# "Brom City" 12x12x18



## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

My 1st attempt @ vivariums. I got 13 bromeliads in this ExoTerra 12x12 display & hopefully when the broms are established, the tank will be ready for a wild caught D. auratus.




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## NJR (May 23, 2015)

Ey, thats a nice start. I would recommend you to change the big ones to the background and put the small tillandsias in the corks. Think that the substratum It will have to be very wet all the time and these kind of plants are epiphyte. They can rot. Greetings and good luck.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

NJR said:


> Ey, thats a nice start. I would recommend you to change the big ones to the background and put the small tillandsias in the corks. Think that the substratum It will have to be very wet all the time and these kind of plants are epiphyte. They can rot. Greetings and good luck.



Thanks NJR, let me expand on this set-up to clear things up and expose some techniques I'll be trying.








To keep humidity levels high, I have placed a sheet of cellophane on the underside of the stock screen ExoTerra lid. Seems to be working so far.

4 of the 5 Neoregelias have been placed
directly on top of the coco fiber with the bases exposed. A small handful of orchid bark was mounded around the base to help stabilize their positions (the lilliputiana cross is just sitting in the erect cork crevice).
Tillandsias have been superglued in place. The 3 ionanthas were attached to the cork tile background & the 3 bartramii attached to the prone cork piece.
The 2 Cryptanthus acaulis were placed directly on top of the coco fiber.
The last scaping item will be the monkey pod leaf litter which will be placed over the exposed coco fiber.

The vivarium is illuminated by a 12" Finnex Planted + LED fixture. The lighting cycle is linked to my planted tank timers so, this display follows a 5hrs on/6hrs off/5hrs on/8hrs off daily cycle.
I hand mist daily & just enough to keep the Brom cups topped off. The coco fiber appears damp between mistings but the hydroball layer does not appear to be soaked.


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## MasterOogway (Mar 22, 2011)

Why a wild caught auratus? That just irks me. You will be hard pressed to find a more available captive bred frog, with the exception of maybe leucs or azureus. Don't support the wild caught frog trade, go captive bred. There are plenty of auratus locales that are captive bred that are good looking frogs, pick one of those. That being said, this is a *really* small tank for auratus. Have you looked at thumbnails instead? I couldn't in good consciences recommend putting auratus in here. 

I'd also add in some leaf litter and more plants, just off the top of my head. And that time cycle is not gonna be good for your frogs, what are you trying to do to their poor little circadian rhythms? Tropical animals are used to a ~12 hour day night cycle, not some weird one like that. Is it going to physically harm them? Probably not, but you're gonna be getting weird behaviors at weird times of days, and the frogs are gonna have problems trying to go through a 'normal' day routine of calling, eating, roosting, all that. I'd really recommend a basic 12/12 light routine.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Not sure he has any other options for frogs, but I don't really understand how the laws work in Hawaii.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/253058-broms-my-1st-vivarium.html#post2467994

Mark


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

TarantulaGuy said:


> Why a wild caught auratus? That just irks me. You will be hard pressed to find a more available captive bred frog, with the exception of maybe leucs or azureus. Don't support the wild caught frog trade, go captive bred. There are plenty of auratus locales that are captive bred that are good looking frogs, pick one of those. That being said, this is a *really* small tank for auratus. Have you looked at thumbnails instead? I couldn't in good consciences recommend putting auratus in here.
> 
> 
> 
> I'd also add in some leaf litter and more plants, just off the top of my head. And that time cycle is not gonna be good for your frogs, what are you trying to do to their poor little circadian rhythms? Tropical animals are used to a ~12 hour day night cycle, not some weird one like that. Is it going to physically harm them? Probably not, but you're gonna be getting weird behaviors at weird times of days, and the frogs are gonna have problems trying to go through a 'normal' day routine of calling, eating, roosting, all that. I'd really recommend a basic 12/12 light routine.



Calm your jets. Here on Oahu. We have a invasive population of auratus in Manoa Valley. That's where I'll be collecting from. A single specimen will not have to deal with territorial issues.
I want the present plant set to grow out to see where gaps will form if any and fill in from there. The light cycle I use is proven for all my planted aquariums. The plants grow lush and the fish & shrimp are all doing well. In a PDF habitat on the rainforest floor (like Manoa Valley) it's moist and always shaded. Bromeliads that share the same microhabitat do better in shaded environment (a local bromeliad breeder uses 60% shade cloth over their nurseries). My goal is to cater to the broms and the PDF will also benefit. The abnormal behaviors that you speak about are behaviors that come about from animals that have adapted to existing in a captive environment. Think about it. Thanks for looking.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Encyclia said:


> Not sure he has any other options for frogs, but I don't really understand how the laws work in Hawaii.
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/253058-broms-my-1st-vivarium.html#post2467994
> 
> Mark



That's true Mark, it's my only choice. According to Hawaii State Dept of Agriculture & Dept of Land & Natural Resources, it is illegal to import or export PDF species on or off the island of Oahu. (there is also a population of PDF on the island of Maui). The population of D auratus on this island is considered an invasive species and a permit is not required to hold that species but once the animal is in possession, it must not be returned back out in the environment. 
That is what I have to work with.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Makes good sense to me. Once you have an invasive population of a genus, it makes pretty good sense to ban importation of similar frogs 

I will be interested in seeing pictures of your frog(s). My recollection is that the Hawaiian Auratus are much more metallic-looking than some other Auratus morphs, but this may just be my faulty memory of "Hawaiian Auratus" vs. the "Costa Rican" versions which were the only two morphs that I ever saw available 20 or so years ago. Even if it's your only option, I still think it's cool to be able to just go out and harvest your own frogs 

Mark


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## MasterOogway (Mar 22, 2011)

Woops, missed the Hawaii part! Apologies! By all means then, have at it. I'm not sure about the Maui population, I was there for a couple of weeks a few years ago, and looked pretty intensely for them as I was trekking around the island, and have a friend who lived there for a long time and she never saw any either. Last time I checked it was just like one or two spottings by a library I think? Not a substantial population at any rate. Maui is pretty darn dry in a lot of places too, too dry for darts in a good chunk of the island. But that's neither here nor there. Do take pictures if/when you track down some local auratus though, I'd be intrigued to see them. That being said, I still feel that tank is entirely too small for an auratus. I'd be hesitant to put even more than a pair of thumbs in there, if that. That is such a tiny footprint for a frog tank, it concerns me.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

TarantulaGuy said:


> Woops, missed the Hawaii part! Apologies! By all means then, have at it. I'm not sure about the Maui population, I was there for a couple of weeks a few years ago, and looked pretty intensely for them as I was trekking around the island, and have a friend who lived there for a long time and she never saw any either. Last time I checked it was just like one or two spottings by a library I think? Not a substantial population at any rate. Maui is pretty darn dry in a lot of places too, too dry for darts in a good chunk of the island. But that's neither here nor there. Do take pictures if/when you track down some local auratus though, I'd be intrigued to see them. That being said, I still feel that tank is entirely too small for an auratus. I'd be hesitant to put even more than a pair of thumbs in there, if that. That is such a tiny footprint for a frog tank, it concerns me.



No problem. I'll probably do a YouTube video & link it here when I do go out to collect. Size-wise, it is what it is so, I gotta make the best of it.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

As a first attempt it's not bad, but I think it is too small to auratus. However, you can optimize the negative space with some woods.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

rigel10 said:


> As a first attempt it's not bad, but I think it is too small to auratus. However, you can optimize the negative space with some woods.



Hi rigel10. Did attempt to terrace the floor with the 2 cork pieces & sloping the substrate to increase square footage. Thanks for looking.


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## cschub13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Why not actually listen to some of the input people are giving you? Is that not part of the purpose of creating this thread in the first place?

If I were you, I'd start over for the most part. Put in the time and effort to create the proper setup. Just my thoughts...probably not.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

cschub13 said:


> Why not actually listen to some of the input people are giving you? Is that not part of the purpose of creating this thread in the first place?
> 
> 
> 
> If I were you, I'd start over for the most part. Put in the time and effort to create the proper setup. Just my thoughts...probably not.



The purpose of this thread is to document the progress of this project. Techniques, schedules and changes are tested, tracked and shared with other hobbyists to learn from.
Sorry but your not me. Thank you for your constructive input?


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## MasterOogway (Mar 22, 2011)

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum, if you've not kept darts before, why would you ignore their advice? If we're all saying that that viv is too small....it's probably too small. If you want to ignore that advice, fine, that's your prerogative; but your animals well-being will most likely suffer. Why do that when you can avoid it? We're just trying to save you and your critters headaches in the long run.


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## cschub13 (Apr 27, 2011)

BeastMaster said:


> The purpose of this thread is to document the progress of this project. Techniques, schedules and changes are tested, tracked and shared with other hobbyists to learn from.
> Sorry but your not me. Thank you for your constructive input?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The only thing anyone is going to learn is what not to do. This hobby has been around a long time, so it is pretty well established as to what works and what doesn't. What makes you think that your "tests" are a necessary component to joining this hobby?

Do some research, read through the forum, build a proper enclosure, and get some appropriate frogs.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

So, leaf litter is in (monkey pod leaves)








Next step is substrate micro fauna. Going isopod/springtail hunting.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Collected both springtails & isopods (6-9 of each) today and quickly transferred them directly into the vivarium. Place 6-9 of each directly. Both were fairly easy to collect in their respective microhabitats (springtails under semi-moist leaf litter & isopods under large undisturbed stones sitting over semi-moist substrate). Will collect a 2nd group of both micro fauna later this week and add to original starting colonies. The life cycle for both is 21-28 days so in a month, the initial population should have doubled if all goes well and the soil recycler populations will be on the rise when I plan to introduce the auratus. I filmed a video which I'll post on YouTube on the typical habitats for both the springtails & the isopods. This should be the last step before the capture & introduction of an auratus.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I'd say one auratus would be enough as it stands now. If you mount some more broms to the back wall and/or lean some more drift wood against the wall to create a more multi level viv you could get away with 2, but I couldn't condone more then that with the limited floor space, and like I said without more 3 dimensional viv 1 is all I'd do.... and many people will just never be comfortable with 2 large darts and that little floor space (and that isn't crazy of them, I just think it can work with some better design elements). 

I don't know if you'll get rot on the broms or not. There isn't as much airflow in a viv so it might become an issue. I think you'd be better off planting them all on the back wall and/or on the pieces of wood off the floor, and some foliage plants to fill in the floor, and some vining plants to fill out the background. 

Some fake shelf fungi would also be a way to add more levels to that back wall.


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

Agreed, needs alot more foliage and really need to utilize the vertical space that is incredibly empty. This is for the health of the frogs. If you insist on going so small at the very least use more than 1/3 of the tank to at least minimize stress on the frogs.

Personally I would take two cork hollows that are 12" long and span them horizontally 1/3 and 2/3s of the way from the substrate to the top. Maybe plant a vine type plant in the top one falling down to the bottom so that they have easy access to these levels....give em a hole to get in both hollows too so they can fully utilize it.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Funny thing happened on the way to do a YouTube video on habitats that PDFs (poison dart frog) favor in Manoa Valley yesterday. While setting up the views at the 1st site, I almost stepped on 2 frogs! Captured one of them and tried to do an isolated shot w/ him/her but too active. Ended up taking it home for the vivarium. It spent the day getting used to the various hiding spots under the bromeliads. This morning was out and about. I dropped in 20-30 wingless fruit flies & it was eating! GF named it "Dixon".


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Dendro Dave said:


> I'd say one auratus would be enough as it stands now. If you mount some more broms to the back wall and/or lean some more drift wood against the wall to create a more multi level viv you could get away with 2, but I couldn't condone more then that with the limited floor space, and like I said without more 3 dimensional viv 1 is all I'd do.... and many people will just never be comfortable with 2 large darts and that little floor space (and that isn't crazy of them, I just think it can work with some better design elements).
> 
> I don't know if you'll get rot on the broms or not. There isn't as much airflow in a viv so it might become an issue. I think you'd be better off planting them all on the back wall and/or on the pieces of wood off the floor, and some foliage plants to fill in the floor, and some vining plants to fill out the background.
> 
> Some fake shelf fungi would also be a way to add more levels to that back wall.


I linked a video (in signature) to show the sloping & terracing using the two cork pieces. This vivarium was only projected to have a single auratus. Really have no interest in breeding them. May add a draping stem plant to the top of the cork tile in the future when eveything has become established. Broms are slow growers & don't want to have them hidden by faster growing stems.



Rushthezeppelin said:


> Agreed, needs alot more foliage and really need to utilize the vertical space that is incredibly empty. This is for the health of the frogs. If you insist on going so small at the very least use more than 1/3 of the tank to at least minimize stress on the frogs.
> 
> Personally I would take two cork hollows that are 12" long and span them horizontally 1/3 and 2/3s of the way from the substrate to the top. Maybe plant a vine type plant in the top one falling down to the bottom so that they have easy access to these levels....give em a hole to get in both hollows too so they can fully utilize it.


I like the idea of the cork round. May add a single small piece mounted vertically & attach some rhizome type plants (anubias & bucephlandra) to it. Thanks to both of you.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

During a ff feeding, found this! It's a Neo 'Popoki' pup emerging.








"Dixon" is doing extremely well, adapting to captivity. The vivarium is placed at my front door where there's a lot of foot traffic. It's always visible during lighted periods, actively hunting and is very photogenic.










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Update pic








Added more tillies! Moved the lower bartramii to center, added a 2nd bulbosa in it's place & added 2 vanhyningii, placing one on each cork piece. The Brom count in up to sixteen!








"Dixon" likes


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## BrainBug (Aug 25, 2010)

Right on man, nice first set up. Where did you pick up your plants out there?


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

The Neos fm noted breeder Lisa Vinzant & the Tillies fm Koolau Farms (local nursery coop) & Home Depot Garden Dept.


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## GBR (Jun 7, 2013)

How do you keep the tillies from rotting in a vivarium?


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

GBR said:


> How do you keep the tillies from rotting in a vivarium?



I hand mist daily. I watch for the tricomes on the tillies to appear fuzzy before the next misting. So far it's worked for me.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Found a hitchhiker on a piece of cork. Any guesses as to what it might be?











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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Update pic. Stolons/pups developing for Neo 'Popoki', 'Chiquita Linda' (in reverse) & 'Red Waif'. Put down a new layer of Monkey Pod leaf litter & cork hitchhiker continues to grow.










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## justcoolforyou (Mar 20, 2015)

BeastMaster said:


> Update pic. Stolons/pups developing for Neo 'Popoki', 'Chiquita Linda' (in reverse) & 'Red Waif'. Put down a new layer of Monkey Pod leaf litter & cork hitchhiker continues to grow.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice setup 

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## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

Looks good


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Lake said:


> Looks good


Mahalo, hope it'll look even better down the line!


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Well there goes the neighborhood! Wanted to try my hand @ mini orchids so did some research and searched for suitable species. With help from outrageouslyfabulous, unc-usf-fcu & hydrophyte, I was to include a number of pleurothallids into this project.

Pleurothallis brighamii, Tristella strumosa & Barbosella dusenii are strapped into the pillbugs on the left. Platystele repens, Dryadella cristata & Trichosalpinx chamaelephantes wrapped into the right pillbugs. 

Placed Masdevallia pygmaea on the cork background, replacing the upper T bulbosa and Masdevallia bucculenta in the right foreground replacing the lower T bulbosa. Removed the 2 T bartramii and replaced with Masdevallia discoidea in the lower position & Masdevallia erinacea in the upper position. Also placed a small stand of M erinacea just below the Neo 'Chiquita Linda'. Each of the Masdevallia plantings were superglued into place and then loosely wrapped w/ sphagnum moss.

The Pleurothallis & Platystele pillbugs may be moved because they were placed just under the LED (12" Finnex Planted +) fixture. Anybody have any experience with LEDs & Pleurothallids?



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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Here's a pic of the hitchhiker after six weeks. Looks like a fern?











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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

*&quot;Brom City&quot; 12x12x18*

Some of the orchids located directly under the LED fixture showed signs of possible leaf burn. Tried to remedy by moving fixture directly over the ExoTerra lid rib but this had little effect and burning continued. Placed a piece of 60% shade cloth over rear lid panel and returned LED fixture over the clothed section. The reduced intensity appears to have the desired effect. Also, was misting every other day but changed to daily. Hopefully the Neos will adjust to the increased moisture.
All the Tillandsias have been removed to compensate for the mini orchids & higher moisture levels. Removed the Zootrophion griffin from one of the pillbugs, obtained a Z. ximenae (Mahalo Tamy!) & placed both on the cork tile background. May also remove the Cryptanthus and replace with a couple of Masdevillias. Pics of changes to follow. 
With the Pleurothallids outnumbering the broms, need to reassess the tank name. Maybe "Villa Orchidia"?



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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

*&quot;Brom City&quot; 12x12x18*

Update pic








Looks like the reduced light intensity & increased hand misting sked is what these little guys need. We'll see how this effects the Neos. Official name change to "Villa Orchadia".
Had a problem w/ a couple of pillbugs but Devin was nice enough to fix so, there are a dozen small mounts in this ExoTerra. There is one vacant pillbug awaiting a A schizopogon. Also ordered 3 Masdevillias (B nidifica, A scabrilinguis & M mendozae) which will trade places with the Cryptanthus & the M bucculenta that didn't make it.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

*"Villa Orchidia" aka "Brom City" 12x12x18*

Earlier last week, replaced the "Popoki" Neo & pup with a Neo "Fingerprint". Also prepped 2 pieces of cork for upcoming mounting of Masdevallias. A scabrillinguis & M mendozae will be mounted w/sphagnum & replace the current Cryptanthus. The B nidifica will replace what is left of the B bucculenta. And of course, "Dixon" is enjoying the reduced lighting & more frequent hand misting.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I would remove those tillandsia. Are they T. tectorum? Will definitely rot in a viv like that one. 

Glad to see your frog is doing well!


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

*Re: "Villa Orchidia" aka "Brom City" 12x12x18*



BeastMaster said:


> Earlier last week, replaced the "Popoki" Neo & pup with a Neo "Fingerprint". Also prepped 2 pieces of cork for upcoming mounting of Masdevallias. A scabrillinguis & M mendozae will be mounted w/sphagnum & replace the current Cryptanthus. The B nidifica will replace what is left of the B bucculenta. And of course, "Dixon" is enjoying the reduced lighting & more frequent hand misting.


Oops, that's "Fingerpaint" not "Fingerprint".


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Received the last order of Pleurothallids today & mounted them to their respective positions. The Cryptanthus was removed to place the Masdevillias. Of all the bromeliads initially planted, these 2 showed the most growth. Here's the most recent pic of all the Neos & Pleurothallids.










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

"Villa Brochidia 1.5"
Made some minor adjustments. Removed the ExoTerra lid & removed the cellophane liner. Laid down a 60% shade cloth layer and covered with a new cellophane moisture liner. Replaced lid and put the original shade cloth section back under the LED fixture, further reducing the light intensity. The reason for this was the C rodrigoi was still showing signs of burning.
The B nidifica was removed from the initial position and attached the plant to a small cork piece and readjusted the plant's position. Also reattached the D cristata to its pillbug ( top heavy & falling forward off the mount).
Added another replacement layer of monkey pod leaves.










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## frogobsession (Mar 26, 2016)

It looks ok, but not really as good as some of the other vivariums on this sight. Maybe it's because it doesn't look very natural, kind of like it's been pieced together randomly. Maybe you should remove some plants. This is my first post here, and I've never built a vivarium before, so my eye may not be the best. I hope this helped.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

frogobsession said:


> It looks ok, but not really as good as some of the other vivariums on this sight. Maybe it's because it doesn't look very natural, kind of like it's been pieced together randomly. Maybe you should remove some plants. This is my first post here, and I've never built a vivarium before, so my eye may not be the best. I hope this helped.




This project has slowly evolved into a orchid nursery that also houses a PDF. Have gotten obsessed w/ collecting mini orchids. The tank sides are being utilized for orchid mounts and makes it easier from what I've seen for "Dixon" to chase down ff. I like it.


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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

It's your first tank, with some local WC auratus. Have fun and go for it. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. It's fun to watch a hobbyist's preferences and practices evolve.


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## snotty fox (Aug 1, 2014)

This looks amazing

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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

New "Villa Brochidia" makeover!








1st change was providing forced air ventilation. Constructed a plenum of black corrugated plastic & electrical tape. The 1" thick X 10" wide X 18.5" tall box is powered by a 80mm low speed fan that provides gentle air flow along the top of the cork tile background. A slit was cut into the cellophane liner that originally sealed the wire screen top.

2nd change was replacing the two cork flats the were used to terrace the floor w/ a couple of cork rounds. Actually one cork round tube (from a neighborhood Petco) & a cork "knee" that was found a LFS (Aquascapes).

Instead of placing the cork directly on the graded slope coco fiber, I put down a thin layer of New Zealand orchid bark before positioning the cork pieces and then partially filled the cork cavities with the same bark. The remaining space in the cavities is topped off w/ sphagnum moss. The vivarium floor is finished off w/ layer of dried monkeypod leaves.

Kept the Neo "Red Waif" & Neo "Fireball X lilliputiana" both w/ pups & added a N dungsiana. Added a Pleurothallis luctuosa in the cork "knee" & Platystele reflexa in the top of the cork tube. Also placed a small division of Barbosella cuculiata midway down the tube. Placed a division of Zootrophion atropurpurea on the top left & Trichosalpinx sp. in the top middle of the cork tile background.

Returned "Dixon" into the refurbished diggs and immediately HE set out exploring the new territory (have heard him vocalizing). He has also burrowed out a small nook in a space between the the top of the "knee" cavity and the top of the sphagnum moss filling.



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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Update:
Broke down & installed automatic mister. Got the ExoTerra Monsoon Solo. Only been operating for less than a week but am really encouraged by the more constant humidity level in the vivarium. Prior to the addition, the tank would be hand misted 2X daily. The current misting cycle is 16sec every 2hrs.

I moved the Neo. dungsiana lower on the cork tube & added a Neo "Tiger Prawn" in between the cork pieces. 
Attached P. prolifera on the cork background behind the cork knee & place P. sp#5 in the knee cavity. Added a Restrepia enchinacea to the top of the tube & Ophidion pleurothallopsis just in front. Also placed Dryadella crostata below the dungsiana.

Lastly added a fresh layer on monkeypod leaf litter on the tank floor. "Dixon" seems to like.











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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Oops, wrong pic










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

BeastMaster said:


> Oops, wrong pic
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Update pic
Been over a year & decided to change it up for “Dixon”. Last month I juggled around the cork pieces, added 3 new broms (lilliputiana, “Felix” & “Currant Bun”) & added a slew of new Pleurothallid orchids (added P. sarracenia, M. triangularis, S. rapax, L. astrophoria, S. morganii & kept P. prolifera). Repaired a bad power supply for the Finnex LED but considering a flat panel LED to replace for fuller light coverage. The mister has been working well & the fan plenum has provided good air circulation during this period. Also invested in an insect net and a couple of times a month will sweep the tall grasses near my apt. for fresh insects.










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

New LED








Replaced the Finnex Planted+ w/ Spectral Designs flat panel LED w/ red & blue diodes. Fuller coverage & appears warmer than the Finnex unit. We’ll see how the Pleurothallids adapt.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Jewel orchids! Tried for so long to stay geographically correct but finally I’ve moved forward & included jewel orchids to the mix. Thanks to Zac for sending some really nice specimens.










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

*&quot;Brom City&quot; 12x12x18*

My current iteration. The jewel orchids are in place. I moved the Stelis morganii from the left corner behind the left cork tube & placed it the upper right corner in place of the N. lilliputiana. The jewel orchid Anoectochilus formosanus was placed in the old Stelis spot & the Anoectochilus chapaensis just below that. Just behind the cork knee in the right corner, I placed a strand of pothos , the cork mounted P. sarracenia moved from above & to the left of the knee. The Macodes petola now shares space in the cork knee w/ the N. “Currant Bun”. The Macodes sanderiana was placed just below the cork knee, the Anoectochilus roxburghii in front center & Ludisia discolor to the left of the cork knee & front left corner. The cork tube on the left still has the N. “Felix” attaches to the midsection, the Scaphosepalum rapax in the top. The S rapax is joined by fern-like growth (trimmed) & an unidentifiable moss that has covered the sphagnum. 
With a need for more directional spray coverage, added an additional nozzle to ET Monsoon mister.










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Took a close up of the fern growth & looks like I have two different fern species! The one on the left is a Nephrolepis (kupukupu) & the one on the right is Microlepia (palapalai).










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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

A few more changes. Removed the mounted P. sarracenia & replaced w/ mounted P. sertularoides. Placed a mounted P. leptotifolia over the top of the cork knee & a cutting of Selaginella under the knee.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2015)

Few more jewels added!








Update pic










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## SoloSK71 (Dec 25, 2018)

Very nice!

Solo


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## ds51 (Oct 13, 2017)

grate looking setup will look really nice once they start to grow and fill out
well done mate


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