# Orchid Paludarium for Vampire Crabs (99% DIY)



## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Hello!

This is my first post here and I want to share my project with everyone! I am currently in Manhattan trying to get through dental school and wanted something to keep me sane throughout my time here, as well as add some light and life in my apartment (I promise it's not an excuse ). I have been doing planted aquariums for a very long time (used to be a very active ThePlantedTank member), but since it is so high maintenance and requires at least weekly attention which college breaks do not afford, I stopped after high school and began slowly collecting orchids. 2 years prior to this project, I made a mini terrarium out of a 10-gallon aquarium (pics here) for fun, but also as a prototype. Many things I will show here, especially regarding automation and the circuitry/coding involved, I learned from that little project.

Anyone is more than welcome to ask me about anything I did or my thought processes for this build! Internal dimensions are about 40" wide, 20" deep, and 36" tall. Without further ado, here are the pics for the construction phase:


Mock-up with TinkerCAD (first time using CAD software so wanted something easy to learn/use). Everything is to scale

















108W COB LED light I bought the parts for and assembled
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Constructing the stand out of mainly 2x3's. It is only going to have a little bit of water, so does not need to be ridiculously strong
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Constructed the frame out of 3/4" plywood that I pre-cut back at home in FL before driving up to NY. Also got some nice metal shelf brackets for supporting the canopy
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Sanding and staining the wood by hand took a whole month by itself  but was well worth it. I sealed the wood with Pond Armor and ordered glass online. Used curtain tension rods, some tape, and the weight of the glass itself to hold everything together while I siliconed it all










More pics coming later!


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## solidsnake (Jun 3, 2014)

I love DIY viv build logs! I just wish I could actually DIY. 😂


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Water test and some plants in for scale. You can also see in the pic that I put a piece of thick cardboard underneath to even out the weight distribution. The tank holds about 25-30 gallons, and the glass is regular 1/4" thick.

















Installed an AC relay system on the canopy to control lights, misting, etc. Also built my own little DC relay circuit for kicks for controlling fans, screens, sensors, etc. Don't worry I properly soldered everything eventually .


















And this is where the 1% not DIY part comes from, as I do not consider buying a MistKing kit DIY . Researched extensively about finding my own parts and stuff, but it turns out it's still better, more reliable, and may even be cheaper to go with MistKing. I also had enough things to worry about so did not want to bother with assembling my own. Reservoir is a new 20 gallon Rubbermaid trashcan (food safe) filled with RO water that I also got for myself, as I got sick of drinking NYC tap water.

Link here for video.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

solidsnake said:


> I love DIY viv build logs! I just wish I could actually DIY. 😂


It is so much time and work, but the process makes it worth every bit of sweat and splinter . Doing a DIY viv is so fun because it forces you to integrate so many different fields, from woodworking to coding, plumbing to wiring. Did many things for the first time and as long as you have a knack for getting around mistakes and damage mitigation, it is very possible and rewarding!


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## Eurydactylodes (Sep 7, 2021)

Fun! I used to work with Geosesarma spp. Keep in mind that they are often imported unsustainably from their fragile insular populations, and therefore should be purchased with caution. 
I wish you luck on this project


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## IShouldGetSomeSleep (Sep 23, 2021)

Eurydactylodes said:


> Fun! I used to work with Geosesarma spp. Keep in mind that they are often imported unsustainably from their fragile insular populations, and therefore should be purchased with caution.
> I wish you luck on this project


Just wondering have you heard of anyone breeding them in captivity? The only report I know of is an article in Elytra and Antenna, just wondering if anyone else has had success. I got a spare 20 gallon... maybe...


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

IShouldGetSomeSleep said:


> Just wondering have you heard of anyone breeding them in captivity? The only report I know of is an article in Elytra and Antenna, just wondering if anyone else has had success. I got a spare 20 gallon... maybe...


I've been keeping a group of _G. dennerle _for 7-8 years, they are not especially difficult to breed, and require very little keeper involvement beyond maintaining water levels, and providing a quality diet including supplementation.
This build should be more than adequate to keep a group of crabs very happy.


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## Eurydactylodes (Sep 7, 2021)

IShouldGetSomeSleep said:


> Just wondering have you heard of anyone breeding them in captivity? The only report I know of is an article in Elytra and Antenna, just wondering if anyone else has had success. I got a spare 20 gallon... maybe...


 I sold my groups a few years ago; They should probably still be around. Search the web!


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Eurydactylodes said:


> Fun! I used to work with Geosesarma spp. Keep in mind that they are often imported unsustainably from their fragile insular populations, and therefore should be purchased with caution.
> I wish you luck on this project


Thank you and I'll definitely try my best to find captive-bred ones!



Dane said:


> I've been keeping a group of _G. dennerle _for 7-8 years, they are not especially difficult to breed, and require very little keeper involvement beyond maintaining water levels, and providing a quality diet including supplementation.
> This build should be more than adequate to keep a group of crabs very happy.


What kind of diet did you feed yours?


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

The doors of the enclosure are 1/8" thick acrylic sheets, as that's lighter and less prone to breakage than glass. The protective film has not been removed yet in this picture, as it arrived the day before I had to leave for Christmas. You can also see my first little terrarium I mentioned in my first post chilling on the side .









Some blooms I got over the holidays when I got back. Second pic is Masdevallia 'Red Panda' (triangularis x princeps). And yes that is a random rose plant I just have.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

kcpi3141 said:


> What kind of diet did you feed yours?


I would typically make a mixture (by volume) of Omega flakes/pellets, Repashy Soilent Green, some live/dead hydei, and Calcium plus. I have also read suggestions that they require supplemental iodine in their water, but I did not find this to be essential, or even beneficial.



kcpi3141 said:


> The doors of the enclosure are 1/8" thick acrylic sheets, as that's lighter and less prone to breakage than glass. The protective film has not been removed yet in this picture, as it arrived the day before I had to leave for Christmas.


Hate to burst your bubble, and this is my only critique on your construction to this point, but I think you will be very disappointed in those acrylic doors in the long run. Temperature and humidity variables always result in unsecured acrylic becoming bowed/warped, and regular cleaning will most likely result in scratches. The earlier pictures of your build had me thinking that you were planning an open-front display, which could work well with Geosesarma, as they aren't likely to leave the vicinity of the waterline, and they can't climb glass.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

I'll keep those foods in mind!

As for the acrylic, I have already noticed the bowing unfortunately . I think it will be fine temporarily, but I will definitely find another method to find close the front of the enclosure in the long run. I actually did initially plan for an open-front, but the evaporation rate is really high and my orchids would like more humidity.


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## IShouldGetSomeSleep (Sep 23, 2021)

Id be more worried about the crabs chewing on expensive plants. Which if they are anything like other land crabs they will.


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## Andrew Sullivan (Aug 5, 2017)

This might be a big ask, but is there anyway or specific link etc. you could share here or in a PM for the Arduino code you compiled to create that automation? I think I saw in that other link you shared that you used the Arduino boards. Id love to be able to do the level of DIY automation you have the ability to do. Its awesome.


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

IShouldGetSomeSleep said:


> Id be more worried about the crabs chewing on expensive plants. Which if they are anything like other land crabs they will.


I've never seen Geosesarma chew on live plants, but I have seen them nibbling on dead foliage. If they've ever chewed live foliage, it's been at a level so minimal that I did not notice.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Andrew Sullivan said:


> This might be a big ask, but is there anyway or specific link etc. you could share here or in a PM for the Arduino code you compiled to create that automation? I think I saw in that other link you shared that you used the Arduino boards. Id love to be able to do the level of DIY automation you have the ability to do. Its awesome.


For sure!...once I actually finish it lol. I made a little menu system too that you can see a prototype of it here. It will eventually be able to adjust environmental parameters, light periods, turning things on/off temporarily, etc. If I ever get to it, I will also install a WiFi module so I can monitor it from my phone. Just FYI the extent of my coding ability is all that I learned in my college intro level course so be prepared to be shocked at how inefficient it is haha.



Woodswalker said:


> I've never seen Geosesarma chew on live plants, but I have seen them nibbling on dead foliage. If they've ever chewed live foliage, it's been at a level so minimal that I did not notice.


Yes that is the hope, and orchids in general are pretty robust so it should be fine. The only thing I could see them potentially damage are the delicate flower spikes but hey this is all one big experiment anyways! We'll find out sooner or later.


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## Andrew Sullivan (Aug 5, 2017)

kcpi3141 said:


> For sure!...once I actually finish it lol. I made a little menu system too that you can see a prototype of it here. It will eventually be able to adjust environmental parameters, light periods, turning things on/off temporarily, etc. If I ever get to it, I will also install a WiFi module so I can monitor it from my phone. Just FYI the extent of my coding ability is all that I learned in my college intro level course so be prepared to be shocked at how inefficient it is haha.
> 
> No worries, im sure its better than anything i could do im sure! I appreciate it and look forward to the updates from this bad boy.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

I used plastic egg crate and 3/4" PVC pipes to make a raised bed which will be most of the land portion. The random objects in the pic are for me to get a better idea of what the borders will be like.









The border separating the land from the water portion will be made out of black corrugated plastic sheets siliconed on to another layer of white corrugated plastic sheet that will lie flat on the ground. The white sheet will also help distribute the weight of rocks and other decor to prevent damage to the wooden Pond Armor floor. As I do not want to directly glue the background to the tank to aid in teardown in case anything happens (as I am in school), for the background I carefully cut out 1" thick insulation foam and stuffed them together. The friction is more than enough to secure them and more foam that is coming later will further stabilize them so they won't fall forward.









From here on out it will be slowly adding foam to fill up and scape the land portion while securing everything in place, including the PVC drip-wall system you can see a part of in the picture above. I also drilled an overflow to keep the water level steady at about 7" high and will have a bucket underneath to drain it. The bulkhead and spigot are just a 3/4" rainwater barrel faucet attachment I found on Amazon. I also have a sprinkler riser that screws into the bulkhead to adjust the height of the water. Since I plan to have the misting system add more water than what evaporation will remove, the aquatic portion will essentially have a constant tiny water change, although once in a while I will perform a bigger one.









Will put this on hold for a couple of weeks because I will need to recover from a wrist surgery. Once I get better I will send more updates!


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

It has been a little while since my last update because I was recovering from wrist surgery, but I managed to put in my hours and finish prototyping the control system for the enclosure. Here is a video of it here:






I included a link to the code itself in the description per Andrew Sullivan's request. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to make it user-friendly and include a README file, but I will probably make one once this project is over.


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## Andrew Sullivan (Aug 5, 2017)

Thats awesome! Nice job putting in the time to get it going like that.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Alright time for an update:

So I mainly spent the past month and a half playing around with materials and setting up a scape. My materials are somewhat limited for the amount of space I have in the enclosure, so it took a lot of thinking and headaches to figure out how to make the most of it while making it practical for orchid growing. The first couple pics below show the progression of how I developed my scape. I made the background removable in case something happens and I need access to the back without doing too much damage. There is also a channel made out of corrugated plastic that will be a conduit for cords, etc. Everything will eventually be sealed with Drylok Original. Some pieces of foam and the cork bark will be stabilized by 2" stainless steel nails.

Fortunately for me, I was able to collect some rocks and driftwood by the Hudson river to add to both the aquatic portion and the rest of the enclosure. This will certainly help in creating more detail and a sense of scale (and be a great place to mount twig epiphytes). It also saves the park rangers some work cleaning up dead wood, although I probably looked ridiculous walking back through the city to my apartment with sticks jutting out of my bag.

Another thing to note is that I will be using large chunks of charcoal to substitute for rocks that will be on the land portion and the walls. I wanted a material that was lightweight enough to glue easily to vertical walls that also had a rocky texture. While pumice and maybe smaller lava rock would have fit those criteria, these were simply not easily available in NYC and extremely costly to ship because of their weight. I finally settled on charcoal that I made sure had no additives (Jealous Devil Lump Charcoal), and was able to purchase a decently sized bag for $30, which would be more than enough to cover my walls. The matte black color of the charcoal would not matter in the long run for me because everything will eventually be covered in moss and plants. I have yet to see anyone using charcoal lumps in terrarium building, so this will be a nice experiment. The original inspiration came from seeing some orchid growers using it in their potting mix, as it is mostly inert (yes there will be some random stuff that will leach out, but it will be a while till everything is crab-ready, so most of it will be washed away with water changes) and will not break down.


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## Rocktaki (Apr 4, 2018)

When you siliconed your tank, did you just put the initial bead and join the glass together then scrape off the rest?


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Rocktaki said:


> When you siliconed your tank, did you just put the initial bead and join the glass together then scrape off the rest?


Yeah and I put masking tape around the seams to prevent a mess too, although it didn't really do much as the glass actually didn't fit very well and there is some gap between the side of the glass and the wooden frame. While I could have added more silicone, the amount I added was enough to stabilize the glass so I didn't bother adding more. I also added a silicone seam where the bottom of the glass meets the floor for added sealing. The water level is going to be 7" at most so not really concerned about leaking due to pressure, but I just want to make sure the glass is secured properly when I need to move the whole enclosure (which I do need to do as I am moving to a new apartment...fun). If you want I can upload a pic of the seams.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Just slowly chuggin' along



















Quick video of the dripwall: LINK


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Some of my orchids are really to start coming out of dormancy so I needed to make this as functional as possible to allow for planting before the roots miss their chance of attaching to the background. I will plant some of the larger plants first and slowly play around with the charcoal and rocks. I'd say it turned out decently


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Initial planting completed and replaced the acrylic doors. The plants were secured with U-shaped metal pins I made with stainless steel wire. So many things still left to do such as installing the automation, fans, painting the PVC pipe black etc., but at least it is somewhat functional in keeping a humid growing environment.
















For those interested, the mounted plants from left and going clockwise:

Potinara Burana Beauty 'Burana' (the cattleya)
Broughtonia Jamaica Jester (negrilensis x ortgiesiana)
Tolumnia varietgata
Brassavola nodosa
Ascocentrum ampullaceum
Cattleya schilleriana
Neofinitia falcata
Tolumnia Kalapana Red










This area will not be watered with the dripwall system during 1 or 2 of the winter months, as these plants prefer a drier winter rest. As a result, this area will look more "scrubby" with less moss probably than the rest. Planning to eventually find some rupicolous laelias to put here as well, as it also has the highest light. The rest of the enclosure will be pretty consistent throughout the year though.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

90% to minimum functionality! The remaining 10% will be connecting the menu control system I mentioned before and attaching the humidity sensor. Ran out of wires and USPS lost the set I bought so gonna have to wait a little longer before that will get done.

However, general planting is complete and I will try to give a brief explanation of my reasoning for the plant placement. First, here is the full front view:









The goal of this project is to allow each plant to grow as naturally as possible. This means that many will be mounted and receive daily automated watering and relatively quick drying. Since this terrarium houses species from a wide range of environments, I split the orchidarium roughly into quarters with increasingly better drainage (and thus a drier area) as one goes from right to left and bottom to top.

In the top-left (dry, bright), we have orchids like Brassavola nodosa, a couple Tolumnias, and eventually some rupicolous laelias. There are also some cattleyas that appreciate the light too that I placed closer to the bottom of this quadrant to accommodate better their growth habit.

In the top-middle to top-right (wet, bright), we have Leptotes bicolor and eventually some Sophronitis that will appreciate the light and good drainage due to the vertical wall. The wetness will come from rockwool and moss attached to the wall. The Dendrobium Nano Chip also seems to enjoy brighter light, and being higher up allows better appreciation of its flowers since they tend to "nod". I reserved the area to the right of the Nano Chip to plants that tend to have more of a pendant growth habit, such as Aerangis modesta and Paphinia neudeckeri. It is a little bright for these plants which like shade more, but future plants that will be mounted on the cork bark above them will eventually provide some diffuse shading.









There is currently nothing in the bottom-right (in fact I haven't even finished the foam part for it...), but since it is the closest to the fogger I built into the wall, it will eventually house lower light plants that like higher humidity such as smaller Dracula species. Still deciding on what to eventually do though.

Towards the bottom half of the middle portion where the "leg" of the tree is (bright, wet), I reserved some deeper pockets for future phragmipediums. I also mounted the Dendrobium Hibiki onto the "leg" as the extra height will help appreciate the flowers that will grow on the canes. As for the rest of the bottom in the valley (shady, wet) I saved specifically for things like Masdevallias, D. cuthbersonii hybrids that better tolerate heat, and perhaps some jewels in the future. The dark "cave" will also provide a good hiding place for the vampire crabs.









Finally, I reserved the bottom-left (shady, dry-ish) for paphs. After seeing in situ photos of paphs on slippertalk, I really wanted to try to somewhat replicate their tendency to grow in the nooks of limestone cliffs. To that end, I used the larger charcoal chunks to create a similar terrain, lined the bottom with rockwool, and filled it with LECA to essentially create a shallow semi-hydro pot. So far I have Paphiopedilum delenatii and bellatulum, and planning to add barbigerum in the future. As mentioned previously, I will remove the dripwall on the left side of the enclosure for a month or two in the winter to replicate the drier winter many of these plants naturally go through. The bottom lined with rockwool will still provide a small reserve of moisture for the paphs as the watering decreases, as leaf litter and humus deep in those rock crevices will do in the wild. There will still be daily mistings to replicate morning/evening dew though, so it won't be completely dry. Trying to also grow some temperate moss here as well, as they won't mind the drying.









Also just a quick pic at the fans I installed on the ceiling. I programmed these to run more often with increasing humidity. Note - I HIGHLY recommend the bequiet! Pure Wings fans (the black one in the picture). They are indeed very quiet, don't drone, and fairly cheap (92mm for $10). The Noctua Redux I got is not bad either, but it does drone a bit and is a bit more expensive than the bequiet!. Will be adding a third to the right side. There are also enough holes in the canopy such that I will just use a tiny 40mm fan I have for the exhaust.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

After two weeks of code debugging, fine-tuning, and continued work on the background:






Everything is growing insanely fast (for orchids), such that even my cattleyas that just finished a new growth less than a month ago are already putting out new shoots and roots. The Neofinetia is already immovable from the cork, among other things. Finally, most of the mosses have finished adjusting to their new environment (it takes some time in my experience, especially with collected moss) and have begun proliferating as I hoped.

Some stats:

The minimum set humidity is currently at 70%, which seems to be a good balance between not always having everything wet while maintaining humidity. The sensor averages all humidity readings in a defined period of time (I set it for 30 min) and determines whether to turn on the mist or not for a set time (also able to adjust. I set it at 7 secs for now). When that happens, the fan is also programmed to run for a time to evaporate the mist and increase humidity.
Fans begin by running 40% of the time (usually an hour, but can be changed in the settings), increasing as it gets more humid.
The fogger in the video goes off about 15% of the time. Can be adjusted.
The photoperiod is set at 14 hours, but the brightness follows a sine curve to mimic the sun.
The dripwall turns on once a day at the start of the photoperiod for 2 minutes or so. Still have some adjustments but overall not too bad. Everything gets pretty wet (including the glass and acrylic door) and the reservoir loses a fair amount of water, so I also set the mist to go off for around 6 minutes to give everything a good flush and the refill the water, which also conveniently rinses the walls and reduces water staining.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

It has been a while, but much has happened. I am moving to campus housing this coming fall, so I had to move the whole thing across Washington Heights to my new apartment. I placed it on a little dolly and pushed for over an hour under 85 degree weather, which was NOT FUN, although it was interesting seeing the various reactions of people passing by. Thankfully nothing broke nor leaked after. I am now home in Florida, so I just pray that my automation can function properly for the month I am gone.

The moss is slowly filling in the background and many of the mounted orchids are also firmly attaching. The pink orchid is Dendrobium Hibiki (bracteosum x tanii). Once I get back, I will start working on the aquatic portion and begin thinking about the crabs.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Quick video showing the dripwall. Also, I will bringing a DSLR back to school so will have higher quality content to come.


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

So I finally came back from my month-long vacation! It has held up mostly wonderfully. Plants grew like mad and many flower buds appeared!

However, since I didn't have enough length of time to fine-tune the proper parameters for lighting, watering, etc., a lot of algae grew on literally everything. This included the moss, which forced me to rip out a decent amount. The aquatic portion was also horrendous and overran by diatom and cyanobacteria, so it took a while to properly clean, scrub, and water change. Regarding the lighting, I decreased it to 12hrs and reduced max intensity to 85%. Using a classic aquarium algae control method, I also turned off the lights for 3 days to kill off the algae and get a fresh start for my plants.

NYC also had ridiculous temps these past couple of weeks, and my cooler-intermediate growing plants such as the Masdevallia glomerosa were really struggling. I was already thinking of creating another smaller, low-temp terrarium using a Peltier cooler, but until that comes to fruition I placed the dying plants in a small container on top of my AC unit.

As I get settled in, I will start scaping the aquatic portion, buy some Anubias and Bucephalandra, and start preparing for crabs! If anyone knows any good, reputable sources for captive-bred Geosesarma, please DM me!

Also, as promised, I brought my DSLR from home.


*Dendrobium Hibiki *(it looks oversaturated but the color is truly this brilliant in person):

















*Dendrobium Nano Chip:*










*Unknown Nepenthes *(does a good job of keeping little insect populations down)*:*










*Paphinia neudeckeri *(VERY excited to see this bloom):










*Some Native Florida Tillandsias *(Some I've yet to take the time to ID, but the small spiky one is T. setacea)*:*


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

That's a slick setup. Good job! I couldn't imagine trying to haul a table with a dolly like that, is be too scared of it breaking! 😅


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

TeddytheFinger said:


> That's a slick setup. Good job! I couldn't imagine trying to haul a table with a dolly like that, is be too scared of it breaking! 😅


Thank you! Yes it was quite terrifying to move, but fortunately it was built sturdier than I thought and the wooden frame cushioned the glass quite well.

2 Month update:

Things in the terrarium portion are just continuing to grow in. I also got an intervalometer to do time lapses, so I will post a short clip of my Paphinia neudeckeri opening up once I process the images.

As for the aquatic portion, I got some bucephalandras, anubias, bolbitis, and a dwarf water lily to fill the area. Also got 6 pygmy corys and 8 red rili shrimp to give it some life! They do a great job cleaning the tank as well.

Now for some pics! I've been experimenting with shooting in raw and learning how to post-process lately, so here are the results of what I have managed to do so far: 

*Unknown Tillandsia and Lichen I picked up in FL*









*Lepanthopsis Astrophora









Bucephalandra sp.









Dendrobium Hibiki*


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

The promised timelapse:

Paphinia neudeckeri Timelapse

Enjoy! Working on another one right now with more frames and will try to put some music in next time.


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## Dr. Manhattan (Oct 28, 2016)

Awesome 👍


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## kcpi3141 (11 mo ago)

Quick update:

The aquatic portion is up and running and everything is starting to establish well. Why must orchids grow so slow...

I am also slowly sealing up holes and gaps, so should be ready for crabs by spring.


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