My new display - Orchid Board

StevenBonheim · #1 08-19-2005, 12:52 AM

It is freshly planted...so not in its prime yet. But you get the idea! Spent the summer building it from scratch... It's a mid-elevation tank with cool spots, warm spots, wet spots and dry spots.

Components
-3' high, 2' deep, 2'wide
-Double 55W CF, 6700K
-Drip system with 10 dripheads
-Sliding front doors
-Ventilation fans
Plant list
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
Few unidentified ferns
Selaginella plana
Selaginella kraussiana

enjoy!

Marty · #2 08-19-2005, 07:53 AM

You did a beautiful job! Effort not wasted for sure. Did you use poly urethane (great stuff) foam and then dirt mixed with weldbond glue to do the background? Good job with the vines? Are those real or did you make the vines also??? More details and maybe more pictures too

For your drip system, do you have a drip wall or is this drip for rain effect?

Great job !

TeresaE · #3 08-19-2005, 03:17 PM

WOW Steven!! That looks totally awesome!

I would love to hear more about it also! Do you have all those plants listed in the shelf??

StevenBonheim · #4 08-19-2005, 07:59 PM

Thanks for the compliments guys!
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 roots were made with silicone and peat on top of shaped plastic tubes… they don’t look very real in person... But the peat holds enough moisture for the moss to cover them, so it won’t be a problem. The thinner roots were clipped from a tree. The drip system is along the wall, four dripheads on the backwall, and three on each side-wall. I will be adding the misting system soon and then I will add java moss to fill in around the plants. The tank is staying a little warmer than I would like it to, so more vents will be added to the hood.

jbeetle · #5 08-19-2005, 11:24 PM

WOAH! I can see you have been very busy since the last time I talked to you Steven

. That is a very impressive tank, very nicely done and nicely planted as well. You need to get more pics for us, and I need to bug you about some of those plants

lol. Send me an email when you get the chance.

jbeetle · #6 09-05-2005, 06:50 PM

Do you have some more pics for us

?

StevenBonheim · #7 09-13-2005, 12:10 PM

I found another picture that I thought I already posted...
I havent been home for a while, so I dont know how the tank is doing, but the last time I was home, It had dried out a little and I lost a few plants and some of the Java moss that was added. This picture is old. But when Im home next, Ill take some updated pics.