# First Viv Build Album



## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Since I finally got to work on my 24 x 18 x 18 ExoTerra I picked up off Craigslist, I decided it would be appropriate to start a build log, mainly for my own documentation. I plan to update this periodically as I get components finished, so fair warning it might be a couple months before everything comes together.

To start, here is the tank with some assorted supplies laid out. The first step I wanted to complete was drilling my bulkhead hole for my drainage layer. I purchase the bulkhead kit from NEHERP (along with their background kit and substrate kit) and drilled with a Milwaukee Diamond MAX 1-1/4".









I first measured out roughly where I wanted to bulkhead—I wanted to keep a little under an inch of standing water in the drainage layer, given that the entire depth would be ~2.5 inches. 









Next, I brought my tank out to the balcony to drill, but I wanted to test my water holding method. I cut a red solo cup and used some plumber's putty to create a water-tight seal around the drill site. You can see here it worked perfect, with no leaks coming out from the cup. 









The drilling itself probably took close to 10 minutes because I wanted to go super slowly. It was also tough to not have the bit walk all over the glass, and I often needed to replace the water in the cup since the suspended glass could make the water quite cloudy. In the end, I was pretty satisfied with the result, as I was only a tad below my target circle.









My most recent step came Friday night, when I spent a couple hours siliconing the sides of my ExoTerra. Like I mentioned previously, I had purchased the NEHERP background kit, and so I was using ASI Black Silicone. I also opted to add in some egg crate to the background for my Great Stuff to grab into.









Now the next step is probably the most fun: designing the background! I purchased a bunch of cork bark pieces from a local reptile store, and I got a steal on a ~22" piece of ghostwood (only $10!). I plan to complete that some time this week and will post an update when it's foamed out.


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## gzollinger (Aug 22, 2016)

Well you are off to a good start. Sounds like you are having fun. That may be the most important part.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

gzollinger said:


> Well you are off to a good start. Sounds like you are having fun. That may be the most important part.


Thank you! I'm definitely enjoying this, and I'm not quite sure why I hadn't set one up earlier in my life. I have always kept fish and grew tropical plants, but never ventured into vivs before.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Very excited to post my first update because I actually foamed up my background. To start, here was the box (and bag) of wood I was working with:









A little bonus soil as well lol. I won't bore everyone with the progression pictures of the sides, but here is the finished background.









Honestly the ghostwood piece came out better than I expected—I plan on having the soil to cover the bottom tips so it looks like roots going into the ground. I really love the cork round I have on the left side. I'll be stuffing the end with sphagnum moss so no darts can get inside there, and I will also add some sphagnum to the hole in the middle to get a beautiful bromeliad growing out of there. I'm pretty sure I slanted it enough so water won't collect in there, but will probably drill some tiny holes in the bottom to play it safe. Obviously the foam is extremely thick, so tomorrow's project is sanding/cutting this down a bit and getting the shape I want.

Thanks for reading, and more pics to come!


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## Leite02 (Jan 19, 2020)

It's a great start, no doubt. Great job!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Leite02 said:


> It's a great start, no doubt. Great job!


Thanks! Looking forward to getting my walls covered and cleaning up the ongoing foamy mess of course...


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Some great planning and forethought here, alus. Nice work. I think you will really see it come together when you get the Great Stuff whittled down a bit. I would cut it back as far as you can so that the wood protrudes. The best tool I have found for the job is one of the super crappy plastic knives with the break-away blades - the ones that when the end gets dull, you snap off a section of blade and it's new again. The crappier, the better. I am talking Big Lots or Dollar Store crappy. You can extend the blade completely and just cut big hunks out of Great Stuff. Remember that little imperfections are going to be covered over with silicone or whatever you plan on covering the GS with, so don't sweat the detail on this phase. Good thinking about filling in any holes, too. I like to avoid having places in my tanks that the frogs can get to where I can't get them out. Cork rounds are classics for this problem.

Mark


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Encyclia said:


> Some great planning and forethought here, alus. Nice work. I think you will really see it come together when you get the Great Stuff whittled down a bit. I would cut it back as far as you can so that the wood protrudes. The best tool I have found for the job is one of the super crappy plastic knives with the break-away blades - the ones that when the end gets dull, you snap off a section of blade and it's new again. The crappier, the better. I am talking Big Lots or Dollar Store crappy. You can extend the blade completely and just cut big hunks out of Great Stuff. Remember that little imperfections are going to be covered over with silicone or whatever you plan on covering the GS with, so don't sweat the detail on this phase. Good thinking about filling in any holes, too. I like to avoid having places in my tanks that the frogs can get to where I can't get them out. Cork rounds are classics for this problem.
> 
> Mark


Thanks Mark, I appreciate the kind words. After work today I think I'll head to the hobby store and pick up some cheap box cutters. I was testing my regular blade last night but it's painfully slow since it's so short. I did buy a metal brush drill bit at least to give a nice texture once I cut away the excess foam.

Alex


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Alright, tonight's update is pretty cool I think. I took Mark's advice and bought some cheap snap blades, which really made this process much easier. I already had a wire brush bit as well as a hobby knife, both of which I put to good use. Here's the latest on the viv:









Figured I'd throw my tools in the picture as well. It's a hell of a mess to clean, but I think I carved pretty well; it certainly looks way better than before. Siliconing all of this is going to be a doozy—at least it's the final step before I can add in my bulkhead and substrate, so I'm looking forward to being done with hardscaping.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Spent almost three hours siliconing my background last night. Took me exactly three tubes to get it done, and man was my arm aching, but I'm happy to say I got it finished. Here's the final result:









Cork round close-up:









Right side close-up:









Still vacuuming, but hopefully I can get my bulkhead threaded in and some substrate in the bottom to have the hardscape completely done.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

That looks amazing! I’m going for a very similar build when I get my 18x18x24 shortly here. I’ll definitely be looking to you for some tips. Nice work!!!


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

alus said:


> Spent almost three hours siliconing my background last night. Took me exactly three tubes to get it done, and man was my arm aching, but I'm happy to say I got it finished. Here's the final result:
> View attachment 296391
> 
> 
> ...


What kind of mix did you use for the background?


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> What kind of mix did you use for the background?


Hey thanks for the kind words I appreciate it! As far as the background goes, I purchased this kit from NEHERP, so they took care of all of that. It's a nice mix, just make sure to really press it into the silicone. I actually found it easier to apply the mix on the sides rather than the part that was laying flat. I also purchased their substrate kit and a few other odds and ends. I will say that I used one extra tube of silicone and one extra can of Great Stuff than they provided.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

alus said:


> Hey thanks for the kind words I appreciate it! As far as the background goes, I purchased this kit from NEHERP, so they took care of all of that. It's a nice mix, just make sure to really press it into the silicone. I actually found it easier to apply the mix on the sides rather than the part that was laying flat. I also purchased their substrate kit and a few other odds and ends. I will say that I used one extra tube of silicone and one extra can of Great Stuff than they provided.


Awesome! That’s super helpful.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

Any recent updates? Curious to see how this build has been going!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> Any recent updates? Curious to see how this build has been going!


Thank you for being invested, I really do appreciate it a lot! I actually left my apartment and spent the past few weeks with family; however, I am headed back to my place this weekend. I will have the soil done after I get back as well as my light hooked up, so in the next few days I should have some more exciting updates to come! I do also need to get my plant order placed, which I will likely post an update about as soon as that's done.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted an update, but I can happily say I have finished hardscaping! After getting back to my apartment yesterday, I decided to just finish the whole thing. Just for sense of completeness, here is a pic of my bulkhead threaded in.









The first (and lengthiest) step was rinsing out my drainage layer. I certainly made a mess in my bath tub... oh well.... but here's how the vivarium looked with some clay aggregate:









Pretty thick layer! Should have no issues of water sitting in my substrate, considering I also have the bulkhead. After this, I put down my drainage barrier. I made sure to pull up on the sides a bit so it wouldn't sink into the clay and allow soil to get into there.









One of the most rewarding steps of my build thus far was actually getting the soil into it. I used ABG mix, again from NEHERP, and I went through about 4.5 bags of it. I was at the point where anymore would really start to cover up some of the features in my background. Perhaps my substrate layer was too thick, but live and learn. Anyway, here is the tank with some soil finally:









The last pic for this update: here is my tank dressed with some leaf litter.









I really felt like my little forest was almost there after this one. Some more updates to come after I finish up work today. Thanks for keeping up!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

I'm excited about my second update today because my viv finally has some inhabitants! I picked up some springtails









and dwarf whites









at my local reptile store. Added them to the tank after some religious misting, and they quickly disappeared into the substrate. I will check periodically to make sure the colonies are taking hold.

My other exciting update is that I set up my light. I decided to go with the Finnex Planted+ HLC—a bit of a splurge but I think it's worthwhile. Here are some of the last shots I'll be providing before I post a plant update:



























I'm thinking about doing some vines across the top towards the front just to have something occupy that space, but that can wait for now. As always, thanks for reading. Looking forward to hearing comments as well as providing a plant update hopefully in the next couple weeks.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

That’s looking better and better!!! Question about how you mounted the ghost wood - did you wait until the foam was dry and then just stick it in and foam more? Or how did you get it to stay so well while sticking out like that too? Also interested to know your ideas for the lid!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> That’s looking better and better!!! Question about how you mounted the ghost wood - did you wait until the foam was dry and then just stick it in and foam more? Or how did you get it to stay so well while sticking out like that too? Also interested to know your ideas for the lid!


Thanks, Jennifer! I actually took a couple pics of that process but didn't include in this album so far. What I did was crumple some brown paper and stuffed it underneath the ghost wood. I also used a small piece of cork I had laying around to wedge as well. Once I had it at the angle I wanted, I foamed all around the upper part of the wood and the branch to the side. I let that cure for about 15 minutes, then removed the paper and foamed there. After a little while longer I removed the cork I had wedged and finished foaming. I was shocked how quickly and well it held. Here are a couple pics to show what that looked like:


















For my lid, I am using the ExoTerra top, but I purchased the glass inserts from NEHERP to help increase humidity. I am pretty amazed how humid I can get my tank to stay with relatively little hand misting. I do need to poke holes in the mesh screen for my Mist King, which is for another day.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

Excited to see the plants! Great job and thanks for all the tips.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> Excited to see the plants! Great job and thanks for all the tips.


As am I! Just placed the order, hoping they're here by EOW. I'm happy to help anyway I can!


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## aapuzzo (Apr 20, 2020)

It looks great. You went above and beyond attaching egg crate to the background which I never had to do. When i build mine I silicone the driftwood in a few small places to the back. That will give the expanding foam some resistance for pulling away. Some people don't even do that. I would have used the egg crate on the bottom to take some of the weight out of it especially with how high the drainage layer is. The drain fitting you used forced you to have to make the drainage layer way higher than it needed to be. I cut my fitting down a little so I could drill the hole a lot lower. It didn't stop it from holding water and the water. I live alone so relocating the tank while I could do it would not be fun if I wanted to place it on the top level of my rack. Also with many tanks side by side I really want to take some weight off my floor since it isn't a basement level. You won't really be able to get a deep substrate without blocking the front vent also. It looks amazing though and the frogs won't know the difference.

Just edited post a little. It looks like the fitting was lower and drainage layer could have been brought down some.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

aapuzzo said:


> It looks great. You went above and beyond attaching egg crate to the background which I never had to do. When i build mine I silicone the driftwood in a few small places to the back. That will give the expanding foam some resistance for pulling away. Some people don't even do that. I would have used the egg crate on the bottom to take some of the weight out of it especially with how high the drainage layer is. The drain fitting you used forced you to have to make the drainage layer way higher than it needed to be. I cut my fitting down a little so I could drill the hole a lot lower. It didn't stop it from holding water and the water. I live alone so relocating the tank while I could do it would not be fun if I wanted to place it on the top level of my rack. Also with many tanks side by side I really want to take some weight off my floor since it isn't a basement level. You won't really be able to get a deep substrate without blocking the front vent also. It looks amazing though and the frogs won't know the difference.
> 
> Just edited post a little. It looks like the fitting was lower and drainage layer could have been brought down some.


Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it! I had seen people mention siliconing wood to the wall before using great stuff, but I had also seen some horror stories of the background completely separating. I really wanted to make sure I was doing things right the first time around so I didn't cause a headache a few months or years down the line.

I do agree with the drainage layer—right after I emptied my second bag of ABG mix I knew it was too high. I foolishly decided to use all of the clay aggregate, and I was debating four of the five bags ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Lesson learned for the future I suppose. I will say that I managed to get a little over 2.5" of substrate in the front and it gradually slopes up to a little over 3", so I'm not terribly worried about plants not being able to root in there.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

“The drain fitting you used forced you to have to make the drainage layer way higher than it needed to be. I cut my fitting down a little so I could drill the hole a lot lower.”

What do you mean by this?? I thought you were supposed to drill the hole at least one inch away from the edge to prevent cracking.


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## sparrow (Nov 14, 2015)

Amazing! Very inspiring and a treat to watch this stuff come together. Cant wait to see more!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

sparrow said:


> Amazing! Very inspiring and a treat to watch this stuff come together. Cant wait to see more!


Thank you, sparrow! I was supposed to receive my first batch of plants Friday, but the USPS seems to be really backed up. I'm hoping they don't delay my shipment much longer, otherwise I might be needing a replacement order...


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

I'm still waiting on my order from Glass Box Tropicals since my package is held up by USPS... fingers crossed that arrives soon. In the meantime, I did finally get my first plant from a local orchid store actually. I picked up a beautiful _Epidendrum porpax—_I have been trying to only buy plants native to South/Central America, and it was the only one at the store that fit what I was looking for. I'm waiting to mount it until it finishes blooming, but in the meantime here's a shot of the new guy:










I also bought some small computer fans to help move the air around so it's not too stagnant. I'll post a picture of that once I have them positioned the way I like. Lastly, I have a stand arriving next Monday, so I can hopefully get that assembled quickly and finally set up my MistKing.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

You might want to check out the plant database myself and some others have been working on setting up, one of the parameters is Provenance, and you could do a search by Central & South America. Still working on getting the most common plants into it but Epidendrum porpax is in there.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Harpspiel said:


> You might want to check out the plant database myself and some others have been working on setting up, one of the parameters is Provenance, and you could do a search by Central & South America. Still working on getting the most common plants into it but Epidendrum porpax is in there.


Wow, this is an amazing resource. Thank you for spearheading this initiative; it will make the rest of my plant purchasing much easier.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Well my package finally showed up after two weeks of shipping, and to my surprise everything still looked perfect! So here's my vivarium with its first plants:










The fan is temporarily dangling in the back right, but that will most likely get moved up to the front right. The plants I bought are as follows:
Neoregelia 'Hobie Cat'​N. 'Ounce of Purple​N. 'Mo Peppa Please'​N. 'Fireball' (2x)​Cryptanthus 'Thelma O'Reilly'​Philodendron 'Wend-imbe'​
In digging through my substrate to plant the Philodendron I came across a few dwarf whites, so that was reassuring to see. I am waiting to apply my moss slurry to the viv as well, which with some good misting should start sprouting within a week or two. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am also waiting on my Epidendrum to finish flowering before mounting that—still thinking about where I may want to place it given its size. I need a few more terrestrial plants, perhaps something taller to go behind the coco hut, but overall I'm happy with the first batch!


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## CharlieN (Mar 5, 2019)

I really enjoyed reading this thread especially since i will be starting my 24x18x18 build soon. It was a good Christmas for me. Looking forward to seeing the finished viv.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

CharlieN said:


> I really enjoyed reading this thread especially since i will be starting my 24x18x18 build soon. It was a good Christmas for me. Looking forward to seeing the finished viv.


Thanks, I'm glad you've enjoyed what I've put together so far. 24x18x18 is a really nice size, though I may be a bit biased. That's an awesome present—best of luck getting started with the build!


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

It’s starting to look really cool with the plants in there now! I ordered a lot of the same stuff as you from NeHerp too and am just waiting for it to arrive. I think I’ll pick up some egg crate too so my background doesn’t fall off...worst fear ever! When you attached the egg crate did you silicone one side at a time and then press the egg crate into it right after? And did you do all 3 sides in one night? - wondering if the side with egg crate on it would need to be laying on its back while the silicone cures or if the whole tank can just sit upright with all 3 sides curing together.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> It’s starting to look really cool with the plants in there now! I ordered a lot of the same stuff as you from NeHerp too and am just waiting for it to arrive. I think I’ll pick up some egg crate too so my background doesn’t fall off...worst fear ever! When you attached the egg crate did you silicone one side at a time and then press the egg crate into it right after? And did you do all 3 sides in one night? - wondering if the side with egg crate on it would need to be laying on its back while the silicone cures or if the whole tank can just sit upright with all 3 sides curing together.


Thanks for the plant compliments! I can't wait to get my Epidendrum up, I love the little thing. I'm always eyeing what my next plant addition might be since I know some spots need stuff to fill out in. That's awesome though, so happy to hear you also went with NEHERP! I think you'll really like how convenient they make it. 

I siliconed and pressed egg crate in one at a time—I started with the back and then went to the sides. It probably makes sense to do one side, the back, then the other side so the first side has longer to cure before it's upside-down, but I bought a box fan to help speed up to curing process (and so I wouldn't pass out from fumes haha). I also siliconed around the egg crate and in the corners once it was pressed in to make sure it was extra secure. I think you'll find that it cures rather quickly, but not too quick in that you need to rush to press in the egg crate. 

Looking forward to seeing you start on your build!


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

alus said:


> Thanks for the plant compliments! I can't wait to get my Epidendrum up, I love the little thing. I'm always eyeing what my next plant addition might be since I know some spots need stuff to fill out in. That's awesome though, so happy to hear you also went with NEHERP! I think you'll really like how convenient they make it.
> 
> I siliconed and pressed egg crate in one at a time—I started with the back and then went to the sides. It probably makes sense to do one side, the back, then the other side so the first side has longer to cure before it's upside-down, but I bought a box fan to help speed up to curing process (and so I wouldn't pass out from fumes haha). I also siliconed around the egg crate and in the corners once it was pressed in to make sure it was extra secure. I think you'll find that it cures rather quickly, but not too quick in that you need to rush to press in the egg crate.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing you start on your build!


Awesome. Thanks again for the advice - I feel a lot more confident going into my build thanks much in part to you! I’ll let you know when I get my stuff and I’ll start a build log too!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Jennifer said:


> Awesome. Thanks again for the advice - I feel a lot more confident going into my build thanks much in part to you! I’ll let you know when I get my stuff and I’ll start a build log too!


I'm glad that I was able to help out a bit, and definitely keep me posted about when you start your viv!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Two updates to share today. First, my second batch of plants came in. They were just small keikis, but I mounted up 3 Restrepia on my ghost wood with some fishing line:










I'm hoping they'll take well given my misting schedule and the amount of light they get. The other plant you won't be able to see since it's just a Sinningia tuber, but hopefully when that starts sprouting I'll post a picture. I believe I decided to mount my Epidendrum where the ghostwood forks in the background: it seems to be a large enough surface area for this huge orchid I bought haha. I think it'll fill that area in well. Also, I finally got my tank off the ground! Here it is resting on its new stand:










Look pretty good there I think! It also made me realize I really need to put the black matte paper I bought to cover up the drainage layer. Regardless, having the stand means I can finally get my MistKing setup, which I'd like to do this weekend at some point, perhaps later today.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

Looks like a good start! Your drainage layer really only needs be to 2” thick, so maybe you could slope down in front more dramatically to get more use out of the space.

The Neoregelias don’t need sphagnum around their bases, and in fact it might cause them to rot. They only use roots to attach to surfaces, not to absorb water, so they don’t need anything to retain moisture around the roots.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Harpspiel said:


> Looks like a good start! Your drainage layer really only needs be to 2” thick, so maybe you could slope down in front more dramatically to get more use out of the space.
> 
> The Neoregelias don’t need sphagnum around their bases, and in fact it might cause them to rot. They only use roots to attach to surfaces, not to absorb water, so they don’t need anything to retain moisture around the roots.


I was debating that—it's the one thing I'm kicking myself about. I think I may just see it as a lesson to remember going forward... the hassle of removing substrate to get to the drainage layer may be more effort than it's worth for me unfortunately. Good to know about the neoregs, thanks for that! Can't trust everything I see online haha, I'll peel back the sphagnum and just leave my toothpicks in then.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

It will certainly be easier to fix it now than at any point in the future as the tank grows in, but that’s up to you.

Looking online, it looks like some places do recommend putting sphagnum around the base of Neoregelias. I haven’t seen anyone on here recommend that, but it might depend on your watering schedule and average humidity level. If your humidity is under 60% maybe it helps...I’m not sure. But any sphagnum that stays soggy all the time can encourage rot and mold, whether around bromeliads or orchids, and for me stuffing sphagnum into tight spaces will do that.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Harpspiel said:


> It will certainly be easier to fix it now than at any point in the future as the tank grows in, but that’s up to you.
> 
> Looking online, it looks like some places do recommend putting sphagnum around the base of Neoregelias. I haven’t seen anyone on here recommend that, but it might depend on your watering schedule and average humidity level. If your humidity is under 60% maybe it helps...I’m not sure. But any sphagnum that stays soggy all the time can encourage rot and mold, whether around bromeliads or orchids, and for me stuffing sphagnum into tight spaces will do that.


Would you recommend I pull it off the Restrepias then? I didn't do a ton of sphagnum with them, but I'd prefer not to have them rot out on me. I might leave a little bit just to help encourage rooting on the neoregs then remove it in a couple weeks.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

I tend to do a small pad of sphag under roots for orchids that don’t need average moisture, and then another pad on top of roots if it really loves moisture. Sometimes sphag under roots seems to discourage them from attaching to the mount, but I think that is offset by being able to see the roots. If you can actually see them you can monitor their condition and make sure they don’t rot.

Those _Restrepia dodsonii_ keikis should be fine with just a pad under the roots, but they are pretty tolerant of both dry and wet conditions.


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## Jennifer (Dec 1, 2008)

Another question for you I thought of! How long did you wait for the initial layer of silicone to dry before putting on the great stuff? I’ve read to wait at least 48 hours but then some people have said it’s not fully cured until the smell goes completely away - which could take weeks!?! What was your experience?


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Harpspiel said:


> I tend to do a small pad of sphag under roots for orchids that don’t need average moisture, and then another pad on top of roots if it really loves moisture. Sometimes sphag under roots seems to discourage them from attaching to the mount, but I think that is offset by being able to see the roots. If you can actually see them you can monitor their condition and make sure they don’t rot.
> 
> Those _Restrepia dodsonii_ keikis should be fine with just a pad under the roots, but they are pretty tolerant of both dry and wet conditions.


Cool, I'll leave them for now and monitor. I did actually take the sphag off of the neoregs, so thanks for suggesting that. I like the look way better; the only reason I had it on in the first place was because of a few different videos I had watched.



Jennifer said:


> Another question for you I thought of! How long did you wait for the initial layer of silicone to dry before putting on the great stuff? I’ve read to wait at least 48 hours but then some people have said it’s not fully cured until the smell goes completely away - which could take weeks!?! What was your experience?


I just checked my photos, and it looks like I waited three days between siliconing and spray foaming. That time difference, however, was most likely because I was just busy working late on those evenings. I did also purchase a Lasko box fan from Walmart to speed up the curing process, which has really come in handy for this entire build. I think realistically I could have foamed after a day, but two days should be fine (especially if you have a fan on it).


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Started on another fun project yesterday and wrapped up tonight; I finally got my MistKing set up. Of course Home Depot didn't have any opaque containers that fit in my smaller storage space, so I had to improvise a bit. I bought a 4 gallon Sterilite container and wound up spray painting the thing black. I probably put on at least 4 coats to really make sure no light would get in. Here's a pic of it:










I think it looks pretty cool. I would spray on my balcony and move it in after a little while so my box fan could help it finish drying. Next up was installing the bulkhead, for which I bought a 9/16" Spade Bit. The bulkhead actually gave me a bit of trouble, and it wasn't until I started looking up videos did I realize the rubber gasket is supposed to sit on the outside, not the inside. Once I realized my mistake and changed that, my reservoir passed a 30 minute leak test. Just to be safe, I even put a ring of Loctite glue around the gasket. Here's the bulkhead after the test:










During commercials of the AFC championship tonight, I was able to keep chugging along with designing the system. As a side note, I actually applied some of NEHERP's contact paper to conceal the drainage and soil layers. I also moved my fan to the front of the tank so it isn't as much of an eyesore in the back. For the misting nozzle, I used the Spade Bit again to make a hole in my mesh top. I also made what I think was a pretty clean way to get the tubing up to the top. Here's a view with my misting setup finished:










I still need to tidy up the wires in the back, but at least the misting tube looks good. Lastly, here's a video of the thing in action. I was really excited to actually see it work so well. 

Now that my MistKing is setup, I think my updates are going to slow down a bit. I will probably place one or two more plant orders since I want a few more miniature orchids and a couple terrestrial plants. I'm also going to work on a more permanent solution for my fan placement and potentially get it on a timer so it's not blowing when my MistKing goes on. Thanks for everyone who has been following along with this project; it has come quite a long way, and I'm really happy with how it's looking.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Well everyone, I did say that I needed one or two plant orders, and I just got one today. It was an order of some terrestrial plants: I bought another _Philodendron_ _'Wend-imbe'_ as well as three _Sinningia 'Freckles'_. I'm still trying to get _Pilea depressa_, which I think would look nice running along the front. I still need to place my mini-orchid order, but I'm waiting for warmer weather. Anyway, here are some updated pictures.









The broms are starting to open up much more, and my _Restrepias_ are shooting out more roots. You can see I "mounted" my _Epidendrum_, and wow are the roots crazy on it. Here's a close up of that guy:










Just on the tail-end of blooming it seems. I have a toothpick supporting it at the top of the ghostwood, so I'm going to let the roots grab how they need to. Next I have a close up of two _Sinningia _I planted on the left side:










I also have a _Sinningia muscicola _tuber in front of these two that just started sprouting, so hopefully I can have a clump of three in a couple months. I also got a baby _Philodendron _from my order today that I planted close to my first one. I thought these would look nice growing and filling out together. Here's the closeup of the _Sinningia_ on the right side:










This one was actually blooming, so maybe I can get some seeds and more sprouting in the future. In the back right, the new _Philodendron_:










I thought this would look cool growing over the coco hut a bit. Also you can see some moss starting to form on the hut which is exciting! Speaking of which, here's a shot of some moss forming on my ghostwood branch:










All in all things are going along pretty smoothly. My microfauna seem to be doing well since I often see springtails venturing in the leaf litter at night. I only notice dwarf whites if I dig around in the substrate, but I did see a huge one come up to the surface at one point.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Been about a month since I've posted any updates, so I thought it might be nice to document some growth and another small improvement I worked on. Circulation is obviously a big deal, both for frogs and plants, so I've been keeping a computer fan running on a timer that's worked great. However, given that adventurous frogs will be climbing around in the near future, I decided to cover the fans now. I bought these fan filters and cut/drilled them to match my current 50mm fans. Here's everything laid out:










Obviously much too big for my small fans. With a bit of work and retrofitting, here is the final mount:










Since having the screen guard will reduce airflow a bit, I'm going to mount at least one more fan and run them longer, but I just need some USB extenders. If anyone is curious, I used size #6 screws and washers to secure the screens to the fan. Anyway, here are the fun pictures of the tank growing out. I'll start with a full tank shot:










I added in some _Pilea depressa _to the walls, and I already notice roots trying to grab into my background. I think I'm going to try to move the _Philodendron_ in the back right and replace it with something that has broader leaves so my frogs can climb a bit. Now for a bit of a photo dump, here's some various close-ups I've taken.









Things to note: new _Restrepia _leaf in the lower right, back right _Neoregelia _has fully rooted into the cork, the _Philodendron _on the left has shot up a nice new leaf, and my _Epidendrum _has loads of new leaves coming up.









_Sinningia 'Freckles' _flower is about to open!









Moss is really growing nice and the _Restrepia _is shooting out a lot of new roots along with the new leaf.









Things to note: the bromeliad on the left is starting to send out a pup already, the _Pilea depressa _seems to be taking well, the back right bromeliad is sending out a lot of roots, and the baby _Philodendron _is sending up more leaves









A bit tough to see, but I've been having a springtail explosion! It's seriously insane how many are inside my seed pods at this point.

Well, those are all the pictures I have for now. Also, I've decided to get P. terribilis 'Orange' - Black Foot, and I'm really excited. I'll be getting them in about a month so I have time to get my FF cultures up and running.


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## geginn64 (Jun 24, 2020)

Thanks for the link for the screens for the fans. 

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

Been awhile since I've updated, and I have a fun one to share today. Here's the latest full tank shot:









Since my last post, I got 4 new orchids. They've been in there about 3 weeks now and seem to be taking fairly well. On the left in the front, I have a _Dryadella cristata _(top) and a _Dracula lotax _(bottom). In the back left, a _Masdevallia strobelii_, and in the front right, a _Porroglossum dalstroemii_. I ordered these from Ecuagenera.

I am very excited though to provide an update on my inhabitants—I finally got my frogs today. I picked up 3 Phyllobates terribilis Orange Black Foot for the tank and they came in great. Here are some fun shots of them getting a feel for things.



























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They've been super bold and actively hunting springtails since I put them in. They also pretty quickly discovered that the magnolia seed pods seem to hold a lot of tasty treats... seems like they're well-adjusted already!


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

It's been roughly a month since I got my Blackfoot Terribilis, and the frogs are all incredibly healthy. One has become rather shy and hides in the cocohut if I pass by the tank. The other two are fairly bold, with one being very active and typically hanging out on the ghostwood. For young froglets I think this is pretty good. They devour melanos I add to the tank with a good Repashy dusting—even the shy guy will get his fair share (I try to leave the area for a bit so they're all more comfortable eating). Here is the tank currently.









Always like to start with a full tank shot and some plant updates. My Dracula was getting a bit too wet and shed some leaves, but I seem to have stopped that by removing most of the sphag. All of the Restrepias continue to send up new leaves, so I'm glad those are doing so well. My Epidendrum also seems to be shooting up a lot of new leaves and new roots while some lower/more shaded leaves are falling, but I'm not too concerned about that. I must say the left Neoregelia 'Fireball' has colored up beautifully, and it seems like the right one isn't getting enough light to be as deep a red. I got some Pilea mollis 'Moon Valley' to fill up the back right corner and some Creeping Charlie (I think) to help provide a little privacy in front of the cocohut.

Now for some fun photos of the growing guys.


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