My dream viv; feedback & opinions wanted!

[daemondamian]

Title pretty much says it all

[Dorothy]

All it needs is a poison dart frog or 2
I love it .. let me know how you will create it

[shakkai]

Very nice! It looks BIG!! Plenty of space for those frogs - and lots of orchids.

[gmdiaz]

VERY very nice!

I want a blue dart frog. LOL

[daemondamian]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!


I have a bookcase [sans interior shelves] that has an interior space of approx. 5ft tall [152cm] by 3ft [82cm] long and 1.5ft [43.5cm] deep, as well as a whole bunch of orchids [bulbophyllums, pleurothallis, aerangis and many others] and have been wanting to create a vivarium for a long time.

There are so many trully amazing Vivariums, terrariums, paludariums, orchidariums and wardian cases on the internet, here on Orchidboard and other places like the Dendroboard and Gardenweb.

There are features and aspects of each that I like and all the fundamental designs aspects [eg from if and where you would have a waterfall] would influence how the vivarium would turn out and how it would function.

So I ended up creating the image I posted by using Photoimpact 6, the cloning tool, cutting and pasting shading etc and merged the aspects and elements from many vivs into my dream viv. If you are a viv addict and/or owner you may see part of a viv - possibly yours - within the composite image!

For example the mossy rocks by the waterfall/stream are from photos from Vivaria Projects - intro movie

I am going to follow the method of expoying the inside, then using a pond liner, siliconing background objects such as treefern, branches, corkbark, filling in the background with foam, covered by silicone and moss,
combining the design and construction elements from the methods used here:
Construction of a large vivariumat www.poison-frogs.com
and here:
Page 1

I have many decisions to make- wet drip wall?, rain bar?, mist system?, filtration, substrate, plant choice & placement, lighting evaporative cooling/fogger?, sliding doors?, fans air circulation, heating cooling etc!

Initially this was going to be used for many orchids I have in my small GH which currently has a 500W heater [and a 3ft tank with a heater at 32c in it] in it but due to cost will not next winter.

But also I would like to grow Masdevallias, Draculas, pleurothallis - low light plants etc down low,
intermediate orchids [miltonias etc] in the middle and then the hotties right up the top and thought this
might be possible because of temperature differential- the lights at the top making it hotter there [I have a 150 metal halide light and was going to supplement it with CFS]. Also I thought things that like it drier or to dry out totally could be right up the top and things that like it moist right down the bottom. Ideally I want a temperature range of 26c maximum for the draculas and masdevallia.

Whether this is feasible or not I don't know?

I haven't kept frogs before [only fish in aquariums] but they could make a nice and beneficial addition to my viv [eat insects and give free organic fertiliser ]

Dart frogs are unavailable in Australia

We can only keep with a license:

1. Blue Mountains Tree Frog Litoria citropa
2. Brown Striped Frog Limnodynastes peronii
3. Common Spadefoot Toad Neobatrachus sudelli
4. Dainty Green Tree Frog Litoria gracilenta
5. Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog Litoria fallax
6. Giant Barred Frog Mixophyes iteratus
7. Giant Tree Frog Litoria infrafrenata
8. Great Barred Frog Mixophyes fasciolatus
9. Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea
10. Haswell’s Frog Paracrinia haswelli
11. Leaf Green Tree Frog Litoria phyllochroa
12. Leseur’s Frog Litoria lesueuri
13. Peron's Tree Frog Litoria peronii
14. Southern Smooth Froglet Geocrinia laevis
15. Water-holding Frog Cyclorana platycephala
16. Whistling Tree Frog Litoria verreauxii

So I ordered two books on the Green Tree Frogs and keeping frogs as pets for some good background reading to help me decide whether or not and which frog/s I might get. I would probably run the viv a few months to let things grow in before introducing the frogs.

Anyway I plan to document each step I take so at some point I will add an update to this thread on my progress.

[Dorothy]

Excellent .. looks like you have a plan!!

[korxi]

It looks really nice! I just made a post with my terrarium in it, it was made completely according to the black-jungle guide.. It's not hard in any way, it just takes a lot of time applying silicone and getting what ever background material you want to stick!

I to wanted one of the lush green moss covered terrariums and because of that i kept it really moist and the background pretty wet at first.. Unfortunately it resultet in the death of all roots on the orchids I put in there I pretty much had to drop the moss covered idea, since my tank is really tall and you'll need running water to keep it moist enough.. My plan now is to cover the entire background with orchids in time when they grow bigger

From the size you describe I would go for the minis if I we're you since the normal sized chids' look GIGANTIC if the tank is not really really big - but you can only judge that by trying when it's finished

I have two computer fans in mine, they are camuflaged in the background in "caves" you can see them both in the first picture IN THIS THREAD as rather large black holes.
I think was a good way to hide the fans since they are pretty ugly! If you choose to hide the fans make sure you can get them out again should they break down and need a replacement.
I'll gladly help with any problems or questions you might have, just write them in this thread, I'll subscribe to it..
And finally: Go for it! It's really a great experience to build the thing yourself!

Christian

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by korxi

It looks really nice! I just made a post with my terrarium in it, it was made completely according to the black-jungle guide.. It's not hard in any way, it just takes a lot of time applying silicone and getting what ever background material you want to stick!

Yep it's something I'm going to try doing as slowly and carefully as I can, I don't want to rush and regret it later on.

Originally Posted by korxi

I to wanted one of the lush green moss covered terrariums and because of that i kept it really moist and the background pretty wet at first..

I don't want the entire background covered in moss just down the bottom, on the 'ground' and right beside along next to the waterfall and pool at the bottom.

Originally Posted by korxi

Unfortunately it resultet in the death of all roots on the orchids I put in there I pretty much had to drop the moss covered idea, since my tank is really tall and you'll need running water to keep it moist enough..

I said moss covered rocks but I think they're actually moss covered wood. The rest of the background would all be dry unless I watered it- though I'd have to find a way to isolate the waterfall from seeping soaking into the rest of the background. And the moss rocks/wood might need constant wetnes? I have kept some mosses alive without being constantly wet- maybe different mosses tolerate different watering moisture conditions.. Wet wall permanant dripping on the background is out! It would be better to have a system that allows me to water the background/wall and then allow it to dry out.

I was thinking about a rain bar on a timer and have it rain once in the morning, then there's misters, or foggers/humidifiers or by hand..

Originally Posted by korxi

My plan now is to cover the entire background with orchids in time when they grow bigger

From the size you describe I would go for the minis if I we're you since the normal sized chids' look GIGANTIC if the tank is not really really big - but you can only judge that by trying when it's finished

Yeah I am going to try to go for smaller plants and not take up too much room with the background. Some orchids if they grow too well or their adult size is too big
I will have to remove - for example I already have a corkbark mounted Paph. lowii seedling. I thought too I could create shade for the low light orchids by having bigger ones above it.. depends on how much light there is- I don't want it dark at the bottom.

I was thinking once I reach the basic background stage to put in orchids and test run the system and look before final placement attachment... but some of the orchids I have are already mounted..

Originally Posted by korxi

I have two computer fans in mine, they are camuflaged in the background in "caves" you can see them both in the first picture IN THIS THREAD as rather large black holes.

Awesome viv! Excellent way to disguise the fans; I was thinking maybe I needed fans lower but where to put them and how to protect them from when getting wet- you may have solved that problem for me!

Originally Posted by korxi

I think was a good way to hide the fans since they are pretty ugly! If you choose to hide the fans make sure you can get them out again should they break down and need a replacement.
I'll gladly help with any problems or questions you might have, just write them in this thread, I'll subscribe to it..
And finally: Go for it! It's really a great experience to build the thing yourself!


Christian

Ok. thanks! I'm thinking of possibly keeping some frogs in there and I hardly know anything about keeping reptiles [hence the books I ordered] but a particular problem I've considered is the need for UV lighting as frogs and reptiles need it? But I read you can't have glass between the light and viv because it blocks out the UV and the UV only reaches 40cm? So with a height of around 1 metre the UV won't reach the bottom from the UV light at the top?

Also I've read you can get UV Metal Halide lamps? Which would be good as I already have a 150W fixture.

[korxi]

It sounds like you have given it a lot of thought, which is really important since there's no going back once you're finished and have plants and animals in the viv! I have a couple of points I would like to have made different (especially regarding lighting!) but I've learned from my mistakes now in case I'm building another one at a later time

As you've seen from the other thread I've got a small snake in mine LIKE THESE, I asked the guy in the shop where I bought it whether it would need UV lighting, and explained my setup to him.. He said that there wouldn't be any problems, and I to have glass between the lights and the inside of the viv. He just finished his education as a zoo keeper with specialization in reptiles, so I guess he knows what he's talking about.. Anyway Tarzan (the snake) has been living in there since the start of April and he's doing really great, eating and drinking like he should so I guess at least he can handle the low UV environment..

Christian