# Exo-Terra 65g Build PIC-HEAVY!!!



## arielelf

I am rebuilding my viv after the old one decided to crack, it was built out of plexi and plexi warps more than I realized it would.

This was the original build
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/22002-60-gallon-construction.html

I decided to go with an Exo-Terra 18x24x36" extra-high tank, so hopefully it will last much longer this time around. I am moving most of the old rocks to the new tank but had to make some new rocks to fill in since the new tank is not the same size. I also removed the big wood stump and the water feature this time because I am hoping to raise Pumilios in the new tank and wanted to have more room for leaf litter and a clay substrate.

This shows the first steps of making new rocks. The white "rocks" are the ethafoam









this shows the first couple coats of underlayment

























These are after a couple more layers









































So after finishing sculpting I decided that I wanted more room on the back wall for plants and the rocks took up too much room, so out they came!!
These are some photos after the painting

























































I added a piece of ghostwood









Next corkbark and tree fern was added to the back wall and another small piece of ghostwood

































So that is everything so far. I have ordered lots of broms and will put them in next week along with the mistking. I have not yet figured out how I am going to do the top, take out the screen and add glass inside the panels of the current top or take out the support and do all glass.

For anyone wanting to know how to make the rocks please look at the original post linked at the top for all of the instructions.

I need plant suggestions!!! I want some orchids for the branches and some creepers(NO FICUS PUMILIO!!!! It distroyed the last tank. I am thinking about some Columnea and Hoya mounted on the back wall.


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## myersboy6

your last build is one of my top favorite builds. i wish i had your artistic ability to make fake rock like that. nice work! cant wait to see it finished. as for a creeping vine i would go with maybe try marcgravia. i think it looks really cool! here is a thread with it a viv that has it all over in the tank. Marcgravia gone wild in antique viv!


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## erlese

Yeah!! seriously!!! I wish I had your skills with making rocks!!!.. Your method of background is by far my favorite!! So much more natural looking and ( so much cleaner) looking against the clay or GS /Peat moss because of the fine Detail. I agree!! your first build was my favorite one I used!!! it sucks about the tank warping!! ( IMO) take the wire mesh OUT!! No matter what anyone says ( it will rust) weather 2 months from now or ( 2 years).. do you want to go back and pull it out 1 year from now?? ( i had to do that because i listened to someone who said " it will not rust" and of course... it DID!! did it to all 7 of my exos ( when humidity is at 85 to 90%) in them for 15 months , just get rid of it!!. as far 

as the ( one big glass or the smaller ones) I have done both methods on my own tanks. ( Really on Preference) I love the ( one big glass look) plus, it allows more light in around the tank as i find the light gets " chopped" up by the dividers ( unless you use the exo canopies). but if you plan on a T5.. one big glass for sure. I'm sure there will be plenty who will disagree  


rest is out of my league when it comes to plants..( so cant help there)


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## RNKot

Subscribed, your 60g was epic


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## GRIMM

Your rock work is so nice it's actually painful to look at haha. Keep it up!


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## Ross

Subscribed. Your rock builds are better than any I can recall.

As for plants, you may want to look into some of these:

* = my favorites

*Philodendron sp. 'Burle Marx Fantasy'
*Philodendron camposportoanum
*Philodendron micans
Philodendron squamiferum (larger growing)
*Philodendron verrucosum (larger growing but beautiful foliage)
*Rhaphidophora pachyphylla (really tiny aroid; Black Jungle sells this one as Rhaphidophora sp.)
Rhaphidophora hayi
Rhaphidophora cryptantha
*Syngonium rayii will climb given enough time but it's a good low-light plant for the bottom as well
*Begonia glabra 
Begonia eleagnifolia - both species have nice climbing habits with age
Begonia prismatocarpa
*Microgramma spp. (lycopodioides, heterophylla, vaccinifolia seem to be the most common)
*Microsorum linguiforme (cool epiphytic fern)
*Davallia parvula 
*Davallia sessilifolia (more cool creeping epiphytic ferns)
Columnea allenii (if you can find some)
*Columnea microphylla
*Ficus sp. 'Panama' is much slower growing than pumila; highly recommended
Cissus amazonica (really nice once established)
Cissus discolor
*Marcgravia spp. (One green sp. circulates around Dendroboard as well as rectiflora)
*Peperomia prostrata
Peperomia rotundifolia
*Piper crocatum (not very common but it's a cool climber if you can find it)

I don't usually use a lot of orchids ($$$) but here are some that I've used/would like to use:
*Pleurothallis grobyi
*Pleurothallis brighamii
Haraella odorata
Schoenorchis fragrans
Platystele misera
Restrepia brachypus
Scaphosepalum rapax
Bulbophyllum lasiochilum
Masdevallia estradae
Masdevallia erinacea

Most of those I listed are creepers/climbers/epiphytes that will grow on the background.

Cheers


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## arielelf

Thanks guys,
That is a great list of plants. 

Matthew


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## arielelf

I got my bromeliads in the mail today and just finished cleaning them. I am very happy with them, they look even nicer in person. I hope they will all fit!


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## Mitch

Awesome tank and beautiful broms. Can't wait to see the tank planted with them! Subscribed to this thread too.


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## jausi

nice viv!!!!

I like the idea of using 3 different types of background


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## RarePlantBroker

The original was always an inspiration for rock work...sad to hear it cracked. I'm glad to see you were able to "re-purpose" the rocks, and the blending work looks great.

For your climbing plants, some Marcgravia rectiflora will work well on the cork (it doesn't seem to like growing on anything but wood). Some of the smaller-leafed Philo. spp. will do well on the rock. I like the look of P. camposportoanum, or P. 'grazielle' for your tank...but that's just a personal thought. 

You may also look into some of the smaller species of Elaphoglossum ferns. E. lanceolatum or E. standleyi look awesome on rocks.

There are some nice orchids that are naturally lithophytic that would look right at home in your setup. Laelia liliputiana and Laelia fourneiri both grow on limestone rock in Brazil--and would do well in the higher light/temps at the top of a vivarium.

Looking forward to seeing the completed project!


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## lukebalsavich

Looking great. Did you use mortar on the rocks? I echo the comment on the screen for exos.. I have seen a number of them rust. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## arielelf

Thanks for all the plant tips, I need all I can get. I really want to make sure I don't get anything that will take over the tank this time around.
I love the look of the Marcgravia, but does it grow too fast? Also I can't seem to find any place to buy it online. Anybody know where to get it?


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## arielelf

lukebalsavich said:


> Looking great. Did you use mortar on the rocks? I echo the comment on the screen for exos.. I have seen a number of them rust. Can't wait to see the finished product.


I used underlayment cement like the original build. I used Henry's brand underlayment which is not nearly as nice as the Ardex product, but much cheaper.


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## dfrmav

Where did you order those broms from? They rock!


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## arielelf

dfrmav said:


> Where did you order those broms from? They rock!


I found them on Ebay. Just look under mini neregelia.


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## arielelf

RarePlantBroker said:


> The original was always an inspiration for rock work...sad to hear it cracked. I'm glad to see you were able to "re-purpose" the rocks, and the blending work looks great.
> 
> For your climbing plants, some Marcgravia rectiflora will work well on the cork (it doesn't seem to like growing on anything but wood). Some of the smaller-leafed Philo. spp. will do well on the rock. I like the look of P. camposportoanum, or P. 'grazielle' for your tank...but that's just a personal thought.
> 
> You may also look into some of the smaller species of Elaphoglossum ferns. E. lanceolatum or E. standleyi look awesome on rocks.
> 
> These Elaphoglossum ferns sound great, but I can't seem to find any available. Any ideas where to find these?
> 
> The orchids I found on Andy's Orchids.


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## RarePlantBroker

You will want to check with rareferns.com for the Elaphoglossum. Charles is limited on his offerings right now, but usually has some unique varieties. Also, www.ecuagenera.com has a nice selection of Elaphoglossum and Dicranoglossum available.

Marcgravia is a fairly hardy vivarium plant, but is easy to manage. Mine grow at about 1/3 the speed of most Philodendron varieties. If no one on the board has any for sale, I should be able to pick up some more next month--so shoot me a PM.


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## eos

Subscribed! Great placement of cork/tree fern.


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## arielelf

RarePlantBroker said:


> You will want to check with rareferns.com for the Elaphoglossum. Charles is limited on his offerings right now, but usually has some unique varieties. Also, www.ecuagenera.com has a nice selection of Elaphoglossum and Dicranoglossum available.
> 
> Marcgravia is a fairly hardy vivarium plant, but is easy to manage. Mine grow at about 1/3 the speed of most Philodendron varieties. If no one on the board has any for sale, I should be able to pick up some more next month--so shoot me a PM.


Thanks so much. This is a huge help, I must have looked through 20 dealers last night looking for the ferns.


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## arielelf

I mounted my bromeliads today, and I'm not sure if they fit or not. They fit, but they are in clusters, which I'm sure the Pumilios would love, but I don't have enough experience to know if they are too crowded or not. I hope it is ok because I don't really have any other place to use these, but I don't want to kill them. It looks better in person, I really like the fullness of them together. The lighting is not what will be used permanently, I am having AAA frogs custom make an LED hood so there will be much more light and much less shadows on the lower bromeliads. 
I need expert opinions and suggestions, are they ok?


































Also I installed a tube for turkey-basting water out of the tank, I modified the old fake rock cover that was used in the last tank.


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## Atmus

How thick was the plexiglass that warped in your old tank? How exactly did it warp?


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## arielelf

Atmus said:


> How thick was the plexiglass that warped in your old tank? How exactly did it warp?


It was 1/4". The whole thing warped with the edges going out, it was the corner thatgave way, I'm not sure if I got a perfect weld on that corner in the first place. The front door had to be forced closed, which also added more stress on the corner.


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## Dartfrogfreak

The tank looks nice! I must say tho that while the brom package is good, I think there may be too many different ones in there. Maybe choose 2 types and use several of each?
I always think things look better when people try not to use too many different plants in one tank.. especially not alot of different Species/varieties of the same family.


Great rockwork!


Todd


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## Dartfrogfreak

Also cant wait to see the rest planted! Hopefully you wont choose anything that will quickly cover that beautiful rock work! Id suggest Begonias and some small aroids.


Todd


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## azure89

I think those broms will be really crowded when they grow a little more and start producing pups, I have a viv where the broms were all at least six inches or more apart and now they are all touching and their pups are growing thrrough other broms leaves, but then again you can always prune them it doesn't seem to be bad if they are touching either, if you like the way it looks then leave it, you can always remove them later if you have to, hope that helps and nice rockwork


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## arielelf

It does look a bit garish in the photos now that I look at it, but it really looks much nicer in person, at least to me  I agree that less variety would look more natural.


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## eos

I think it looks good right now... But I do agree on less variety of plants also. Also, I dig the clustered look. Either way, looks good.


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## Qfrogs

That is wicked!


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## jausi

looking goog, but I think a little less broms will be better


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## GRIMM

Looks pretty sweet so far, and nice colours for sure. I suggest moving the far left red brom closer to the other reddish cluster on the right. Keep the reds with reds, and purples with purples. It might work a bit better that way. IMO the broms are a tad on the large side also, so if you could find a few smaller ones down the road I think it will balance things much better.


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## arielelf

I thought that the broms would be much smaller when I ordered them. I think that the Pumilios will like all of the coverage though.


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## calvinyhob

When i logged in for the first time in a bit and see this thread with your name i was excited thinking that you were doing a new build , your original tank was beautiful and that sucks that it gave out on you. Now on the other hand stop being so damn good at the fake rocks already your making me jealous!!  Subscribed and i cant wait for more, have any updated pics of the old tank before it gave out??


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## arielelf

Sorry no pictures of it before it died on me, but imagine a giant ball of ficus pumilio.


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## arielelf

So I went and did it again!!!
I went to the Neptune NJ Orchid show this past weekend and bought way too many orchids from Andy's Orchids. They were very helpful in suggesting orchids and even a really nice fern for my viv. 
I put them in but might move them around, as well as the broms. The broms are not doing so well, they are having a good bit of thier lower leaves die, is this due to shock from having thier roots cut off, or from moving them? 

Anyway here are the broms.

Trichosaipinx chamaelepanthes yellow









Haraella odorata









Barbosella dusenii









Masdevallia decumana









Masdevallia herradurae









Pleurothallis allenii









Asplenium Madagascar Fern


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## eos

Great pickups!
Damn, I can't believe I missed that show. Us Tri-Staters gotta stick together and inform each other about events like this 

Do you know when the next one in the area will be (if any) ?


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## arielelf

Sorry that you missed it. I didn't realize that people didn't know about it. Everybody seems to be Andy's Orchids regulars so I figured there would be lots of froggers there. I will definitley give everyone a heads up for the next one. I'm pretty sure that they have it every year, I will look into it. There weren't a ton of visiters there, so I am surprised that Andy's came all the way out from Cal.


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## mordoria

Oh bummer, I missed the Orchid show. I have a empty viv to fill!! 

Great looking purchases!


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## jausi

oh man!!!!!

forget what I said, that tank look just great and with the addition of those plants it looks way better, I can wait for the update when all those plants take over the tank!!!

Can you pls let me know where did you order all your plants, specially the orchids.


GReat job


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## arielelf

I have put in some more plants from Josh's Frogs, great deals from there, great place to shop!! This is what I got: Dischidia nummularia, Dischidia formanosa, White Rabbit's Foot Fern, Nematanthus Black Gold, Nematanthus Inferno, Columnea California Orange,Begonia partita, Hoya panchoi, Pilea 'Red Stem Tears', Pilea 'Creeping Charlie', Peperomia "Selby"

I don't have any photos yet but will try to get some soon. I used everything but the rabbit's foot fern, couldn't find a good place with enough light to use it so I put it in a little pot next to my tank. I am trying to decide if I like the Pilea "Creeping Charlie" or not. It seems a little bland.

I also had 1/4" glass cut for my top and holes drilled for the Mistking, and made a screen vent for the front of the top. I have just given Aaron at AAAfrogs the demensions of the glass so the LED hood will hopefully be made soon.

Here is the top









I also seeded this morning with 2 types of iso's and temperate and tropical springtails so I will be ready for frogs in a month or so.
I am hoping to find a breeding trio of Bastimentos in Red or Orange, Yellow, and White, so if any of you guys have any available please let me know!


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## addam4208283

the tank looks great. i cant wait for updated pics with the new light? also could you get some pics of the floor of the tank?
adam


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## johnyrocks

Wow, nice. That actually looks more like cork, which is even better! Lol. I can see why it cracked, its kind of obvious. With such detail, you must of used a very thin coating of clay and theres so many creases and stuff for clay to not get wet.


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## Julio

Nicely done!!


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## Paul

despite the tragedy of rebuilding after damage, once you get into it, and remodel it's almost a blessing in disguise...great work by the way.


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## Nate Mcfin

2 hats off to you. One for this build and one for the last build which i just spent the last hour reading from start to finish. (No, I am NOT going to ask what the vinegar is for again...lol)
Great job!
-Nate


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## arielelf

Ok So I did it once again, I bought waaayyyy too many plants!! I can't help it, it's too much fun!!

I bought 3 new orchids from Andy's

Pleurothallis ornata (schiedei)









Porroglossum / dalstroemii









Dendrobium / dichaeoides (creeping type)










Also got some plants from ebay

Begonia Versicolor










Espicia Silver Skies










Elaphoglossum Peltatum Fern










And a lot of plants from Black Jungle including 
Ficus Lance leaf










Dischidia Ovata
forgot to photo

Cissus Amazonica










Sinningia Tubiflora










Peperonia Angulata










Jewel Orchid










Mini Aroid Vine










And these 2 that I got this weekend in White Plains from Black Jungle.
They didn't have labels and I asked what they were but I totaly forgot what he said. If anyone knows please let me know.





















And here is the tank planted and with the clay substrate uncovered




























And with the leaf litter






























So As you can see it is very full to say the least! But I can always edit if things get too big or crowded.

It was seeded with 3 different kinds of Iso's and 3 different kinds of Springtails a couple of weeks ago, so now I am ready to find some Basti's.

If anyone has any Large spot Basti's please let me know.


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## Ross

Looking good.

Your two NOID plants appear to be Caladium palacioanum and Aeschynanthus longicaulis.


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## arielelf

Thanks for the plant info Ross!
Now I'm wondering if the Caladium is too big or not? Maybe I should move it or take it out if it is going to get to be 14" high? Any thoughts?


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## nilraf

Great Viv, giving me tons of inspiration!


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## jausi

Great plant selection, thanks for sharing all those pics


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## arielelf

Thanks, I wanted to include lots of plant picks with names because I like threads that have lots of plant info, just so that people who are starting out can get an idea of what these plants look like.


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## gootswa

Looks great, you should be proud!


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## arielelf

Hi Guys, 
I am starting to see signs of lack of light in my plants. I had ordered an LED light but cannot wait for the light to be built so I need to buy a new light system soon. Like this week!!!
I don't want to loose any of my orchids. I thoght that maybe my lights were too bright but I used my old photography light meter to see how much light was getting to my orchids on the branches and it was only about 250-325 fc's which is super low. 
I am thinking that I need a t5ho system. I am leaning towards the TEK 4 bulb 24" t5ho fixture but don't know if it would be too much light? I would mount it 3-5 inches above the top glass with fans to cool it down. Right now I have a 2 fixture exo top with 2 6500 27w bulbs and a 10w led light that I got off of ebay a couple of months ago. I think I read that 27w cfl's are around 800 lumens each and 24" t5ho's are around 2000 lumens each, so 4 of them would be a lot of light.
Can you use only 3 bulbs in a 4 bulb fixture? Will it work correctly and safely with just 2 or 3 if 4 turns out to be too much?

What kind of spectrum bulbs are best for orchid growth? I know that 6500k is the best general use bulb but with 4 bulbs I could have 2 6500 and 2 other different spectrums to play with for best blooming and growth of the orchids. Would a 3000k and a 10,000k add anything to the growth and blooming?

I am doing some research on some orchid forums but the info seems pretty spread out and thin.


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## arielelf

Most of my orchids are shade growers that thrive in 500-1500 fc's so I am not even near the minimum yet. I just dont want to burn them. Also I want my broms to thrive also, but they are closer to the glass.


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## Paphs

tagging along...

i love seeing the orchids in there. i have several in my viv and am curious to see how the masdevallias do in yours. i have only put one in my viv and it is doing ok but not great. they love the moisture but i think the heat is the issue.
there is a local orchid shop i go to here and they have a very large selection. i actually have a frequent shopper card lol... i dont wanna think about how much ive spent on orchids there....


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## DragonSpirit1185

hey Arielelf....awesome viv I see that the thread just kind of died o.o

So did you wind up going with T5HO? or did you ever get your LED hood from Aaron?
I know many people are still waiting on their orders and Aaron has put his business on hold.
Hopefully if you was one of them you can get your money back or something.


so any updates or anything?
I hope your plants didn't die or anything


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## frogparty

how did I miss this build? Epic as always, great choice of orchids.


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## arielelf

Thanks,
I ended up getting a 4 light TEK T5HO and it works nicely. I was worried that it would be too much light, but really I think I could use even more.
I ended up killing, or at least half way killing half of my ochids and other plants with a CO2 bomb. The CO2 bomb didn't even kill all of the slugs!!! I have been using a beer slug trap and it is working very well so far, so hopefully it will at least bring the slug population down to where there is minimal plant damage.
Almost all of the broms have pupped at least 1 pup.


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## eos

Got any updated shots dude?


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## PingKing

Great work!!!!


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## Jon Mason

Beautiful build! Great Viv. look forward to updated pics


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## jacobi

Any updates on this beauty?


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## Giga

pretty epic build!


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## whitethumb

love the background, very nice


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## jeffz

your rock work is really incredible. i hope my neew vivs come out 1/2 that good. cant stop looking at everyone tanks on here there all so different and interesting to look at. great for idea as well haha


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## Harpo

What ever happened with this one?


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## GINT

arielelf said:


> I got my bromeliads in the mail today and just finished cleaning them. I am very happy with them, they look even nicer in person. I hope they will all fit!


Could you provide more info on making vent please


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## Rated_M

What brand of underlayment cement did you use?


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## moore40

Any updates on this bad boy?


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## ruairidh_

May I bump this for a possibility of an update? 

Roo


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