# New Riparium Setup: Low-light & Easy Plants



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I am working on a new riaparium setup in a Perfecto 56-gallon Column tank. I picked it up on sale just the other night.










My general plan for substrate is to use a light-colored coarse sand with larger stones and manzanita branches that will stand up erect out of the water. My 65 has a manzanita layout similar to what I have in mind.










That tank also has a shape similar to the Perfecto column, but it is 6" wider. The column is 30" wide, (24" tall and 18" deep [front-to-back]) so it's shape is more like a cube.

I am selecting plants with the idea of maintaining low to moderate light and moderate humidity. I also have plant size and shape in mind. This tank has quite a bit of room, so I can include some larger specimens.


----------



## azure89 (Jan 5, 2009)

Nice tank  All those plants look really healthy


----------



## azure89 (Jan 5, 2009)

What kind of lights do you use?


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I got some plants in there the other night. This setup is temporary while I work I work on the stand, but it gives an idea of what the display will look like.










It will also give the plants a chance to acclimate to conditions inside of the tank. Mostly I have a lot of _Spathiphyllum_ peace lilies in there--six different varieties I think. A couple of these are too big and coarse. I have a couple more peace lilies, dwarf varieties, on the way mail order too and I am interested to see those.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Are the plants fully sumberged under water?
I've always wanted to have a larger water feature but to maximize space have lots of plants in the water feature itself so the frogs could hang around the leaves over the water.

From my knowledge of spatiphyllum it wouldn't do well fully sumberged in water.


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

This will only be filled to a little more than 1/3 with water. This display is just for fish in the underwater area and plants in the emersed area. I will add a few fully aquatic plants to the gravel on the bottom, but all of the above water plants are hung on the rear pane of glass or floating.


----------



## jclee (Jul 13, 2009)

I've never created a riparium, and while I conceptually understand how you've suction cupped these plants (and it looks like you've sealed driftwood to the glass in the back for the larger mass?) , I'd like to know the name(s) of the gadgets and resources you've used to plant the side-pieces just above the waterline. It looks like a great method that allows for flexibility in design, as you can re-arrange at whim. I would love to try something like this, but it's a little new to me, and I wouldn't even know exactly what to go shopping for to emulate it.

(Apologies, in advance, for those to whom this seems basic; I've only found this site, and so much of the more detailed work is very new to me. I've mostly created aquascapes, or vivariums. I'm still soaking in the learnin' left and right. )


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

jclee said:


> I've never created a riparium, and while I conceptually understand how you've suction cupped these plants (and it looks like you've sealed driftwood to the glass in the back for the larger mass?) , I'd like to know the name(s) of the gadgets and resources you've used to plant the side-pieces just above the waterline. It looks like a great method that allows for flexibility in design, as you can re-arrange at whim. I would love to try something like this, but it's a little new to me, and I wouldn't even know exactly what to go shopping for to emulate it.


I had some other explanation over on this other thread...

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/41905-few-my-planted-ripariums.html

I have some other links that I can offer too I just have to go dig them up.

These are a lot of fun to set up. I especially enjoy exploring the very wide range of plants that grow pretty well in riparium setups. I have bloomed a number of nice flowering plants in these, including rain lilies, _Zephyranthes_ sp.:


----------



## jclee (Jul 13, 2009)

Thank you, so much. I've got a lot of learning and conceptualizing to do before I even think of starting one of these. I might pester you with questions in the future.


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Well just let me know whenever any questions might come to mind. These systems really are pretty easy to set up. This one is going to be especially simple because I am using hardy, easy-to-grow and undemanding plants.


----------



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

xI added some sand to the tank to start it cycling. Here is some of the Branco Forest Sand.










I added a pinch of fish food to the bottom of each of these snap-top dishes. After pouring in the sand I then squeezed the mulm from a dirty sponge filter in one of my livebearer breeding tanks. 










Keeping the sand in those containers will facilitate tear down and set up when I move the tank into its permanent spot.


----------

