# Giant Terrarium



## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I have am unusual house and the entire front of it is a 8'x32' greenhouse. It was meant to be a passive solar home but it has never worked very well since I live in deep shade. 
Over the years it has been a regular greenhouse, a home for day geckos, a home for a 5' iguana and now a place for the hot tub. In one end it has a place open to the ground used for planting. I have never taken real advantage of this but it has a small pond and I am renovating it now. I want to turn this area in a place for mostly ferns but will try other things. I do not keep it warm during the winter but it almost never drops below 50F since it is sunken. The max temp in the summer is normally not more than 90 about 80-85 at ground level.

Here are some pictures after I cleaned it out.



















These pictures are from today after installing the Epiphyte wall which has a pool at the top where a fogger will come on periodically to keep the humidity up. It is made from a wood treated would frame covered with wire then plastic sheeting and then capillary mat. I will also periodically allow water to trickle down it to keep it moist. I intend to grow moss on it first.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Nice, that has a lot of potential Harry. Can't wait until we move to WA where we can buy a real house. THen the fun will begin, much to the chagrin of my husband. 

Just out of curiosity, what is your ambient humidity there in NC?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I am zone 7B. Summer highs are normally in the mid 90's but about 10 degrees cooler in the woods where I live. the winter lows are normally in the 20's at worst but a few nights may be colder. It has been 0f here but that is not at all normal.
I tend to stay a bit warmer at night and cooler during the day both winter and summer due to the trees I live in. I can't grow sun loving plants but shade loving plants love it here.

The balcony you see are sliding doors that open from my deb. You can look down on this space from there.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

So its like a pseudo deck? or balcony with no railing?  Just dont go falling off of it. I think a lot of shade plants are more fun anyway, partly because I HATE the hot sun. Is the hot tub going to stay in there? It could definately add a little heat and humidity in there during the winter.


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## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

That is awesome! I see alot of potential there. I wish I had a house with some space like that. Goodluck and keep us updated.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

There is a railing but it's just pipe at the moment. Used to be the structure of a fake log that is now long gone. I most likely will replace it with bamboo.
The hot tub is still in there but it stays covered most of the time but it does add heat when open as well as humidity.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Progress has been made. I have finished repainting the greenhouse structure and completed the pond at the top of the moss wall. I have also added the moss to the wall. That was a big job and now I'm tired!
So, here you go!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Sweeeeet.

Did you attach the moss with wire or??


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I lined the edges with galvanized nails and used nylon line to attached it like you would a mount. My hands are ruined from the nylon cutting them since I need to have a good feel and gloves were out of the question.

I think it turned out very nice. So, does anyone need any live northwest moss? I have about 15 lbs left!


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## dopederson (Mar 26, 2006)

Oh MAN! That is nice. What a cool little space you have there. That's going to be a great place to chill out and drink your coffee or tea or other beverage of choice... :lol:


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Yes, our plans are to have a table and 2 chairs next to this space for morning coffee.
I am also planning a tree for the left corner. It will have buttress roots made from treated lumber covered with wire and then coated with Portland cement coated capillary mat. I will add some peat moss to change the PH a bit. Never tried this but I think it will work.


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## MJ (Jun 16, 2005)

> since I need to have a good feel and gloves were out of the question


I used to use that line often in my younger days :lol: :wink: 

it's looking superb Harry I cant wait to see it planted!


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

MJ said:


> > since I need to have a good feel and gloves were out of the question
> 
> 
> I used to use that line often in my younger days :lol: :wink:
> ...



ha no doubt!


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## AndrewFromSoCal (Jan 1, 2007)

That is awesome. Buy me a house too?


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

This is awesome! Are you worried at all about the chemicals in treated wood though?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

The treated wood never comes in contact with water so there is little to no leaching.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Been a while since I posted. The balcony has been a chore so no much progress but the tiling is complete and I will grout this weekend. I will then work on the tree. The main log is in but I need to build the buttress roots and then I will be ready to add soil.
Here's a link to the album. 
http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/Pictures/tabid/191/AlbumID/534-753/Default.aspx


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## Axl (Dec 9, 2006)

Oww! Nice greenhouse! Some philodendrons species would be great on that back wall! Congrats!


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

The plan for the wall that is to the left and behind the balcony in this picture,









will be full of shingling Aroids such as 
Rhaphidophora celatocaulis
Rhaphidophora cryptantha
Rhaphidophora hongkongensis
Rhaphidophora hayii
Scrindapsus pictus
Monstera dubia

I will also grow a few Ficus such as one I have a Fuzzy Ficus which could be Ficus vilosa and Ficus pumila quercifolia.


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## Axl (Dec 9, 2006)

Nice... it will be a real jungle :lol:


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Now a question for anyone with experience growing fish. I have this pool in the space that is heated to about 75. I would like to include some fish in this pond but not koi or goldfish. I would like for them to be visible from the service. Any ideas or any resources to look at. I have had many fish over the years but always either outside or in aquariums.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

how deep is the water?

also, what do you have against goldfish? :wink:


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

It's about 2' at the deepest and 1 foot at the shallow end. It's one of the preforms you get at Lowes or HD. I suspect it may be 100 gallons.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

so what is is about goldfish you don't want?
the only reason I ask is I need to understand what you are looking for in a fish. There are many goldfish-like fish that stay smaller that I could recommend.

Do you want larger fish or small fish?

Generally for a dark-bottomed pond like that you want a wide-bodied fish with a brightly colored dorsum. That's why goldfish are so perfect for ponds. Most other fish will be invisible in a setup like that.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I just think goldfish are overdone. I was thinking something from SA or maybe even African Cichlids but not sure if I can do that. I would need to add some salt to the water and that may not work.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

75 is a little cool, but you could probably get away with it.
salt is not needed.......some hardness is needed for Africans but not South/Central Americans.

I assume it's soft water....not completely demineralized though I hope...?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Frankly I need to do some testing. It is from my well so it will not be really soft. Most of my experience with Cichlids comes form the 70's and most all were South American. African species were not widely available. I bred Kribensis.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

Most Africans are quite hardy. As long as your PH is above 7 and your hardness is sufficient to provide PH stability, you should be just fine.
Many of the Haplochromines have a really bright blaze on their forehead that really glows in a pond setting. If you get closer to making a decision and you want some advice and/or links to compatibility charts or specific forums let me know.

If you are interested in smaller fish, there are tons of minnows, danios, and livebearers that would thrive in there.

Looking good, Harry!


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Finally got some test strips and here are the numbers on the pond.
Nitrate 20ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Total Hardness (GH) 150ppm
Total Alkalinity (KH) 120ppm
PH 7.6
Temp 80F
I assume these are fairly good numbers. Comments? Think it's ready to stock. I think I will go small fish and would like to have some that school. I will be posting more pictures later this evening.


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## andy83 (May 31, 2006)

For heating issues you could always put in a heater. That would give you more control.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

It goes have a heater but I will have to monitor in the winter to make sure it is staying warm enough. I have placed a fair collection of Restrepia, Pleurothallis and other Pleurothalids in the wall. They should enjoy those conditions.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

OK, today's work is done. I got the balcony grouted and I have begun to bring in some of my Rhipsalis and place the strategically. I thinks it looks cool. I have also begun work on the tree roots. Not much yet. Here is the moss wall. I have been moving most of my Pleurothallids here. Hard to see but they are there.










Here's a link to the album:
http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/Pictures/tabid/191/AlbumID/534-753/Default.aspx


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

More work on the tree roots.


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## frasertheking (Jun 3, 2007)

*fish*

you could get some neon tetras for the pond . or if you want cheap and a load of guppys and swordtails .i have a ten gallon set up on the floor and there pretty easy to see from above


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I definately wanted to try some Neons but I'm just not to keen on swordtails although that may well be a good choice.

I have completed the tree except for sealing it after it dries. Here are the latest pictures


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## Mywebbedtoes (Jul 2, 2007)

Wow, this thing is so cool. Can you build one in my room? Free trip to California!


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## MJ (Jun 16, 2005)

Thats looking awesome harry!

I love rhipsalis 8)


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Thanks, I think it turned out pretty well for my first try. If it seems to hold up I will be writing an article and posting it on my web site about how I created the tree and the moss wall.

Pual, Im also a big fan of Rhips. I almost lost my collection completely last year after an attack of hungry squirrels ate about 10 pots of them. I had some of them for more than 10 years.

Wayne, it was really easy to make the tree but it was allot of work. We shall see how it holds up.


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

How did you color those roots?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

After I had the cement on them and dry I made a slurry coat of quick dry cement and bonding liquid. That gave me the base color. Before it dried I took acrylic paints and mixed up some colors to make it look sort of mossy on top and also add some dimension. I sort of dabbed them and blended to get the effect I wanted.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

The planting begins.









Here's the album link.
http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/Pictures/tabid/191/AlbumID/534-753/Page/0/Default.aspx


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I keep putting plants in here and it still needs more!

Here's the album

http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/Pictures/tabid/191/AlbumID/534-753/Page/1/Default.aspx

Here's a before and after.

*Before*










*After*


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Wow, Great Job!!


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

Totally amazing, Harry. And good--you made it big enough so I can live there.

Tell us the story of the disappearing green plastic garbage can behind the tree--what is really stored in there? How did you wrap the balcony rail? Are your greenhouses empty now--and the summer outside tables? That means you can order more plants. 

I'm sure you realize that you'll have to sit in the pool to take pictures of all the little bitty guys that surely will be blooming all over the corner moss wall. Got fish in there yet?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Well, the greenhouses are all almost full and I still have things to get in. I know I didn't have this many plants last spring when I took them out. :roll: 
I wrapped the railing with this stuff I found at Michael's (Craft Store) It's wire wrapped with raffia and coated with something to make it water resistant. I plan to give it a coating of Polyurethane.
The green trashcan was placed there so that I could bank soil up around the receptacle in that area. It is covered with some moss I have since I may need to get in there from time to time, I can't permanently cover it up.
No fish yet. I may get some minnow type fish today at Pet Smart just to get something in there.

I have a Sarcinula brighamii and Restrpia stricta flowering now and I'm not sitting in the water.


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## andrew__ (Sep 23, 2007)

White cloud minnows are a fantastic species you could try, they stay near the surface and will likely be easy to see thanks to the irridence on their side. Plus they can tolerate cooler temperatures if heating would be an issue.

Any plans for planting your pond?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Thanks, I will give them a try. I have a few ferns in the pond at the moment. I may try some other things such as Anubias, I have a few of them around. But, I don't want to fill it up. Any suggestions?


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Anubias would be nice. I'd add some Marsilea if you don't have some already.

For fish maybe some Heterandria formosa or Elassoma? Take care of any mozzies that end up in the pond.


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## andrew__ (Sep 23, 2007)

some water lilies could be a nice touch. And you can never go wrong with anubias, something like gracilis or hastifolia growing emergent could be nice in there.


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## HappyHippos1 (May 7, 2007)

Some advice ... DON'T buy fish from petsmart, riddled with disease.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Some better advice - almost every fish place will have issues with fish disease - quarentine them in a set up fish tank first, get them healthy, then put them in the pond. It's really the only way to get good fish into your pond, and especially good because you can see them better before they go in... and once you have disease in a pond, it can be super hard to get rid of it.

While Petsmart isn't perfect, saying that all the fish in Petsmart are diseased is a bit much, and is just flat out negative feed back rather than constructive feedback. Most larger fish places buy fish from wholesalers who buy from various fish suppliers/importers. Some of the stock is gorgeous, some of the stock is cronically ill, sometimes it varies depending on the shipment (I used to work in a Petsmart so I know this first hand). Smaller fish stores that carry the same fish are often buying from the same supplier, tho maybe thru a different wholesaler, than Petsmart. With fish, play it by case... choose a tank that has generally healthy looking fish in it, check that they've had the fish in that tank more than 4 days (stores like Petsmart have weekly deliveries, so ask them when they get new fish, and if they've put in new fish into that tank). If all the tanks are in the same filter systems (most are) check out what other sickly fish are struggling with and take note - you may or may not see it develop in the fish you purchase and it's good to have some knowledge of what the most likely suspects would be. Put your fish thru quarentine before you put them in the tank you want them to go into, treat them for what they need to be treated for. 

Dunno if there would be enough light for water lilies... they like a LOT of light!


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

That's good advice Cory. I can do that. My area is no where near bright enough for any lilies I have tried in my ponds outside in even brighter light. They just seem to exist. While the light is bright for most plants I grow. It is not bright enough for something like that. I may even lose color on some bromes that are down low. I need to get a light meter to measure the light. :shock: I'm going to be testing how cool Episcias can grow since the bottom area is covered in them. I have maybe 40 varieties of them there.
Almost everything seems to like this space so far but winter is ahead and that will be the measure of success.


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## andrew__ (Sep 23, 2007)

Something to look for in a fishstore: sponge filters in the tanks. This way they just use one big air pump for all tanks instead of one big sump/whatever else they might have, and disease doesn't spread. I don't shop in fishstores that don't have this.

Lilies can take surprisingly little light - I had one in a 38gal (18" high) that only had a 20W light on it (.5W/gal is basically considered inappropriate for growing plants) and I had a lily doing great. Don't know if it would flower with that little light but growing shouldn't be an issue. Look for them in fishstores where they'll be $10 instead of $40 if you're worried about them living :wink:


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

Time for an update, Harry!


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Your wish is my command! :mrgreen: 
Everything seems to be doing pretty good. The lowest temperature was last night and it was 50F. The plants on the floor are growing but slowly and the plants on the wall are doing well. I have added some Nepenthes on the wall to see how they will manage. I bought highland species because of the temperatures. Blooms seem to come and go but nothing spectacular. I received a ton of Episcia cuttings and believe it or not I have not had one die up till now. They are growing slowly but are growing. Once all the trees lose their leaves I will get more light and it may increase the daytime temp which is now about 65F.
I also have a few different species of Agapetes and Vireyas but they have not been integrated into the growing area yet. I may wait and try cuttings in the wall net spring. All the moss on the wall did not live but still looks OK . Here's the link to the latest pictures.
http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Here is a great shot from the balcony.


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

Hmmm--do I detect some jungle overgrowth inching toward the table? Oh, let's call it deliberate 'transitional segue design'. Yeah, that'll do it.

Are fish for the pond still in the thinking stage?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I have 3 small African Cichlids as an experiment. So far so good but they hide most of the time.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Maybe I missed it but do you plan on keepign any animals in here? The temps vary too much for most rainforest species but I'm sure their is something that'd work.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

There are a few treefrogs and anoles that came in on some plants but nothing other than that planned.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

Any updates on how this has faired through the winter, Harry?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I will take some pictures this week. Some things liked it (Columnea and Rhipsalis) and some things hated it (Episcia). All and all you won't be able to tell much difference.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

OK, I took some pictures as it stands today. Things are beginning to grow a bit but I have had losses over the winter. Mainly Episcias. I don't think any of them will survive the winter so now I know. Begonias have done OK but not great. Ferns and Selaginellas have done well. My moss all died but is still providing cover fro the wall and even growing back in some areas. Most all the Orchids have done well but not hardly any flowers. The 3 African cichlids I put in there are all doing great so I will maybe add some to the pond. Every plant I have tried had died. The water still reads fine so I think it's the light that is the problem. Rhipsalis of all species seem to love this space so I will like add my entire collection to the space if I can. The right root of my faux stump has split so I will need to work on the this summer.

My $94 fogger head bit the dust and it looks like there are no replacements so I will need to get a replacement for the entire thing. You can see in the pictures the still attached tags on the cheapo Neos so I will also need to take care of that.

All and all it is going well and so I plan 2 more re-dos this summer and will chronicle those also.
Plans for this space is to add more twig epiphytes as well as more Selaginella.

The view from my den. 8) 










http://www.cloudjungle.com/portal/D...lID=0&ItemID=5821&Border=White&sb=Name&sd=ASC


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Where is the tarzan vine for you to swing from?


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

:lol: 
I acrually wanted to find a vine or some vunes to place in there but I wasn't able to find anything I liked. I need to find someone that is pruning their grape vine.

One type of plant that has done really well but I did not mention is the genus Columnea. I have about 5 in there and most have done great. I will be adding some this summer.

The minimum temperature I hit thise winter in this space was about 50f. I had some heat but not much. I will most likely change out the unit heater I'm using now to a more efficient oil filled heater. Propane gas has priced itself out of the market at this point.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Just in case any of you went and tried to look at my gallery last night, some enterprising soul hacked into my database and deleted the pages. I have it restored now so you should be able to get to it.


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Any updates? It's been a while


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## earthtiger (Oct 12, 2011)

looks great - any updates?


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

As far as I know, Harry is no longer in the hobby. Sorry guys


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