# Simple Buttress Roots Build



## Azriel

Hey everyone. After making my first vivarium I realized I wasn't quite happy with it and wanted to start over. So I'm planning to get a 36x18x24 exo-terra, and I want to try the buttress root look for this one. I think I'm not going to include a water feature on this one. I like the look of them, but I decided they take up too much floor space for terrestrial frogs. So I'll post my plans for this new build, and I'm hoping you guys will chime in with suggestions!  

I really want to keep this vivarium simple and elegant. I think I want one big tree right in the center and I might do no background. Maybe I'll make some vines to trail down the tree trunk. If I do include a background, I'll just use ecoweb and grow one or two varieties of creeping plants (I'm thinking creeping fig and oak leaf creeping fig, along with riccia maybe). I'm leaning towards no background right now though, for a cleaner look. Around the base of the tree, I'll plant a few similar varieties of ferns, selaginella, and some creeping ground cover plants. I want to include a few orchids, but I'm unsure about how/where to plant them right now. 

Inside the tree trunk I'll have a PVC pipe with a computer fan in it to circulate air inside the tank. I'm thinking of having one intake at the base of the tree and one or two outflows at the top of the tree, pointed towards the front glass to help keep it clear. I'll have a false bottom with egg crate, and the substrate will be ABG mix with leaf litter on top. I'll have a mist-king misting system too. 

I also want to drill a hole and install a bulkhead somewhere at the bottom for water drainage. I suppose I could attempt this myself, but maybe to be on the safe side (since I'm afraid of messing up) I'll call around to see where I can have this done. 

Here's a sketch of my plan for the buttress tree placement and an idea of the air vent locations. 









And here's the beginning of the buttress roots. I have a lot of carving to do...


----------



## stevenhman

Nice start. Are you going to grout it or try drylok? GS foam can be a little wonky when it comes to carving it after it cures - there can be large(ish) air pockets in all the wrong places. That is, if GS is what you were going to use to 'fill out' the main curves of the tree trunk and roots.

Don't stress about drilling glass. It's really easy as long as you go slow. There are a few nice tutorials here on DB and probably a bunch of videos on youtube as well. I would recommend drilling the back instead of the bottom.


----------



## Azriel

stevenhman said:


> Nice start. Are you going to grout it or try drylok? GS foam can be a little wonky when it comes to carving it after it cures - there can be large(ish) air pockets in all the wrong places. That is, if GS is what you were going to use to 'fill out' the main curves of the tree trunk and roots.
> 
> Don't stress about drilling glass. It's really easy as long as you go slow. There are a few nice tutorials here on DB and probably a bunch of videos on youtube as well. I would recommend drilling the back instead of the bottom.


Thanks for the reply! Maybe I will try drilling the glass myself then. I read through a couple of threads here on DB about it, but it still seems a little daunting. 

I'm not sure yet about what to cover the tree with. So people typically use either the drylok or the grout method it sounds like? Any insight on which is better?


----------



## suztor

In way of great stuff I recommend using the red can not the blue. 

I'm on my phone and can't link to my build but I'm working on something very similar. Search "29 gal for bahkuis pair build". I explain on there why I suggest that. I'll link you to it tomorrow when I'm at a computer.


----------



## Azriel

suztor said:


> In way of great stuff I recommend using the red can not the blue.
> 
> I'm on my phone and can't link to my build but I'm working on something very similar. Search "29 gal for bahkuis pair build". I explain on there why I suggest that. I'll link you to it tomorrow when I'm at a computer.


I saw your build, it looks nice! I already have the black GS for ponds leftover from my first build, so I'm going to use that.


----------



## Azriel

Here's a little idea of how I want it to look when it's planted.


----------



## jibfest

Looks good so far. Drilling glass is way easier than you think! I've bought my glass bit off ebay for $8, When I started into this I was a little sketched about drilling glass also, I got quotes as high as $25 per hole!
I like the buttress root idea but think it would be more aesthetically pleasing if you brought it a little to one side or the other instead of directly in the middle. I think the law of thirds can help out alot in construction/planting. 
Also I would recomend a few out crops (driftwood, cork tubes etc) at different levels if you plan on any orchids. I think your on the right track with the CPU fans, I have seen a drastic improvement in overall plant health since I started adding fans to my vivs, IME with a misting set up I dont think the 2 along the back will be enough to keep the front glass clear. You will likely need to add 2 or 3 more to blow down directly on the glass. Hope this helps a little.


----------



## eyeviper

I like the Idea a lot, really well thought out. google the rule of thirds you will see what they mean by offsetting the trunk just a little for it to be even more visually pleasing...to some anyway. your fan idea is good, circulation helps a lot and you will cretainly need more fans to keep the glass clear or make enough room in the trunk to house one of the larger CPU ans you you might get away with it. What will you be coating the tree with?


----------



## Pumilo

Drilling glass is easy. Lots of video tutorials on utube. Here is my thread on it. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/58594-how-drill-your-glass.html


----------



## Azriel

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I am very familiar with the rule of thirds (I started out as an art major after all) but I'm purposefully ignoring it for this tank. Maybe I'll reconsider though.


----------



## Azriel

Today I got some much appreciated help from my dad and my husband to carve and sand the tree stump. 



















Then I cut a hole near the bottom for the air circulation intake vent. 









And cut a hole at the top for the air circulation outlet vent.









And then used Great Stuff to cover up the gaps. I will sand it down to a smooth surface once it cures. 









We're picking up the tank on Monday.


----------



## BethInAK

looks fantastic!!! are you going to keep it smooth or give it texture with grout or what? 

I need to make a tree trunk for a six foot tall gecko tank, so I'm watching this pretty carefully.


----------



## Azriel

BethInAK said:


> looks fantastic!!! are you going to keep it smooth or give it texture with grout or what?
> 
> I need to make a tree trunk for a six foot tall gecko tank, so I'm watching this pretty carefully.


Thanks! I've never worked with grout before, would I be able to give it texture with that do you think? Or is it thin like paint, so wouldn't really add texture? I was planning to just carve some details into the foam and then cover it with drylok tinted a nice tree-like color.


----------



## LarryLee

hi Im new to the site and wanted to say.... that is going to be one awsome tree...
Im watching to see your out come..... nice so far..
from what i remember grout will work similar to peanutbutter....
nice job...
Larry


----------



## goku

congrats Azriel that looks really good!! I always thought of doing something similar, but I really didn't know how..I think it will look good in any way you cover it

greetings!


----------



## Azriel

Thanks Larry and goku. Good to know about the grout.


----------



## stevenhman

Nice Carving! 

You can vary the consistency of the grout by adding more water.


----------



## Azriel

stevenhman said:


> Nice Carving!
> 
> You can vary the consistency of the grout by adding more water.


Oh that is great to know, thanks!


----------



## Azriel

I made some progress on carving the tree stump today. Using this photo as my inspiration, I tried carving grooves in the roots to make them look more realistic. I hope I was successful at that... I also covered the vents with black screen (holding the screens down and blending them in by putting great stuff around them) and made little ledges for the fan to sit on inside the tree stump.


----------



## hydrophyte

You did a great job with this!


----------



## Azriel

hydrophyte said:


> You did a great job with this!


Thanks, I'm not done yet though! I feel like the hardest part is yet to come, but that's probably just because I've never worked with grout before.  I admire your tanks, especially your paludariums.


----------



## Tomoko Schum

Wow, it looks so great! 
I would like to do a similar build for my vivarium. I am a complete newbie to PDF. Would you please tell me what you used to construct the tree and where I might be able to find out how to do it?


----------



## Azriel

Tomoko Schum said:


> Wow, it looks so great!
> I would like to do a similar build for my vivarium. I am a complete newbie to PDF. Would you please tell me what you used to construct the tree and where I might be able to find out how to do it?


I consider myself somewhat of a newbie too, I've never even had any frogs yet! Just do a search on Dendroboard or on google for DIY buttress roots, and you should find lots of build threads to help you. Also, I don't know if this video is from someone on here or not, but I found this how-to video on youtube that was helpful for me. 





The foam is just the stuff they use for insulating homes, you can get it at a home improvement store.


----------



## Azriel

I did the first coat of the base color today! What do you guys think of the color, is it good? I think I like it.


----------



## Azriel

After adding some highlights and lowlights. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it yet, or if I'm going to keep working on painting it more. I think I might need to add a little darker lowlights for the deepest crevices and maybe a few lighter highlights in the highest spots... 










Oh and on the suggestion of my husband, I decided to paint over the black screens. It worked pretty well because they blend in a lot better now, but still allow plenty of air flow through them.


----------



## suztor

It's looking good! I'm working on a similar build but using cement.

I'm going to suggest (from recent personal experience) adding to your high spots making them a little more extreme. Just make a fairly dry mix(still wet but not at all runny) of morter so that its a little more moldable and accent your heights by adding it in sorta of rows then gently smoothing and blending with a wet paint brush.

It'll make it easier when you want to paint in finding better contrasts.

I explain it some with pics that might help here http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/77085-29g-build-d-tinc-bakhuis-pair.html


----------



## eyeviper

Looks great, I agree with your thought. you need to add some more defined shadowing and tones. google some trunk pictures and see the amount of variation in them I think it will help place the paint in natural areas. good idea on painting the screen too. keep at it! following along. maybe add some vines?


----------



## Dendroguy

take some green and reddish brown and make lichen and moss


----------



## Azriel

Thank you, thank you for the suggestions! It helps a lot.  Didn't have a chance to work on it again today, but hopefully soon.


----------



## josh_r

Azriel said:


> Thank you, thank you for the suggestions! It helps a lot.  Didn't have a chance to work on it again today, but hopefully soon.


If you find yourself skipping the fine detail on your build, I wouldn't worry about it too much. There is a good chance that any detailed lichen, moss or whatnot will just get grown over by real moss, thus adding your detail  it's looking pretty good and I really like the idea of running the ventilation through it! Nice job!

Josh


----------



## Azriel

josh_r said:


> If you find yourself skipping the fine detail on your build, I wouldn't worry about it too much. There is a good chance that any detailed lichen, moss or whatnot will just get grown over by real moss, thus adding your detail  it's looking pretty good and I really like the idea of running the ventilation through it! Nice job!
> 
> Josh


That's a very good point.  Thanks!


----------



## thedigipix

VERY COOL! now to add a fogger to blow out a bottom vent would be cool too


----------



## Azriel

A fogger would be awesome, but I think I'll have to hold off on that until another time/another build. 

I did a lot more detail painting today, and I think I'm done now. I'm pretty happy with it.  Even though you'll probably never see the top of the stump when it's in the vivarium, I felt like adding some details to it anyways. 




























This is the lid. My plan is that it will be pressed up against the top pane of glass, which will be removable.


----------



## Vinnner

Very impressed! Thats is some awesome work, and can not wait to see this build!

Vinny


----------



## stevenhman

I liked painted version 2 much better. Good job!


----------



## Grrrit

That is very nice! I really dig it.


----------



## eyeviper

Looks awesome! you made the whole thing pop. cant wait to see it in your viv.


----------



## Azriel

Thanks for the nice comments. 

The fun continues! I added some vines today. It's really starting to look how I imagined it would now. I just used some sisal rope (hopefully that was an okay choice) and covered it in a drylok/acrylic paint/coco fiber mixture. Then while it was still wet I coated it with some dry coco fiber for more texture. I made several vines.














































Here's the finished product:



























And some detail shots:


----------



## SNAKEMANVET

It looks great,If you don't mind me asking but what did you use to hold the vines in place after removeing the tape.


----------



## Azriel

SNAKEMANVET said:


> It looks great,If you don't mind me asking but what did you use to hold the vines in place after removeing the tape.


I just used the drylok/acrylic paint mixture as a glue to hold the vines in place. I painted it on the back of the vines, pressed it onto the tree trunk, and then held it in place with the tape until it dried.


----------



## SNAKEMANVET

Thanks,the roots really set it off.Will look even better when moss starts growing on it.


----------



## Azriel

I was looking at some photos of real tree trunks, and realized it would be really cool to add some roots that look like they're growing up out of the ground, and then growing back under the soil again. So I made three separate pieces to emulate this look. Hopefully they'll look pretty sweet once I get the false bottom built and the soil and leaf litter placed around them!


----------



## eyeviper

Looks sick, i like the added root idea.


----------



## wimvanvelzen

Can only add to the chorus: great job. The added roots are nice indeed, although I am not quite sure if buttress root trees form these as well. Anyone knows?


----------



## Lifeguard

That looks awesome. I have got to try this.


----------



## hydrophyte

This is awesome!


----------



## Azriel

Thanks guys! I'm happy it turned out so well; I've never worked with foam before, so I was a little unsure at first. 

That's a good point, maybe these trees don't form these type of roots in nature. I would be interested to find out, but in all honesty I'll probably keep them anyway, just because I like how it looks!  haha 

Picking up supplies for the false bottom tomorrow, I'm hopefully going to be getting some free egg crate from someone on craigslist.


----------



## jpstod

I wish I had the Time, the patience and the skill to do stuff like this..


----------



## GRIMM

That looks sweet. And when I visit Mexico there are sometimes other roots/vines on the sides of buttress trees, so they arent unnatural. Im sure you might find this out once you add substrate/leaves, but for next time make sure to oversize the height of the horizontal roots. Unless you set the stump directly ontop of substrate already covered in leaves, most of your nice smaller detailed roots will be hidden. Especially once you add plants for sure.

And feel free to call me the official thread creep, but your husband is a lucky dude. It would be nice to find a girl that is creative and interested in stuff like this. No breath holding here though lol


----------



## josh_r

Looks super gooooooooooodddd!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the awesomeness!!


----------



## eyeviper

HAHAHA...I totally agree with you Grimm.


----------



## Azriel

GRIMM said:


> That looks sweet. And when I visit Mexico there are sometimes other roots/vines on the sides of buttress trees, so they arent unnatural. Im sure you might find this out once you add substrate/leaves, but for next time make sure to oversize the height of the horizontal roots. Unless you set the stump directly ontop of substrate already covered in leaves, most of your nice smaller detailed roots will be hidden. Especially once you add plants for sure.
> 
> And feel free to call me the official thread creep, but your husband is a lucky dude. It would be nice to find a girl that is creative and interested in stuff like this. No breath holding here though lol


Oh that's good to know! I do want this vivarium to look natural. 

I tried to take that into account as I was building this. The stump is going to be about 6 inches or so off the bottom of the tank so that it will sit on top of the substrate, and I'll try to arrange the leaf litter around the roots so they don't get covered up too much. I know lots of it will end up getting covered in plant growth anyway, but that's okay.  To be honest, just knowing the details are there (even if I can't see all of them) will make me happy. haha 

Thank you, and let me just say that I am just as lucky to have him.  

As always, thanks for the comments guys!


----------



## Azriel

Alright guys, so I need some input on something. I'm debating whether I want to put ecoweb on the bottom 1/3 of the background just for something that plants (probably an upward-growing selaginella) can cling to as they grow upwards. The other option is to just leave the background completely bare, which was my original plan. I never wanted to cover the entire background, because I don't think that would look very natural, but I was thinking covering just the bottom 1/3 in ecoweb might look natural enough once the plants grow in on it. What do you guys think? 

Here's my initial plan, background is completely bare:









I tried to make some drawings and ms paint drawings of how it would look with the ecoweb:
(The dark gray part in this photo is where the ecoweb would go)

















I _think_ I'm leaning toward the ecoweb idea at the moment... If nothing else, it would create a nicer background than the bare wall when I'm taking photos of the frogs!


----------



## DemonicalEnvy

So far it looks fantastic. As far as the background it really matters what you think. Just a couple of suggestions would be do what you had in mind or black it out those are my thoughts anyway.


----------



## Azriel

Nothing too exciting, just made the false bottom today. I made a want ad on craigslist for egg crate in the off chance someone had some lying around, and what do you know, somebody actually did! Can't beat free


----------



## jpstod

Since you do great work may I suggest that you do several Smaller Stumps for the Back Portion of Glass to give the Background even more Depth. Not as Large and Deep to give the Tank Background a sense of proportional depth.

Ecoweb Would look good once Covered by Plants also..Works great for a Drip Wall..


----------



## snake54320

Very very, very nice work, I really mean it !
Just when you glue it defenetly into the tank, I would put it uncentered, a little on the right (or left...)
Also, for the back round, why not xaxim panels ?


----------



## Azriel

snake54320 said:


> Very very, very nice work, I really mean it !
> Just when you glue it defenetly into the tank, I would put it uncentered, a little on the right (or left...)
> Also, for the back round, why not xaxim panels ?


Thank you! Normally I really love the asymmetrical look (all my fish tanks are set up this way) but for this one I wanted a centered look.


----------



## Azriel

Alright, you guys win... my husband kept bugging me about it too, so I finally decided to put the tree stump off-centered a little bit. 

since my last update, I have drilled the tank for drainage, picked up two sweet orchids at the MN orchid show, and got the ecoweb in the mail and cut that to fit. I also ordered my MistKing system which should be here on Thursday. I went with the ultimate value system and got two double misting nozzles. 

Here's the thread on drilling my tank: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/78369-drilling-glass-my-first-attempt.html









Here are the orchids I got! I think I'll try to mount them onto the tree stump with the hot glue method.



























Ecoweb pics...



























I'm going to try to get selaginella and maybe the moss that NEherp sells to completely cover the ecoweb.


----------



## eyeviper

KEEP BUILDING!! it looks great, I love the orchids, you got a nice selection there. will you be doing leaf litter or trying to get a covering of moss or similar?


----------



## Azriel

eyeviper said:


> KEEP BUILDING!! it looks great, I love the orchids, you got a nice selection there. will you be doing leaf litter or trying to get a covering of moss or similar?


Thanks! I think I'll do mostly leaf litter, but I do want an area with just moss on the ground too.


----------



## steven2213

Amazing  i love it makes me want to setup another tank 

steve


----------



## eyeviper

It will look sweet no matter what.


----------



## Azriel

Alright everything is siliconed in place, and I got my mistking in the mail! 





































To hide all cords and water tubing behind the tree stump:









Drain:









Now to wait for the silicone to fully cure...


----------



## Judy S

so what are you doing with the ecoweb?? Are you using it in place of a substrate/FB?


----------



## Azriel

Judy S said:


> so what are you doing with the ecoweb?? Are you using it in place of a substrate/FB?


No, I have an egg-crate false bottom. The eco web I have cut into two pieces and siliconed onto the back (just covering the bottom 1/3 of the background, the rest is going to be left open). I'm going to grow plants on it.


----------



## Shinosuke

That looks GREAT! Wish I had those kind of skills!

Any particular reason you didn't want a full background?


----------



## Azriel

Shinosuke said:


> That looks GREAT! Wish I had those kind of skills!
> 
> Any particular reason you didn't want a full background?


Thanks.  I wanted a very simple, open, and clean look for this vivarium. I like the look of those euro-style vivs where there is no background, but just one large tree/root structure in the middle with plants all over it. So I wanted to create a somewhat similar, but not identical, look with my vivarium.


----------



## freaky_tah

Nicely done! I think it will look nice with the open background after plants have time to grow in.

Any idea as to what the inhabitants are going to be?


----------



## Azriel

freaky_tah said:


> Nicely done! I think it will look nice with the open background after plants have time to grow in.
> 
> Any idea as to what the inhabitants are going to be?


Thanks! I think it looks nice with the open background even without plants. Something odd about me is that I always prefer the initial hardscape of the tank to how it looks after it's planted.  So I'm going to try to plant this tank minimally so I still like it once it's finished!  I do want to get some sort of moss to completely cover the ecoweb panels though. 

I'm still trying to decide on what frogs to get. I really like the look and size of mint terribilis, but I don't like how they lunge at their food when they eat. That might seem silly, but one of the things I really like about dart frogs is that they look at their food intently and then grab it with their tongue while the rest of their body stays still!  So I'm thinking about a tinctorius morph as a possibility as well. I like cobalts, matechos, citronellas, giant oranges, and green sipaliwinis. Too hard to choose! I also like green and black auratus, but I'm afraid they'll hide all the time.


----------



## freaky_tah

Haha well it sounds like you have some narrowing down to do! Don't leave out the Epipedobates, they're fun too


----------



## Azriel

Just a small update for tonight. I finally figured out how to get the cord through the top for my fan and temp/humidity sensor. For the fan, I just decided to bite the bullet and buy a second, smaller, diamond drill bit. This one was 3/16". This worked for the fan wire, because I could just disconnect the wires from the adapter wire, pull the wire through the hole I drilled in the glass, and then connect them back up. I then sealed the gaps with hot glue, and I chose hot glue because it would be easy to remove and redo if I ever need to. 



























The temp/humidity sensor was more difficult though, because there was no way to disconnect the wire to pass it through a small hole. I eventually just ended up drilling a large hole, and then cutting a slit in a mistking nozzle protector (those white caps they ship the nozzles with). This cap fit perfectly in the hole I drilled. I sealed this up with hot glue as well. 



























If you're wondering why I didn't just have them cut the corner at a 45 degree angle to get all my cords through, it's because they weren't able to make angled cuts at Lowes. So I had to figure out another option, and honestly I think I like this solution better anyway!


----------



## LarryLee

first I must say Awsum!!!!!!!!Im going to go buy some foam and get started soon..... still not sure of what frogs I want..... wife is freaking out cuz the ones I want are expensive......she thinks $30 is too much!! (Iwant the strawberry frogs!!!) they average 4 times that each.....
so its looking like im going to end up with some blue Azureus.....dont matter though as im still a couple months or more away before i get frogs....
Really nice job...
Larry


----------



## Judon

Great build! 

I know this sounds sexist, but it's wonderful to see a woman who's into "arts and crafts" that are of a different nature.  

Sub'd...


----------



## Azriel

I tested out the misting system today. The mist definitely goes all over the place, even with the fan turned off. But the fan and the vents clear the front glass pretty well, so I'm happy with it. I sterilized a couple of orchids and added them to the tank, attaching them to the stump using hot glue. 





































Video of testing out the misting system:


----------



## Azriel

I got the ABG mix and a bunch of riccia in the mail today.

Added the ABG...









Here's the riccia...









After adding riccia...









I found a huge potted lemon button fern at Home Depot a while ago. Today I broke half of it up into smaller pieces, removed all the dirt, and bleached them. Here they are all cleaned up and ready to be planted...









After adding the ferns...


















I'm going to add leaf litter soon, but I am going to keep some of the front open for the riccia to carpet.


----------



## goof901

wow!!!!! that looks amazing. are you gonna add anything to give it a contrasting color, like something red?


----------



## hydrophyte

Wonderful!


----------



## Azriel

Some more photos.  Sorry they are not the greatest, I need a new camera.




























Pleurothallis allenii has a flower bud!


















The coco hut is tucked into the back left corner.









Some "frog's eye view" pictures just for fun.


----------



## eyeviper

It looks awesome! I like how you kept minimal types of plants, it makes everything flow. your orchids will really stand out against the bright green. You should look at red frogs, or leucs. I think they would really stand our against the style you have. galacs would look great. or the epidido's would look great too.


----------



## Azriel

eyeviper said:


> It looks awesome! I like how you kept minimal types of plants, it makes everything flow. your orchids will really stand out against the bright green. You should look at red frogs, or leucs. I think they would really stand our against the style you have. galacs would look great. or the epidido's would look great too.


Thanks! There are too many choices in frogs, I'm having a really tough time narrowing it down! Right now I'm leaning toward matechos I think.


----------



## Azriel

I added some leaf litter today and got some better photos of the viv too. I love having a little chunk of forest indoors.


----------



## Azriel

Too late to edit my last post to include this video.


----------



## stevenhman

Nice job - that must've been quite a bit of riccia, lol. Isn't having a misting system nice? 

The lemon button ferns I've had that got misted directly seemed to turn... a bit melty. If yours melt (I seem to have a black thumb at times though) some Microgramma sp. would look great in there too.


----------



## Azriel

stevenhman said:


> Nice job - that must've been quite a bit of riccia, lol. Isn't having a misting system nice?
> 
> The lemon button ferns I've had that got misted directly seemed to turn... a bit melty. If yours melt (I seem to have a black thumb at times though) some Microgramma sp. would look great in there too.


Good to know, thanks. I hope they don't melt!


----------



## brinkerh420

stevenhman said:


> Nice job - that must've been quite a bit of riccia


Yes, where did you get that riccia?! It looks amazing, so lush and green.

Awesome tank!

Will


----------



## Azriel

brinkerh420 said:


> Yes, where did you get that riccia?! It looks amazing, so lush and green.
> 
> Awesome tank!
> 
> Will


Thanks! I got the riccia from plantedaquariumscentral.com.


----------



## jordanthegreat3444

Very SEXY ass tank you got there chica!!! ;]


----------



## goof901

are the plants doing well getting rooted to the stump?


----------



## [email protected]

Design looks good cant wait to see the finished product!


----------



## eos

The tank is looking good! Nice job.


----------



## Azriel

Thanks for the nice comments everyone! 



goof901 said:


> are the plants doing well getting rooted to the stump?


One of the orchids seems to be dying back, but it's probably for a variety of reasons, including; I removed it from the wood slab it was growing happily on, I bleached it to sterilize it, and then I hot glued it (though I did wait for the glue to cool down quite a bit) onto the fake tree stump. But all those things combined probably took a toll. I'm hoping it will come back in time. The other orchid is doing great in comparison though, and it was subjected to all the same treatments.



[email protected] said:


> Design looks good cant wait to see the finished product!


Thanks! It _is_ finished though, more or less.


----------



## joekolko43

isn't riccia an aquatic moss. You can put aquatic mosses in a viv? By the way ur stump is the best one i ever saw. im gonna use ur technique for a 60 gal i have laying around. My only problem with building is that i SUCK at painting. THANKS


----------



## jermajestyg

Did you get the frogs yet?? Matechos??

Just wanting some updates, i was going to start a buttress build but wanted the roots more prominent to hold a small pond and sort of split up areas in the tank...

-Jeremy


----------



## BlueRidge

Where did you get the Ecoweb? I've been looking for it.


----------



## SNAKEMANVET

Your tank has turned out awesome.Great job


----------



## tgregoire

I think its time for an update on this beautiful creation!!!! Some grown in pics! PLEASE!


----------

