# Mini Orch terrarium updates



## inka4040

Splitting this off from the build thread because of the pesky huge photos. 

Anyone interested in seeing the original 8 x 12 thread can do so here:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/85852-yet-another-mini-orchid-terrarium.html

And the build can be viewed here:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/170610-12-x-18-mini-orchid-fern-build.html

For the most part everything is doing well in here. Lots of new growth on most things, though a few plants are still giving me trouble. 

FTS as of a few days ago:









Calodictyon x telipogoniflora:









Top down of the front reservoir area:









NOID is pushing new growth that's more than 2x the size of older ones. Very interested to see what this ends up being, and hoping new leaves don't keep coming in bigger. 









Liverwort sold to me as notocyphus. Actual provenance unknown.


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## inka4040

Some more shots from this evening.


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## Otter

Those tanks look so nice love seeing the flowers too. very cool.


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## SDK

That is beautiful! Great job and thanks for sharing!


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## SpeciosaBlue

This is wonderful! Love the Masdies & Restrepias! I was wondering what the moss-like plant is thats growing in the 4th pic down, under your NO-ID? I'm about to start an orchid-heavy Viv build w/ some of my minis, & love the way yours looks! 

While I'm at it... what is the other plant that's growing with the moss under the NO-ID? (almost looks like Lepanthopsis/Lepanthes/Pleurothallis or something like that.. Unless its Peperomia, or something else non-orchid   lol)

Thank you very much!  & Keep up the good work!


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## topher

One of my fav vivs on here.. well done


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## hydrophyte

This is one of my favorites setups too.

And it is so small and simple.


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## Groundhog

Aw dude, stop, you are soo rubbing it in...

Seriously, we surrender....

For real: Hydrophyte is spot-on. Your set-up is great--so beautiful and healthy.

And this, ladies and gentlemen is how it's done--congratulations


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## Groundhog

inka4040 said:


> Some more shots from this evening.


What is the little fern to the left of the mini-sinningia?


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## inka4040

Thank you everyone for the kind words!



Groundhog said:


> What is the little fern to the left of the mini-sinningia?


It's Davallia parvula. Have had that tiny bit for years, but it's only finally done well since I moved it into this enclosure. Assuming the more consistent moisture is doing the trick. 




SpeciosaBlue said:


> I was wondering what the moss-like plant is thats growing in the 4th pic down, under your NO-ID? I'm about to start an orchid-heavy Viv build w/ some of my minis, & love the way yours looks!
> 
> While I'm at it... what is the other plant that's growing with the moss under the NO-ID? (almost looks like Lepanthopsis/Lepanthes/Pleurothallis or something like that.. Unless its Peperomia, or something else non-orchid   lol)
> 
> Thank you very much!  & Keep up the good work!


Thanks! The plant under the NOID orchid is lemmaphyllum microphyllum. I actually received a 4" pot of it, growing in that exact moss, from Charles Alford. If I had to hazard a guess, it looks really similar to what they call star moss in the aquarium hobby.


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## gnathaniel

Wow, great tank! I love how you used the wood piece, I'll definitely be referencing your threads whenever I get around to building a terrarium. BTW, the bracts on your NOID orchid's new growth make me think it's a Dendrochilum, maybe glumaceum or a related species.


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## FroggyKnight

That is a stunning tank. You have just completed every mini-orchid enthusiast's dream tank. Great job!

On second thought, its ugly, PURE ugly. You should mail it to me so you don't have to stare it anymore

John


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## KarmaPolice

Sneaky bastard,

just now saw this thread separated from your main build thread. Everything looks great, lush and happy. Great job as always and there are never too many pictures


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## inka4040

gnathaniel said:


> Wow, great tank! I love how you used the wood piece, I'll definitely be referencing your threads whenever I get around to building a terrarium. BTW, the bracts on your NOID orchid's new growth make me think it's a Dendrochilum, maybe glumaceum or a related species.


Thank you! I looked up Dendrochilum and notice that they seem to have something at least resembling pseudobulbs. My NOID does not, and the bract, as giant and fleshy as it starts out, dries out to a paper thin wisp around the stem of the maturing leaf. Additionally, the leaves are much wider and larger than they appear in my pictures. In any case, it's pushing another new leaf. Will see if i can get a better shot of the bract when I get home. 



FroggyKnight said:


> That is a stunning tank. You have just completed every mini-orchid enthusiast's dream tank. Great job!
> 
> On second thought, its ugly, PURE ugly. You should mail it to me so you don't have to stare it anymore
> 
> John


Thank you! This means a lot to me, especially because I learned everything right here on DB. The thought of being able to bring something back to the community is awesome.



KarmaPolice said:


> Sneaky bastard,
> 
> just now saw this thread separated from your main build thread. Everything looks great, lush and happy. Great job as always and there are never too many pictures


Thanks, dude! Glad you're still following along!


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## gnathaniel

inka4040 said:


> Thank you! I looked up Dendrochilum and notice that they seem to have something at least resembling pseudobulbs. My NOID does not, and the bract, as giant and fleshy as it starts out, dries out to a paper thin wisp around the stem of the maturing leaf. Additionally, the leaves are much wider and larger than they appear in my pictures. In any case, it's pushing another new leaf. Will see if i can get a better shot of the bract when I get home.


Good information, would rule out glumaceum as that species has an obvious pseudobulb. Not all Dendrochilum do, though, some have very insignificant pbulbs that stay hidden under the sheathing bracts. I've also noticed among the few species I grow that vegetative character can look really different depending on where and how I'm growing them.


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## inka4040

Here you can see the base of the NOID. The newest leaf still has the big fleshy bract. It's mostly dried on the other large leaf, and you can see on the small old leaves, that it basically disappears entirely. 









The new leaf is also a different shape from all the previous ones. Anyone want to hazard another guess?


















Pleurothallis dressleri. Hoping to see the blooms on this dude one day. 









Some random shots.


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## inka4040

This thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Also, does anyone know what the stringy looking orchid growing directly to the right of it is?










Thankfully it looks like there's a spike forming, so maybe we can finally get this thing ID'ed. Also great, because seeing the flower will make it a lot easier to decide whether it's worth rearranging the tank around for.


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## mitcholito

Looks like a Shoenorchis or a Appedicula sp.


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## inka4040

A couple from last night. More on the way, the mobile uploaded doesn't seem to allow me to attach more than 3 images.


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## tom855

Inspiring! Makes my feeble attempt at a first viv seem pretty lame. ...and to think I was going to post some pix of my attempt. LOL

Very nice!


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## inka4040

Thanks! If it makes you feel any better, my first attempt at a viv ended in unmitigated disaster when all the frogs succumbed to the heat last summer, after which I kind of just neglected it until everything died off. Nothing died in the 2nd one, but I didn't really get the results I wanted either. For now, this one is doing well enough, but it seems all of my bleaching and CO2 bombing was in vain, as I have recently started noticing snail damage. Womp womp... 

Also, please don't be shy about posting your viv here. The feedback I've gotten here has enabled me to make incremental progress with every successive enclosure that I've built. Couldn't have done it without posting stuff, and having these good folks pick it apart. 

A few more shots including a brand spanking new FTS. 



















Volunteer sinningias just poppin up urrvrywhere. 









Gonocormus finally pushing an appreciable amount of new growth!!










Just gotta say, I am absolutely in love with the Riccocarpus natans. Why this stuff isn't the only floating plant anyone in the aquarium/vivarium hobby uses, is absolutely beyond me. It seems to be spreading pretty well above the water line, but unfortunately, the snails seem to find it the most delicious. Little bastards. Being squished to death is not a brutal enough fate for them.


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## tom855

Thanks for the encouragement, and of course you are right. I've spent many years trying to "master" planted freshwater tanks, and I never would have been able to learn and do what I did without the help of folks on forum boards. 

I look forward to getting my tank shots posted, and look forward to updates of yours!

Tom


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## Bunsincunsin

Inka, this tank looks great! You have made a fantastic choice of plants for it. I especially love the little _Sinningia_ in bloom at the bottom.

Thanks for posting these updates - and keep them coming.


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## inka4040

tom855 said:


> Thanks for the encouragement, and of course you are right. I've spent many years trying to "master" planted freshwater tanks, and I never would have been able to learn and do what I did without the help of folks on forum boards.
> 
> I look forward to getting my tank shots posted, and look forward to updates of yours!
> 
> Tom


Very cool! I came here from the planted tank hobby as well. What forums were you on?



Bunsincunsin said:


> Inka, this tank looks great! You have made a fantastic choice of plants for it. I especially love the little _Sinningia_ in bloom at the bottom.
> 
> Thanks for posting these updates - and keep them coming.


 Thanks, I definitely will! By the way, your Ecuadorian cylinder is one of my favorite setups on DB.


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## FroggyKnight

This is such an awesome tank and it just keeps getting better. Truly great, keep it up 

John


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## inka4040

Thank you so much!


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## tom855

inka4040 said:


> Very cool! I came here from the planted tank hobby as well. What forums were you on?


Spent tons of time on plantedtank.net. Fantastic site for the planted aquarium hobby. AquaticPlantCentral was good too. Spent wayyyy to much money through the classified on both of them.


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## inka4040

Haha. I was more of an aquariacentral guy til that forum took a major turn for the worse. Did plantedtank.net for a bit, but got really burnt out on all of the stupid drama and misinformation on aquarium forums in general. I'm inka4041 over there. I know what you mean about the classifieds section. The amount of money I've dropped into rare crypts over the years is absolutely stupid. Especially since all I do is low tech tanks. Thankfully, got all of my buces trading away some of my mini orchs.


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## FroggyKnight

tom855 said:


> Spent tons of time on plantedtank.net. Fantastic site for the planted aquarium hobby. AquaticPlantCentral was good too. Spent wayyyy to much money through the classified on both of them.


Hey, I joined The Planted Tank not long ago! I'm on most of the planted tank/reef/dart forums, but Dendroboard is the only one I have really stuck to. Hope to see ya around

John


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## tom855

I was (for my final years in the hobby) a low tech guy myself. I liked it a lot better, and it was amazing how much you could easily grow. I really enjoyed the idea of "mastering" something, and planted tanks were far from simple. I'm now down to two moss & shrimp tanks (10g & 5g), with two shrimp species in each. I'm using some of those proceeds to fund my spending spree on things on this board. 

Now I'm kind of looking at my two shrimp tanks and thinking how nice another couple of PDF vivs would look on those stands......

Hmmmm.......


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## inka4040

Shrimp. That's something that absolutely escapes me. Either they do fine during the cooler months, and die off as soon as summer comes, or they just flat out refuse to breed for me. Being on the top floor of an apartment building, it's really hard to regulate temps consistently, so I have just kind of given up.

The fact that I'm only really interested in high end CBS and the Indian dwarf varieties probably doesn't help.


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## tom855

Yeah, and you know what's frustrating is that you never know how close you are to perfect. Is there one thing wrong with your setup (e.g. temperature), or are there more? I've had pretty good luck with more common shrimp, but how close am I to a total blowout disaster? I have no idea. I do know it's nice when things actually work though. 

I'm sure the same thing will be true in the PDF and terrarium world as well.


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## inka4040

My water is basically RO right out of the tap, so that's great for caridina. Have to dose calcium supplements to bring the gH up slightly, but other than that, no major issues. Unfortunately there's no way to keep my temps below 85 during the day without leaving the AC on, which is prohibitively expensive in NYC.


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## zimmerj

Subscribed. Thanks for sharing! I've been thinking about building a small mini orchid viv for my desk at work. This will give me some guidance and ideas.


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## inka4040

Thank you! Happy to be of use!


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## gnathaniel

Awesome growth! The pyrrosia up top sure is going nuts, I really like your Sinningias too. The stringy orchid looks like one of the smaller Dichaea species, though I couldn't tell you which one even in bloom. And FWIW (not much!) I still think the spiking NOID is a Dendrochilum, maybe magnum or a similar species. magnum will get pretty large but a number of the related species stay much more compact so hopefully you have one of those...


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## inka4040

Thanks! I have a sneaking suspicion it's some sort of masdevallia, based on pictures of new growths and the fleshy sheath thing, as well as the leaf structure.


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## gnathaniel

Okay, you've convinced me I'm wrong, Masdevallia does look a lot more likely than Dendrochilum. Will be interesting to see it in bloom...


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## inka4040

Me too. Unfortunately the last bud blasted. Probably had something to do with me constantly futzing with the leaf to get a better look. Not sure if a new inflorescence will come up at the same juncture, or if it's one and done. There's another new growth coming up though, already looking really big, lol. 

Ordered another finnex LED fixture to throw on top of this tank. The big guy is starting to block a lot of light from the lower plants. Hoping this mitigates it somewhat.


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## zimmerj

inka4040 said:


> Just gotta say, I am absolutely in love with the Riccocarpus natans. Why this stuff isn't the only floating plant anyone in the aquarium/vivarium hobby uses, is absolutely beyond me. It seems to be spreading pretty well above the water line, but unfortunately, the snails seem to find it the most delicious. Little bastards. Being squished to death is not a brutal enough fate for them.


How deep does the water need to be for this one?


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## inka4040

If it's moist enough, it'll grow above the water line. I've got it spreading on the hygrolon without any issue.


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## Jeremy M

inka4040 said:


> Just gotta say, I am absolutely in love with the Riccocarpus natans. Why this stuff isn't the only floating plant anyone in the aquarium/vivarium hobby uses, is absolutely beyond me. It seems to be spreading pretty well above the water line, but unfortunately, the snails seem to find it the most delicious. Little bastards. Being squished to death is not a brutal enough fate for them.


I'm glad to see it's doing well for you! I completely agree, this is by far my favorite floater and I have no idea why it isn't much more popular. I think it's partially just because no one has heard about it. Surprisingly, I got absolutely no interest when I posted it for sale on plantedtank.net, but a lot of interest from you guys here . I'm working on spreading it around, but it's not growing nearly as fast in my tank as it did over the summer when I had to pull netfulls every other week. Going to try a few things- increase lighting, more WC, etc- to see if I can get it going again to supply everyone who wants it! 
Interesting note about the snails, I haven't had any issues. What kind are they? pond? ramshorns?


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## inka4040

Not really sure what kind. They are the tiny terrestrial pest snails. I have a few bladder snails that have hitched into this tank, and they seem to leave it alone. It's only the bits growing on the hygrolon that show any snail damage. You can see a chewed up bit in the upper right corner of that pic. 

Thanks for sending so much. I tried to spread it around, but this is the only place that it really took off. I think because the air space around it is enclosed, and thus warmer and more humid than the conditions in my fish tanks.


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## inka4040

This thing is getting really out of hand. Each successive leaf is significantly larger than the previous one. Might have to come out, regardless of how the flower looks. 











This little d. parvula makes me super happy. 












Front down shot. Look how much the riccocarpus has spread since the last update!












So fluffy!


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## hydrophyte

This looks great! Nice work! I've been meaning to do something more or similar to this.


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## mitcholito

Beautiful little viv! Lovely composition of plants and well managed. 

My guess on the big leaf orchid is Scaphosephalum based on the leaf shape, leaf sheet and were the flower stalk emerged from. But it could also be a Pleurothallis.
If it is a Masdevallia it would surprise me.


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## inka4040

Thanks for looking!

Mitcholito, the masdie guess is pure conjecture. I'm not sure how common those fleshy bracts are, having never grown any of the bigger pleuros, but the genus scaphosepalum seems somewhat similar in form. Hopefully this latest bud won't blast, as it looks like only one comes up per leaf growth.


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## Luke-O-Melas

Just had to commend you on an awesome build! Inspiring and shows that smaller builds can be incredibly beautiful. Everything seems to be in scale with the tank and the biodiversity is amazing!


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## inka4040

Hey, thanks! I really appreciate the kind words!


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## ChrisAZ

I love this tank! I just read the build log and have a couple questions. 
How is the top vented? 
What size, speed, and time intervals for the fan?
Are you still using the same lights? 
Great job, I like the framed insects above it as well.


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## inka4040

The top glass is a cover that I rescued from an old fluval flora tank. There's a finger hole in the direct middle of it, and I keep it scooted about 1cm back from the front glass. It's passively vented in the winter, and I have a little 11cfm computer fan that runs on the same schedule as the lights during the warmer months. 

The 2 LED spots that I originally set this tank up with are lighting up the 2 back corners, and they have been supplemented with 2 finnex ray plants, one fugeray and 1 planted plus to bring out some of the warmer colors. I'd been getting pretty good growth with just the spots and 1 finnex, but with the big guy in the middle blocking ever more light, the 2nd finnex was added to hopefully get more light down to the base of the tank. So far, so good. 

Thanks for the complement! I've been collecting butterflies for years, and finally have somewhere to make a display like this. Hoping to fill in all the gaps soon.


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## inka4040

A little jumping spider has taken up residence in this tank. Been there for a while, finally got a couple shots of it today.



















My favorite part of the tank ATM. The d. parvula continues to rock my world. 









A random wort that popped up. Super tiny.









Compared to the notocyphus


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## dapjansen

Stunning! Such an inspiration!


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## inka4040

Thank you, that's very kind!


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## Hobbes1911

Your tank looks fantastic and is an inspiration! 

Would you mind quickly mentioning how often you mist and how you are going about circulating air (fan, passive only, etc.)?


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## inka4040

Thank you! 

Misting is done more or less every day, unless I am away or forget a day. Generally I fertilize every Sunday. The tank is passively vented in the winter, as the fan seems to dry things out too quickly then, and I run a 11cfm fan on the same schedule as the lights during the rest of the year.


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## inka4040

Went a bit nuts the past couple of weeks. Lots of new additions. Posting here so I don't forget once these tags hit the garbage. 

lepanthes saltatrix
lepanthes eciliata 
lepanthopsis astrophora 
dryadella aurea
platystele repens 
bulbophyllum moniliforme 

and....

ding ding ding ding ding!
Gomesa colorata!


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## epiphytes etc.

inka4040 said:


> Went a bit nuts the past couple of weeks. Lots of new additions. Posting here so I don't forget once these tags hit the garbage.
> 
> lepanthes saltatrix
> lepanthes eciliata
> lepanthopsis astrophora
> dryadella aurea
> platystele repens
> bulbophyllum moniliforme
> 
> and....
> 
> ding ding ding ding ding!
> Gomesa colorata!


I put all my tags in a baggie and taped it to the back of my orchid tank.


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## FroggyKnight

epiphytes etc. said:


> I put all my tags in a baggie and taped it to the back of my orchid tank.


That's a good idea! I keep all of my tags, but they are in one big bag, LOL. I will definitely be taping bags to my vivs tomorrow. 

Thanks, Jason!

John


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## Hobbes1911

Great idea with the tags in a bag and what a good looking tank!!

Also, inka do you have a complete plant list of what's in that tank? I am especially curious to know about the sinningias and foliage plants.


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## inka4040

Thank you, Hobbes! Unfortunately the sinningias came without ID's. I just bought an assortment of minis and micro mini's from a seller on Ebay. 

The foliage plants are lemmaphyllum microphyllum, pyrossia nummulafolia, pyrossia sp., davallia parvula and repens, elaphoglossum peltatum, bolbitis heteroclita, and microsorum pteropus 'trident'. 

Full list for posterity. 
Anubias nana (petite)
Ascocentrum pumilum
Davallia repens
Davallia parvula
Dendrobium torressae 
Diodonopsis erinacea 
Dryadella cristata
Elaphoglossum peltatum coarse
Haraella retrocalla
Lemmaphyllum microphyllum
Lepanthes calodictyon x telipogoniflora
Pleurothallis alata
Pleurothallis allenni
Pleurothallis brighamii
Pleurothallis grobyi
Pleurothallis grobyi "small form"
Pleurothallis spp.
Pyrosellia nummularifolia
Pyrossia noid
Restrepia striata 
Riccardia spp. 
Riccocarpus natans
Sinningia spp. 
Schoenorchis fragrans
Tectaria zeylanica 
Utricularia gramineum
Zootropion hirtzii 

In addition to the ones in the previous post.


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## FroggyKnight

Wow, that a great list! I'm still amazed at how you fit them all in there. 

What are your day/night temps for this tank? 

Thanks,
John


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## inka4040

John, I can't believe they all fit either. Things really cleared up once I yanked the NOID though. Much better light penetration to the lower levels too. High 60s during the day in winter, high 50's at night. Basically room temp for me, lol. During the summer, day peaks can hit 90. I live on the top floor of an apartment building, so between the heat rising from lower units and the sun baking on the roof, there's not much I can do about that. Night temps in the summer average around 60.


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## Hobbes1911

The sinningia could be this one: Kartuz Greenhouses: Sinningia Lil Georgie 

How are you ventilating the viv?


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## inka4040

Thanks, that looks a lot like the big one in the middle. 

The glass top was recycled from a fluval flora. There's a thumb hole in the middle of it, and I scoot it about 1cm back from the front.


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## tom855

Any idea where you might have found the davallia repens? I've been looking for that for a while and haven't seen it anywhere.

Thanks!

Tom


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## inka4040

I would suggest contacting Charles Alford and getting on his mailing list.


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## tom855

Ahhh... the legendary mailing list. I had reached out to him a while back, but never asked to be put on his list.

Thanks for the advice!

Tom


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## inka4040

No prob! Best of luck finding the repens!

Here's a throwback from June. Really happy with how this tank has progressed.


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## inka4040

And a more recent FTS for comparison.


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## papa_mcknight

Without a doubt one of the best looking tanks out there


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## inka4040

Hahaha. That's being very generous! Thank you


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## ChrisAZ

You mentioned that you fertilize every Sunday. What do you fertilize with at what strength?


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## inka4040

MSU orchid formula for tap water at 1/4 strength. I hose down the tank with plain water, then spray the fert after everything is good and soaked.


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## VAnative

Wow, beautiful!

I'm sure it's been posted, but what are the two grass like plants at the bottom left, just before the drop off?


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## KarmaPolice

Such a gorgeous tank. Great work. Keep us up to date on the tank that just gets better and better.


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## inka4040

VAnative said:


> Wow, beautiful!
> 
> I'm sure it's been posted, but what are the two grass like plants at the bottom left, just before the drop off?


The one in the middle is diodonopsis erinacea, and the one to the left of the photo is a NOID pleurothallid I picked up in a trade on this forum a few years ago. Unfortunately no longer remember who I got it from. 

KP, thanks, man! I'll make sure to do that!


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## Igofastr

inka4040 said:


> And a more recent FTS for comparison.



Just stumbled onto this thread. All I can say is "wow!"

You really have an eye. I'm going to send a link to my mother who is deep into the orchid hobby...hundreds of plants in her greenhouse. She'll be stunned.

Ron


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## inka4040

Thank you, Ron! That's really very kind of you


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## Hobbes1911

Any updates?


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## Ctoliva

Love!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration


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## inka4040

Thank you, Ct!



Hobbes1911 said:


> Any updates?


I neglected it for a bit. Started a new job and didn't give it enough attention. Pyrossia really took over. Been battling it back for a while, and have switched to distilled water to see if it makes any difference. 

Buddy came over the other day and took this photo. 

http://1aday.seanhamrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SPH_6886_web.jpg


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## hydrophyte

Were you using RO before?


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## inka4040

Dechlorinated tap. Perks of living in NYC.


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## Hobbes1911

Wow, that sinningia took off! Looks very nice though, more a jungle than before definitely, but not awfully overgrown! If you're getting rid of ferns, let me know, I'd be happy to take some cuttings!


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## inka4040

Hobbes1911 said:


> Wow, that sinningia took off! Looks very nice though, more a jungle than before definitely, but not awfully overgrown! If you're getting rid of ferns, let me know, I'd be happy to take some cuttings!


You'd probably kill me if you saw how much pyrossia I've chucked in the trash over the past year. Unfortunately I don't ever really pull enough at once to warrant the hassle of shipping.


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## Hobbes1911

inka4040 said:


> You'd probably kill me if you saw how much pyrossia I've chucked in the trash over the past year. Unfortunately I don't ever really pull enough at once to warrant the hassle of shipping.


Right in the feels man! Well if you ever throw out enough to make it worth it, or throw out a grab bag of stuff, let me know! That platystele and the pleurothallids certainly need trimming


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## nafrawle

Maybe I missed it, but what kind of fertilizer did you say you was using.


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## inka4040

MSU orch fertilizer for tap water at 1/4 strength, every Sunday. Haven't fertilized in about a month though. Been seeing some chlorosis, and trying to flush all the extra minerals out of the system right now.


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## nafrawle

Probably my favorite Viv that I have seen. Have you had any issues with orchids and the daytime heat? 90 seems rather high for some of the species of Orchids.


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## epiphytes etc.

That Bulbo. moniliforme (I think that's what it is?) looks like its doing well for you. I lost mine rather quickly, but now I'm thinking I need to try it again. Your build, in general, looks just amazing, and really is an inspiration.


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## inka4040

nafrawle said:


> Probably my favorite Viv that I have seen. Have you had any issues with orchids and the daytime heat? 90 seems rather high for some of the species of Orchids.


More water and more air movement in the warmer months. Some of the plants sulk, but things seemed to do OK last summer.



epiphytes etc. said:


> That Bulbo. moniliforme (I think that's what it is?) looks like its doing well for you. I lost mine rather quickly, but now I'm thinking I need to try it again. Your build, in general, looks just amazing, and really is an inspiration.


Thank you very much! I learned most of what I know about vivs and terrariums from this forum, so this wouldn't have been a thing without you good folk. 

That is a b. monilliforme indeed. I think that the reason it hasn't died yet is that it's mounted directly to the manzy. No moss backing, so it dries out pretty quickly. I'm not convinced it's doing that well though, no new growth, just no dieback so far...


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## nafrawle

lol Just realized this is only a 12 x18. I don't think I could get all the plants in my 25 x 25. How do balance High light plants with the low light orchids? It seems you even have some in the same area and elevation.


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## inka4040

The top row is all fairly light demanding species directly under the finnex light. The pleuros a bit further down haven't shown any sign of burn yet, so it doesn't seem to be a major issue.


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## inka4040

Couple quick updates. No FTS. Just pulled a ton of pyrossia, and it's looking a little sparse. Also, top reaches of the tank seem to be taking the summer pretty hard. Guess between the heat from the lights, and the ambient room temp, some stuff is really starting to take a beating.


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## hydrophyte

Nice! I love that shot with the mini _Sinningia_.


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## inka4040

Thank you, dude!


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## cam1941

This viv is beautiful!

Are you every going to put any animals in it?

Also, how did you attach the Bulbophyllum moniliforme to the wood?


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## rigel10

Apart from orchids, Davallia parvula is stunning!


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## inka4040

cam1941 said:


> This viv is beautiful!
> 
> Are you every going to put any animals in it?
> 
> Also, how did you attach the Bulbophyllum moniliforme to the wood?


Thank you! No animals for this tank. Don't want any tiny feet trampling the greenery. The monilliforme had enough roots growing through the sphag of its original mount that I was able to super glue it to the driftwood without worrying about damaging the roots. 



rigel10 said:


> Apart from orchids, Davallia parvula is stunning!


Thank you! It's gotten even fuller in the few days since I posted this. Will try to get a better pic of it after work.


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## inka4040

Davallia parvula has gone batshit. Continues to be one of my favorite plants ever. 











Platystele repens still putting out buds like nobody's business. Hasn't stopped blooming since the last update. This is a plant that needs to be way more popular in the hobby. Such an easy and happy grower. 











Plagiochila from my fire escape still growing strong, about to go into its 2nd winter without dormancy. 






































And a new FTS. As you can see, we are entering the age of the fern.


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## kblack3

The plants and this tank are what I will be using as inspiration for my build. Very nicely done the mini orchids are spectacular! 


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## rigel10

Very very very nice! What plant is it at the bottom? It looks to me Ophiongon "Kyoto".


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## inka4040

Thank you, Rigel! 

Directly below the sinningia is Diodonopsis erinacea, to the left of the tank is a NOID pleurothallid with maroon beak shaped flowers. 

Thank you very much for the kind words, Kblack!


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## cam1941

Great pics! Def fun to watch this viv evolve...

I have this same liverwort in my set up that I grabbed from my yard. Had no idea what it was called so thanks for that. Glad to hear that it has survived 2 winters. I've had mine growing for like 4 months and its good to know its not going to die randomly without a dormancy.



Plagiochila from my fire escape still growing strong, about to go into its 2nd winter without dormancy.


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## ChrisAZ

Looking good! I'm always happy to see successes like this! And your vivarium has been a great source of inspiration to me personally.


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## inka4040

Thank you, Chris! This is gonna sound so nerdy, but I was really flattered by the shout out in your thread. It's an honor that you feel I contributed something to your design process.


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## ChrisAZ

inka4040 said:


> Thank you, Chris! This is gonna sound so nerdy, but I was really flattered by the shout out in your thread. It's an honor that you feel I contributed something to your design process.



Like wise, I'm honored that you said that. And if I'm not mistaken this is a forum composed entirely of nerds.


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## spider107

Great viv, my next build will primarily be orchids, I enjoy the plants just as much as the frogs.


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## inka4040

Many thanks, Spider!


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## Spaff

This is an incredibly well put together tank. Designing and choosing plants for such a small scale and having it come out looking like this is not an easy thing to do!


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## inka4040

Many thanks! I'm absolutely blown away by the response to this tank.

Feelin might special cuz of you good folk.


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## soobie

Beautiful tank! Did the big noid that you had to pull out ever bloom so you could get closer to an ID?


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## inka4040

Thank you, Soobie! 

It was getting a bit too presumptuous about it's right to space in the tank, so I pulled it and threw it in a box of stuff that was getting traded to a friend. Last I asked about it, there was no answer, so hopefully it's still alive and kicking. Otherwise, we may never know hahaha.


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## Mork

Absolutely stunning

How much are you misting the tank? What is your schedule and how do you do it? I'm always worried about over-misting with orchids - it seems that you have it down to an art. 

Do you have any pumps dripping water down the back of the tank? Also, is the background in contact with water, wicking moisture up?


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## inka4040

Thank you so much! I wish I deserved that praise, but the orchs have been looking kind of ragged lately. Here's hoping that changes with the more moderate weather. 

I aim to mist the tank daily, but often miss a day or two here and there. No pumps dripping water down the wall, and the hygrolon only hits the water table in 2 little pigtails. I would say it wicks water about half way up the wall.


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## Mork

The moss has grown in so well, I would have expected more misting. Do the Orchids react better or worse with more misting? I always struggle with figuring out how much to water - but I'm brand new to keeping orchids this way. What's your advice for a noob?

Also - what would you have done differently if you set up the tank again? I'm always interested in the evolution process of great looking set-ups.

This is one of my favourite tanks. Thank you so much for sharing the process.


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## inka4040

Mork said:


> The moss has grown in so well, I would have expected more misting. Do the Orchids react better or worse with more misting? I always struggle with figuring out how much to water - but I'm brand new to keeping orchids this way. What's your advice for a noob?


I think they do better when I mist more consistently. This setup has definitely seen weeks of neglect every now and again. Also, hygrolon wicks really well, but it doesn't really have any storage capacity, so daily misting is definitely ideal. 




> - what would you have done differently if you set up the tank again? I'm always interested in the evolution process of great looking set-ups.


IDK that I would consider this tank a success. Some of the orchs flat out didn't make it, some aren't doing so hot, and I've already moved a couple to other setups in the hopes of salvaging them. While a few are doing pretty well, the mosses, worts, and ferns are definitely taking over. 

1) I would make the wick go all the way down into the reservoir, all along the back. 

2)Omit pyrossia. Fewer, less weedy mosses. 

3)Much stricter disinfection protocol. The snails in this tank are the bane of my existence. 



> is one of my favourite tanks. Thank you so much for sharing the process.


Thanks a ton! I'm really glad you like it!


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## nyskiffie

inka4040 said:


> IDK that I would consider this tank a success. Some of the orchs flat out didn't make it, some aren't doing so hot, and I've already moved a couple to other setups in the hopes of salvaging them. While a few are doing pretty well, the mosses, worts, and ferns are definitely taking over.


Just curious, what is different in the other setups that you think will have the orchids fare better? Why do you think they were unhappy in the one from this thread?

Thanks for the tip on disinfection protocols... I'll make sure to do that on my future ones. What would you use to make sure you don't end up with snails?


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## inka4040

I generally moved them to setups with more consistent moisture and where I had greater control over the light. This setup, because of where in my room it is, gets about 45 minutes of hot direct afternoon sunlight every day, which is less than ideal. It also sits in the outflow stream of my AC unit, which can make for some pretty serious temperature swings in the warmer months. Moving them also gave me the opportunity to clear out any errant moss growth, as well as manually remove any snails and eggs that I saw. Definitely not a fool-proof move, but when it looks like doing nothing is a sure way to lose a plant, I am a bit more willing to disturb them in such drastic fashion.


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## CTM75

excellent tank...love it


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## misstishy

This is an amazing terrarium setup - love it. 

With the Hygrolon - did you make cuts in it to place the plants, or did you attach them to the outside? I saw a planter in place in the original build photos but am unsure of the rest.

Cheers.


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## inka4040

Thank you for the kind words! Apart from the one net pot high up in the tank, everything is just pinned to the hygrolon with bent paperclips.


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## A13

inka4040 said:


> A couple from last night. More on the way, the mobile uploaded doesn't seem to allow me to attach more than 3 images.


Hello,
I love your vivarium. I fell in love with your sinningias and had to scour the internet to find one for my new build. Do you mind sharing what the magenta orchid is in this photo? I really like it. Thanks.


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## Harpspiel

A13 said:


> Hello,
> I love your vivarium. I fell in love with your sinningias and had to scour the internet to find one for my new build. Do you mind sharing what the magenta orchid is in this photo? I really like it. Thanks.


The last reply to this thread was from 8 years ago, so I don't know that the OP will see this. To answer your question, the orchid is _Ascocentrum pumilum_.


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## A13

Harpspiel said:


> The last reply to this thread was from 8 years ago, so I don't know that the OP will see this. To answer your question, the orchid is _Ascocentrum pumilum_.


Thank you Harspiel. Yeah I saw it was old. I was grabbing at straws and thank you! I'll add that one to my list.


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