# Trickishleaf's Arboreal Canopy



## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I've been building this 55 gallon vert for months. It used to be pretty nondescript and the hardscape drove me nuts! I rushed the build and it showed. 
Here's a link to the old build if you wanna see what it used to look like.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...-my-first-two-tanks-so-far-55g-29g-verts.html

I really like the view from the side panel of this tank. The oak rim makes a nice frame and i'm far more partial to tall tanks, they just seem so much more visually appealing.
Anyway, I stripped the tank down to the bare tank again...
















Getting that much silicone off was quite an ordeal! Need the right tools for the job.








Almost clean!









Finally, a clean canvas to begin. At first I couldn't decide how to proceed. I spent several weeks determining how to hardscape the tank. I knew from the previous build that getting light to penetrate almost 48" was very difficult, so I decided to make a hardscape that would require minimal planting down low, but would leave a good array of plants in the middle/top of the tank. 
Around the same time, I read Kkaegebein's Faux Tree thread. See
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/90410-trying-something-new-faux-tree.html

A fake tree was perfect! It would allow me to use the full height of the tank, and provide a great centerpiece for this shape of tank.
So, i started fabricating the tree trunk. I wanted to make the best tree possible and leave the surrounding hardscape pretty basic. To accomplish this, i put a layer of pink insulation foam on each wall and then built up thin strips of foam with gorilla glue to get the basic shape.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I did a bit of carving to rough up the edges of the foam and allow for better adhesion of Great Stuff. Next I filled in the general shape of the trunk with Great Stuff. This was pretty arduous, as i had to spray the foam In thin strips and then carve the foam each time to prepare for the next coat. 

































Then, i started adding the roots and other irregularities to make the trunk more interesting. 

















Now you can see the basic shape!









This was the first time during the build that i could physically see what i had been envisioning. I was super excited to continue!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

From reading through tons of build threads, I saw all of Pumilo's warnings about using styrofoam in builds. I was extra careful to cover all of the styrofoam, first with several coats of tinted drylok, and then with a thin layer of Titebond III and peat moss. This should prevent any possibility of endocrine disruption, as the styrofoam is completely covered. 








Sorry for the reflection. The green is the tinted Drylok.

Next, I began forming the bark for the tree. For details on this process, see the link to KKaegebein's thread in my previous post. 
Let me just say that the process is quite labor intensive. Especially layering long strips of TB3 and peat in the tight confines of a 55 gallon tank on a convex surface. I had to do the bark in sections, because it wouldn't keep its shape if rotated while wet. As anyone who has worked with this mix knows, the thicker the mix, the longer it takes to dry. Each section took at least a week to cure enough to allow me to rotate the tank and work on the next section. 








The majority of the bark was completed in the first section, as you can see here.

Here are some closeups of the texture.

















I'll leave you with some images I used for inspiration on the bark.


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Nice detail, how long did it take?


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Well it's mostly done now, need a few more posts to cover the rest of the process. 
I probably have about 15 hours into the hardscape, 40 hours overall messing with positioning and plants and staring at it trying to decide what to do next.
Here's a sneak peak at some of the broms I got from Jason at TropicalPlantz.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

The actual process of laying all of the bark down was probably about 5 hours, spread out over 3 weeks.


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## whitethumb (Feb 5, 2011)

what the name of those broms? nice, i like the way its coming out


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Night Sky is the the bottom, Madrid is the top. 
The 2 in the background are Grenada x Royal Flush and Blueberry Tart.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Time for an update!









Here is the bare bark.








This is the trunk highlighted with clay and acrylic paint.









Root structure!









Drain for siphoning that will be hidden under the leaf litter.









Initial planting and substrate/leaf litter added.

Stay tuned!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

The tank is getting to where i envisioned, but still not there yet.
I added a moss mix to the walls.

















Picked up some orchids at a local orchid swap. Here's a large division of a bulbophyllum.









A Tolumnea. It is drier in this spot, so it should do well.









Planting thus far!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Got my bromeliads from Jason at TropicalPlantz









Neo "Blueberry Tart"









Neo "Grenada x Royal Flush"









Neo "Night Sky"









Neo "Madrid"
This one is too big and throws off the scale of the other plants. Oh well, it'll just give me an excuse for another build!









All the broms mounted!
















Sorry for the glare.









Last one for now!


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## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

That tree looks absolutely great! I love the "bark". Very nice setup and you're hard work paid off! I'm afraid I don't have the artistic talent to do that from scratch.

Thanks for sharing!

-Chris


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Very nice, It certainly has come to life and looks fantastic! Amazing work you have done.

Duff


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## easternversant (Sep 4, 2012)

That is amazing! I like how it appears to be a small snapshot of forest.


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## oddlot (Jun 28, 2010)

Nice job on the tree.What are you going to have live in there?


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

That looks pretty good, your hard work paid off!


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## usctom (Mar 30, 2013)

That is amazing looking. I wish I had that kind of patience and vision to build something like that.


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## TheCoon (Feb 8, 2011)

Wow that looks great! Do you plan on adding any more plants to fill it in some more? Some vining/shingling species would be cool going up the tree trunk.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks for all the kind words!
I have 0.0.2 Highland Variabilis in QT waiting for me to finish the sliding doors on the tank.

The lower broms weren't getting enough light, so I rearranged them just a little, and added an LED bulb for extra light. 
Currently I'm running 2 23watt cfl's and a 1000 lumen led bulb from Cree. There still isn't enough light down on the floor, so i added another CFL spotlight on the side for now. I plan to switch to jungle dawns in the future for more penetration.
As it stands though, all the plants in the upper 1/2 of the tank are growing quite fast.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Since the last picture, I took out the orchid in the top left, added numerous cuttings of Pep. Prostrata, some live moss to a few areas, some oak leaf ficus, and a Marcgravia Rectifolia.

Also, I added a Scindapsus Pictus, some regular Ficus Pumila and a variegated Ficus Pumila on the base of the tree. I would add more exotic vines and shinglers to the base, but with the current PAR levels they would just die. =(

I'll add more pics soon.


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## iRyan (Feb 17, 2011)

Wow, that tree looks amazing. Well done sir. I think a few added vines going down it would be a nice finishing touch.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

So I finished the sliding glass track and had the doors cut to fit. Just need to drill vents in the doors and this tank will be ready for frogs! Can't wait!

It's seeded with iso's and springs too.

In the meantime, here's some plant growth pics. Ever since I put the doors on, the plants are growing much faster and my moss mix is turning green, and my broms are finally putting out some massive roots.

I planted this cutting less than a month ago. It was at the toothpicks then.









Moss turning green!









Some crazy Prostrata growth.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Planted this the middle of April. It has dropped 2 leaves and done nothing else. It's about 8 inches from the lights. Am I doing something wrong?









Quite a bit of Tolumnia growth lately. I hand mist, so i let it dry out between waterings.









A shot of the forest floor.









A shot of the canopy!


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## Athena (Mar 20, 2013)

Just a gorgeous piece of work! Well done! This is by far and away the most convincing fake tree/bark I have seen. It's going to be spectacular when it grows in more and you get all the little bits of green between the cracks and climbers up that trunk. As others have said, very nice work


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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

Great work. Excellent work on the bark. Looks very realistic

Sent from my C5155 using Tapatalk 2


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

the marcgravia always takes forever to start a new growth


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## frogwatcher (May 9, 2013)

Live what you did. Look amazing. Your frogs will love it in there.


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## bobrez (Sep 10, 2011)

Great! Build! Cant wait too see the happy frogs


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

The colors on these guys is insane!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

http://youtu.be/NwBiu4sfR3Q


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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

Great looking frogs there. Even the close up shots of the bark look realistic. Nice video too. Can we Get another full tank shot
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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Here's the requested FTS. 








And some of the vines growing.








And a canopy shot


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Some more random shots of the tank!

Here are the sliding glass doors. I bought plastic bushings that snap in, but had to cut them on the left door, otherwise the doors caught on the back of the vent and wouldn't open.

















Looking in from the side.

















My Oak Leaf Ficus is finally putting off new growth!









These 2 have officially claimed the Neo. "Night Sky" as their home.


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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

That's one cool tank, where'd you get the bushings? I suppose I could google it. I'm glad your frogs are happy already. Didn't take them long to adjust.

Sent from my kindle fire using tapatalk


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks! I'll see if I can find the link for the bushings


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## lando (Sep 10, 2010)

That tree looks awesome. I can't imagine trying to light a tank that tall. I'm having trouble with my 40 breeder vert and it's a foot shorter than yours. Haha.


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## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Tree still looks freakin' awesome!

-Chris


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I've really gotta get my dad to come over with his dslr so I can take some good Full tank shots. My Iphone just cannot capture the overall effect.

Glad you guys like it too! I'll keep updating as I get new growth. I'm thinking of adding another orchid to the middle of the trunk, but i'm not sure yet.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

It looks so natural (although it is artificial.) Your frogs will thrive happy, I think ...


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

1 came down for a dinner snack!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I have a confirmed caller! So excited. I'm not sure which of the 2 he is, cause I could only see the underside of his neck. I've heard what I was pretty sure was calling twice, but seeing him making the noise is awesome! 
This is my first calling frog out of 13. Haha.
Fingers crossed the other is a female.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

My dad finally came over with his DSLR.
His camera is much better and getting good focus through the glass in a FTS.
















This shot is a little too saturated, but it lets you see the detail of the bark.


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## mudgudgeon (May 26, 2013)

(right click - save as - vivarium inspiration pics) 

Nice work, it looks good, I might try this technique myself


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Some shots of the male. We had a thunderstorm and both frogs were down in the leaves feeding. Feeding time makes for great photo ops!

























Love, love, love this shot! He jumped right as I took the picture, but everything else stayed in focus. Frog wraith!


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## roktman (Apr 10, 2013)

An absolutely fantastic viv! 
When I make my artificial tree I hope it comes out 1/10th as good...


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## insaneglitchx (Jul 14, 2011)

You did an unbelievably good job making that fake bark! Great choice in broms, too. 

I have been considering adding an orchid or two to my vivariums. Could you please explain how you mounted your orchids?


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

insaneglitchx said:


> You did an unbelievably good job making that fake bark! Great choice in broms, too.
> 
> I have been considering adding an orchid or two to my vivariums. Could you please explain how you mounted your orchids?


Sure! Most of them i just wrapped a little sphagnum around the rooting area and pushed 2 toothpicks into the background so that they cross and make an "X" and pin the plant in between the 2 toothpicks. 
I also started stealing bobby pins from my wife and clipping the tips off. They make great planting clips.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Added some Resurrection Fern. This stuff looks sick!

































First sign of growth from my Marcgravia in 3 months.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

How did you mounted resurrection ferns? Some details, please. I would like to put some epiphytic fern in my vivs after the summer.


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## yellow dart frog man (Mar 8, 2011)

Mind if I attempt to use your tree idea on one of my tanks in the future. This is my FAVORITE vertical tank build I've ever seen!! Can't wait to see it in the future all grown in, that's going to be awesome looking and the frogs will love it


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

rigel10 said:


> How did you mounted resurrection ferns? Some details, please. I would like to put some epiphytic fern in my vivs after the summer.


I acquired them mounted in moss, with substantial roots, so I just used toothpicks and pushed them through the moss and into the background. I kinda wedged each plant in a crevice too. They seem to be mounted pretty securely. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

yellow dart frog man said:


> Mind if I attempt to use your tree idea on one of my tanks in the future. This is my FAVORITE vertical tank build I've ever seen!! Can't wait to see it in the future all grown in, that's going to be awesome looking and the frogs will love it


Thanks! I borrowed a lot of the techniques from others, just modified it to my tastes. Feel free to copy whatever aspects you like! 
I love just standing in front of this tank and watching for plant growth. 
Once the Ficus on each side covers the brown walls, I will be pretty darn happy. I made it with Variabilis in mind, and I watched a video on youtube of a guy catching a Variabilis on a very similar tree trunk. The frogs seem to like it, and I get to watch them hang out in the broms and snag fruit flies, and then climb down the tree and forage for microfauna in the leaf litter.

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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Here's a couple updated shots of the tank.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Tore out a ton of variegated ficus. It was covering too much of the bark rather than complementing it. I might take it out entirely.
Also added Pellionia Argentea. I like the transition from the medium green Ficus Pumila, to the dark green of the Pellionia, to the vibrant green of the moss.

























Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Looks good...good work!


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## jakemestre (Nov 3, 2009)

Nice work! It's always amazing to see how fast a tank grows in. With the exception of marcgravia that is. That stuff is slower than a snail for months, then it takes off.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

jakemestre said:


> Nice work! It's always amazing to see how fast a tank grows in. With the exception of marcgravia that is. That stuff is slower than a snail for months, then it takes off.


For sure! The Marcgravia showed no signs of growth until late June, and put out a new shoot in early July. Less than 2 months later and that shoot is almost 1' long.

All of that moss growth on the trunk is less than 2 months also.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

That tank would look cool (imo) with some real or fake shelf fungi on flat parts of the walls and/or tree trunk. 

Here is a set of shelf fungi you could install...








MSH1
And larger single ones...
NW301

Taxidermy shops have a lot of stuff that could be useful for viv construction and the prices compared to what you'd pay if this stuff were for vivs/aquariums is either competitive or down kinda nutz (in a good way). They make displays to that put many vivs to shame but there is no reason we can't do that and substitute in live plants. So that is the direction I'm going... A fusion of High end taxidermy like displays with some aquascaping influence, and traditional viv building techniques with. 

Check this out a life like 43" tall stump/branch for under $50


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

If I were in your place I would replace the variegated pumila with a Marcgravia (Or something with similar growth habit.) and put some cool Anthurium on the right side for some dense undergrowth.


Don't get me wrong, the tank looks good as it is. Just a suggestion


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Dendro Dave said:


> That tank would look cool (imo) with some real or fake shelf fungi on flat parts of the walls and/or tree trunk.
> 
> Here is a set of shelf fungi you could install...
> 
> ...


That's a really good idea. It would add a lot of character. I have a shelf mushroom growing in another viv... How would I go about transplanting it and starting growth in this one? Can one culture fungi like that?


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Sammie said:


> If I were in your place I would replace the variegated pumila with a Marcgravia (Or something with similar growth habit.) and put some cool Anthurium on the right side for some dense undergrowth.
> 
> 
> Don't get me wrong, the tank looks good as it is. Just a suggestion


I'm leaning toward replacing it with a Raph or Marcgravia, but my wife really likes the variegated ficus for some reason. I gotta keep her happy so I can keep adding plants and frogs =)

I might just convince her it would look better, since I'm about to build a tank just for her anyway!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Trickishleaf said:


> That's a really good idea. It would add a lot of character. I have a shelf mushroom growing in another viv... How would I go about transplanting it and starting growth in this one? Can one culture fungi like that?


You could just try to do a spore print, or get spores by holding a cup under it and misting it and letting the water hopefully with spores drip into the cup and then throw that in another viv. It would all be in the timing, whether or not it had produced spores at that time. Also you can research the internet and places like shroomery.org for more info on how to do that and grow fungi. I'm a rank novice still in the research phase and haven't even gotten around to my glowing mushroom idea I proposed years ago. 

Intentional in viv fungi propagation seems to be hit/miss at best though from what I've read of other people attempts. So if you really want that shelf fungi look you're probably best off going with something like those fake ones I posted or making your own. 

You could easily carve expanding foam into a shelf fungi and then paint it to look more real. I think most polyurethane expanding foam holds up to painting, while actual styrofoam will melt.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

I took some of the shelf mushrooms forming in the other tank and wedged them into the bark of the tree. We'll see how they do.

If that fails, I'll make some artificial ones and put them on the walls and a few on the trunk.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Trickishleaf said:


> I took some of the shelf mushrooms forming in the other tank and wedged them into the bark of the tree. We'll see how they do.
> 
> If that fails, I'll make some artificial ones and put them on the walls and a few on the trunk.


It is unlikely they'll survive as fungi don't typically "root" like a plant. You basically just ripped the fruiting body off, like picking an apple from a tree. (but thats ok)

Because like the apple contains seeds that may grow, that fruiting body may have spores that eventually colonize your vivarium and give you more shelf fungi... 

So in a way your plan might work eventually but expect the transplant material to die.


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## roktman (Apr 10, 2013)

Dendro Dave said:


> It is unlikely they'll survive as fungi don't typically "root" like a plant. You basically just ripped the fruiting body off, like picking an apple from a tree. (but thats ok)
> 
> Because like the apple contains seeds that may grow, that fruiting body may have spores that eventually colonize your vivarium and give you more shelf fungi...
> 
> So in a way your plan might work eventually but expect the transplant material to die.


Really great viv!

FYI & FWIW, I was reading online somewhere that when the shelf 'shrooms dry they get "woody" and people have given them a poly coating and either display them that way or once sealed can make resin casts from them.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Been a bit since I posted an update in this thread.

I cleaned the glass and rearranged the lighting some. The moss and ficus has been growing pretty insane. I had to pull one of the broms too, as it had rotted.

The new lighting seems tend to itself to much better photos.

Let me know what you think!


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

Simply amazing!!! I love how much it has grown in and settled.


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## jdgators (Oct 27, 2012)

Really inspiring! One of the best arboreal builds I've seen, had been looking to do one like this a while back, but never followed through. I particularly love the bark texture!


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

Plant growth has been quite good lately. I figured I'd post a few pics...
Saxifraga Stolonifera









Oak leaf ficus









Neo. Madrid pup








Begonia Glabra









Pep. prostrata and Bulbophyllum sp.









Marcgravia Rectifolia, Pep. Prostrata and Sphagnum









Forest floor...









And finally, added some mini orchids.
Epidendrum Schlecterianum on the left and Dendrobium Hemimelanoglossum on the right.









Not my picture, but this is what the Dendrobium looks like in bloom


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