# New Terrarium Idea



## harrywitmore

I have an old 125 that is missing the back glass. I've tried giving it away but no takers. So, since it's just too heavy to wrestle down the stairs I would like to replant it but this time make it a long tall vertical terrarium.

I seem to remember a thread here where someone was building a tall viv and was concerned about the lighting. I have not been able to find this thread and I wondered how it turned out.

Has anyone else built such a tall narrow viv or terrarium?


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## keekalmatter

hmm I know the thread but I dont see how this is possible missing the back glass unless you are going to put something else on the back.


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## MELLOWROO421

I didn't build one that tall, but I did a 40 breeder vert that I had to light the sides on. I ended up using a t5 single bulb fixture running vertically on each side and the plants are doing great. I have begun a cabinet to enclose the tank and hide the lighting, but haven't had time to finish it yet. Right now they are just hanging along the sides but the broms are coloring up and the plants on the floor of the viv are growing fast and healthy. The lights I used were similar to these...
Fluorescent T5 Low-Profile Light Fixtures, T5 Linkable Fluorescent Light Fixture 
You can link more than 1 together, and they come in different lengths. Hope this helps.


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## harrywitmore

Yes, It now has a sheet of marine plywood on the back but I would remove it and make that the face. I would need to install a piece of plexi in it and make it a door. I would also have to make a side for it. Haven't really planned it out but if it's just going to grow at the top then there is really no reason to proceed.


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## harrywitmore

MELLOWROO421 said:


> I didn't build one that tall, but I did a 40 breeder vert that I had to light the sides on. I ended up using a t5 single bulb fixture running vertically on each side and the plants are doing great. I have begun a cabinet to enclose the tank and hide the lighting, but haven't had time to finish it yet. Right now they are just hanging along the sides but the broms are coloring up and the plants on the floor of the viv are growing fast and healthy. The lights I used were similar to these...
> Fluorescent T5 Low-Profile Light Fixtures, T5 Linkable Fluorescent Light Fixture
> You can link more than 1 together, and they come in different lengths. Hope this helps.


Any pictures of yours?


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## MELLOWROO421

I also have a single cf in a dome on the top for lighting.


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## harrywitmore

Thanks, that's interesting. Looks good also.


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## Mywebbedtoes

Pigface did this with a 75 vert. Andy's Orchids has a really tall show terrarium that they monted lights like Brian and pigface did. Since you know Andy you could ask him. It a sweet tank.


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## harrywitmore

Nice! I will try and call Andy once I formulate some questions. I need to do some planning but this does help me with ideas.


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## Mywebbedtoes

Yeah he has it every year at the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show (too long!), and every year I see it, I pee just a little.


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## NathanB

Is that just a wooden frame with glass doors?


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## Mywebbedtoes

Yeah it is.


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## harrywitmore

I have been working on this project and have decided to make it a terrarium of Panamanian plants in honor my trip to Panama in February. SO, it's pretty easy to get a list of Peperomias and a list of Gesneriads. I have many that will fit the bill.

Does anyone have a link to a easy way to find Orchids. I know there's a thread here to plants by locale but it's a work in progress. I will post pictures of the progress here soon. 

Any other suggestions would be cool also.


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## Mywebbedtoes

Panama huh? You will love it I'm sure.


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## roxrgneiss

harrywitmore said:


> I have been working on this project and have decided to make it a terrarium of Panamanian plants in honor my trip to Panama in February.
> 
> Does anyone have a link to a easy way to find Orchids. I know there's a thread here to plants by locale but it's a work in progress. I will post pictures of the progress here soon.
> 
> Any other suggestions would be cool also.


Hey Harry,

The search feature on Andy's Orchids works somewhat, but it only covers what they sell - often though, it doesn't even return all the results it should, most of the time.

However, there is a way to search by country on the website, which is valuable, and it should give you at least 20 results for Panama. Andy's Orchids - Orchid Species - Orchid search by species, genus, country of origin, care and growing atTRibutes

Also, I know many Pleurothallids in cultivation are from that area, so they are a fun place to start (though I'm sure you're aware of that! ).

I like to use orchidspecies.com to find out locale info and temps, etc:

Here are two examples on that site that I think could be nice additions for the project you're working on, I have really enjoyed these two:

IOSPE PHOTOS

IOSPE PHOTOS

Ah, here's one more I think is killer:
IOSPE PHOTOS - the in situ photo of they supply is really cool, especially with all the epi ferns on the branches. 


I'm looking forward to hearing more about your ideas and project. 

Mike


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## JoshH

Sounds awesome Harry! Have you come up with a list of plants that you do want to put in there?


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## roxrgneiss

Here are a couple species lists I've found, but I'm sure there are more out there:

Panama Orchids Index Page Unfortunately, I don't think the links on this page are available.

There are a few doubles on this list and a couple might not be Panamanian:
SPECIES

Mike


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## harrywitmore

Josh, I'm working on compiling a list of species that are native to Panama, once I have done that I will sift through my collection to see what I have that fits the bill. I know that Gesneriads will be the focus but I would like to place a few small Orchids, Peperomias and other genera in there to fill it in. I may have a brome or 2 also but not many. Once I compile the list I will post it here. I already have a few pictures I will post soon.

Mike, thanks for those links and tips, I will be going through those today.


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## harrywitmore

I have been working on a plant list with priority to plant I already have. I have gone thru Gesneriads, Peperomia, Rhipsalis and odds and ends genera and come up with the following list so far. I may not get all these in the terrarium but it's a pick list. I have yet to think about Orchids, Ferns and Bromes for the most part. I was totally surprised not to find a single Neoregelia listed on Mobot's plant list for Panama. Could that be correct? This with (N) mean I don't have them.

Anthurium clidemoides
Begonia glabra
Begonia serratifolia
Calathea micans
Callisia repens
Codonanthe luteola
Columnea allenii
Columnea arguta
Columnea gloriosa
Columnea verecunda
Columnea polyantha
Drymonia turrialvae
Drymonia serrulata
Drymonia variegata
Episcia cupreata (N)
Episcia lilacina (N)
Gloxinia (Koellikeria) ernoides 'Polo Polo' 
Macleania insignis
Macleania glabra
Neomortonia nummularia 
Neomortonia rosea
Peperomia blanda
Peperomia glabella
Peperomia hoffmannii
Peperomia pellucida
Peperomia tetraphylla
Pilea nummularifolia
Pilea involucrata
Rhipsalis baccifera
Selenicerius pteranthus
Tillandsia bulbosa (N)
Tillandsia usneoides (N)

Here's a picture of the tank before applying the silicone and coir. I have a construction journal located on the vivarium forum since they had a section just for terrarium construction.


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## Julio

sweet tree turnk!!!


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## bmasar

harrywitmore said:


> I have an old 125 that is missing the back glass. I've tried giving it away but no takers. So, since it's just too heavy to wrestle down the stairs I would like to replant it but this time make it a long tall vertical terrarium.
> 
> I seem to remember a thread here where someone was building a tall viv and was concerned about the lighting. I have not been able to find this thread and I wondered how it turned out.
> 
> Has anyone else built such a tall narrow viv or terrarium?


Was this the tank you were talking about?

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...uture-project-basicly-done-update-8-05-a.html


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## harrywitmore

I'm almost done with the silicone and coir. The tree trunk is actually a stump and a log with other pieces added on.

Build Log


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## harrywitmore

bmasar said:


> Was this the tank you were talking about?
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...uture-project-basicly-done-update-8-05-a.html


Thanks not it but it's very cool. This one is 6' tall. which is a little larger. That thread is very helpful though.


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## skylsdale

harrywitmore said:


> I was totally surprised not to find a single Neoregelia listed on Mobot's plant list for Panama. Could that be correct?


I'm not sure Harry...but I have had similar results in my occasional searches for Panamanian bromeliads.


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## harrywitmore

I found many other genera of Bromeliads but just no Neoregelia which sort of shocked me. Guess I will locat a neat Vriesea and Aechmea that don't grow too large. I want a few in there toward the top.


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## Frogtofall

harrywitmore said:


> I found many other genera of Bromeliads but just no Neoregelia which sort of shocked me. Guess I will locat a neat Vriesea and Aechmea that don't grow too large. I want a few in there toward the top.


All Neoregelia (hold for I THINK 1 species) come from Brazil so you won't find any there in Panama.

Plenty of Tillies in Panama if I remember correctly. There should be some Guzmania also. Harry Luther would know best.


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## harrywitmore

There are lots of Guzmania as well as other genera. I guess I never really thought about where most bromes come from. I have a long list to see if anything looks right for my setup. I will most likely not even begin to plant this thing until I get back from Panama and then I will have a better idea of what I want in there.


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## harrywitmore

Silicone finished (A few patches to redo)


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## clwatkins10

Wow, very cool tank! I can't wait to see it planted!


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## harrywitmore

Me neither! I have been doing allot of research for this project and my upcoming trip. I stumbled on the Smithsonian site and wow this seems to be all you need to do a biotype at least for what I'm trying to do

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute-STRI Herbarium

I have so many plants already that fit right in to the Panamanian biotype.


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## candm519

Wow, Harry, that site is unbelievable! Bookmarked for sure.


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## harrywitmore

Yep, I've been studying it for a couple of days now. It's going to be hard to select what will actually go in my terrarium. So much to choose from.


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## candm519

Just get one of each, and see how they fit.


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## harrywitmore

Hahaha! You know me well.


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## harrywitmore

I have been working on the lighting enclosures. This picture shows the side and top enclosure. The side will house 2 4' t-8's. I have yet to decide what to put in the top.


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## Dendro Dave

Mywebbedtoes said:


> Pigface did this with a 75 vert. Andy's Orchids has a really tall show terrarium that they monted lights like Brian and pigface did. Since you know Andy you could ask him. It a sweet tank.


Aw man they totally stole my idea for side mounted interior lights! Oh well


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## harrywitmore

OK, so it's been a while since I worked on this so this week I did a cit of planting, Nothing much yet but so far I have 16 plant species in here and it looks empty. I still have lots to add but I'm taking it slow as I know you may have noticed. 

I was lucky enough to get a load of mini orchids and many were native to Panama so they are in first.

I plant to have some Bromes in the top but I've yet to make a list of species yet that are native to Panama.


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## stitchb

Haha im very excited to see the results of this project harry!!! If you wouldn't mind, could you post which orchids you used please?

Thanks-Keep up the good work!


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## harrywitmore

Here's the plant list so far.

Orchids:
Acronia phyllocardioides
Epidendrum peperomia
Epidendrum schlecterianum
Pleurothallis allenii
Pleurothallis luctosa
Pleurothallis pruinosa
Scaphoselalum microdactylum
Stelis lentiginosa (not Panamanian but may occur in the Darian)
Stelis argentea

Gesneriads:
Columnea allenii
Columnea hirta 'Light Prince'
Columnea mira
Drymonia variegata

Misc:
Peperomia rotundifoia
Ficus sp Panama
Syngonium rayii


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## raimeiken

it's going to take a LOT of plants to fill that thing up!


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## harrywitmore

No kidding. I have spending the afternoon looking for Bromeliad species for it and I can only come up with a few I either like or will fit. But, I have plenty of time.


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## JoshH

Wow this is going to look great Harry! I love that Drymonia......


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## harrywitmore

Yep that is the nicest Drymonia I have seen. It seems to be adjusting well.


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## raimeiken

harrywitmore said:


> No kidding. I have spending the afternoon looking for Bromeliad species for it and I can only come up with a few I either like or will fit. But, I have plenty of time.


I went through this website for days, looking at all the pictures they had and took down names and pictures. Their Archives is pretty big, but for some reason the pages in their archives arent working anymore LOL, it was probably me from loading all of their pictures at ones. If you have firefox 3, the "unlinker" add on helps alot. It'll load up all the pictures in the same page in the click of a button 

Bromeliad Encyclopedia - Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies

I actually saved a lot of pictures of Neoregelias that I liked the most in a folder, and separated the ones that I liked that were available in Michael's catalog.

If you guys want, I can zip up the folder and upload it for you guys to view


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## raimeiken

here's the link to the folder if you guys want to download it

Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire


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## harrywitmore

Latest picture and updated the plant list. I will most likely wait until I get the fogger hooked up to plant much more. I also need to do some painting on it (the outside) but will wait for better weather so I can open the windows.










*Current Plant List*

Orchids:
Acronia phyllocardioides
Epidendrum peperomia
Epidendrum schlecterianum
Pleurothallis allenii
Pleurothallis luctosa
Pleurothallis pruinosa
Scaphoselalum microdactylum
Stelis lentiginosa (not Panamanian but may occur in the Darian)
Stelis argentea

Gesneriads:
Columnea allenii
Columnea hirta 'Light Prince'
Columnea mira
Columnea polyantha
Drymonia variegata
Drymonia serrulata
Neomortonia nummularia
Neomortonia rosea

Peperomia:
Peperomia rotundifoia
Peperomia hoffmanii
Peperomia galioides
Peperomia tetraphylla
Peperomia blanda

Ferns:
Polypodium maritium
Polypodium levigatum
Polypodium polypodioides

Misc:
Begonia glabra
Clusia rosea 'Nana'
Ficus sp Panama
Syngonium rayii 
Rhipsalis baccifera


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## JoshH

You could always throw in the epiphytic cycad Zamia pseudoparasitica since it's a Panamanian endemic. They're pretty slow growing, I had one back in the day and donated it to NIAB where I haven't seen it since. Now they're on Ebay for hundreds of dollars......


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## harrywitmore

I had this plant at one time and at the time got it for $10 but those days seem to be gone. I have been trying to find it again for a reasonable price but have not yet.


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## JoshH

You could always get some seeds, though it might take a decade or so to look right, haha...


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## harrywitmore

I would love to get seeds. Where can you get them?


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## JoshH

harrywitmore said:


> I would love to get seeds. Where can you get them?


I don't know but I'm on the lookout. If I find any then I will let you know  

There's one on Ebay if you really really want one.......

Zamia pseudoparasitica - Very Rare - Live Cycad - eBay (item 310071986094 end time Mar-29-09 14:31:22 PDT)


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## harrywitmore

I saw that. It's many 100's more than I'm willing to pay.


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## Froggi

harrywitmore said:


> I have been working on a plant list with priority to plant I already have. I have gone thru Gesneriads, Peperomia, Rhipsalis and odds and ends genera and come up with the following list so far. I may not get all these in the terrarium but it's a pick list. I have yet to think about Orchids, Ferns and Bromes for the most part. I was totally surprised not to find a single Neoregelia listed on Mobot's plant list for Panama. Could that be correct? This with (N) mean I don't have them.
> 
> Anthurium clidemoides
> Begonia glabra
> Begonia serratifolia
> Calathea micans
> Callisia repens
> Codonanthe luteola
> Columnea allenii
> Columnea arguta
> Columnea gloriosa
> Columnea verecunda
> Columnea polyantha
> Drymonia turrialvae
> Drymonia serrulata
> Drymonia variegata
> Episcia cupreata (N)
> Episcia lilacina (N)
> Gloxinia (Koellikeria) ernoides 'Polo Polo'
> Macleania insignis
> Macleania glabra
> Neomortonia nummularia
> Neomortonia rosea
> Peperomia blanda
> Peperomia glabella
> Peperomia hoffmannii
> Peperomia pellucida
> Peperomia tetraphylla
> Pilea nummularifolia
> Pilea involucrata
> Rhipsalis baccifera
> Selenicerius pteranthus
> Tillandsia bulbosa (N)
> Tillandsia usneoides (N)
> 
> Here's a picture of the tank before applying the silicone and coir. I have a construction journal located on the vivarium forum since they had a section just for terrarium construction.


what kind of glue (or ) r u using to stick the wood to the glass? i love your project!! post pics soon please!


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## harrywitmore

The wall on the left wood and the tree is screwed in through that panel so there was no need for glue. I just got the Polypodium bombycinum located in the top. It may eventually get to large so I left it in it's net pot.
Here's today's picture


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## Froggi

ohh. thats alot easier! WOW it looks ah-mazing!!


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## harrywitmore

*Current Picture*








*

Current Plant List*

Orchids:
Acronia phyllocardioides
Brassivola nodosa
Epidendrum peperomia
Epidendrum schlecterianum
Pleurothallis allenii
Pleurothallis luctosa
Pleurothallis pruinosa
Pleurothallis quadrifida
Scaphoselalum microdactylum
Stelis lentiginosa (not Panamanian but may occur in the Darian)
Stelis argentea

Gesneriads:
Columnea allenii
Columnea hirta 'Light Prince'
Columnea citriflora (mira)
Columnea polyantha
Columnea colombiana (not native to Panama but native to adjacent provinces of Colombia)
Codonanthe luteola
Drymonia variegata
Drymonia serrulata
Neomortonia nummularia
Neomortonia rosea

Peperomia:
Peperomia rotundifoia
Peperomia hoffmanii
Peperomia galioides
Peperomia tetraphylla
Peperomia blanda

Ferns:
Microgramma reptans
Microgramma lycopodioides
Polypodium maritium
Polypodium levigatum
Polypodium polypodioides
Polypodium bombycinum
Selaginalla martinsii variegated
Selaginella umbrosa

Misc:
Anthurium scandens
Begonia glabra
Macleania glabra
Sphyrospermum buxifolium
Clusia rosea 'Nana'
Ficus sp Panama
Philodendron 'Burle Marx Fantasy' (Not from Panama)
Syngonium rayii
Syngonium erythrophyllum 
Rhipsalis baccifera
Pilea nummlariifolia


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## michaelslenahan

This is looking pretty amazing--what kind of darts are you planning?


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## harrywitmore

No animals. I gave up on keeping them years ago.


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## Dendro Dave

harrywitmore said:


> No animals. I gave up on keeping them years ago.



Awww thats sad....try again! Seed it with springtails, and tropical woodlice and You could throw a couple imis or something in there and probably never have to feed them once then tank had been goin for a couple months


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## bobberly1

This has been a great thread to read through, beautiful tank.


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## JoshH

Dendro Dave said:


> Awww thats sad....try again! Seed it with springtails, and tropical woodlice and You could throw a couple imis or something in there and probably never have to feed them once then tank had been goin for a couple months


Yeah but since it's a Panama tank he needs Lehmanni or Histos! ;-)

BTW, Harry that's a serious plant list in there! Lotsa diversity, I love it!


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## harrywitmore

Well, while I love em, frogs are not in my future. I'm looking for a few more orchids and I still have a special Anthurium to add. I plan on adding a small 'tree' in the right back corner but have not decided how I'm going to make it. I have a special piece of wood as a dead branch I want to use. I'll have to construct the 'tree' outside and then add it.

I have been searching for a colorful plant to add as a focal point but nothing seems to strike me yet. A Begonia would be nice but Panama does not seem to offer much in that area that I can see.


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## Dendro Dave

harrywitmore said:


> Well, while I love em, frogs are not in my future. I'm looking for a few more orchids and I still have a special Anthurium to add. I plan on adding a small 'tree' in the right back corner but have not decided how I'm going to make it. I have a special piece of wood as a dead branch I want to use. I'll have to construct the 'tree' outside and then add it.
> 
> I have been searching for a colorful plant to add as a focal point but nothing seems to strike me yet. A Begonia would be nice but Panama does not seem to offer much in that area that I can see.


I did a search out of curiosity.... Found a few flowers, and relavent links...

I did a yahoo Image search for "panamanian flowers" and other variations and got the most hits from "flower in panama" Not as many species names, but with your knowledge Harry you might recognize some"

Here is a panamanian orchid site...
:: Orqudeas Tropicales - Orquideas de Panam :: Tropical Orchids - Orchids or Panama
Panamanian plant database...
W3PANAMA
International plant names database
The International Plant Names Index - home page

Also found this little quick fact: "Panama is home to over 10,000 different plants species, including *1,200 varieties of orchids*, 678 ferns and more than 1,500 varieties of trees"
SO NO EXCUSES HARRY! 


First Ixora, which i guess is an asian native but is growing in panama also (since i found it in photo album of panamanian pics)










This lily was also in the album, but no species name









Then Lajamina Flower


















Sobralia callosa purchased from Woodstream Orchids









Good luck, cant wait to see it finished!


Dave


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## NathanB

Hey harry, can we see some more up close photos?


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## harrywitmore

Thanks for the links. I have a great site for checking plants for Panama. The Smithsonian has a site where they are indexing all plants from Panama. I use it constantly.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute-STRI Herbarium

But, the problem is finding something that is always in color. This normally means the foliage has to be colorful, not too big and I can find it. I just haven't happened upon the best choice yet.

It has allot of growing in to do. I'm waiting on my fogger but it should be here soon. That will help keep the humidity up. I also need to add a small fan for circulation. I'm a bit concerned about temperature. It's not exceeding 81F yet but it's not summer yet either.

I will get more closeup pictures today and post them later on.


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## sports_doc

is the OrchidMall still online?
The Orchid Mall - Everything in Orchids

Would that resource help? I used it many times 10 years ago....

What about CF 'flood' lamps on top, instead of the horiz tube bulbs. Or halogens, MH lamps for deeper light penetration?

S








harrywitmore said:


> Josh, I'm working on compiling a list of species that are native to Panama, once I have done that I will sift through my collection to see what I have that fits the bill. I know that Gesneriads will be the focus but I would like to place a few small Orchids, Peperomias and other genera in there to fill it in. I may have a brome or 2 also but not many. Once I compile the list I will post it here. I already have a few pictures I will post soon.
> 
> Mike, thanks for those links and tips, I will be going through those today.


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## harrywitmore

Thanks for the link Shawn. Orchids are not a big problem to find actually, I had a bunch already. It's not hard to find Gesneriads or Ferns either. The problem is just finding the right thing for an accent.

I will be tinkering with the light levels also. I don't think I have room for the floods. I may add another 2 t8's on the side to get more light down low. Since it looks like I may not be putting much in the way of bromes in here, I think my levels are OK. I need to test it again to be sure.

It would be interesting to know what levels some of you have in you terrariums. I'll take some readings and post them later.


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## candm519

I love it, Harry!
That tank is so big though it just ate up your whole list of plants -- You have room for many many more.


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## harrywitmore

As most all of there are just cuttings there is lots of room to grow in. I add something every day or so as I do more research and find something else I already have that will work. I need to get a nice piece of your Pilea involucrata sometime.


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## Dendro Dave

An extra piece of glass on the top with some spacers to lift it a few millimeters above the actual glass top creating an air gap should allow you to pile more wattage on the top without to much of a heat increase, especially if you added a fan blowing across the glass top surfaces.

I was thinking vertical mounted slimline t-5 fixtures in the corners similar to Andy's setup, but it looks like that would be problematic with yours. Setting it in a room that gets good daylight(not direct beams of sunlight hitting the tank) would be helpful. Or if you got some other tanks or a rack to sit it next to assuming that right side glass isnt coverd (cant see it in pics) would get some extra light spilling from the nearby tanks into it.

Guess you could mount an LED flood on the floor pointing up the tree and kinda camo it up. Or maybe something hotter if you arent going with any animals.


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## harrywitmore

The entire right side has a lighting unit in it now. It's got 2 t-8's in it now but I want to add another. I need to get a fan on this unit to help with cooling. The top has 8 CF bulbs in it. It's currently a mixture of wattage and color but I plan to add more wattage to get more light. A fan is currently pulling air across this lighting unit but I need to work some more to get temperatures a bit cooler. I would like for this tank not to exceed 80F and drop about 10F at night. That may be a stretch in the summer. Cooler temperatures in winter will be OK.

I currently have these readings in the tank. About 12 inches from the top the light levels are 400 foot candles. I need to boost this more. As you can imagine it drops to about 200 foot candles at the bottom. These readings are too low so I will be adding the additional t-8's next week. This unit also gets a bit of bright light from the windows in the evenings since they are facing west. I may turn the tank 90 degrees to allow more light from the windows to hit it.I think adding a piece of glass is a great idea for rhe top so I may well do that too.

Thanks for the suggestions.


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## M_Rybecky

How did you get the silicone and coir to stick the the background so perfectly like that?!
And exactly what is coir and where do i get it?
It looks soooo nice!


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## harrywitmore

Basically the standard technique everyone uses. I go it foamed and then working in small patches would add black silicone and then add the DRY (I mean bone dry) coir (a by product from the coconut industry, normally short fibers from the husk of coconuts.)

Coir comes in blocks sold at places like PetCo, Pet Smart and other pet chains and stores. It called something like reptile bedding. It has to be expanded in water and then dried again. I used one block for this enclosure. The key to success is DRY coir.

I tried taking closer pictures but they all look like crap so I will work on getting some tighter shots. Any requests?


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## M_Rybecky

Thanks! I've used it before I just didnt know what it was everyone was talking about, lol.

Your terrarium is awesome! i cant wait till you finish it and all the plants grow in, it will be beautiful!


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## harrywitmore

Well, I have discovered a problem with my terrarium. I purchased a mist system to install since I have been hand misting. So, I was doing some planning and noticed a bit of water around the base. Upon some more research I found that the bottom which used to be the aquarium side had cracked. So water was leaking and was being soaked up by the board under the bottom. 

Well, after some hard work I actually got the terrarium raised up and the base material removed. It was completely soaked. Raising a 300 lb terrarium alone was a chore.

So now I have to figure how to seal the bottom and not completely destroy the terrarium. I was thinking of siliconing a sheet of Lexan to the bottom but I haven't figured out how to do it. Any ideas would be helpful. I have it up on blocks at the moment but there is no way to lift this thing up and stick a full sheet under it that I can think of.


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## NathanB

Lexan Wont hold very well, you'd want to get glass. Its hard to offer much help without seeing it.


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## JoshH

Yep Harry, see if you can get a pic so we can assess the situation. Without seeing it, maybe you could get a piece of 1/2" glass and glue it to the inside of the bottom? Have it cut to the dimensions as the inside of the side panel. And silicone the heck out of it.....


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## harrywitmore

JoshH said:


> Yep Harry, see if you can get a pic so we can assess the situation. Without seeing it, maybe you could get a piece of 1/2" glass and glue it to the inside of the bottom? Have it cut to the dimensions as the inside of the side panel. And silicone the heck out of it.....


There will be 300 lbs of pressure sitting on top of whatever I choose. The concern is that it's not like I can just turn this thing on it's side and paste something to the bottom. That would totally destroy everything inside. I thought of Lexan since it does not splinter and shatter and is somewhat flexible. I'll get some pictures and post them later today. 

Thanks for the help.


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## NathanB

The only problem with the Lexan is the silicon wont bond well to it. you could silcon over the crack and glue the lexan with something else. Gorilla glue might work but i've never tried it. I dont know if your going to get a good strong seal without tearing the tank apart.


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## roxrgneiss

I wonder if you could have some glass pieces cut that would allow you to fashion a 'lid' for the bottom. The pieces would be 1/2" thick (or perhaps more thick?) and something like:

1. - A piece as large as the area of the bottom you need to cover plus ~1" longer on all sides (the tank could be lowered onto this pieces to begin with); 
2. - Four 1/2" pieces cut about as long as each side and ~3" tall, two would need to be about 1.5" longer than the other two.
These measurements are pretty rough though.

After the tank is sitting on the larger over-sized piece and siliconed in place, you could then heavily silicone each of the four pieces to their respective sides of the outer rim of the tank, and to the larger base piece. Then the inside could also be siliconed to the base. 

This would hopefully give the area some support and hold water. It could be worth having pieces cut to silicone to the inside rim for added support also, but their measurements would need to be more exact.

Edit: for added support under the weight, maybe you could silicone two base pieces together with no air between, just lots of silicone?

Best of luck, however you do it!

Mike


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## JoshH

This might be a dumb question, but why can't you flip the tank down on its back (the original bottom)? I realize that you would probably need to take out the soil in the very bottom of the tank and that a few plants might get moved; but with a few people it could work. Then you could at least get to the broken area better to work on it. 

I carry my completely full 75g around all the time with two more guys. THe glass should be thick enough to handle being laid down.


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## harrywitmore

It would take 4 people to pick this up but it could be that I could lay it down. The problem is I have about $1000 of plants in there and they are most all growing well. One thing I am thinking of is a containment bladder and not a seal. I think I could wrap the bottom in pond liner and provide a drain. This way I could remove any water that leaked out.


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## harrywitmore

Well I at least have the bottum up off the floor with a bladder under it to catch the water. It's supported but 4" diameter PVC rounds which hold it of the floor 2". I have to rig a method for removing the water but I think that will be easy. 

Some up to date pictures.


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## Julio

Sweet!! love your plant selection, you sure know how to pick them


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## harrywitmore

Actually, Panama picked them. I just selected a few.


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## NathanB

That looks great. Whats the fern on the top?


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## harrywitmore

Polypodium bombycinum. I may be able to get you a cut as you roll through. It's growing well although it's hard to keep it hydrated. It likes to curl up like Polypodium polypodioides.


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## JoshH

Looks great Harry! Superb selection of plants, love the pleurothallids.

Whats your mist cycle? It kinda looks like it could be a tad wetter near the top.


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## harrywitmore

Well, the problem has been that my timer resets itself about every 3-4 days and I forget to check it. I'm testing it now and if it does it again I will get another. I may also need to put a double head at the top. It's pretty hot up there during the day.


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## hpglow

That enclosure is stunning. I had a new viv all planned out and after looking at this I may have to reconsider.


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## Dartkart21

It's a shame these walls weren't covered in GS or panels for moss


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