# Rutgers Vivarium



## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

Here are a few pics of the vivarium I have been working on in the Floriculture houses at Rutgers. Its about done..needs a bit of time to fill in.

Ryan for scale  










stream in vivarium:










One more pic









All the best,

Mike 
Treetop Botanicals


----------



## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

gret job Mike!! love the orchids.


----------



## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Very nice, are you planning on putting any frogs in it?


----------



## vortexofhate (Jul 23, 2007)

Now that is sexy! I would love to have something that huge in my house.


----------



## Ben E (Oct 1, 2004)

what lights you running on that badboy? mist system?


----------



## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

Thank you very much everyone. The tank is a custom wood 50"L x 36"H x 34"W. All plumbing is external (the stream has an overflow valve in it to control depth). The water system is a build in drip wall into the tree fern background. Lighting was simple on this one as it is in the greenhouse so natural was the way to go :wink: I really like the spiral 6500 K 27 watt power compact on my smaller vivariums and AH Supply light on the larger ones. 

Kyle,

Ryan and I donated a pair of Patricia to the greenhouses so they have the pent house sweet now :lol: 

Thanks again,

Mike


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2007)

Excellent Viv!! I especially like the orientation of the stream. It looks like it comes from deep in the jungle.


----------



## taki (Nov 8, 2007)

Perfect  What kind of moss do you use?

taki


----------



## markpulawski (Nov 19, 2004)

Considering how lucky you were to beat USF, you did a great job on the Viv....nice work!


----------



## Thor (Nov 8, 2007)

*Nice Job*

Man you did an awesome job. Hats off. Thanks!!!!


----------



## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

LOL Luck had nothing to do with it :wink: ...well maybe since we havent had good fortune with WVU and Connecticut..I hope we beat Army this week. 

I am working on a prototype for a living wall design at the greenhouses. I've been racking my brain lately and would love to incorporate this concept into my background in landscape architecture..I have some exciting ideas..just need to find the right person who is interested and would let me run with it.

Thanks for all of your compliments!

Mike
Treetop Botanicals


----------



## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Mike, I am just curious how your living wall would differ from the hundreds of others that are around. I have always thought it was a brilliant idea. One site you may like if you havent seen it already...
http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/


----------



## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

Hi Sarah,

I have seen some of Patrick’s work and it is a true inspiration. While there may be several living walls built, the idea has been slow to take root in landscape architecture in the US. I am in the process of working out some construction documents for my idea. In my opinion, the best part of a living wall is the fact that it has an aesthetic value to it (just look at Patrick’s work) but more importantly, a functional value as well (to clean air by taking in office pollutants broken down by microbes and produce clean air).. 

I would like to focus on incorporating these living walls to serve as a 'living air purification unit' if you will. My planting panels would contain a complex system to maximize the cleaning of indoor air. 

I have several crazy ideas in the works..and have the background to do it..I just need the right person to give my ideas a try :wink: I really feel like living walls are a key to the "going green' policy many companies are adopting and my idea would capitalize on the many benefits of these beautiful pieces of art.

All the best,

Mike
Treetop Botanicals


----------



## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Ain't it amazing how as a whole America is slow to embrace new or renewed Ideas. 

Although not a New Idea, "Living Walls" go back to at least Babylon. I know that there have been Buildings in Canada using living Walls for Air Purification and Cooling since the 1970's.

Question is will we Come Around fast Enough?

If I ever built a Home I definately would have living walls and plenty of Plants everywhere. I even thought I just build a Hut inside a "BIODOME"


----------



## dartboy2 (Aug 22, 2007)

Wow, that is amazing! I bet those frogs think that they are actually in the wild.


----------



## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

How old is the vivarium? It looks great!


----------



## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Here's the rest of the Rutgers Greenhouse, where the vivarium is.
















































































































































































































Evening was approaching and lighting wasn't the best.. sorry for the blurry shots. And thanks for the tour Mike  !

P.S. his frog room puts the greenhouse to shame.


----------



## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

sweet orchids!!
thanks for sharing.


----------



## bruce (Feb 23, 2007)

*Vertical walls*

Back in the old days, Vivaria, in Amsterdam then, had these walls done simply by hydrating walls of uncured treefern panals attached to the back of a large terrarium/vivarium. The process was simple using eheim filter parts (the spray wand on the top of the treefern panals) with continious flow. Natural ferns and mosses would show up on these and create quite the show.
I have replicated these to a degree with "processed" treefern with the same eheim systems but alot of the beauty and variety of natural ferns and varied mosses were what made these special and haven't been able to reproduce the same. But despite the lack of variety, the show is interesting when plants are grown this way.
Oh yeah the frogs like them too.
Happy growing
B.
PS the water has to be pure that recirculates to eliminate salts, The panals supply all the nutrition needed for the plants. Water is changed as needed and filtered through the canister filters.


----------



## dufus (Feb 20, 2007)

viv looks awesome, as does the greenhouse.

Can you tell me what this one is?
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb31 ... ers/11-15-
We have this one at work and we never had an ID for it.


----------



## frogsoftheworld (Oct 20, 2007)

nice CP's (judith finn and sundews)


----------



## Thor (Nov 8, 2007)

*Bruce*

Hey I like the comment about the Eheim and filtration. Those of us who have had aquariums know about the importance of filtration. The problem I see in a good many of the current vivariums is they desire enclosed system but forget about the need to filter their enviroment. You see nature has her own ways of cleaning out a system and we should too.

Most of the succesful vivs that I have seen over the "long haul" have some way of filtering the water to provide something purer and fresh....mind you the filtering may be done manualing by removing old and providing new but the use of an eheim....well what should I say.....its sweet.

Michael


----------



## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

Hi guys,

Thanks for coming by Mike to take a look at the greenhouses and frogs. It was great to show you around...when you come by to pick up the frogs, take some of the b. 'strawberry cheesecake' with you and see how it does in your vivarium.

As for the living wall...I am hoping Rutgers will agree to house it. I think I have my materials down for everything. I will be sure to take pics of it up and running.

The vivarium has bulkheads drilled into the bottom where the water drains into a biologic filter (runs through filter media, bioballs, and is pumped back into the tank to it is more of an open system). I agree that these systems are idea if you have the space (you learn from your mistakes and a few of my first vivariums has pumps in the tank...when they clogged or I needed to get at them the tank needed to be disturbed). This is much easier, the water is cleaner, and has ideal results with controlling water flow.

All the best,

Mike
Treetop Botanicals


----------

