# Hall of Central/South America



## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Hey folks I mentioned in my paludarium thread I've been working on some new vivs since I'm breaking down my old large viv. I'm moving in a couple of months so I've been making sure to keep everything in mind to be able to easily disassemble everything in and out of the vivs and so far so good. They're all built from reclaimed wood and surprisingly light in weight but sturdy. Each viv will represent a specific region - Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Borneo. I also built some spaces under the cabinets where I can add 4 zoo med/exo terras to keep additional plants. 

Anyways here's a couple of photos taken yesterday:
















and a sneak peek of a grow out with many of the inhabitant plants for these vivs


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

These tanks are going to be amazing! I can't wait to see how they turn out!


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## Lbacha (Sep 7, 2011)

Let me know when you start your Borneo tank I may have some plants for you that arn't very common (Schismatoglottis, piptospatha, bucephalandra, Aridarum and bakoa) 

Len


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Len Thanks a bunch for the offer! I'd love to some trades or buy some from you. I've been looking at sites like green chapter and wondering if any of those crazy aroids will make it over here. 


Thanks Dillon, my room mate keeps pushing me to finish but they won't be completely planted until the end of the year probably after I move. Thanks again guys.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Little update: 

I'm waiting on the lights which will probably be coming around in a week or two - thanks again Todd if you see this, your a real cool cat.

As of right now I'm placing all the doors and frames into place and once that's done I'll move into building the interior for each viv.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

...okay so a month later and really not much of an update. I had a situation with my current home that put a pause on construction so not much has happened since I haven't been in it much. It gave me some time to plan things out for the vivs and in a way was kinda good for me. I got some small eco web sheets off of firstray's and some really awesome surprises in the mail from a really cool member on here. I've only been coming back to the house just to take care of the plants and do some of the daily maintenance around the house. After everything that happened I may be forced to move early which is fine for me since I've always been able to do it fast regarding everything goes well on paper. 

Any how I've been doing a lot of carving out of several styrofoam sheets I was given for free from a friend at home depot and ended up with 2 trash bags full of fake rocks that will be finished with the drylok method: 









I finished the cabinet tops where the lights will be placed right after the last post - all from reclaimed and cheap plywood stained with minwax. All the glass sheets have been cut and placed so there's now sliding doors.

I didn't really explain how I was going to waterproof the vivs but on the two paludariums I decided to give rubber cement a try (type used for ponds) I bought a large bucket of the stuff and spent 2 weeks coating outside so it would cure faster. Before I started painting the cement on I made sure to tape every seam inside the viv with drywall tape to add extra strength for support. I was impressed how durable and strong the rubber was and held water no problem. One thing noted - You have to install the glass first onto the wooden support. In addition I used the marine 5200 adhesive sealant to bond the glass to the wood since silicone won't bond to the liquid rubber. Just a heads for anyone wanting to try this. 










The next step now is to get the lights into place.


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Can't wait to see this planted up! It will be epic. When all is said and done... you should get placards made up for each one and charge people to enter your house to view them.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

andersonii85 said:


> Can't wait to see this planted up! It will be epic. When all is said and done... you should get placards made up for each one and charge people to enter your house to view them.


ha ha ha some of friends said the exact same thing!


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Subscribed! I will be watching closely, especially how you create your Peru and Borneo.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Just got several nice pieces of manzanita from a great member on here yesterday and now attaching all the fake rocks on to the background. Whatever is not covered in drylok will be filled in with eco web and wood.

I may have made too many rocks but we'll see how many I need for all five vivs.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Well done Arman! Can't wait to see these planted out.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Started on the two backgrounds for the paludariums. The Borneo background I shaped the rocks to replicate limestone. I went with that look since I've seen several photos with all kinds of begonias, etc. growing on those rocks.










The peruvian background was shaped to make it look like the stone has the appearance of water constantly running on it which has carved them leaving several crevices and other shapes in them. This detail does not really show well on camera and probably will when it is painted.









Still working on the sides for both tanks and will finish all the detail work for both backgrounds with a small torch (outside of course). Here's what I have so far -








opinions? suggestions?


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## Steve88W (Jan 21, 2011)

Looking great so far!
I like the 3D look of the background.
*subscribed


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

Very nice build.


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## Lbacha (Sep 7, 2011)

I really can't wait to see the Borneo setup, I have a few plants collected in Borneo that I may have cuttings from including a nice Begonia malacasticta that is a smaller cane Begonia that grows on limestone hills on Borneo. Id love to trade for some new additions.

Len


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

working on the drains and waterfalls today. Everything had to be measured very carefully as both paludariums are going to have the same height level of water. Both backgrounds still need work and until I'm satisfied with the shapes of the rocks I'll hold off painting the colors and attaching the epiweb slabs. Background seen is the borneo one. I redid the peruvian background because the landscape was too similar to the borneo and very glad I did since it came out much better - I'll get pics of it up next post.


















Added a couple of valves on each end of the waterfall/ water current system to regulate the flow of water between the 4 features.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Good work Arman. So the water is going to be the same for all the tanks. Aren't you concerned about a "bug" being able to spread really quickly through all your tanks?


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

*Subscribed*


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

JPccusa said:


> Aren't you concerned about a "bug" being able to spread really quickly through all your tanks?


Nope. Dart Frogs don't come from Borneo so i'm not going to put anything live in there other than the fish I already have in my current one. I'm aware of the possibilities of germs and other various pathogens that are capable of traveling through the plumbing into other tanks - even water snails will do it. I'm certain I probably won't be putting anything in the peruvian one either since these tanks are more focused for my plants. If I do decide to add anything later on I can always cut the pipe into 2 separate systems by capping them off and adding another pump. I'd like to put some cinnamon tree frogs in the borneo one but that's out of the question from how loud most tree frogs are...bad enough with the blue jeans all day and night.

A couple of teaser shots of some foliage and what will go into the vivariums:

begonia sp. from central peru









Tillandsia biflora - surprised how well this is doing in a terrarium 
environment









Another one of my grow out jars with many uncommon and rarities


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

awesome!!!!!
I've kept Tillandsia cyanea in a little 18x18x18 for years without problems, I guess the less powdered leaved ones like it better. that's a cool plant BTW, nice to see some "different" broms.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

ICS523 said:


> awesome!!!!!
> I've kept Tillandsia cyanea in a little 18x18x18 for years without problems, I guess the less powdered leaved ones like it better. that's a cool plant BTW, nice to see some "different" broms.


thanks, I'm definitely trying to use more unusual bromeliads this time around. Most of my brom choices are ones such as vrieseas, racinaeas, and very different neoregelias like pendula v. brevifolia and tarapotoensis.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Okay so my creativity has been used up for now due to the stress of the upcoming holidays at work. Moving is just around the corner and all tanks so far aren't heavy. I got tired of carving all the rocks by hand so I recruited Scott from vivariumworks to give me a hand ha ha ha. My budget for this project so far is stable so all is going at a pace (been saving for a year to do this). Here's what's been done so far:


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## ralph (Sep 13, 2006)

Looking nice so far. You carve everything with that kitchen knife I see there!?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

...so a little of an update:

The past month has been really crazy with a lot coming up in my personal life (nothing bad) and have not paid much attention to it besides preparing electrical work for lighting, air circulation, and plumbing. I've decided to run the two paludariums with 2 seperate pumps in each one to avoid having a sump underneath to ease the maintenance. The structure work for the other 3 vivs are just about done but waiting on some artificial rocks to add the finishing details. 

I haven't started yet on smaller bottom vivs because I've decided to redo the stands and lids since I wasn't really satisfied with the final result. I'm aiming to achieve that vintage look on them - kinda difficult to explain. Another weekend job I've had to put on hold because I currently have no working space to set up a table saw.

I may start a new thread so I can include the stand construction but in addition to no working space, I've seem to have misplaced my charger for my camera so I'm hoping to find it soon before I start again with this project.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

So Arman.. Question.. What are the sizes of the top setups?? Looks like you have a good foot print to work with in each one. I love your other setup that you got rid of so I can only imagine you are going to make these out of this world. Also, you say you plan to use ecoweb in the parts not used for rock/wood. Are you adding drip walls? or going to focus mainly with misting? I plan to do something similar with our 90 gallon but dont think ill be using a drip wall. thanks man!

Brandon


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Nismo95 said:


> So Arman.. Question.. What are the sizes of the top setups?? Looks like you have a good foot print to work with in each one. I love your other setup that you got rid of so I can only imagine you are going to make these out of this world. Also, you say you plan to use ecoweb in the parts not used for rock/wood. Are you adding drip walls? or going to focus mainly with misting? I plan to do something similar with our 90 gallon but dont think ill be using a drip wall. thanks man!
> 
> Brandon


Hey Brandon the top ones are LxWxH 30"x20"x36" - they're not as big as I would like to have them but I always try to plan ahead as I still have not found a permanent home I see spending a while in. Right now I'm redoing the cabinet stands because I wasn't satisfied with the last result and I've decided to make the smaller vivs out of plywood as well as I just didn't feel like having several glass sheets cut for me so with the route of wood I decided to make the smaller one a little bigger 20"x18"x24". I'm so much happier now with the design of the cabinets but still have to redo one more - I'll get pics up once finished.

I'm using eco web but I've heard from others that eco web has been better used when organics are rubbed into the material as it holds the water better. I plan to run the misters heavy for the first couple of months to get the mosses established. Drip walls in my opinion are too much maintenance and I didn't want to have to deal with several pumps so I'm sure the misting will do.


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## Jungleboy (Dec 24, 2011)

what type of lighting are you planning on using for these?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

thanks for the response arman. Check out folius. US based company and they carry the epiweb "moss mix". I have a 24x24x36 setup that I am in a way mimicing yours. fake rocks, a few pieces of manzanita, and than the rest ecoweb. And I was planning to cover all ecoweb with their moss mix. Bit spendy, and ill likely need 3 bags of it however, it is a mix I have been dieing to try. So if you're still building when we're letting it grow in, you will atleast get to see what the mix does on ecoweb with only misting!


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Already ahead of you brandon : ) As soon as dev got it in stock I placed an order for a bag to try out. I have a few trays I've been growing some tropical moss on for the past few months but looking forward to spread this on areas I don't cover with the already growing moss. 

I was convinced on trying it out after seeing karma's cool orchidarium and all the different mosses she got out of a bag after a couple years' of growth. Even if I get a majority of sphagnum it's still fine to me. I will keep the thread updated once I get it placed and watered.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I am interested in seeing what you have gotten after 2 months of growth arman. would also like to see how you are growing them on your ecoweb slabs currently.  and grats man. I cant wait to see how these turn out. your large display was phenominal


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## Fluffypanda (Oct 18, 2012)

This is very exciting, keep it up! *subscribes*


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Okay so I finally got things going at a good pace on this project. I got the rocks from vivarium works a few days ago and as soon as I found the spare time I started to attach the rocks all over inside the terrariums. Some rocks were very large but I was able to cut them with some heavy duty scissors and make several smaller rocks with them as well as background flats. I also lined all the terrariums with the eco-web using great stuff foam to adhere everything - I chose great stuff foam because you'll get little mounds and hills that form under the eco web as it dries which makes it look more natural.

Borneo waterfall planning -









Borneo waterfall -









Borneo's landscape always seems to be very busy with many rocks of different sizes - Have a look at Michael Lo's public albums to get a better visual

Borneo Landscape -









Peru waterfall -









Peru Landscape -










Still need to tint the rocks to a more brown earth tone and add the rest of the smaller rocks, sand, vines, and driftwood.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Ecuador coming along 









Costa rica 









Peru









Borneo









These terrariums seem overwhelmed with wood but a lot of them I'm using to prop other pieces while the foam dries. I ran out of manzanita so I'll have to keep the brazilian one on hold until I can get some 2 or 3 large pieces again

Still need to tint all the foam and rocks, something I'll do in the middle of the week.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Everything looks good so far. I'm anxious to see how these turn out.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

I've decided to go another route as something came up with 2 of the vivariums which means I will be replacing them with another 2 but will be 4 ft long tall and wide instead. I'm really trying to create a living space with these terrariums by incorporating them into bookcases and add shelves to give it an old mini library feel. I may consider letting go another one and going with 3 larger vivs and 2 of the current ones. Here's a pic to give an idea









Trying to conserve space and make it multifunctional is my main goal with this project. Minus the expensive sofa, curtains, snazzy table, I aim to have this focus more to display my fossils and books along with some of my old artwork from my tattooing days. I'm only one man doing all the carpentry so sorry guys if your waiting for something awesome - it does take time : )


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

A photo from the other day.

This is still happenning but planning and the amount of space available took for extreme and careful planning. Hoping to get the stain on this week.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Nice idea, and looks like you know what you're doing...so I look forward to seeing how this turn out! 

Nice rocks btw


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Here's a photo from last week. I still haven't put the trimming on all the cabinets and would like to give it a few touch ups in some spots but the glass is in and all 3 cabinets are up. I've set up the t5 lighting but still haven't placed the leds and started on the landscape. The empty spaces underneath the large tanks are for other smaller vivs but I will install those last as my main focus is to get the large ones running and start placing my plants in there.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Here's an update on my ecuador viv. It's just about finished except the substrate, painted rocks, and peat that needs to be added. I plan to paint the rocks once I get some others finished for my borneo and peruvian tank. The landscape looks a little flat but there are many slopes and hills (I guess that's the effect of using a dark substrate). The moss will show it over time.






I added all the other fake rocks from my other vivs into them but would like to add more rocks with different shapes.


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

I am liking the new design. It's going to look pretty awesome all tied into the room.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I can't wait to see the final result. But what do you put in Borneo biotope viv? Frogs?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

rigel10 said:


> I can't wait to see the final result. But what do you put in Borneo biotope viv? Frogs?


Not sure really, I thought about vampire crabs but if I can find some very small tropidophorus sp. that'd be great. Originally I wanted to put in some cinnamon tree frogs but their call is very loud I've been told.


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## pavochavo (Nov 21, 2012)

Love the new design! Should look killer!


Robert


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Figured I'd post this before I forgot to. I'm currently working on a peruvian vivarium and I wanted to add a natural eroded rock landscape in portions of the tank. I decided that making my own casts would be the way to go since having anything custom made is usually out of the question so with some advice given to me I was turned to the company zoopoxy. After buying a small bucket of Nova Sil (silicone based product) I took to my local hills to try some on the nice eroded slopes along the paths. Since it was my first time I did not know what to expect using this product - at first it seems like a huge mess was made and the stuff was really sticking to things. After Using the whole bucket I left and returned the next morning to collect my pieces - I was expecting a lot of clean up but surprisingly it was very easy to peel off and put away. The bummer was a lot of the landscape was loose sandstone so I was literally taking parts of the wall off as well. I did get some really good pieces to make a few casts out of but the pieces I took off the wall with sandstone I decided to use them in my landscape and just drylock the rocks into place so I don't have to worry about them eroding in my terrarium over time from the water. 

What I did to just hold them into place was paste the with great stuff and used a few heavy items to hold them against the foam until they bonded. Sorry for the lighting, it really washes out the detail.









If this works I'll just have to wait for time to pass to see.


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## Colin C (Jun 27, 2011)

Can't wait to see these finished, I wish more people would strive for larger biotope enclosures. What was your method/products for sealing the inside of your plywood vivariums?


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Did you start planting yet?


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Cool stuff you have there...


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Any update?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Colin C said:


> Can't wait to see these finished, I wish more people would strive for larger biotope enclosures. What was your method/products for sealing the inside of your plywood vivariums?


Colin sorry for the late response - I used both pond liner and a liquid rubber cement on the first builds and the bigger ones I stuck only with pond liner.



andersonii85 said:


> Did you start planting yet?


I know JB after a year you'd think this would all be done now. A lot comes up but I still give this project some time when I can.

Here's a couple of pics taken a couple of weeks ago with 3 tillandsia biflora (green form) inside my ecuador terrarium. I have the substrate in and the bottom and lid glass panels but still waiting on my sliding doors. In the meantime I'm working on the vents along with some new and better track I got from Sherman.


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

dendrothusiast said:


> Colin sorry for the late response - I used both pond liner and a liquid rubber cement on the first builds and the bigger ones I stuck only with pond liner.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Now it's starting to take form... this is gonna be awesome!


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

A lot has happened to me the last few days so I'm barely doing anything right now. I'll upload a few things I did on Monday.

I decided to get some hair algae and do a bleach dip before adding it on to my branches to imitate a true rainforest. I chose algae because it will hold moisture for a while and will give my tropical mosses a better chance of establishing themselves as opposed to constant misting. I started with my ecuador tank after making a few adjustments with some vines and now just adding things into it. Here's a few photos to show what I've done so far.

It'll probably be a couple of years before adding animals to any tanks since I want them to mature and grow in - yeah Todd K. I can relate now.

Step 1 - algae


Step 2 - adding it to the branches




Step 3 - planning, I added some plagiochilla moss and a few micro orchids to get a feel for it - too bad their not ecuador natives except the moss. 



The tank is going to house many unusual gesineriads, anthuriums, and be my main lepanthes growing unit with a few other unusuals like some peps, ferns, and a epiphytic blueberrie or two.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

Very well done, Arman. It's good to see you're taking it slow in order for it to be done well every step of the way. Wonderful progress.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Thanks Ron I appreciate it. I wanted to create several masterpieces and I've been planning this for months now. My main thing is to display my plants very similar to in situ photos of their habitats so I can always enjoy them. I do have plans for what's going into all the tanks except one but we'll see down the road I guess.

Finished the ecuador one tonight and used the rest of my algae on my peruvian viv as well. 

Ecuador top left - a special spot for one of my strap leaf anthuriums and some pluerothallids - My favorite anthurium I have right now



Ecuador top right - main broms for this tank are only tillandsia biflora (green form) and tillandsia cyanea




Ecuador full shot



And a couple teaser shots of the peruvian viv





Looks way better in person, my camera really washes the quality out


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

I think using the proper plants to create a nice sense of scale will be really important. Nice idea with the algae--I'm interested to see how plants and mosses take hold.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Hair algae? Is it the same stuff that grows in the fish tanks?


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

A masterpiece in the works indeed. Really liking the structure of the setups. Hope the algae idea pays off. Keep us updated.


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## Bunsincunsin (Feb 11, 2008)

dendrothusiast said:


> Step 3 - planning, I added some plagiochilla moss and a few micro orchids to get a feel for it - too bad their not ecuador natives except the moss.


Is that Plagiochila sp. one of the ones from Manuran? I didn't know it was from Ecuador... I'll have to get some of that next time he has it available!

Your displays are coming along nicely; I can't wait to see them all planted!


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

rigel10 said:


> Hair algae? Is it the same stuff that grows in the fish tanks?


Same algae I think I was lucky to have a source to let me know to com and get it after they were done cleaning it out of their indoor ponds.



andersonii85 said:


> A masterpiece in the works indeed. Really liking the structure of the setups. Hope the algae idea pays off. Keep us updated.


Wait till you see the plants and moss(all tropical bryophytes species). 



Bunsincunsin said:


> Is that Plagiochila sp. one of the ones from Manuran? I didn't know it was from Ecuador... I'll have to get some of that next time he has it available!
> 
> Your displays are coming along nicely; I can't wait to see them all planted!


It is, I'm not sure if it is from ecuador or not but I have been looking at many in situ photos for a long time and I am very sure I've seen it or a similar bigger leaved species in costa rican, peruvian, colombian, and ecuador photos. 

I am mostly going to use his low growing tropical species and the smaller growing plagiochilla pulcherrima in the ecuadorian tank. 
All my collecting and hoarding is finally paying off.


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## LoganR (Oct 25, 2013)

Looking forward to seeing the Borneo build. Love the small SE Asian aroids.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Do not you fear hair algae turns into green slime? In my aquarium it has happened.


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## Bunsincunsin (Feb 11, 2008)

Hey Arman, any updates?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

rigel10 said:


> Do not you fear hair algae turns into green slime? In my aquarium it has happened.


Hey Rigel sorry my response is late. I actually welcome algae as it's always helped mosses develop much quicker in areas I may miss spreading. Once a watering regiment is established when the rest of my plants are in I'm sure the algae won't be an issue.





Bunsincunsin said:


> Hey Arman, any updates?


Hey Shaun my Borneo and Ecuador tank are finished but I'm having a hard time trying to find someone to cut the glass strips I need to make the sherman vents. Other than that I'm still building the other tanks a little at a time but I am having a creator's block on the underwater section of the peru tank.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks, this is an info I do not know. New pics are welcome. Greetings


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

A few photos from a few days ago, I've been in need of a couple more misting nozzles which has prevented me from planting the borneo tank at the moment but the other two already have plant life. I've decided to put my two smaller costa rican builds on hold since the cabinet I had for one of them was heavily damaged from a recent move. I think it's best just to place the four smaller terrariums on a baker's rack system instead of underneath the large terrariums so more reinforcement for the support can be added just to play it safe.










ecuador 









peru









borneo


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

Arman, what's the stringy, pendant plant in the Ecuador tank?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Spaff said:


> Arman, what's the stringy, pendant plant in the Ecuador tank?


Vittaria linifolia, I had been growing it outside but the cold temps and dry winds beat it up pretty good so I brought it inside. It's starting to put out new growth but still has a ways to go.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Arman, what are the dimensions of those vivs? I love the museum look to it. Very nicely displayed... Also, what did you use to create the rocks? Drylok, grout, or something better? Those look freakishly realistic.


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## mollbern (Feb 10, 2013)

Awesome tanks!

Thanks for sharing it with us all along the way. 

The cabinets really make it all look so clean - sorry some of them are giving you trouble. 

Just curious: Are you planning on keeping all the plant tags visible for identification?


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Nismo95 said:


> Arman, what are the dimensions of those vivs? I love the museum look to it. Very nicely displayed... Also, what did you use to create the rocks? Drylok, grout, or something better? Those look freakishly realistic.


Thanks Brandon, that's great feedback to hear which since I worked so long making the rocks look more realistic. Dimensions are 48" x 20" x 48", many of the rocks were made by vivariumworks and all I did was sponge and airbrush acrylic paint to achieve the look I wanted. Other rocks incorporated are made of styrofoam sealed in drylok and also painted to look more natural. 



mollbern said:


> Awesome tanks!
> 
> Thanks for sharing it with us all along the way.
> 
> ...


Glad to display them, my carpentry skills are not my best anymore since I don't do it often now but hopefully one day I can achieve that library look like in a photo from my previous posts. The stands I'm happy with - it's just the top portion of the highest shelf that kinda tells me I took too much space and the weight has caused several splits under the structure.

When it comes to plants I'm usually good at remembering things especially since they're unique but I may forget a lepanthes or 2 sometimes.


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## snake54320 (Dec 16, 2011)

I'm in love with the peru hardscape 
Seriously, theses hardscapes are probably some of the best I have seen so far (if not *the* best)
Congrats for the great work, and thanks a lot for sharing pictures of every steps  

*suscribed


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Hardscapes really outstanding! I can not wait to see how they will be full of plants and frogs.


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## RNKot (Jun 9, 2010)

Crazy! Suscribed!


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## VivariumWorks (Feb 27, 2008)

Ok so I've made many of those rocks quite a few times now, and so I know almost every single rock, crevice, texture, and can tell from a distance if anybody is using one of the rocks I've cast in their tank.

And then I come here and can barely tell at all it's all so properly blended in and homogeneously random. The borneo hardscape is hands down the best I've ever seen done with any of the faux rock I've made, including anything I've done with them too. That's what dedication, time, art, and proper color blending can do everybody. TAKE NOTES! Seriously well done! Going to steal these photos for the new website for sure!


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## mollbern (Feb 10, 2013)

dendrothusiast said:


> When it comes to plants I'm usually good at remembering things especially since they're unique but I may forget a lepanthes or 2 sometimes.


Ah, just was confused, since you mentioned somewhere that your Ecuador tank was finished, though the plants in there are still potted/tagged. 

Gotta agree with everyone's comments - the scaping you've done in these tanks is astounding. I've saved pictures of your hardscapes in my inspiration folder. Thanks for keeping us updated! Worth the wait.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

VivariumWorks said:


> Ok so I've made many of those rocks quite a few times now, and so I know almost every single rock, crevice, texture, and can tell from a distance if anybody is using one of the rocks I've cast in their tank.
> 
> And then I come here and can barely tell at all it's all so properly blended in and homogeneously random. The borneo hardscape is hands down the best I've ever seen done with any of the faux rock I've made, including anything I've done with them too. That's what dedication, time, art, and proper color blending can do everybody. TAKE NOTES! Seriously well done! Going to steal these photos for the new website for sure!


Ha ha thanks man I appreciate the feedback - that's awesome to hear since you made the majority of them! I was hoping these hardscapes inspire people to try at it and keep you busy. If you need any other pics for your site let me know, I'd be happy to help.



mollbern said:


> Ah, just was confused, since you mentioned somewhere that your Ecuador tank was finished, though the plants in there are still potted/tagged.
> 
> Gotta agree with everyone's comments - the scaping you've done in these tanks is astounding. I've saved pictures of your hardscapes in my inspiration folder. Thanks for keeping us updated! Worth the wait.


Sorry Molbern I do remember saying it was done but what I meant was the hardscape. I actually went back in and took a branch on the left wall out that didn't feel "right" being there so I added more rocks instead to simulate an eroded cliff or ledge. I'm picking up my order from ecuagenera tomorrow so hoping I can get the fan system running again soon to keep the racinaeas and leps in check.


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## andersonii85 (Feb 8, 2004)

Any new pics to share Arman?


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## nburns (May 3, 2005)

Quite an impressive project. Looks awesome so far. Loving the size of the enclosures.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

andersonii85 said:


> Any new pics to share Arman?


Not really, life got in the way again lol.

I'm eager to finish this up but the cabinets need to be redone since some split from our last major earthquake. One of the bottom glass panels had a hairline fracture from the shakes and before I knew it the cabinet warped like crazy from the water. I'm just going to bite the bullet and get some professional help with the new cabinets - they were too wide anyways and the smaller tanks I'll put on a simple rack.

I'm curious to see your new projects too after the move I hope it wasn't too stressful for you guys.


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

dendrothusiast said:


> A few photos from a few days ago, I've been in need of a couple more misting nozzles which has prevented me from planting the borneo tank at the moment but the other two already have plant life. I've decided to put my two smaller costa rican builds on hold since the cabinet I had for one of them was heavily damaged from a recent move. I think it's best just to place the four smaller terrariums on a baker's rack system instead of underneath the large terrariums so more reinforcement for the support can be added just to play it safe.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Envy!!!! These are awesome!


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Sorry for the earthquake. Here too they are frequent: it is my biggest fear! Houses are earthquake proof, but no glass terrariums.
When your room is finished, it will be indicated in the tourist guide of your city, I'm sure.


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## Elsongha (Dec 19, 2013)

I agree with Vavariumworks from a few posts above. The rock formation in the Borneo display is incredible. Very well job done!!


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## atticus22 (Mar 20, 2011)

Would love to build something similar to this one day, looks brilliant.


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## bruhmelioid (Jun 14, 2014)

Great work! Can't wait to see these tanks completed and cycled!


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## dendroalvaro (Mar 5, 2013)

Any updates. This are the best hardscape vivs I have ever seen, and they are not the best planted vivs because i have not seen them planted but nce they are planted htey will be one of the best.


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## dendrothusiast (Sep 16, 2010)

Elsongha said:


> I agree with Vavariumworks from a few posts above. The rock formation in the Borneo display is incredible. Very well job done!!





atticus22 said:


> Would love to build something similar to this one day, looks brilliant.





bruhmelioid said:


> Great work! Can't wait to see these tanks completed and cycled!


Thanks you guys, It's been a long time since I've posted anything on this except for a few pics here and there on Facebook but I'll try and update this as soon as I'm done with the hardscape in one of these terrariums.


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## alogan (Jan 7, 2013)

Such an awesome build!


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Really interesting build thread... Did you every plant these vivs?


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## jonesmann (Dec 24, 2012)

hi folks!

i really love those builds! any updates? 
would really like to see how they are now


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## ruairidh_ (Feb 9, 2016)

Look amazing :O


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