get it going? Does the medium it's mounted on stay moist? Alot of those little guys like staying moist all the time.


----------



## raimeiken

fleshfrombone said:


> Awesome! So that means you wouldn't be opposed to sending me some right  It looks really great. Maybe it needs a super dilute fertilizer to get it going? Does the medium it's mounted on stay moist? Alot of those little guys like staying moist all the time.


ahaha I would send you some but it super hot over here in AZ right now, it'll cook the plant before it even gets there. 

I fertilize the plants every 2 weeks or so and the plant does stay moist thats why that moss started growing on the panel it's attached to.


----------



## Mux5870

Hello raimeiken,

Love your vivarium. It looks great...Wish I had 1 like that...lol.

I am in the process of creating my own viv...its mostly verticle.....100cm high by 60cm wide.
I have everything in place, lights, misting and air circulation...and a large piece of mangrove root standing upright filling the verticle space. All I need to do now is plant it!!

At moment im selecting the plants that will inhabit the viv, and where they will roughly live in the viv based on the light readings im getting in the tank.

For the lighting i have, 6 32w full spectrum cfls which produce just about enough light in the top third of the tank...im getting around 15000 lux about 20cm below the hood, and about 8500 lux 30cm below the hood. Im hoping I can meet the minimum light requirements for the bromeliads i want to keep.

Ive attached a pic to clarify.

Now I need some advice on where to get healthy plants from.....Most plants (broms and orchids) will be mounted either to the cork background or the mangrove root. Ferns etc will be planted in the soil.

Ive read that it is best to get pups if you plan to mount bromeliads, as they will adapt better to being mounted. Is this true, or should i just buy healthy adult plants and mount them?

Also if i buy plants that have been grown on epiweb and I wish to mount them....how do I do this? I'd prefer plants not grown on epiweb, because i have read that its impossible to remove them from the epiweb.

I live in the UK and need a good supplier of bromeliads and orchids. I would prefer recomendations than just buy from anyone selling. At moment the only supplier that im considering is dartfrog.co.uk or ENT. Im just concerned that the plants they post may not arrive in a healthy condition after being through the postal system.

I'm new to all this.....and would really love a setup like yours...

Thanks in advance to all that reply..


----------



## raimeiken

That Viv looks great so far! it'll look even better when it's got moss growing all over those driftwoods!

Looks like you have enough light as long as you keep the broms in the higher section of the tank. I don't know if the light is intense enough to keep the broms' color though if you get the more colorful variety like the more reddish ones. 

I'm sure the pups will adapt better but I've never had any problems with adult broms not adapting well as long as you have high humidity in the viv. And also the adult ones will most likely have pups withing a few months 

I've never had experience with epiweb but if it's the same as growing plants on tree fern panels then yes it's a bit hard to take them out without disturbing the root system. But again I've never really had any problems on relocating plants around my viv even when I pull them out of the fern panels. As long as they're kept moist, they'll just regrow and reattach themselves on the panels after a few weeks or so. Especially bromeliads since they're really not root feeders. They mainly use their roots to attach themselves onto things.

If you don't want to disturb the plants thats been growing on the epiweb, then just attach the epiweb that the plant's been growing on onto your viv walls or driftwood. I know it'll look a bit ugly at first but if you have a lot of moss or vines growing in your tank, then they'll just cover that epiweb up real quickly.

Now on where to buy plants from I can't really help you out with that since most of the places I got my plants at are all within the US. I don't know any suppliers over there in the UK, I'm sorry  

you can try searching in google or try asking in other message boards that are more about Euro Vivs and have lots of members in Europe.


----------



## fleshfrombone

I was in Scottsdale in April. Man it doesn't take long to heat up. I went up to Pinnacle Peak to go Gila hunting, saw tons of Chuckwallas but no monsters. But yeah it's no joke being out there with just a thermos of water. My wife and I are talking about moving out there. Any areas you would recommend? 



raimeiken said:


> ahaha I would send you some but it super hot over here in AZ right now, it'll cook the plant before it even gets there.
> 
> I fertilize the plants every 2 weeks or so and the plant does stay moist thats why that moss started growing on the panel it's attached to.


----------



## Mux5870

Thanks for the info raimeiken.

I did spend quite a while pondering the light requirements, but for some reason i stuck with CFL's instead of going for a metal halide. Probably cus i saw another successfull project that used flourescent lights and thought they were just easier to deal with. I think metal halides work out about twice as efficient as flourescents.....darn!!! Anyway, the hood is built now, too late to change it.... But i guess i'll keep metal halides in mind if i ever do another project.

Just out of curiousity, what kind of light levels do you achieve with that 150W MH near the top of your tank?

Also id like some recomendations on small tillys and neos, I mean how high do they grow, so I can get em as close to the lights as possible......I would really love to see those colors!

Thanks in advance


----------



## raimeiken

fleshfrombone said:


> I was in Scottsdale in April. Man it doesn't take long to heat up. I went up to Pinnacle Peak to go Gila hunting, saw tons of Chuckwallas but no monsters. But yeah it's no joke being out there with just a thermos of water. My wife and I are talking about moving out there. Any areas you would recommend?


I've been here for 10 years and still have not seen a Gila monster LOL

yeah it gets pretty darn hot here over the summers. But the rest of the year i love it! It doesn't get too cold in the winter.

The housing market here has gone down pretty bad, so you'll find cheap houses almost everywhere, except Scottsdale or paradise valley of course  I'd recommend those two if you can afford the houses there. But if not, look for houses more towards north of the valley. 

Like North Glendale, Peoria, Surprise or North Phoenix are all great areas. Chandler ain't bad either but it's pretty far from Phoenix.


----------



## raimeiken

Mux5870 said:


> Thanks for the info raimeiken.
> 
> I did spend quite a while pondering the light requirements, but for some reason i stuck with CFL's instead of going for a metal halide. Probably cus i saw another successfull project that used flourescent lights and thought they were just easier to deal with. I think metal halides work out about twice as efficient as flourescents.....darn!!! Anyway, the hood is built now, too late to change it.... But i guess i'll keep metal halides in mind if i ever do another project.
> 
> Just out of curiousity, what kind of light levels do you achieve with that 150W MH near the top of your tank?
> 
> Also id like some recomendations on small tillys and neos, I mean how high do they grow, so I can get em as close to the lights as possible......I would really love to see those colors!
> 
> Thanks in advance


Yeah I'd definitely recommend Metal Halides on your next project, but keep in mind that you'll need to install them a bit higher than fluorescent bulbs since they get pretty hot. And you'll need to put at least 2 computer fans blowing on it or at the top glass to keep things cool while it's turned on.

I'm not sure what kind of light levels I have since i dont know how to test those things LOL I don't think I have the equipment to test it. But all I know is I'm getting enough, if not more than enough since the plants all the way at the bottom are growing pretty darn well.


Recommendations on tillys and neos? hmmmm theres just so many of them to list. You could start with the ones that I have in the tank, especially the tillys. I've never had any problems with any of them. The neos on the other hand I had some problems with since I lacked some light before i installed the MH light. 

try looking around this website

Plant Oddities

they have tons of Tillandsias to choose from and they ship international too. They'll probably do better than neos during shipping since these plants don't require as much water or humidity than neos.

You should try searching the Plant subforum here about dwarf/small/little neos. People ask about them here a lot since we all keep small vivs here


----------



## raimeiken

I'm seriously considering getting frogs now 

I was thinking of getting a pair of Tincs since they're a bigger species, I don't have to worry about them falling into the nepenthese pitchers lol. 

I'm just a bit worried about the frogs trampling or killing my plants in there 

what are your guys' experience on this? Do these larger frogs trample your plants?


----------



## Mworks

Hi John,

I have a viv set up with a number of more delicate plants and my Terrbis tramping about on them really has no big impact apart from the occasional 'bent' stem when one of them thinks they are an arboreal frog. In my vert I have a pair of pumilio Bri Bri and they'd be perfect for your set up - big (in pum size) colourful and always on the move - well worth considering as they def wouldn't be a problem for the plants.

Regards
Marcus


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..​
I got the fan controller installed and the new fans as well. 

The controller controls 2 fans for this Viv and 2 more in my 20gal vert.





















I had to change the screening on the bottom vent to FF proof with screen that's got smaller holes on it since I'm getting some frogs soon. 



















I got rid of the vents on top of the tank as well. The piece I had up there before was made from lexan, so it was all scratched up. The one I replaced it with is made from glass. So this one will be easier to clean and won't scratch so easily.


















I got some nice fern moss as well in the mail and spread some around the tank.


----------



## highfyre

I am amazed and oddly intimidated by your viv. I have a 220 and a 20 that are doing well, but far from the quality your rain forest represents. I am so in love with vivs now that I am possibly selling my reef to replace it with a new jungle tank. Yours has helped inspired me to pull the trigger. I have one favor to ask. Can you simply give me your VERY basic rules you follow on care for your viv? Just like three or four golden rules in very brief description if you have time? Thanks!!!


----------



## raimeiken

ahaha thanks!

yeah if I were you, i would go with a new Viv as well, since the reef (even though beautiful) is so much more expensive to maintain and a lot more work as well.

Rules I follow when I take care of the viv? lol I never really thought about that. I just try to make my plants in there happy. You really have to know what spot you plant your plants at in the viv in terms of air circulation, level of light, temperature they prefer, and the amount of water it needs because our viv's conditions differ in each spot of the tank.

I try to maintain a good circulation of air inside the viv, because if you don't, you'll rot some of the plants in there. 

Also I try not to forget on checking the amount of water I have in the reservoir for the misting pump. I've forgotten about it a fews times in the past and completely dried out the tank for a day or two LOL luckily no plants died.


----------



## MA70Snowman

well 27 pages in two days.. WHEW.. never thought i'd get through it, but i'm in the process of a 40B vert as well and needed some inspiration... well inspiration was plenty. but now I'm afraid to even talk about mine lol. I love the vegitation in there, and the wife really loves all the moss that has spread through your tank, w/ my two other vivs i've continually tried to get the affect to no success.. any suggestions? and what exactly is it? 

also the MH, what model did you go w/? and you mentioned raising it.. how far from the glass is it currently sitting? and what size fans are up there? 

thanks.. and again.. awsome.. and subscribed.


----------



## raimeiken

Moss needs to be moist and in a humid condition at all times for it to spread and thrive. 

The kind I have in there that I know off is Christmas moss and Fern moss (i just recently added) The other moss you see in there is unknown to me LOL it just started growing in there. From what I remember, I got tons of it grow out of the bark that the resurrection fern that I got was attached to. The fern itself died off but I kept the bark in there and got random types of moss and other ferns grow out it.

For the MH light, this is the one that I got
150W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

I took the light out of that case though because it wouldn't fit on top of my tank with the other 2 compact fluorescents that I have in there. I replaced the reflector it came with since it wasn't that efficient. I used a piece of reflector from one of my old fluorescent fixtures instead. The bulb I'm using is 6500k.

The light is sitting about 6"inches above the top glass of the tank. It gets pretty hot so I have two 3" computer fans sitting 90 degrees on the top of the tank just blowing air across the glass and it keeps it pretty cool. I have them set on a timer with the light, so they'll turn on once the light turns on.


----------



## raimeiken

I think I got the FF culturing down now LOL

I started with a banana/applesauce recipe but that molded after 2 weeks.

So I tried the dry mix instead with the potato flakes/sugar/cinnamon/nutritional yeast mix with vinegar/water.

After two weeks, the culture is exploding and no mold in sight 

I think I finally decided on what frogs to get. I'm either getting a group of Red Amazonicus or Blue Legged Ventrimaculatus.


----------



## BlueRidge

Nice!!! This tank was my inspiration to do my verts. Whatever you get will be happy in there for sure.


----------



## raimeiken

ahaha thanks! I'm glad I inspired some people here.

The 40gal breeder tank is truly a great size for a vertical Viv


----------



## Nate Mcfin

Whheeeew, 
That was quite a read. I am both happy and bummed out to reach the end of the thread.
Its amazing to watch the transformation of the viv over the course of a few hours worth of reading. Compparing the beginning tothe end is alomost like two different vivs and both looked great.
You have great taste in plants! Thanks for taking the time to share your build.
Its not often you get to follow the same set up for such a long period of time. 
Regards,
Nate


----------



## JrayJ

WOW! Long ass read but well worth it.

Amazing tank. I wish I could be a frog living in there!


----------



## Ucayali

Amazing, simply amazing.


----------



## raimeiken

the only thing I don't have in the Viv are springtails. Are they mandatory in the Viv when keeping dart frogs? or can I skip them?


----------



## frogparty

they are pretty much necessary for thumbnail frogs, as the young sometimes are too small for fruit flies. If you need some, pm me and I will send you some.
GO WITH THE AMAZOMICUS


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> they are pretty much necessary for thumbnail frogs, as the young sometimes are too small for fruit flies. If you need some, pm me and I will send you some.
> GO WITH THE AMAZOMICUS


yeah that's what I was leaning more towards. I just love the red coloring in them


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..

Here's some updated pics of the tank. 

Biophytums growing everywhere in the tank now and the Mimosa Pudicas are growing taller and taller 

I had to cut three of the leaves off of the N.Ampullaria since they were getting the way. It's growing way too big for this tank. I hope it starts growing some basal pitchers soon.


































































Here's a new fern I got a few weeks back. It's an ET fern. I'm trying to get that corner of the tank filled in.






































Now since I'm getting frogs this Thursday, I moved one of the Blueberry muffin Neos from the top of the tank and placed it on the side. It'll be easier for the frogs to reach plus I'll be able to see them inside of it.




















I also took a small glass bottle and shoved it in the ground to create a pool for the frogs. 


























​

I also have some springtails coming in today, thanks to 'Frogparty' 

I'll take pics of the frogs once I get them in this Thursday.


----------



## roxrgneiss

Nice growth! The biophytum does well just about anyplace that has a good amount of moisture; I've got a couple growing almost epiphytically on a piece of cork. 

You might have already done so, but it may be a good idea to place a couple rocks in the jar and some sticks to allow them a way to get out. 

Mike


----------



## raimeiken

Yeah I placed a few little rocks inside of it plus a piece of cork bark that's staying afloat in it.

The biophytum does grow pretty much anywhere lol

I have one growing on the side on the tree fern panel which started off growing sideways and not starting to point up, so its got this curved stem now.

I love the plant, it looks really tropical almost like a small palm tree in the viv. Plus its very easy to grow and seeds itself all the time


----------



## Okapi

Raimeiken, where did you get your Pleurothallis grobyi?

Good luck with the frogs, although I must admit that I thought it was cool that you kept a stunning vivarium without any animals. That made it very unique IMO.


----------



## raimeiken

Thanks! I had to give in to the peer pressure  LOL 


I think I got the Pleurothallis grobyi from Andy's Orchids. Here's the link to it.

Andy's Orchids - Orchid Species - Pleurothallis

I haven't gotten it to flower for me yet or spread. It's just been staying in it's own tight clump. I was hoping it was going to spread into a mat.


----------



## roxrgneiss

raimeiken said:


> I haven't gotten it to flower for me yet or spread. It's just been staying in it's own tight clump. I was hoping it was going to spread into a mat.


I've grown this plant for a while and it does take a very long time for it to form a mat. And when I say mat, I mean a few square inches. Though it is one of the easiest orchids to grow in a tank and is a fast grower for an orchid, it is still really slow compared with most of the plants we use. Its leaves are so small that it can also be tough to tell how much it's growing. P. allenii and P. corniculata are also great choices, btw.


----------



## Okapi

Thank you, its a cute little plant. Im gonna have to try growing orchids some time.


----------



## BlueRidge

Raim.. this is freaking awesome!


----------



## raimeiken

NOTE: Let me know if you guys can view the pictures in this post. I'm using Picasa this time because my photobucket bandwidth is almost to the limit  



Ok, so I changed a few things in Viv again lol

I took some of the little rocks out of the jar to give the future tadpoles more room to swim in there, but I did add a piece of wood in there so the frogs can easily crawl out of the water in case they fall in it.











I also found this mushroom growing in the corner of my tank! I'm sorry for the blurriness of the pic, it was hard to focus on it since it was growing in the back corner.










I also cleared that corner of the tank. I moved the tillandsias and the ET fern to make room because I'm getting some more bromeliads in a few days 

I want to try growing some neos again, since last time was a failure because of the lack of light I had. Hopefully this time it'll be more successful.










The venus flytrap I had in the tank had to be moved out of there for obvious reasons LOL
I moved it into my 20gal vert, below.










The only pitcher of the N.ampullaria I got that I didn't snip off. I stuffed it with excelsior so that the frogs won't fall into it. Tiny bugs or flies can still crawl into it though, which is good.


----------



## Julio

very nice, can we get a full shot of the pitcher plant?


----------



## raimeiken

I'll try to snap one tomorrow. I snipped off most of its leaves off since they were growing too big. I'm trying to encourage it to grow basal pitchers instead


----------



## dendrothusiast

....will stuffing the N.ampullaria with excelsior kill it? 

I mean in my past show tank I had a tropical aboreal pitcher on the top and my leucolemas used to hang out in them. Call it far fetched but I picked a pitcher with small ones and I had success with them putting tads in there and pulling them out; but im curious to hear if itll last. It will give me ideas to stuff my pitchers with that stuff if I chose to us them for my frogs again


----------



## raimeiken

I don't think it'll kill it. I just had to do that since my pitchers are quite big and the frogs I'm getting are tiny. I don't want to risk them not being able to get out of it. Leucs probably won't have any problems since they're much bigger.


----------



## dendrothusiast

yeah they are big frogs compared to most dart frogs. I left a tad in a pitcher once as an experiment as me and my friends were curious if it would develop but there's no way of ever telling as later on I had several froglets running around so they must've been well hidden. I keep checking in though with your post to see about your pitcher  It's a crafty idea with the excelsior so I got my fingers crossed for you it doesnt die from it.


----------



## raimeiken

I thought the frogs or tads would get digested by the fluids inside the pitchers? Is it not harmful to the frogs? 

that's one of the reason why I stuffed the pitcher. I didn't want to risk killing my frogs


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE! - NOW WITH FROGS!::..

I finally have frogs! 

I got 4 Imitator Tarapotos. From the looks of it, I think I might have 1 male and 3 females.


box on top are the springtails and isopods, thanks to 'Frogparty' 









now comes the frogs...









very nicely packed. It came with an ice/freezer pack as well to keep them cool.


















here's the first guy









he jumped right on top of the Biophytum









second frog









third frog jumped right away on the vine.










annnd here's the last one. This one's a fatty! ahaha!










They were out exploring right away!



































​
That's all the pics I have for now. 

Later I'll take pics of the LED moonlighting that I got recently


----------



## frogparty

those pitchers are small enough for frogs to get out. I wouldnt worry about it. I was worried about your flytrap, but it looks like you moved it to another viv.
Great looking frogs!!!! Its about damn time


----------



## BlueRidge

Raim, it's about time! I'm so glad to finally see frogs in there, they will be so happy. I can't wait to get my frogs, but I want to take some time like you did and let everything grow in and get established first.

Grats!!


----------



## raimeiken

Yeah definitely wait for it to grow in but don't wait as long as I did lol.


----------



## fleshfrombone

Cool frogs. I'm sure they will do very well in such a beautifully done vivarium.


----------



## raimeiken

As promised, here's some pics of the LED light setup that I'm using as moonlighting. It's remote controlled and it's got tons of colors to choose from. You can even set your own color  That's the reason why I bought this. Other moonlights I've seen are just too Blue for me. I don't think they really replicate the actual moonlight color.

This is the setting I'm using, which I mixed myself and saved in one of the DIY buttons









This is the dark blue button that's preset already, which most moonlighting kits look like.










Here's the white color









you can change the brightness of the colors as well. Like in this pic, I dimmed it down from the white color above.





























Here's a picture of the remote. You can fade or flash through the colors as well which is neat if you want to throw a rave for your frogs LOL


----------



## GRIMM

That is actually very cool. Does it have any sort of timer functions to help mimic the natural dawn/dusk effect?


----------



## crank68516

I really like it. You may have mentioned it already but I don't want to sift through ~300 posts but what brand is your light and where did you get it?


----------



## dendrothusiast

Hey Grimm back to your question about the pitcher I had some kind of Nepenthes %^@$ I don't remember the name, that I got from blackjungle over almost two years ago and the guy I talked to thought it would be fine. The only reason I tried it was because a Dutch man named Hans had one he was trying with his leucs and some other species and was having success with them. Plus my enclosure at the time was very big. The leucs I guess were fine depositing tads in there since they chose it for a reason but whenever i found them in the whichh I checked ALOT I always pulled them. It was only once where I decided to test if it would develop in there.

As for your species I wouldnt recommend pulling the excelsior out of the pitcher just because who knows if your species are hardy enough to do it. I mean unless there's someone out there who's done it with your species then you can give it a try. I have to say .....that moonlight system....is...awesoooome


----------



## dendrothusiast

PS. my bad I got your name mixed up with someone else's raimeiken


----------



## raimeiken

GRIMM said:


> That is actually very cool. Does it have any sort of timer functions to help mimic the natural dawn/dusk effect?


Unfortunately it doesn't have that function. I too wanted one that you can customize to that degree.

Like I wanted to start it in bright white, then slowly dim into a light blue, then into a darker blue. But you can't do it with this light. I just have mine set on a timer so it'll turn on once my fluorescent lights turn off at night.



crank68516 said:


> I really like it. You may have mentioned it already but I don't want to sift through ~300 posts but what brand is your light and where did you get it?


I got it from this place http://www.barlighting.com/ledstripkitremote.html for $59.99 + shipping.

I've gotten other LED lights from them in the past. So I highly recommend them


----------



## raimeiken

dendrothusiast said:


> Hey Grimm back to your question about the pitcher I had some kind of Nepenthes %^@$ I don't remember the name, that I got from blackjungle over almost two years ago and the guy I talked to thought it would be fine. The only reason I tried it was because a Dutch man named Hans had one he was trying with his leucs and some other species and was having success with them. Plus my enclosure at the time was very big. The leucs I guess were fine depositing tads in there since they chose it for a reason but whenever i found them in the whichh I checked ALOT I always pulled them. It was only once where I decided to test if it would develop in there.
> 
> As for your species I wouldnt recommend pulling the excelsior out of the pitcher just because who knows if your species are hardy enough to do it. I mean unless there's someone out there who's done it with your species then you can give it a try. I have to say .....that moonlight system....is...awesoooome


thanks! 

yeah the pitchers in this plant just keep getting bigger and bigger each time one grows from the leaves. I dont know if these frogs will be able to jump out of them.


----------



## Ucayali

Those are some lucky frogs!!!


----------



## frogparty

Just remember that nepenthes will quickly outgrow that viv once its past its basal rosette stage. Ryan and I go to a greenhouse at the university here, and their ampullaria has at least a 3 ft wide leafspan, and is 4 or 5 feet tall. Id take some cuttings so you can have it around your house for when you eventually have to yank it out


----------



## Okapi

raimeiken said:


> yeah you got it right! it's a Pleurothallis grobyi
> 
> I still haven't gotten it to flower but each time I pull a leaf and plant it elsewhere, it easily takes root


I ordered from Andy after you gave me the link, and my P. grobyi just arrived. It is growing on a piece of wood in a small yet dense clump. When you say that you pull a leaf off and stick it elsewhere, do you just pull a single leaf in its entirety and keep it humid for it to root, or do you get a node with the leaf as well? Do you use rooting hormones to get it started? I dont want to destroy the plant trying to take it off its piece of wood, but I would like to try growing it in my vivarium. Thanks for all the help.


----------



## raimeiken

Actually what happen was when I was moving the plant, a loose leaf or two with the node was coming off. So I just pulled it and took some moss, wrapped it on the base of it and shoved it in the tree fern panel. A few weeks later I was seeing new leaves popping out beside the other ones.


----------



## BlueRidge

raim... werent you using metal halides on this tank?


----------



## Okapi

raimeiken said:


> Actually what happen was when I was moving the plant, a loose leaf or two with the node was coming off. So I just pulled it and took some moss, wrapped it on the base of it and shoved it in the tree fern panel. A few weeks later I was seeing new leaves popping out beside the other ones.


Okay, thanks!


----------



## frogparty

Several of the pleurothallids can do this form of asexual reproduction. I have several restrepias that I have started from leaf cuttings


----------



## Okapi

Hm... ill have to look into restrepias next time I order plants


----------



## raimeiken

JaredJ said:


> raim... werent you using metal halides on this tank?


Yes I am. You should try it out if you want colors in your broms


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> Just remember that nepenthes will quickly outgrow that viv once its past its basal rosette stage. Ryan and I go to a greenhouse at the university here, and their ampullaria has at least a 3 ft wide leafspan, and is 4 or 5 feet tall. Id take some cuttings so you can have it around your house for when you eventually have to yank it out


yeah I was thinking of doing cuttings of it. Will it grow from just a leaf cutting? or will it have to be a stem cutting?


----------



## Okapi

raimeiken said:


> Yes I am. You should try it out if you want colors in your broms


I think he asked that because of the new LEDs you are showing off


----------



## fleshfrombone

I'm not as well versed in nepenthes as I would like to be but they do tend to get out of control. You know what that means though, remove it when you have to and you'll have tons to spread around.


----------



## frogparty

stem cuttings only for nepenthes. Get like 4 or 5 nodes, and cut all but the top two leaves off, bury the rest of the nodes in moist spag and they will root. They just arent the quickest to throw roots, be patient


----------



## raimeiken

I had a new little project this weekend 

I hate flies escaping when I'm feeding the frogs, especially when the culture is booming.

So I made a little contraption here to prevent escapes.

clear tubing









Box cutter









Deli cup lid









Cut a hole in the middle big enough for the bulkhead fitting.









Here's a bulkhead I found at Homedepot. There's better ones online that has a barbed end so you can connect tubing on it, but I didn't want to spend money on shipping just for one fitting lol



















Connect it on to the deli cup on both sides.









I found this reduced barbed fitting in the garden hose area of Homedepot so I can connect by clear tubing.









connect it to the bulkhead









a simple ball-valve









cut a piece of tubing and connect it to the valve and the deli cup end.



















get another container. This one's a glass bottle, but I forgot where I got it from. You can use other containers like plastic soda bottles. Any container which funnels up is better so you can easily tip it down and dump the flies out.









another ball valve with tubing, which will be attached to the glass bottle.



















and here's the whole thing finished 









grab your favorite supplement









put some in the bottle









place the new lid on the fly culture you're using. Make sure the valve is shut.









connect it all together and watch the flies crawl up. It helps a lot if you tip the culture over to dump the flies into the hole and just keep tapping on the culture and the tubbing to drop the flies into the glass bottle. I'll probably cut the hole on the side of the deli cup lid next time. It'll be easier for the flies to go through the bulkhead.









Then just shut the valve off in the fly culture side and disconnect. Shake the bottle to dust the flies and just tip it over and feed


----------



## Marty

What's the name of this plant and where did you get it from ? 










apologies if this was answered already


----------



## Frogtofall

It's Pennywort. You can usually find it at aquarium stores (good ones at least). Seems to do well both submerged and emersed if grown in high humidity.


----------



## dendrothusiast

Very true about pennywort, I love it in my vivariums. I worked at a petsmart a really long time ago for three years and they always had it in stock with the water plants. You got alot for fivebucks which was kinda nice.


----------



## BlueRidge

raimeiken said:


> Yes I am. You should try it out if you want colors in your broms


I would in a second, I'm just worried about the heat.


----------



## fleshfrombone

Neat idea. I like the set up lol.


----------



## raimeiken

Frogtofall said:


> It's Pennywort. You can usually find it at aquarium stores (good ones at least). Seems to do well both submerged and emersed if grown in high humidity.


yes, I love this plant!  It's very easy to grow as well as long as it's in a humid condition. 

I just take 1 node cuttings and place them in the substrate and they go bananas!


----------



## raimeiken

..::UPDATE::..

I got some plants in the mail from Michael's bromeliads 

Neo. Medusa

















Neo. Janet Sue

















Vr. Racinea

















Guz. Theresa


















Tank shots after planting the broms








































































bonus shot of the fat frog . She just sat there and watched the whole time I was trying to plant the broms in there LOL











​


----------



## Julio

Very nice broms!


----------



## fleshfrombone

This thing has me all hot and bothered *bites fist*


----------



## HunterB

fleshfrombone said:


> This thing has me all hot and bothered *bites fist*


i lol'd hard


----------



## raimeiken

fleshfrombone said:


> This thing has me all hot and bothered *bites fist*


LOL!


I finally feel that my Viv is complete after planting those new broms LOL


----------



## RNKot

Congratulations with the frogs! We lived with your viv for nearly a year


----------



## dendrothusiast

Any updates on the excelsior and the pitcher?


----------



## azure89

You know I had been following the updates on this viv for some time thinking that is a nice viv! I wonder when he is going to put frogs in it?

Then when you did I realized that I recognized those frogs the other day and since I don't know everyone on here too personally I didn't recognize the screenname or avatar before that, I'm glad they went to such a nice home I think they will be very very happy in there, any luck sexing them yet?

Nice fruitfly contraption also and best of luck with the taras their orange should get better with age too.


----------



## AaronAcker

fleshfrombone said:


> This thing has me all hot and bothered *bites fist*


thats funny ryan, I can only imagine what you'd look like all hot and bothered LOL


----------



## fleshfrombone

AaronAcker said:


> thats funny ryan, I can only imagine what you'd look like all hot and bothered LOL


My tusks elongate, the glands on my cheeks right below my eyes get swollen and change color, and start emitting a musky pheromone complex that's irresistible to the opposite sex.


----------



## PacMan

WOW! Just spent the better part of my night reading your whole thread...Your viv is my top three ive ever seen. Gives me some drive to finnish mine up, I really cant wait now! ahah. When i started my project i pretty much listed out all the orchids you have put in our viv, they are looking awesome! Has the grobyi shown any sign of blooming? Just an awesome job man. Keep it up!


----------



## raimeiken

dendrothusiast said:


> Any updates on the excelsior and the pitcher?


Yeah I've noticed that the plant has slowed down on growing. I don't know if it's because of that or because I cut so many of its leaves at ones or is it because it's almost winter?

The pitcher I stuffed is still there, it hasn't wilted at all.



azure89 said:


> You know I had been following the updates on this viv for some time thinking that is a nice viv! I wonder when he is going to put frogs in it?
> 
> Then when you did I realized that I recognized those frogs the other day and since I don't know everyone on here too personally I didn't recognize the screenname or avatar before that, I'm glad they went to such a nice home I think they will be very very happy in there, any luck sexing them yet?
> 
> Nice fruitfly contraption also and best of luck with the taras their orange should get better with age too.



LOL thanks! yeah I have sexed them. It's 3 females and 1 male!  I've heard the male call several times already and chasing the females all the around. I don't know if there's any eggs anywhere though. It's hard to check the broms since there's so much stuff in the way lol




PacMan said:


> WOW! Just spent the better part of my night reading your whole thread...Your viv is my top three ive ever seen. Gives me some drive to finnish mine up, I really cant wait now! ahah. When i started my project i pretty much listed out all the orchids you have put in our viv, they are looking awesome! Has the grobyi shown any sign of blooming? Just an awesome job man. Keep it up!


Thanks!

still no signs of blooming on the grobyi 

My Gastrochilus Japonicus is blooming again though!


----------



## azure89

I'm glad to hear that you got them sexed all right. The taras really are good at hiding eggs, I found tads before I ever found any eggs in my tank and they hide tads really well too. I'm betting that one day you'll find tads or froglets in your broms, mine are sneaky and I have found unexpected froglets about my viv. Good luck with them


----------



## dendrothusiast

raimeiken said:


> Yeah I've noticed that the plant has slowed down on growing. I don't know if it's because of that or because I cut so many of its leaves at ones or is it because it's almost winter?
> 
> The pitcher I stuffed is still there, it hasn't wilted at all.


that's a good thing to hear, My money is on because you cut alot of its leaves. I'm gonna give it a try and stuff some excelsior in my pitcher inside the basti viv so I don't have to be frequently checking for tads in there.


----------



## raimeiken

quick update


I finally got this orchid (Sophronitis cernua) to bloom! I was surprised to see this the other day.


----------



## dendrothusiast

wow that's a real nice looking orchid


----------



## fleshfrombone

OH man I've been looking everywhere for that. Where and how much!?


----------



## raimeiken

fleshfrombone said:


> OH man I've been looking everywhere for that. Where and how much!?


I've had this orchid since I started this Viv. I actually don't know where I got it from but I did a little digging around my bookmarks, under orchids and found this  http://www.botanicaltd.com/species.HTM#Sophronitis


----------



## dendroman1234

This vivs grown in very well.

I apologize if someone already asked, but what lighting are you using?

Thanks


----------



## fleshfrombone

John since you continue to twist my arm I give up, yes you can send this masterpiece to me... I guess.


----------



## raimeiken

dendroman1234 said:


> This vivs grown in very well.
> 
> I apologize if someone already asked, but what lighting are you using?
> 
> Thanks


I'm using:

2 x 36watt Compact Fluorescent bulbs - 6500k - 14hrs a day
1 x 150watt Metal Halide bulb - 6500k - 10hrs a day
3 x 1ft LED strips for moonlighting.



fleshfrombone said:


> John since you continue to twist my arm I give up, yes you can send this masterpiece to me... I guess.


LOL!


----------



## fleshfrombone

How much heat do you get of that 150 watt halide?


----------



## raimeiken

PLENTY! LOL that's why I have the lights mounted about 7-8 inches off the glass and have 2 computer fans kick in once the MH bulb turns on.

The top glass gets to about room temperature or a little above that. If I didn't have the fans on there it gets to above 100F degrees


----------



## Okapi

Who else here is ready for another update???


----------



## Mitch

Okapi said:


> Who else here is ready for another update???


Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee


----------



## raimeiken

I'll post some new pics up soon. I've been very busy with school lately 

All four of the frogs are doing great. I can hear the male calling every morning before I feed them 

I've seen a female lay a few eggs on the top leaf of a brom but wasn't successful since she just left them there to dry  I'm not sure if they've laid anymore eggs since I cant see everywhere in the tank. I hope there's some tads hiding in the viv somewhere lol!


----------



## Okapi

raimeiken said:


> i'll post some new pics up soon.


yay!!!!!!!!!


----------



## froggies3

where r the pictures and where did u order those awesome broms


----------



## Arpeggio

You sir, are an artist! That's one of the most beautiful viv I've ever seen.


----------



## frogparty

Still one of my favorite members vivs ever. I want some updates soon


----------



## MA70Snowman

hate to RES a thread, but i'd love to see updated pics if the OP wouldn't mind. been following this for awhile and restumbled upon it again


----------



## deinolf

wow, that is absolutely amazing!


----------



## brinkerh420

WOAH! Sweet cephalotus! It's huge! I just saw it in the background of the orchid picture absolutely amazing!


----------



## dfrmav

this tank is awesome. how many ferns are in here? do you have names for all of them?


----------



## MA70Snowman

dfrmav said:


> this tank is awesome. how many ferns are in here? do you have names for all of them?


I think he's listed all his plants.. somewhere in this post, as well as vendors for where he got them as well.


----------



## DrawntoLife

Hi i was wondering how you get the misting system inside, did you drill a hole in the top of the tank for the tube and run it in there or through the vents? really like how you did this viv it looks beautiful


----------



## raimeiken

Im sorry for the lack of updates. I've been very busy with other things; work, school, recently landscaped my frontyard 

The Viv hasn't been getting much attention, so it doesn't look as good as it used to  but the frogs are healthy as ever. I have 5 frogs in there now. They successfully raised the tadpole in the bromeliad. I just left them alone with it. It's interesting to watch them take food to it 

About the ferns. I actually don't know most of them, since they pretty much hitch hiked their way in my viv lol! I remember buying resurrection fern from some body and it came in a huge bark. The fern died but a few months later, all kinds of ferns started growing from it. 

The misting system was installed from the bottom front panel. It goes through the false bottom, up the back behind the tree fern panels and up the top of the glass to where it's siliconed in place. I didn't want to mess around with drilling the top glass since I didn't have experienced with it plus I didn't have the proper equipment to do so. But if I had to do it again, I would definitely drill it.

Quite a few plants have died... sadly 

My Cephalotus died and so did the Nepenthes. Not sure why the ceph died but the Nepenthese died because I cut the stem back since it was getting quite big, plus I was hoping that it will grow basal pitchers, but it didn't grow back. It's all good though since i have another Nepenthes ammpullaria growing in my smaller viv. Some bromeliads died as well and a few orchids.

The plant that's doing the best is the Biophytum sensitivum. It's growing everywhere in the tank. I actually have to pull some out because they're taking over the tank.
The oldest one I got in the middle of the tank almost reached the top glass, so I had to bend its stem back to the bottom lol. 

I'll take some pics and show you guys.


----------



## raimeiken

Very fat female 










Not sure what plant this is, it just started growing out of the tree fern panel




























































This is the spot where the Cephalotus used to be 




















Upper area of the Viv









Upper area of the Viv









Middle area of the Viv









Bottom of the Viv










This is that old tall Biophytum that I was talking about.









Here's a shot of it's stem that I had to coil/bend down since the plant was getting too tall.




















Full shot


----------



## dfrmav

can you please list (some of) the places where you purchased your plants? a lot of them look way more exotic than what's offered by a lot of the sponsors on the board...thanks man!


----------



## dartfrogger24

Very nice! Although I personally would've kept the tank the way it originally was.. I liked it a lot the way it originally was  haha


----------



## raimeiken

Yeah I kinda miss having that water flowing around the tank, it was quite relaxing to watch 

It just wasn't safe to house tiny dart frogs in it. I'm afraid of them drowning in it, since the water was flowing fast. And also the lack of vertical space for the frogs and plants was a problem. In the future though I'll try and make a bigger viv with a water feature in it


----------



## fishman9809

dfrmav said:


> can you please list (some of) the places where you purchased your plants? a lot of them look way more exotic than what's offered by a lot of the sponsors on the board...thanks man!


I second this 

Your viv is absolutely stunning. Very wild and rainforest-like. I love it. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## MA70Snowman

Raim, thanks for providing the requested update. It's outstanding to see how it's come along. I love the lush "filled in" look that you've attained with it. My rebuild on my 40 I hope to really emulate a lot of what you've done in there. and Love that Fat frog you got, that things a trip.


----------



## raimeiken

It's hard to say where ALL the plants came from. some where from trades and some just grew out of the tree bark and fern panels.

I had a list somewhere buried in the thread lol

Bromeliads from www.michaelsbromeliads.com: Home (He doesn't have a huge selection on his online store but if you go through his catalog, he has a HUGE list. Just email him want you want)

Tillandisas from tillandsia, bromeliads, Plant Oddities, airplants

Nepenthes from Blackjungle.com

I forgot where I got the Biophytum plant from but I remember I also got some seeds from a forum member here. It took a month or so before they all started sprouting everywhere.

Orchids I got from various websites like - Andy's orchids, Botanica Ltd. - orchids are our specialty, Oakhill gardens, etc.

If there's a specific plant you guys want to know where I got, just let me know or show me the pic of it LOL. There's just too many plants in there to count


----------



## dfrmav

thanks bud. i had most of those except the oakhill place for orchids. definitely a good source since andy's doesn't have all orchids


----------



## fishman9809

I'd love to know where this plant came from:










Or was it one of the ones that randomly popped up?


----------



## raimeiken

I got that one from a forum member here. I forgot who, but the plant is called Pyrrosia piloselloides


----------



## skanderson

beautiful viv. just read all 37 pages. loved watching the it mature over the last few years. sorry for the losses you had but the tank looks great in the last picks. nothing matchs the well grown in look with all the small growth.


----------



## DrawntoLife

raimeiken said:


> Very fat female
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure what plant this is, it just started growing out of the tree fern panel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the spot where the Cephalotus used to be
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Upper area of the Viv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Upper area of the Viv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Middle area of the Viv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bottom of the Viv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is that old tall Biophytum that I was talking about.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a shot of it's stem that I had to coil/bend down since the plant was getting too tall.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Full shot


I envy you, this tank is beautiful and that fat little female is just amazing can't say I won't try a 40 vert now but may be a while =p very very nice viv mega thumbs up


----------



## frogparty

I told you that Biophytum would go bonkers in there.


----------



## JPccusa

Question about the broms and orchids that died: Why did that happen? I ask because I always thought plants would just grow and grow if left unattended. I always thought my "work" would be to prune them down. Is this a misconception I have about planted vivs?


----------



## frogparty

Wrong plant for the place is my guess. Nothing negative about this Viv, which I love.


----------



## jeb102385

looks awesome... nice job


----------



## JPccusa

frogparty said:


> Wrong plant for the place is my guess. Nothing negative about this Viv, which I love.


Indeed, nothing negative about this viv. I will definitely use it as reference for when I start buying plants for my 100 gallon horizontal.


----------



## frogparty

Perfect plant placement comes with experience. Sometimes you gotta kill a few to learn something.


----------



## raimeiken

frogparty said:


> Perfect plant placement comes with experience. Sometimes you gotta kill a few to learn something.


definitely this ^

it takes time to learn the areas around your viv. Some areas get more water, stay more humid, less water, more light, more ventilation, less ventilation, and etc.

also if you don't keep up with the pruning, some plants will take over and shade over some plants beneath them, thus weakening them or killing them. 

Plus some colorful plants (like neos) that we love to put in our vivs needs intense lighting to keep them happy and colorful.


----------



## Arpeggio

I lye it so much! :3


----------



## curlykid

what ever happened to this?


----------



## raimeiken

The Viv is doing great still  so are the frogs! I actually don't know exactly how many frogs there are in there now. I've just let nature take its course lol. I never separated the eggs and tadpoles. I let them raise them all and I never fed them with any special food. I have a lot of little critters/bugs crawling in and out of the ground for the little ones to feed on since the fruit flies are still too big for them. I think I might have at least 8 frogs in there now. 

I'm actually selling them off including the Vivarium since I'm moving pretty soon. Only locally though. I have no experience shipping frogs 


Here's some current shots for you guys


----------



## GRIMM

Incredible looking frogs. This was one of my favourite tanks back when it was in it's prime also. So many awesome plants to drool over. Thanks for the update!

Also, what are you building when you finally move? Better be a monster tank


----------



## raimeiken

thanks man! Yeah it definitely isn't as great as it used to. I haven't paid as much attention to it as I did back in the day.


----------



## insaneglitchx

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like your broms turned green due to insufficient lighting (until you got the metal halides). Is that always the case? Will colorful broms all turn green if they don't receive enough light? I have an 18x18x18 and a 24x18x18 exo terra. I'm running 26W Exo Terra Repti-Glo Compact Florescent UVB Bulbs (1 5.0 UVB and 1 10.0 UVB over each tank). Would that be intense enough lighting for broms?


----------



## skanderson

definately an inspiration.


----------



## wesly2007

Is this still running?


----------



## FroggyKnight

wesly2007 said:


> Is this still running?


I doubt you will find the answer to that. 

The person who built the thread hasn't been on dendroboard since december last year and the thread hasn't been updated in two.

John


----------



## raimeiken

unfortunately it is not anymore. I had to move and sell the frogs. I love the hobby but I just have too many things going on right now with the new house (renovations and landscaping), but I still do have a few of the plants growing on the windowsill at my kitchen  a lot of them didn't make it from that high humidity to low humidity transition.


----------



## rigel10

I hope you come back in the hobby as soon as you've settled into new house. I would like to read another thread like this! Greetings


----------

