Not exactly the Exo-Terra plunge - but a plunge none the less :)

[korxi]

This April I decided that it would be fun to try and build a terrarium/vivarium from scratch..
So I did I bought the glass, cut it and glued it together and build the background using a guide on black jungle using foam, tree roots, bark, silicone and coconut stuff
I'm really pleased with the result, it took a while to figure out watering though, and I'm still working on getting even more light in there, since it's 1,75 meters high light is not that strong from a bit above the middle and down
I've just bought three highpower LED's to put in the middle of the thing to get more light in the bottom, now I just need an LED driver since my attempt of making one my self failed misserably

Oh btw. the green guy in the middle is Tarzan our green vine snake - my girlfriend commanded me to put something else than just orchids in there I think my friends appreciate it more with the snake aswell!

Christian

[Dorothy]

WOW Beautiful job!
You took the plunge alright!
I love the enlongated shape
How tall is it? What do you have it sitting on? It looks like it's suspended in air.
What kind of watering system do you have?

Very cool!

[cb977]

I'd give up my Exo-Terra for one of those!!!
Fantastic job!!!

[shakkai]

Wow!

That's wonder-ful!!! A lot more talent went into creating that than my exo-terra. Great job, that would do any orchid grower proud!!

[korxi]

Thank you guys for the flattering remarks! I'm glad you like it to I sure do, catch my self standing in front of it several times a day just to have a look at what's going on

The entire thing is standing on a shelf thing I made for it (pic 1), and I water using a misting system (pic 2) powered by a diaphragm pump i took out of an espresso mashine i bought at a garage sale for 50 DKR (aprox. 9$) (pic 3).
This misting system I mostly use to get humidity up a couple of times a week, since it doesn't really drench the roots that good - I use a hand operated mister for that. When I go on vacation it can be set on a weekly timer to support the chids' in there, which is really liberating!

Christian

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[smweaver]

Amazing--and very impressive. Is the light producing enough heat for the plants and the snake (I see in one of your pictures that the snake seems to be "sunbathing.")? What kinds of orchids are you growing? I believe I was able to make out a bulbophylum near the top. Other than that, I couldn't identify anything. You should post a detailed report on the steps you took to create this tiny slice of Costa Rica in your home. Congratulations!

[korxi]

I have around 30 degress celcius at the top which is what's required for the snake, but maybe a bit to hot for some of the chids'..
In regards of light, I'm not sure if I've got enough to grow and bloom the plants not situated at the top quarter of the tank.. I'm currently looking at some LED reflector bulbs that should generate pretty high light levels 2500 lux at 50cm CAN BE SEEN HERE. I can't use regular bulbs since they generate to much heat and crack the glass (the top glass is actually cracked at the moment - yes I found out the hard way )

I used: "This guide" to build the thing!

Currently in I've got the following mounted:
Aerangis citrata
Aerangis biloba
Aerangis punctata
Aerangis fastuosa
Bulbophyllum fascinator
Bulbophyllum lasiochilum
Bulbophyllum carunculatum
Cirrhopetalum lepidum
Cirrhopetalum umbellatum
Cischweinfia dasyandra
Dendrobium abberans
Dendrobium jonesii
Dendrobium moniliforme
Dinema polybulbon
Harella odorata
Leptotes bicolor
Phalaenopsis Mini Mark
Phalaenopsis chibae
Phalaenopsis parishii
Promenaea Meadow Gold
Restrepia elegans
Sedirea japonica
But when i get the LED's in the middle I can start filling the bottom half of the tank - the only orchid I have growing below the middle at the moment is a "jewel orchid" can't remember the name right now

Christian

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by korxi

I have around 30 degress celcius at the top which is what's required for the snake, but maybe a bit to hot for some of the chids'..
In regards of light, I'm not sure if I've got enough to grow and bloom the plants not situated at the top quarter of the tank.. I'm currently looking at some LED reflector bulbs that should generate pretty high light levels 2500 lux at 50cm CAN BE SEEN HERE. I can't use regular bulbs since they generate to much heat and crack the glass (the top glass is actually cracked at the moment - yes I found out the hard way )

I used: "This guide" to build the thing!

Currently in I've got the following mounted:
Aerangis citrata
Aerangis biloba
Aerangis punctata
Aerangis fastuosa
Bulbophyllum fascinator
Bulbophyllum lasiochilum
Bulbophyllum carunculatum
Cirrhopetalum lepidum
Cirrhopetalum umbellatum
Cischweinfia dasyandra
Dendrobium abberans
Dendrobium jonesii
Dendrobium moniliforme
Dinema polybulbon
Harella odorata
Leptotes bicolor
Phalaenopsis Mini Mark
Phalaenopsis chibae
Phalaenopsis parishii
Promenaea Meadow Gold
Restrepia elegans
Sedirea japonica
But when i get the LED's in the middle I can start filling the bottom half of the tank - the only orchid I have growing below the middle at the moment is a "jewel orchid" can't remember the name right now

Christian

Awesome diy viv Christian!

You say it's 30 at the top, do you know what it is at the bottom? When you say regular do you mean incandescent light bulbs- the clear ones with the filament in the middle?

My 150 Metal Halide produces alot of heat so I'm going to look up hoods on fishtanks- I think the light needs suspending above the glass not resting on it and possibly fans circulating the air through or out of the hot to prevent heat buildup.

Does the snake eat mice? I did consider a snake but I dont want to feed it yucky stuff and most are quite big that I can get here in Australia so I thought 3-4 frogs could be better.

[korxi]

I don't exactly know what it is at the bottom - but imy best guess would be room temperature! I can't feel the difference And yes i mean incandescent bulbs, you should remember that the glass will "kill" some of the light, and raising the bulb above the glass will have a negative effect to! Especially for the plants that are going to be on the lower part of the terrarium, I think this why many people use flourescent bulbs.. I have two 15W flourecent tubes and three energy saving reflector bulbs of 11W each, and that's not really enough

The snake eats small geckos in nature, but will also take live fish - they should just be small and served on a platter with a bit of water I buy house geckos at a local reptile shop often though!

Christian

[Lagoon]

WOW!!! that looks fabulous -- wonderful job