# new 36x18x36



## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

This viv has been nothing but trouble since we brought it home.. Glass top was screwed up.. The GS and silicone didnt take.. Had to guess on the TB3 mixture and lighting was making us mad.. Now We are getting to the fun stuff.. substrates, microfauna, and PLANTS!!! Found a good deal on a koren rock fern and white rabbits foot fern and sectioned them off. Hopefully they take hold. I will be hand misting it for a few days til we get our fans installed in both back corners. No plans on inhabitants as of yet. Probably transferring our 1.1 pair of varadero to it once its established itself a bit.


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## tfox799947 (Jun 4, 2012)

Sorry for all your build issues...That sure sucks at times.
But like you said, now on the the fun stuff. I love planting a new viv, so much fun trying to figure out what you will put in there and then where you will put it.
I love the look of your background now with all the different wood sticking out and those ferns look very nice too.
Have fun.
Christine


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Just cant wait to get this thing loaded! lol. I definately want the fans finished so we can turn the misting system on. Don't want to melt the ferns too soon lol. Need to get substrates in as well so I can get the humidity up. Anyone have suggestions on a good fast growing moss?? I want to add small bits to the background and wood and hopefully let it grow in a bunch while the plants establish themselves.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

even more good news. Our first varadero froglet left its brom today while I was away at work!! We now have a proven 1.1 pair and they raised this one all on their own! Woo!


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

was really hoping this setup would get more attention. Ah well, we love it. Update pic.

made our own substrate.. mix of peat, fern fiber, orchid bark, hydroton, and some small leaf litter.. looks great and natural. Used a healthy amount of mag and sea grape leaves towards the back of the tank and some sheet moss up front, along with moss placed along the branches. Basically, we wanted moss in place for when we get more plants in to tie them to the moss/branches. Have our fans hooked up and running and misting system is finally connected. We love this viv so much


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice looking viv! I just saw this thread for the first time (my crapatalk has been acting up lately).

Are you going to plant anything to fill in the background?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

yeah. we still need to order a bunch of plants. Want a lot of stuff that can be tied with moss to the driftwood, and not sure what vines we should use on the background. We do like ficus pumila a lot, but it does get invasive quick.. but hard to beat the quick and dense cover. Want this to grow in a little before we add broms and what not. Plant suggestions for the wood are ALWAYS welcome


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

Any thoughts on what (if any) plants you're putting in the ground? I am a big fan of the spiral gingers.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

We have no clue what we're planning to use on the ground as of yet.. Definately something stalky so we dont lose floor space yet still have plants down there for greenery. Dont want whichever frogs go in here to be lost due to massive ground cover lol.


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

What lighting are you using?


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## pet-teez (Oct 3, 2007)

I like it! I'm going to watch for updates 
Thanks for sharing


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

4x39W T5HO unit. with 6 blue LED moonlights for night time effect. Never liked the LED side before this viv. It looks great. Just need to figure out the perfect plants for the wood and we'll be good for the grow in.. We have 4 misting nozzles and have timers set up for 20 seconds 3 times a day. I have two fans for internal circulation to try and keep plants happy. Anybody have some advice on keeping the white rabbits foot ferns and koren rock ferns alive and well?? They are in decent spots for light requirements and I have them so they can drain decently. I have always had issue with them melting in very wet vivs.


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

good looking viv. with 4 misting nozzles do you get good coverage of the whole viv without alot of overspray? i would imagine that the 2 ferns will do well under that lighting and spray regime. i would worry about them taking over the viv. thanks for posting. steve


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Just hooked it up tonight, only had one 20 second mist session. I used a titebond III/fern fiber method so the water does build up a little towards the top but will cascade down slowly. With just enough time to dry off a bit between. Than with fans going completely dry before lights off. Just a test right now to see how the ferns do.. Never had any luck with ferns so this is more of a trial til we get things dialed in correctly. We dont mind the fern over running the viv.. To us these ferns are what makes it great for our visual needs lol. And Skanderson.... I love your viv I am glad you dig ours


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

thanks for the quick reply with all the misting details.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

skanderson said:


> thanks for the quick reply with all the misting details.


No problem. We adjusted them a little this morning as well. Now the middle 2 spray towards the corners and the outter 2 go towards center. Better coverage we feel. We could probably use another 1 or 2 nozzles.. but we'll make due. Dont want this thing flooded either lol


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Any updates? This tank is awesome... Would love to see how the ferns are doing!


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## isoletes (Jan 4, 2012)

looks really nice!


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## zth8992 (Jul 19, 2012)

that is a great background, how did you plant in it? did you just use netted pots or what?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

thanks for the compliments guys appreciate it. And as for an update... well the tank is empty again. lol. We messed up our TB III with tree fern fiber mixture or I was just really impatient and did not let it fully cure. Either way, pieces started to crumble and though it probably wouldnt of mattered in the long run, to me I just wont settle for anything but perfection. Especially since I have been wanting this size exo for a year now. Soo keep tuned. We are planning something better than this..

As for how the plants were, we had just wrapped some in sphag and pinned them or tied them to branches. Nothing fancy. No net pots were used because we love how plants react with tree fern fiber and they take to it very well.


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## MrBiggs (Oct 3, 2006)

Nismo95 said:


> Have our fans hooked up and running and misting system is finally connected.


What kind of fans are those? How are they powered? Where did you get them? Sorry for the machine gun questions lol.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

MrBiggs said:


> What kind of fans are those? How are they powered? Where did you get them? Sorry for the machine gun questions lol.


Oops. thought I replied to this earlier but guess not! I am not actually sure what fans they are. A buddy of mine ordered the parts and made them for me. All i know is that they are "hydro bearing" is what he kept saying.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Also, anyone watching this.. Stay tuned.. We are begining to start the new construction of this, and with our choice of wood from Dane over at Jungle box and some nice slabs of cork, I think this is going to come out much nicer than before.. One can hope atleast!


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## amnesia (Jan 23, 2011)

Looked great first time through. Subscribed for round 2.


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## curlykid (Jan 28, 2011)

I REALLY like this tank. looks so clean but very natural at the same time. This is going to be great.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

thanks, got everything set in place with foam last night.. Will post a picture of how it looks so far very soon. Next comes the TB3 and Peat... Elegant and clean... Hopefully this still looks good to you. lol. SO much wood was used in this build. Branches galore.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

little sneak peak. We got everything laid out last night, and Now I can start carving away some of the foam.  any advice on how to mix my TB3 and peat? Tried it with fern fiber and failed miserably. Someone chime in!


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## JoshsDragonz (Jun 30, 2012)

I mixed my TB3 and peat to a paste like consistency. The drier the peat the quicker the total dry time. Just make sure you give it plenty of time to dry. I just left mine sitting for a week to cure.

-Josh


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks good

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


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## joshbaker14t (Jun 11, 2012)

MrBiggs said:


> What kind of fans are those? How are they powered? Where did you get them? Sorry for the machine gun questions lol.


Please more in depth on the fans!!!


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## repking26 (Mar 12, 2012)

joshbaker14t said:


> Please more in depth on the fans!!!


http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...osed-air-circulation-system-you-can-make.html


Here you go!


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## repking26 (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you Josh but it is the original author of that fan how-to you should be thanking as I am not the author! Your plants will be thanking you as well!


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

So quick update, got my ferns and ficus in from NEHerp and a good sized selection of some pretty sweet plants from Mike Rizzo (therizman2) By far some of the coolest plants I have had show up on my door step thus far in the hobby. Had a little mishap with the glass top last night so gotta replace a section of it. Will have this thing planted tonight and ready for growing in. Expect to see some pictures tonight or tomorrow!


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

so after a couple hours looking for the right spots, planting, and saturating the viv.. oh and adding more springs we are pleased to say, its finished and ready for growing in. any input or advice would be great. Switched lighting to a 36" exo canopy with jungle dawn LED's from the t5HO. the heat was too intense, gonna miss the light intensity though


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Oooooh. Nicely done. Lovin the ferns! Did the T5HO produce that much heat? Even at the bottom? I'm just planning ahead because ultimately, I would like to get this tank as well.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

well honestly, this time of the year my house is a bit dry. and I am the type of person who flips the eff out when its too hot in a house. I have central heat/air but with the coldness here it goes into "emergency heat" to keep the outside unit from getting frozen.. which in turn throws out a ton of heat into the house. Before this was planted I was getting readings of 80-82 degrees mid tank. Thats also no shade or anything from the plants. BUT with the first attempt at this tank I had some severe issues with the ferns.. My main thought was the light, it didnt allow the ferns to stay in there preferred temp range. I honestly have a half dozen t8 units and I love them way more than I ever did that t5ho setup. I am now a firm believer in the LED screw in bulbs from light your reptiles. (thanks todd) lumen for lumen equaled about the same depth penetration.. but heat for heat or cost to operate comparrison its no question. 

Now, if you were to bypass anything I am saying and go with a t5ho unit.. Just throw some fans with it and im sure you'll be fine. I had no air movement around the light.. and that was probably a big reason for the heat issues. All I know is the other 2 vivs have been set up from range of 4-12 months and have never blinked twice at heat readings. Frogs love it, froglets love it, breeding is amazing so I will keep my temps at those ranges until I see signs to change it. I will miss the unit because of the "blue moon" LED's built in, but I wont miss the heat or cost to use it.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

Figured i'd throw up another update after switching some stuff around, changing the top and lights yet again. And adding some more plants.. So here is a shot after tonight. Really trying to teach my self patience with this setup but man its definately hard!!


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

The build is shaping up. I cant wait to see it in a couple of months when everything has a chance grow in.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

How come you removed the fern that was in the foreground? I think that really gave the tank some depth. It still looks good, but I would've left the fern where it was.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

it just wasnt doing to well in that spot. And was blocking the view of my gf's favorite plant. We basically gutted all the plants and than added them back in different positions to make sure the lighting was just right


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## trendkill (Nov 5, 2012)

Looks really good.  I like it better now than in the last pic. What plant is that in the bottom right corner foreground with the purplish leaves?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

trendkill said:


> Looks really good.  I like it better now than in the last pic. What plant is that in the bottom right corner foreground with the purplish leaves?


thank you! that plant that is on the bottom in the right side (also in the middle) was a rex begonia we picked up yesterday at Lowes for 2 bucks. They said it was dead, but honestly just bone dry soil. Little water and humidity will have it growing like a weed in no time!


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## FrogBoyMike (Aug 25, 2012)

That is one awesome looking tank! So you said you changed the lights once again? to what this time? Does it seam to be working better?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

well I was using some Jungle Dawn LED screw in, and now i moved to them plus some decently powered CFL's. Im not sure which is working out better so far, but I am seeing growth from all plants already so going to leave it be for now. May add a couple jungle dawn led spotlights eventually too. Trying to get really nice light at the bottom of a 3' tall tank is insanely difficult.


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## FrogBoyMike (Aug 25, 2012)

Yeah thats a very tall tank. I can imagine that being very challenging to properly light without getting to hot


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