I am working on a new riparium setup in a 56-gallon tank. I picked it up on sale just the other night.
My general plan for substrate is to use a light-colored coarse sand with larger stones and manzanita branches that will stand up erect out of the water. My 65-gallon has the general layout for manzanita that I have in mind.
That tank also has a similar shape, but it is 6" wider. The new one is 30" wide X 18" deep (front-to-back) X 24" tall.
I am selecting plants with the idea of maintaining low to moderate light and moderate humidity. This tank has quite a bit of room, so I can include some larger specimens. I don't have any orchids in mind yet--and the lighting that I'm planning might be too dim--but I have several other intriguing tropicals that shoul work well in the tank.