# Display Vivarium+UPDATE+PLANTED



## StevenBonheim

I’m coming to an end in the construction of my display tank. Of course the fun part is next, PLANTING!!! Well hardscape comes first. And I still need to give the viv a good coat of paint too... wire the lights, plumbing for misting and drip system... Gees I’m not even close to being done.
I started with a wooden frame that was 32'' by 24''... this was attached to the base which was a piece of Masonite over a wooden frame made from 1x4, the base was a two foot square about four inches high. This (the upper frame and base) was covered in Masonite. One inch foam board was attached to the inside of the wooden frame and coated with an epoxy/fiberglass layer, then more layers of epoxy. I could have just used plywood for the whole thing instead of frames and Masonite and foam, but this was lighter. With out the epoxy and glass doors, the viv was only 20 pounds, and the thing is three feet high, two feet deep and two feet wide. It took a long time to figure out the sliding door track because the glass I had was not quite ¼” but too large to fit into tracks made for 1/8” glass. I ended up making my own from ¼” U-channel. I made a door under the front glass to access the area under the base where the drain would be. A PVC pipe was fitted into the back of the viv and it exits through the base and out the back wall of the viv. This is for the tubing for the misting and drip system. The top is a combo of Masonite and glass.... 
There are probably easier ways to do what I’ve done but I don’t like things to be too easy... we all know that’s just an excuse.
Anyhow here are some pics.










I think this was the second coat of epoxy after the fiberglass layer.









This is where the drain will go.









The epoxy.









The outside is almost finished.









The drain.









The tubing for misting/drip systems go in through this hole in the back.









Drain access door.









The main access to the inside of the viv is the front glass doors. By lifting off the top trim and panel, you can remove doors for cleaning.

^*UPDATE*^
Ok, Ive finished the background. This viv was supposed to include one of my trees…but that was rushed and it turned out looking like creamcheese shaped like an alien….with other more unpleasant things mixed in. And I’m in a hurry to finished the tank, so I don’t have time to make a new one…so I scraped the tree background, but may add a smaller trunk later. Anyhow here is the hardscape.









Background and Roots









Driphead









Ventilation Fan









Fabricated Root closeup

Ok, the plants are in......java moss still has to be added and Ill post another pic when it is.


















This tank has the longest species list Ive ever had. Ive been gathering all these plants for the last few months and they finally get to enjoy the new viv.
Anthurium scandens
Anthuium andreanum
Anthurium radicans
Philodendron gloriosum
Philodendron Burle Marx Fantasy
Philodendron ‘pincushion’
Philodendron squamiferum
Philodendron ‘red dwarf’
Philodendron glaucophyllum
Philodendron panduraeforme
Philodendron sp.
Syngonium erythrophyllum
Syngonium sp
Syngonium rayii
Spathiphyllum floribundum
Rhodospatha sp..
Monstera obliqua
Stelis sp. Costa Rica
Stelis glomerosa
Restripia muscifera
Restripia sp.
Pleurothallis cypripediodes
Pleurothallis acestrophylla
Masd. Tunduzii x whitegold
Vanilla planifolia
Lepanthes gargoyla
Oncidium sp.
Unidentified Orchid sp.
Peperomia ‘green pixie’
Peperomia scandens
Peperomia prostrata
Peperomia sp. 1
Peperomia sp. 2
Begonia ‘enech’
Cissus sp.
Costus cuspidatus.
Guzmania lingulata mini.
Crystalwort sp.
Vesicularia sp. (dubyana?)
Humata tyermanii
Selaginella plana
Selaginella kraussiana
…and a few unidentified ferns


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## jmcc000

Thats really cool. I cant wait to see it fully planted. Very nice job, i would love to do a big display like this for my living room.


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## Nuggular

That looks great. Nice job.  Hurry faster faster. :lol: I want to see the planted tank.


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## Homer

Nice Job! It's good to see someone adventurous enough to build a wooden display tank! I have two in the works right now that are about at the same stage as yours, but not quite as complex. Great job!


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## nburns

Very nice looking tank. I am getting a group of terribilis and I am either going to use a 33 gal. tall or make something similiar to that. I'd love to see more pictures as you continue construction.


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## AQUAMAC

Steven-

Could you tell me the brand of epoxy and fiberglass you are using? Whats the cure time like between layers? Looks like its going to be an amazing tank!

Take care,

Mike


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## josh_r

wow! that looks great! ive been wanting to do the same thing.....just didnt have any ideas how i wanted to go about doing it. this post helps alot. i cant wait to see the finnished product. great job!

-josh


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## StevenBonheim

Ill add pics as I go. Mike, the epoxy is made by West Systems. I used over a gallon of resin and over a quart of hardener...which ended up costing around 150 dollars. You wouldn’t need to use so much if you don’t use fiberglass, but in my case I had to for strength. I don’t have the brand name of the glass mat but it’s all the same stuff. 
Thanks for the complements everyone!


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## StevenBonheim

ok...updated!!!


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## beeswaxx

Wow, nice job!


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## neilr

Hey Steven,

That viv is looking great! I was hoping you could post a little more about how you made the background and what you used for the branches. Keep up the good work.

Neil


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## StevenBonheim

The background is a combination of different Osmunda products, glued on with either silicone or epoxy. There are large chucks osmunda fiber (the spongy roots, not the hard treefern fiber that comes from the ‘trunk’). These chunks allow for deep root penetration with great drainage….good for epiphytes that are used to having their roots deep in mats of moss and other plant roots. There are also some tree fern panels. The osmunda chunks and treefern panels are all blended together with loose treefern and osmunda fiber, which is glued on with epoxy and in some spots silicon. The fabricated roots are my older style and are from a terrarium I entered in IAD’s contest two years ago. They are simply shaped PVC covered with different organics…like peat, coco-fiber, or dirt.
Ill post pics after planting. Thanks for the complements


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## andersonii85

Looks awesome Steve! Keep up the good work. If you need help planting it just let me know.

-J


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## rjmarchisi

Wow, that is alot for epoxy. I got this piece of ghost wood that is over 6' tall for about that much.










rob


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## StevenBonheim

Ok I added pics of the planted tank. The misting system should be here soon, and then I will add the java.  
Rob, thats a really cool piece of ghost wood, what size tank are you going to put that in?


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## Nuggular

That is just F'n amazing. I want one, lol. What are you putting in it, or by display, do you just mean plants only.


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## nburns

Its too bad you didn't have a longer list of plants to choose from when you planted the tank. No really, that looks awesome. I am in the process of build a tank (nothing quite that large) and I am branching out and putting some new plants and more plants in it then what I have in the rest of my tanks. Keep the pictures coming!!!


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## MJ

Steven it looks sweat.

did you make the roots from concrete primer? (europe it called flevopal)
I tried that using stuff from homedepot but didn't have great success, what recipe did you use? if you dont mind sharing :wink:


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## Cory

Steven are you still thinking about selling your trees? I am building a very large tank that will need some backgrounds.


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## jsagcincy

Looks incredible! You have to be extremely proud of how thats turning out. Can't wait for some 6 month shots.


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## StevenBonheim

Thanks for the words guys! MJ, the roots were made with silicone and peat. I made them a few years back in my pre-epoxy days, so they dont look very real in person... But the peat holds enough moisture for the moss to cover them, so it wont be a problem. :wink: Cory, I do still have some trees available, (the three in my gallery) but wont have any new ones for a while...Im going off to school and wont be working on the trees for a few months at least. 
Thanks again,


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## Jordan B

That is amazing. Well done.


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## dmartin72

Stephen,

You have really outdone yourself on this one! :shock: I'm more than impressed. I want to come over and see it before you head out for school...when is that? When are you coming over to help me start one like that? SERIOUSLY!


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## Jonny5

*plants in tank*

Steven,
First off that is an awsome tank. I wish I had the time and energy it must have taken to complete that. Where did you find the Philodendron Burle Marx Fantasy? I have been looking for that plant for awhile and have not had any luck. 
Jonathan


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## Guest

OMFG!!! STEVEN!!! SO JEALOUS!!! Sorry for caps, but that was meant to be in caps, lol. Steven, Steven, Steven, my fuggin god. I knew it would be good, but... Holy... So... Awesome.. I wish I could see that in person too, but I'm no where near you. Your roommates will be impressed. You going to have roommates? Well, I'm sure I'll chat with you soon.

CONGRATS!!!

I have to ask, if you WERE going to put frogs in there, and I know you want to, though you can't, what species would it be? (Watch, like, half way through the year you'll get frogs because you'll realize you can get away with it.)

Hehe.. good luck! I'm driving up to FSU tomorrow so I prolly won't talk to you till after saturday. I don't know when you are going to school...


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## mbrutger

Wow! can't wait to see it grown in.


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## Guest

Wow what a great tank!!! Looks so mysterious. Love it. And sooo many aroids too.


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## Marty

Steve, how about some details on how you made the vine... step by step... I'm loving it !


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## StevenBonheim

Sure! The roots were made by heating up PVC with a blowtorch, be sure to be outside with a good wind. If it’s not windy, wear a respirator because the fumes produced by burning PVC can be fatal. When I don’t wear a respirator, my throat gets very sore and aches for a few days. I try to bend the PCV in ways that a root/vine would actually grow...avoid flattening the PVC too much and try and keep the pipe from twisting in unnatural spirals. I wear leather gloves so I can handle the PVC at hot spots and mold it with my hands. If its hot outside, the PVC will take a while to cool and you will need to hold it in its position for a while, you can bring out a bucket of water to dunk the PVC in to cool it faster but this will often result in brittle PVC. After you have it in a nice shape, all you do is cover it with some sort of organic like peat, cocofiber, whatever. You can use silicone and smear it on the PVC then press in the organic stuff, you could mix the organic stuff with silicone and put it on the PVC, you could mix epoxy with organic stuff and put that ontop. I like mixing epoxy with peat that has been sifted through a strainer so only the finest dust is used. You mix enough peat dust in with the epoxy to form a paste and work with it like clay. After it dries you can carve it or reshape any ugly spots. The roots in the pictures were made before I ever used epoxy and are just silicone with peat pressed in. If you put a nice thick layer of silicone on the PVC, after you press in the peat you can mold it and give it finer details than what you could with the blowtorch.


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## Blort

StevenBonheim said:


> If it’s not windy, wear a respirator because the fumes produced by burning PVC can be fatal. When I don’t wear a respirator, my throat gets very sore and aches for a few days.


That's probably the chlorine from polyvinyl chlorine aka PVC. I would wear a respirator either way. Just because you don't feel the burning doesn't mean that you aren't damaging your lungs. Respiration is the most hazardous and overlooked method of entry for hazardous chemicals. The surface area of your lungs make them susceptible to damage. Also, just because it goes away in a couple of days doesn't mean that you aren't doing incremental irreversible damage that may catch up with you some day.

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelin ... ition.html

Compared to the long term effects the cost a proper respirator, not one of those surgical masks, is well worth it.

[/nag]

Marcos


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## Marty

How did you get that vain wrapping around the vine look? Is that a single piece of PVC or is there a smaller diameter tube that you wrapped around a thicker one and melted them together? This looks pretty solid, no fuzzies/dust sticking out. Almost looks like you used some type of resin...really... you got that look with silicone? clear or black?










Thanks blort for the safety lesson. Good to have OSHA inspector on board  I'll do my best to use an old drywal mask :wink: hehe 

Like Steven Wright once said: I've been smoking for 20 years ! My lung feels great !!! :lol: 




StevenBonheim said:


> Sure! The roots were made by heating up PVC with a blowtorch, be sure to be outside with a good wind. If it’s not windy, wear a respirator because the fumes produced by burning PVC can be fatal. When I don’t wear a respirator, my throat gets very sore and aches for a few days. I try to bend the PCV in ways that a root/vine would actually grow...avoid flattening the PVC too much and try and keep the pipe from twisting in unnatural spirals. I wear leather gloves so I can handle the PVC at hot spots and mold it with my hands. If its hot outside, the PVC will take a while to cool and you will need to hold it in its position for a while, you can bring out a bucket of water to dunk the PVC in to cool it faster but this will often result in brittle PVC. After you have it in a nice shape, all you do is cover it with some sort of organic like peat, cocofiber, whatever. You can use silicone and smear it on the PVC then press in the organic stuff, you could mix the organic stuff with silicone and put it on the PVC, you could mix epoxy with organic stuff and put that ontop. I like mixing epoxy with peat that has been sifted through a strainer so only the finest dust is used. You mix enough peat dust in with the epoxy to form a paste and work with it like clay. After it dries you can carve it or reshape any ugly spots. The roots in the pictures were made before I ever used epoxy and are just silicone with peat pressed in. If you put a nice thick layer of silicone on the PVC, after you press in the peat you can mold it and give it finer details than what you could with the blowtorch.


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## StevenBonheim

Yeah I wear my respirator for everything now.  Marty thats just silicone and peat! The vien looking thing was made with the silicone..."If you put a nice thick layer of silicone on the PVC, after you press in the peat you can mold it and give it finer details than what you could with the blowtorch." Also by slightly twising the PVC, you can get what looks like viens. Those were done with clear silicone.


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## Guest

Looks good Steven. I've actually made a didgeridoo with the PVC/blowtorch method. Works great!


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## Laxman

*whoa*

how much did that cost!?!?!?! really impressive I mean with unlimited resources I would be able to achive maybe half of that.


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## Ryan

WOW, thats an amazing viv. Should be very proud. What lighting do you have in it?


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## Guest

*vines*

Couldn't you use rubber tubing with bendable coat hanger wire for the same effect? I'm thinking a 1" clear or charcoal colored fish tank hose roughed up on the outside would hold silicone or epoxy to give the same results with no poison gas to worry about. Put a thick bendable wire inside, shape it and then silicone the top and bottom to seal it. 

Just a thought.


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## StevenBonheim

That could work, you would have to seal the ends to keep the wire from rusting. The problem would be that you couldnt twist the tubing or have sharp curves without crimping the tube. The gas really isnt a problem, you just have to be carefull.


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## StevenBonheim

Havent been home much... but I took some pics this weekend when I was home. The tank has been on its own except for the refilling of buckets and draining... 
Left side









Right side










This pep is doing pretty good all over the tank









Cacti doing ok....









This guy is blooming all the time


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## Mantellaprince20

Steve, you have really outdone yourself...... that is so so so freaking awesome. all I can say is WOW!!!!!! and drool a bit longer. 

What orchid is that in the bottom picture, it looks like a type of pleurothallis? and where did you get it, so awesome. What other orchids do you have in there, and what frogs are you planning? What lighting? Holy cow man, when can I come get viv building lessons from you??? way to cool man, 

ed parker


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## StevenBonheim

Its a Pleurothallis acestrophylla... and its from Jon Werner. The other orchids in there are:
Stelis sp. "Costa Rica"-doing well
Stelis glomerosa-died at first... but now its on its way back
Restripia muscifera-was doing well untill java moss kept its root base too wet
Restripia sp.-bloomed, but I didnt have my camera
Pleurothallis cypripediodes-bloomed twice (no camera)
Masd. Tunduzii x whitegold-...one leaf left!!
Vanilla planifolia- doing great
Lepanthes gargoyla- not doing much (still my fav.)
Oncidium sp.-doing great
Oncidium sp. 2-doing alright
Unidentified Orchid sp.-think it fell off the wall...cant find it


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## Jordan B

Unbelievable :shock: !


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## Ryan

whats the mossesyou have in there? that viv i have to say is the best viv ive seen in so long, i think the best american, non comericial viv out there! Be VERY proud of it!


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## KeroKero

The moss looks to be java moss... in his original post he mentioned that was what he was going to add. That's what it looks like terrestrially as well when its happy. Still getting mine to go terrestrial


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## Jordan B

Are there any frogs in there Steven?


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## Frank H

Awesome! A+  


I want to know about the lights used and the frog situation as well.  


Thanks steven for sharing the pics and info in this thread- Viv looks great!


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## StevenBonheim

The mosses are java, live sphagnum, and other mosses that just popped up.
There are no frogs in the tank. There are two 55w compacts on top from AH.... I think they are 6500K
Thanks for the compliments guys


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## StevenBonheim

Here is a picture from today. The drip system had some problems these past two weeks so the top of the back wall dried out a bit. Hopefully, once I get the drippers running again the bare spots will continue filling in.


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## dmartin72

Stephen,

That thing is amazing! When do you go back to school? I would like to come by and see it.


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## Guest

:shock: 

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Good work, Steven.


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## Ryan

WOW, thats nice...


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## StevenBonheim

David, 
I dont go back to school till the last day of January, so we should have plenty of time to get together. Thanks everyone for the compliments!


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## Darks!de

DAAAAAAAAAAMN...what kind of moss is all over the back wall? What frogs are currently in there?

Luke


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## dmartin72

I don't think Steven has any frogs in it!


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## JWerner

Steven - looks spectacular!!


- Jon


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## DartMan

Steve,

First, your level of DETAIL is really great! Nice Job!!!!

OK, ANOTHER PVC Vine questions for you. Did you use the white schedule 40 PVC or did you use the thinner walled cream colored CPVC plastic pipe?

Also, what diameter of pipe(s) have you done this with?

THANKS for sharing you ideas and tips!


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## Guest

WOW!!! :shock: 

That looks great! Has "grown in" beautifully. 

I can't imagine how much time you have involved in that, but with it looking that good, It had to be worth it.

Thanks for the motivation. I would be so proud if my display viv turns out half that good.


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## StevenBonheim

Thanks guys!
The moss is mostly java with some other mosses that have showed up over the last month or so. And unfortunately there are no frogs in it... I keep the tank at home which is a few hours from where I go to school. The roots are made from both 1"PVC and 0.5"CPVC. Ill post some pictures of individual plants in a week or so once more are blooming.


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## StevenBonheim

I was home again and took an updated picture....








Next time Im home, I'll be looking for the pruning shears! :shock:


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## Guest

Thats looking great! I love it.


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## Jordan B

AWESOME Steven!!!!! Now you just need some frogs worthy of that tank !

Jordan


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## Frogtofall

My goodness thats beautiful. :shock:


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## Guest

just awsome :shock: :shock:


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## zaroba

wow, that looks beutiful.

i hope to have mine looking nice like that when its done.


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## KeroKero

Yup, pruning shears... and cuttings into a plastic bag with my name on it  That tank is awesome


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## Jeff R

How did you set up your drip system? I'm setting up something similar and can't decide on a drip system or a fogger. The tank will mostly be for orchids. 
Thanks,
Jeff
Got any recent pictures?


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## Guest

OMG, I was thinking of making an all orchid viv too. But mine wouldnt come for another two years or so. Why the drip system?Wouldnt this keep them too wet? What kind of orchids are you gonna use? Wanna exchange wish lists? I've done some research on what orchids would do well in a viv. 

Thanks.


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## Anoleo2

What can i say, that is a BEAUTIFUL tank!!!!!

That is just so green....


Chris


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## StevenBonheim

The drip system is made from an in-line pond pump, which takes water from a 2-gallon reservoir and sends it up and around the top of the background/sides. Then the tubing continues back down and out of the tank and into the reservoir again. Only a little bit of water is lost on the way and the reservoir is filled whenever it begins to run low.... The dripheads and tubing were found at Lowes. I've had the pump for a few years but Im pretty sure I got it at a garden center.


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## Jeff R

Hmmn, Im trying to figure out a closed system and Im thinking about putting a pump in the bottom and just recirculating the water, (create a natural filter). Theres going to be a drain so I can flush it out when I want. The box itself was built this weekend. My Dad seems to think pond liner will be enough but Im leaning towards treating the wood so when “just in case” happens it wont be totally ruined. 
What are your thoughts? Ill start a thread when/if I take pictures. I don’t know if you’ll understand but the tank is specificly for Lapanthes calodictyon. There will be all the other goodies, broms, random tropicals, imitators, etc. but Im most concerned about getting this one plant to grow, well better than my Dad can grow them in his green house.


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## Frogtofall

Stunning. I thought it was some sort of Begonia. Nice!


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## Guest

Oh I see, well Lepanthes is in my list as well.


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## StevenBonheim

I dont have any updated shots...but here is picture (from the same day as the last picture) that shows a little more detail. 









As for your closed system idea; it should work fine, as long as you can keep the water well filtered. I keep a different species of lepanthes in this tank. It lost some leaves when I first put it in... but it is now fully recovered. I havent seen it bloom however. If you do decide to use pond liner, make sure you test it for leaks several times before you start landscaping. I stayed away from the pond liner because I wanted to make sure my backgrounds were as secure as possible. Also, the pond liner could rip/get punctured/wear out...


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## mnchartier

This is an amazing display that you have, truely inspiring.

I have been debating on using wood for a viv, I was thinking what if you were to use the epoxy on the wood and use the Fomo Pond foam also over that so you could install the bulkheads and then foam around them to help seal, would that work?


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## zBrinks

update!


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## StevenBonheim

I recently had this little sexy stelis sp. bloom!
Ill take some pics of the whole viv soon.


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## Frogtofall

Dang you have a nice camera/lens setup. What the heck are you using?


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## leucofrog

dude that viv is abosulutely amazing. incredible!


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## GTVDispatch

When you say foam board, what do you mean? Also, what type of wood did you use for the frame? What did you do for the top; is it all glass, and if so how did you set it in? What kind of lighting did you use, and is there a false bottom? What's the false bottom made of? What kind of pump did you use for the dripwall? If its not obvious that I love this viv and am desperately trying to figure out how to emulate it, there you have it...


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## kyle1745

WOW, im not sure if i missed this the first time around or if I have already responded but WOW!


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## Okapi

I had to bump this up, it is freaking amazing! Is it still up and running?


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## BlueRidge

Thanks for the bump.... this tank is crazy. I hope it's still going.


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## tclipse

simply awesome. I wouldn't know where to begin putting together a viv like that.


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## fleshfrombone

I'm glad this got bumped, my first time seeing it. I thought about using osmandia in viv but thought it would fall apart for sure. Well done. Update?


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## Judy S

I agree...thanks for the bump...and it also is my first time in reading it...maybe by now some frogs are enjoying it....?? Was interested also in the Osmunda fibers or whatever the fragile, lacy looking "plant" is...and that it was useful for some of the plants...hopefully you are still following this thread...


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## afterdark

My fingers are crossed - but the OP has posted just three times since 2007. All in 2009.


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## Okapi

afterdark said:


> My fingers are crossed - but the OP has posted just three times since 2007. All in 2009.


Thats too bad


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## myersboy6

amazing setup!


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## arielelf

That is a really beautiful piece of the jungle you have! Absolutely amazing.


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## Art A

That is absolutly beautiful!


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## jckee1

After looking at this post I went to a local garden center and asked if they had any osmunda fiber and they actually did. The bag was so old that I don't think the company exists anymore. However the fiber is still good and I think it will be a good medium for epiphytes.


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