# Harpo's Tall Small - Bakhuis



## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

I thought I'd take a minute and put up some photos of my Exo Terra Tall Small (18*18*24). I have a false bottom that I made with old Chinese food trays and lava rock. For humidity and temperature regulation, I have a tupperware "pond" with a 50 watt heater set at 82 degrees. The air temp in the tank never drops below 72 degree and hits a max around 76 during the day. I dont have any misting system installed yet, so that's all done by hand. For lights I am running two CFLs and two Ecoxotic Panaorama Pros. The Pros are the 10k/actinic mix (left over from my reef and planted fish tank days). The color is a little blue, but the frog colors POP in the same fashion that a coral pops under the same lighting. I plan on upgrading the CFLs to a 6500 spectrum LED....hopefully that will be enough to yellow up the tank a bit more but still make the frog color explode. 

I currently have 4 tinc Bakhuis. They are very active, great eaters and overall great specimens. All bought from Josh's Frogs.

The plants are a mix of broms and other "tropicals". I made a diy organic bedding that drains like a strainer. If has a mix of leaf based compost, sand, rock, coconut husk, sphagnum (and I think that's it...... I am typing this on the fly but that is the general ingrediant list when I make these types of mixes). 

The wood is two piece of mopani. I chose not to use a background, however, I may mount some tillandsia to the glass at some point. 

(I am embedding the photos from Photobucket.... clicking on them to expand them seems to display them in an appropriate proportion....)


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## RhacIns0mniac23 (Dec 10, 2012)

Beautiful...what is the plant in the 4th picture?


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

RhacIns0mniac23 said:


> Beautiful...what is the plant in the 4th picture?


Off the top of my head its a Tillandsia Ionansia (spelling) "Peanut". This one blushed/bloomed for a week recently. There are about ten throughout the tank. I'll get some size reference photos posted. They are cool little plants.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Nice setup. Is that a phaleanopsis leaf on the right corner?

Yeah, the blue lighting is unnecessary, and it shouldn't really make the frog's colors pop like coral does. The colors of corals "pop" under the actinics because the shorter (blue) wavelengths cause the coral to fluoresce, which makes them stand out against the bluer/darker background. To my knowledge, the frogs should not fluoresce under any lighting.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

hypostatic said:


> Nice setup. Is that a phaleanopsis leaf on the right corner?
> 
> Yeah, the blue lighting is unnecessary, and it shouldn't really make the frog's colors pop like coral does. The colors of corals "pop" under the actinics because the shorter (blue) wavelengths cause the coral to fluoresce, which makes them stand out against the bluer/darker background. To my knowledge, the frogs should not fluoresce under any lighting.


Thanks for the compliment 

Yes to the ID if you are talking about the leaf to the right, maybe three plants back.

I might have been confusing with my coral comparison..... I meant to describe a change of visual perception more so than a description of literal fluorescence. The eye's perception of color will react to different light spectrums regardless of the material or matter it's observing. Navy Blue pants in one light will appear black in another. Similarly, the color pop of the blue on the bakhuis is immediately seen when changing between the light spectrum. It's not that they glow or carry a flourescent property, but the frog's color will appear to change from a darker blue to a brighter blue immediately with a lighting change. Similarly, the plants appear with a bolder green under only the 6500K, wheras they seem to almost faded under the 10k. 

The corals react to actinics do to the UV protective proteins that they theoritically produce. It's a means to regulate zooxanthelae production....but that's for a different forum.  But, just like a frog enclosure, the actinics are not necesary for the corals. It's all about visual appeal.

I also believe it's the 10k that pops the color of the frogs, not the blue (453 I believe). The blue I referenced in the OP is the blue hue of 10k versus the yellow tone of the 6500.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

hypostatic said:


> Nice setup. Is that a phaleanopsis leaf on the right corner?


PS, any tips on the phaleanopsis? I am guessing it stuck out to you for a reason. Thanks again


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh ok, gotcha. Yeah, the plants should definitely appear more subdued/black under blue lights. I believe the chlorophylls in plants absorb mostly in the blue and red wavelengths, and reflect green (which is why they are green colored). I think I've seen pictures of grow containers that had just blue, just red, or just blue/red light because that's what the plants use anyway. I think they use just red to promote growth, and just blue to promote flowering. But I could be wrong.

Heh, and the phal stuck out to me cuz it looks like it's planted in the substrate? They're epiphytes, so they actually prefer to be mounted onto bark or something. Sort of like the tillandsias. I think in a viv, if they're in the bottom substrate their roots are too wet and they tend to rot out.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

hypostatic said:


> Heh, and the phal stuck out to me cuz it looks like it's planted in the substrate? They're epiphytes, so they actually prefer to be mounted onto bark or something. Sort of like the tillandsias. I think in a viv, if they're in the bottom substrate their roots are too wet and they tend to rot out.


The roots are more or less resting on top of the substrate. Same for the common broms and other tillandsias in the viv. 

The substrate definitely stays moist, but there is about a 2 to 4+ inch cavity underneath the subrate to collect any standing water. The pond (which is hard to see in the photos) will kick out a lot of humidity during the night and water tends to drip down the glass until morning's light. I'm also not a heavy sprayer.

I am no expert in epiphytes by any declaration, and I do appreciate the input from anyone and everyone. Thank you for spotting that.

====

This goes along with the conversation:

I bought some broms from a woman with a private greenhouse in Iowa. She "plants" many of her epiphytes into a little bit of substrate in the theory that many of the epiphytes will come into contact with some form of organic matter in the wild. Whether it be a crevice in a tree, the gaps between barks, leaves rotting in the "v" of a branch/trunk, etc. Her plants are amazing. Granted, the environment is different and evaporation is much more prevalent in a greenhouse and the jungle. My use of resting epiphytes is a bit of an experiment if anything. I have read a few sources that indicate a secondary trait of the roots is still traditional nutrient absorbtion (second to grasping/clinging/etc), however the plant is adapted to other means of nourishment than their ground dwelling cousins. 

I have succesfully used a similar mix with keeping epi's outdoors. We'll see... if it bombs it bombs  That's half the fun.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Couple new photos:


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## drew32fb (Nov 8, 2012)

very nice setup...I kind of like the no background look


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## sarasmiles (Sep 5, 2012)

Beautiful frogs! I like the belly shot.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

drew32fb said:


> very nice setup...I kind of like the no background look


Thanks Drew. I was back and forth with it and decided against the background once I figured out how the wood work would come together. I'll snap some more photos that show the elevation changes.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

sarasmiles said:


> Beautiful frogs! I like the belly shot.


Thanks Sara. I've been very happy with them.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Here are some updated shots of the viv. 

@Hypostatic, I removed that phal from the bottom right. It was definitely not liking the humidity and will rest outside the tank somewhere. There is a second one towards to top/middle that is doing better, but I will likely remove it anyway to make room for a new brom or two. I prefer a brom structure over the phal structure given the odd dimensions that I am working with.

I also replaced the magnolia leaves. I have a dozen or so of the total green magnolia in my yard, so it's easy pickings. (I forget the exact type of magnolia)

I am working on removing the moss-like growth. It's cool, but it really collects any excess dust from the fruit flies. Any suggestions of a low growing plant to fill the space? Preferably something that isn't a gunk magnet....










(excuse the mess surrounding the tank!)










Left side












Couple more frog shots....

Waiting in ambush....










Fattie





































Turds Ferguson 














































===

I'll clean up and take some photos of the area around the tank. I have a LaZBoy and a TV on opposite sides.


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## drew32fb (Nov 8, 2012)

Is your substrate staggered at different levels?


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## drew32fb (Nov 8, 2012)

Also, do you happen to have a plant list?


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

drew32fb said:


> Is your substrate staggered at different levels?


By staggered, do you mean a varying heights of the false bottom?

Kind of....the false bottom is similar to the typical egg crate fixture, but instead picture recycled Chinese food containers + tops with holes punched out (for drainage). I will document this on my next build once I decide to move forward with one... The different heights of the substrate do have varying heights of a false bottom. However, the upper area in the back is fairly thick with substrate vertically, but there is a number of large openings on the "face" of the hill that are exposed to air. So, the "thickness" front to back on this area is actually very thin (few inches at most) and has a lot of surface area for gas exchange, bug burrowing, etc.



drew32fb said:


> Also, do you happen to have a plant list?


Not handy. I'll get a formal list pieced together.


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## drew32fb (Nov 8, 2012)

Ok cool...I dont know my plants very well yet.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Ok, plant list (with some gaps in identification):

Calista Fragrans (unknown type)
Tiger Cub Neo. Brom.
"Casa Blanca" Bilbergia Brom.
Fireball Brom
_(I have misplaced my identification for the large brom in the upper right....if anyone knows it, feel free to chime in)_
Tillandsia Ionantha "Peanut"
Gesneriad vine (type unknown)
Peperomia "Golden"
Pilea "Aluminum"
Phal. Orchid (has new growth, 50/50 on removing it)
_Unknown brom/tillandsia species (left side, middle....any suggestions on name?)
Also, unknown spotted plant. I had it written down somewhere but misplaced. I will try and find the name from the seller._
"Golden Moss" <----not a fan personally....slowly removing it
Lowe's Bromeliad (not sure what the names are)
There is a pond section with some duckweed and emerging anubias


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

I tried sniping an Ebay auction last night that had a 12 pack of Neo Broms but I didn't bid high enough. The winner got 12 variety for $31 plus shipping. Ugh. As a consolation of sorts I found a 4 pack for $17 shipped and got it. We'll see if they are any good once they get here 

This is representative of the types. I am expecting plugs/small pups. We'll see.










I snapped this photo last night. All 4 bakhuis out hunting during feeding time.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Spur of the moment, I decided to remove some plants and transplant to open it up a bit. I took out the gesneriad vine, most of the remaining Golden Moss, the phal orchid, & the Calista Fragrans. I split a pup from one of the Lowe's Broms as well as a pup from the Casa Blanca Bilbergia. I also did a little pruning. 










The little guy in the corner wasn't having too much fun.......










Can anyone ID this one? It's about as wide as a dollar bill is long...perhaps longer....










What about an ID on this one? The rim of the leaves are pink and the plant is definitely larger.....










Exploring the new layout





































Belly shot


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Cool shot for today


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

I am stepping back and redoing the design / plant selection. I have not been terribly happy with the over all scape/structure of the skeleton of the viv.

Too many plants also.... I am thinking all broms and mosses only.

I am piecing together some driftwood to create a "fallen branch".... here's a preview. The viv will likely have a small bit of water as before, and a lot more open space. No background.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Here's a rough draft for brom placement. I will do the branch with some LFS similar to how Hydrophyte did his branch. After studying many branch photos...both wild and recreated, I finally came up with how I wanted to make this, and the "scene" I want to recreate. To be continued


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)




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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Done for now 

I think I have a 'scape that I am happy with. I had to move one piece of my new structure but I think it's for the best. LOL, I couldn't make the dang thing fit! This 18*18*24 is a challenging dimension to negotiate!

I am able to create tons of brom space with the new design, but still maintain tons of floor space for mosses and leaves. 

The frogs are back in. They are super active. When I released them to the tank, one went to the glass and the other three immediately began exploring the branch. I am glad they aren't intimidated by the space. Infact, there is one that continues to repeatedly climb to the top, make his way down, then do it all over again. There is another going from brom to brom and just relaxing. I have plenty of dug outs under the wood as well. I imagine they will find their ways to those eventually. But, if tradition holds then these 4 Bakhuis will be as vertical as they are horizontal...

The two major changes in terms of setup are:

1. Turning the enclosure 90 degrees. I LOVE the ventilation of the Exo Terra, but I hate how it blocks the view. There could redesign that easily with a less bulky clear plastic OR simply drilling the glass and screening it (double paned perhaps?). Anyway, the access is now on the side. 

I love it. 

2. Removing the water + aquarium heater. I am recording a slight temperature drop. I might put a heat pad underneath the drainage area, but I am not terribly concerned. The frogs are very active at this temp (it's 68F or so)...

I have mosses coming in this week... Christmas and Java. I am also going to experiment with some Kyoto moss, but I am not expecting much from that.

As you can also see, I have removed a ton of plants. I will likely add more broms to my "fallen branch", but I am excited to simply get the moss in place and lets things grow, attach, and live as they are. I might add small orchids in the future, but I think I am happy with the limited variety.

One other thing to point out with my design.... I did the wood structure in a way that will allow me to rotate the tank and return the doors at the front without screwing things up visually. If I ever get bored with a set up, all I need to do is turn the tank for a while.

Ok, back to watching the frogs and basketball. My back hurts. I am taking two White Russians for relief. Mahalo.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Shot from the doors...










Two peas in a brom


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Added a few things:

Java Moss
Christmas Moss
Kyoto moss mix

We'll see what works  I placed all options at many various levels of the enclosure. Hopefully I find where everything likes it best. 

I also removed my Ecoxotic Panormas and added a second Exoterra canopy. I am mixing two CFLs and two Jungle Dawn LEDs. The Jungle Dawns are very bright...comparable to the Ecoxotic. I was hoping for a little more of a yellow hue with the JDs, but still I am very satisfied. I'll definitely replace the other CFLs with LEDs.

I would have usually posted a couple photos but my phone is down. I dropped it and cracked the digitizer. Being an IT Tech by trade, I ordered a replacement digitizer and went forward with the replacement by myself.... LOL, I got beyond the point of no return with the "fix" before realizing the company sent me a digitizer for a different model phone.  Stupid me.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Oh wait, speaking of stupid... I forgot that I backed up this photo before screwing up my phone.....

Look at the frog on the right side of this brom. Hysterical. I nudged him to make sure he wasn't drowning himself and it scared the crap out of him. Too funny.










Another cool shot... these frogs use the branch system all day. They seem to really enjoy climbing/exploring/lounging through out the broms....


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## Fluffypanda (Oct 18, 2012)

those two are super cute! I love how beautiful this viv looks even without a background! 

what kind of wood are you using?


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

You know, I usually cant stand no background tanks, but I have to say I DO like this one after the remodel. It looks great! Good work


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Fluffypanda said:


> those two are super cute! I love how beautiful this viv looks even without a background!
> 
> what kind of wood are you using?


Thanks for the compliments!

It's a combination of 2 unknown driftwoods and grapewood. "Frankenwood" as I heard it described in Hydrophyte's epiphytic branch thread. The aerial branch is actually 2 different branches bolted together. (Actually 3 now, I have added to it a bit more. I will update sometime this weekend).


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

pdfCrazy said:


> You know, I usually cant stand no background tanks, but I have to say I DO like this one after the remodel. It looks great! Good work


Thank you very much! I appreciate your kind words. 

With the location of the tank and number of viewing angles, I figured a background would take away from the three dimensional structure that I was envisioning. With the old setup I had a similar mindset of allowing structure to guide the eye and I failed miserably. The problem with it was that is was still very two dimensional and simply rose in elevation from the front to back. Any variance of structure, texture or depth is lost because no matter where you look because there is SOMETHING everywhere you look. It was very chaotic.

I love what people are doing with the AGA contest and inside the nano reef world (see nano-reef.com featured aquariums for some examples.) using the "modern" designs. 

For years (in reefs) it was common for folks to do the classic "German" rock wall and let the corals be the show of the tank. This can be beautiful, but I always find myself being more attracted to the tanks that use the corals to accent the structure. These tanks tend to use the structure to guide the eye rather than hope the eye finds features/points of interest on it's own. The use of negative space can be powerful. The negative space in the old design was both top heavy, and simply non existent. 

Thanks again! Sorry for the wordy response, but thought I'd verbalize where I'm coming from with the design. 

I will try and get a top-down shot that captures more of the 3D nature of the wood structure.


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## Harpo (Nov 9, 2012)

Phone is up and running 

I added some plants, removed some plants, and came to a realization...... I need to get rid of the wood. I am pretty sure the "unknown" driftwood is grape. Due to my lack of experience with various viv-woods, I simply didn't realization the accelerated rate of decomp with this variety. Ugh.... I am really enjoying the design of the current built. Oh well.... I will spend some time finding a way to recreate the basics of my current design using another wood type, or completely recreate the view. 

Added plants:
White Rabbit Foot Fern *2
Korean Rock Fern *2
Crypt. Brom.
Million Hearts Dischidia

Removed:
Casa Blanca Bilbergia

I also refinished a new black stand, but I don't have a photo to share yet.


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