# Vivzilla!!!!!!!!!!!



## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Over the course of this week my grandfather an I are going to build a vivarium with a length/width of 3'6" and height of 4'6" for a (hopeful) breeding group of 4 P.aurotaenia the plant list is
Ficus alli
Dendrobium lawesii 
Bulbophyllum frostii
Dwarf banana tree(not sure of the Latin name)
Hevea brasiliensis
Neorogelia fireball
Neorogelia olens
And more to come!!!
Is there anyone that has any tips for the care of a viv of this size,thanks.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Can't wait to see it


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

I would be careful putting Den. lawesii in the viv. They need cooler temps and also require a drier winter rest. The rest of the list sounds good though. I can't wait to see how this comes out.


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Okay,thanks for the advice Spaff,there's gonna be some more broms and tills,the ficus is the main plant being 3'7" it has all the brooms mounted on it,I'm still deciding on substrate,any thoughts? Also what size lighting should I use


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

I think it's going to look great with the broms mounted to the tree. I'm not too sure on the substrate, but I'd say try ABG or something similar. Also, I think the ficus is going to want a decent amount of light. Maybe try something like T5 HO. I know they make large fixtures for reef tanks, so you may be able to buy bulbs to fit one of these fixtures but in the right color spectrum. I don't have that much experience with vivs, so I would get my advice checked out by others as well. I've been into orchids for 12+ years, so I can answer or find the answer to most questions regarding them. I've only been keeping frogs for a little less than a year, so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

I've been into orchids for five years now,glad to meet another orchid grower on the board I'm sure there's plenty out there,ya the tree looks nice I've got 2 broms on the tree already and one has a pup,I like picked the ficus to give a constant supply of leaf litter


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

That's a good idea using the ficus as leaf litter. Do you plan to put any other orchids in there besides the one's you listed?


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Maybe masdevillia fire queen or brassiovala nadosa


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## deboardfam (Feb 7, 2011)

Subscribing! Cant wait to see more of this... great size tank.


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

i think you should hold off on building it right away and plan it for a month or so


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

UPDATE:new plant list 

Neoregelia 'Wee Willy'
Neoregelia 'Chiquita Linda'
Neoregelia Ampullacea
Ionantha X Stricta
Tillandsia Aeranthos
Tillandsia Usneoides 
"Spanish Moss"
Peperomia clusiifolia
Maranta leuconeura 'red'


thats all for now,more coming!!!!


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

Ficus alli get HUGE VERY quickly, we have them at work, and wont believe how fast they grow, amd thats only in 50-80% humidity, in 80-100% it will grow quite fast, and outgrow the viv in less than 5 months...

Also, for substrate, Alli's like it a bit "heavier" in my experience, so even if its just around the tree, an example of a good mix for it would be; 

4 parts peat
3 parts FINE bark
1 part charcoal
2 parts shredded leaves
2 parts Phagnum moss

Ill type more later...its supper time


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

so,no ficus alli in the viv,what other woody tree/shrub could i use


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

you could always use a dead limb, and mount the epiphytes on the log...as for bushes/trees, majesty palms, roballineii[spelling?] palms, Ficus Benjamina Bushes, etc...


ooh, or dwarf heliconia!!!


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

do ficus benjamina get big?


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

not as fast IMO, anything gets big if you let it...


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

can you trim ficus alli,i could always bonsai it,i dabbled in that for a few years


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

yes, but after a while, it'll just be a trunk, since the bottom branches die off and the top is trimmed...you could bonsai it, but then you need to maintain it more...


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

I'm telling you, it's not a good idea to wing it on a tank that will cost this much money to build... 

I actually don't think it's a good idea to build a tank that large at all when you're so young. What are you going to do when you're done with school? Is your grandfather planning on caring for something so enormous? What happens after college is over? Something that large won't fit through doorways very easily and if it's made of glass you're talking hundreds of pounds for _just the enclosure_.

The tank I'm building is pretty much the same dimensions as the one you're planning and my budget is already over $1,000 not including frogs. I had to build it in our loft because I determined it wouldn't fit coming up our stairway. Vivariums of this size are a huge investment both in time and money. They need lots and lots and lots of planning.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Vic is bang on. Im not sure how much experience you have, but seing as you are still unsure about which plants will work in the viv it may be a good idea to hone your skills on something smaller. I tried looking at some of your old threads, but it seems you have trouble getting any of your pictures to show up lol. The more planning, the better. I was planning my build for almost a year in my head, on paper, on autocad, and with cardboard mockups, and dont regret it one bit. 

Oh and vic...Looking forward to seing your build! Keep it clean like your other jem


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

It's a secret project haha. It's actually not but I'm so slow it'll be Fall before it's done, and I've already been working on it for 3 months. I don't have the money to buy everything I need and I don't have the spare time to put the stuff I do have together


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Ok,I won't build it,I'll just use a smaller tank,the reason I was going to build it is because the aurotaenia tank got busted,it's a 100 gal,do you think I should stick with a tank around that size? What if I did a 2'6" by 2'6" cube tank?


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

I'm not saying you should definitely not build it, I'm just suggesting that more planning needs to go into it before you dive right in. Draw up a budget, figure out what you're going to do with it long-term, that sort of stuff.

I know for me personally I never set up one that large until now because I knew I didn't want to do it till my living situation was more permanent. For you, you probably haven't thought about where you're going to college, but if you stayed close by and lived with your parents you could enjoy that tank for a long time before you needed to tear it down or move it (and moving it will be next to impossible). It's just something to think about.


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

thank you for that advice,that was much appreciated,i do need to build a small viv though,because 4 auros are living in a critter keeper right now


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

Well if you decide to build the larger one feel free to shoot me a PM since it's basically the same size as mine. I'll help any way I can 

I'll put a thread up here once I start planting it


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Thanks man


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

UPDATE: due to ficus alli's surprisingly fast growth rate i will not be including it in this project,instead i will be using a woody vines and a butress tree to mount the broms on


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

Just started on making the butress root with gs,i will post pics soon


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Dendroguy said:


> thank you for that advice,that was much appreciated,i do need to build a small viv though,because 4 auros are living in a critter keeper right now


You might want to cover the vents on top of that thing for now if you haven't already.. critter keepers aren't exactly primo for holding humidity. As long as they have enough hides, auros are good enough group frogs that they'll be fine until you can build them something bigger.


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

The top is covered with glass


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## Dendroguy (Dec 4, 2010)

don't worry guys and gals I didn't forget about this thread,anyhow,Im building two 3 by 3 vivs(because Im looking into some tricolors) one with a butress root design,and the other a more regular looking forest floor with broms mounted on the glass,have a good one


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