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Lbacha's "Borneo Stream Biotope" terrarium (Lot of new pics 11/30)

108K views 402 replies 42 participants last post by  lbacha 
#1 · (Edited)


Well everyone, I have decided to take emersed setups to a different level, I want to display my emersed plants like we do our submersed plants so I have started looking into a terrarium. I wanted to throw my idea out there and see what you all thought first before I started buying equipment. I'm planning on using a exo terra terrarium (if anyone had a better suggestion please let me know) with a mistking watering system hooked up to a humidity controller. i will have to get a custom acrylic top for the tank as I want 85%+ humidity at all times. I'm planning no fauna for it just plants and everything will be something that is sold to be in an aquarium (crypts, anubias, bucephalandras, maybe some stems, java fern and aquatic mosses). I'm planning on a tiered pool approach with hydroton in the bottom so their is substantial water in it.

My concerns:
1. is the exo terra sealed enough to keep humidity as high as I want..
2. Will the split front glass doors be a distraction..
3. What is the best way to heat (I'm thinking heat the water)
4. How do I create circulation in the tank and is it needed with aquatic plants (I don't have any in my emersed set-ups now)
5. Will mosses be enough to keep mold and fungus down (I know moss is naturally resistant to them) if not how do I control that other than air circulation.
6. How do I keep the front glass clear enough to see into this when it is done It would defeat the purpose if I can't see in (will a fan blowing on it keep condensation off? or is this a lost cause)

If anyone has any suggestions on the above points or other things I should think of let me know.

Len
 
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#48 · (Edited)
Well here is where I'm at, I'm probably going to use a 40g breeder for the tank, while I liked the idea of the exo terra, I think the front opening and black vebt across the front will be a distraction from the display. I'm also going to use less foam, I'm going to make faux sandstone rocks for the bucephelandras to grow on but the bottom will just be a sloping transition of substrate from 4-5" thick to 2-3" thick so the crypts can grow along the transition. I think this will look the most natural especial with the fake rocks coming out of it. I'm considering a clay/peat background like they use in PDF tanks, they state it grows moss really well and its drawback is it needs really high humidity which won't be an issue for me (Oh yeah I just ordered a mistking watering system, I can't wait to mess around with it)

Here is my new idea


Now for the big questions:

1. What do I use for the substrate: I was considering AS malaya as it worked well for my aquarium and I like the natural color, I'm also considering sand because the natural habitat seems to be alot of sands as well as possibly AS malaya covered in sand. Or even possibly AS malaya powder mixed with sand to make a sandy mud.

2. How do I filter the water area, I'm considering drilling holes at 4" and 8" and using them as overflows into a sump so that it will actually have more water. The 8" hole will be used so I can simulate the rainy season and raise the water level. (this set-up will keep me from having to worry about evaporation). I'm thinking of hooking a pump up to the 4" hole that will come on with a timer every day or two that will raise the water to the 8" level, this will represent the stream rising and falling because of rainfall, the water can just run back out through the pump when it isn't on.

3. Will the 16" tall breeder be tall enough, while there won't be tall plants the water section will take a good 4-6" which only leaves 12" to the top, I may have to go with a 50g 18" or a 65g 24" (probably my best choice).

4. Will bucephelandras grow on a grout & acrylic polymer hardshell, or should I just use real sandstone, I can get it at my parents and the good think about sandstone is you can split it and make a flat background, while it will be alot heavier it will also be alot more realistic.

5. What lighting should I use (I'm thinking double T5's, or should I go with 4 or even high output) If I go with 4 I can have the extra two just go on for an hour or two a day to represent midday.

6. How do I keep the transition between land and water from eroding, I really want it to be gradual so the crypts will grow towards it so a barrier isn't an option. Based on number 2 will the raising and lowering of the water eventually level out the substrate, if so I will need to put some sort of barrier in (any ideas?)

Again any input will be greatly appreciated

len
 
#49 ·
Here are some pics from Micheal Lo "Jungle Mike" that have inspired this tank.






So based on the last picture, I have proof that Buces and Crypts exist together, the rest of the pics are wher I got my idea of stand alone Buce boulders and emersed to submersed crypts. The list of crypts that I have identified as clear water or at least possibly in the same environment as buces are:

C striolata
C keei
C hudoroi
C auriculata
C bullosa
C noritoi
C uenoi
C sp. "Batang Ai"

I'm thinking this gives me a good list of plants to work with, I'd like to plant the keei or striolata in shallow water and see if it will eventually spread onto the emersed section, I think this would be a neat experiment as well as overall cool looking set-up. I'm thinking I can use the noritoi or auriculata in the background since they are a little taller upright growing than the others.

Len
 
#50 ·
I love all those "C's" just keep piling them on, I also liked your foam cut out but it looked like it could use some more hieght, are you going to use it or trash it and start over?

Emersed Crypts get the coolest flowers like little water pitchers, it should be a sweet and uncommon set up.
 
#51 ·
I love all those "C's" just keep piling them on, I also liked your foam cut out but it looked like it could use some more hieght, are you going to use it or trash it and start over?

Emersed Crypts get the coolest flowers like little water pitchers, it should be a sweet and uncommon set up.
The more I think about it I'm thinking the foam my be a bust idea, I want to be able to raise and lower the water level and I don't know how I would anchor the foam so it wouldn't tear free and float, I'm going to probably go with a real sandstone hardscape. This hardscape I think would look the most realistic and most likely get the best growth because the real sandstone will hold moisture that will be key to the bucephanadras doing well.

Len
 
#52 ·
Wow man you are really doing a good job on this. I don't often see projects like this that are so well thought out and researched.

Do you have ideas for authentic fish that you could include?

I have been researching stream-associated palms and turned up a couple other intriguing ones, but it looks like you are shooting for a real strict biotope and I don't know if any of them are true Borneo native plants.
 
#53 ·
Wow man you are really doing a good job on this. I don't often see projects like this that are so well thought out and researched.
Lol, I'm a project manager by profession so I'm kinda used to it, I follow the mantra "Measure twice, cut once" ha ha.. I spent 9 months researching the 25 gallon cube and building averything for it before I ever added water, This I hope will go quicker but I won't do anything until it is ready to go and will be just right. There also isn't alot of information on this type of build so I'm going to have to experiment I think, The substrate slope will be the trickiest part I think, I can see why your riparium concept makes sense now. Having a civil engineering background I know how hard it is to keep the slope in place with moving water, I may have to wing it until the plants build a stable root base to keep it in place or add something that will act as barriers to build levels like small stones.

As for fish I may have to stay away from them, I want to raise and lower the water level to represent rains throughout eh course of a week and I'm concerned that fish will get beached if I do this. I really think this raising and lowering of the water level on a regular basis will be more realistic and natural for the plants and I'm cureous to see how it affects the crypts..

Len
 
#55 ·
I'm planning on asking him if he has any research or knows anyone that does on water levels in those small streams, I then want to set up a timer to mimic them, it will be really easy and I think it would be neat to come home and see the water high one day and then low the next. That mixed with the mist king should make a really neat environment. I would love to add fish but I'm sure I would run into some real issues with them getting stranded high and dry.

I also saw some semi aquatic orchids that he took pics of so that is a new specimin that I may need to research.

Len
 
#57 ·
Wow I'd be real interested to know what kinds of orchids might live in those habitats.

I have done some research into orchids for growing in ripariums. Most of the ones that I have run into have been temperate zone species. I tried a couple of them but had trouble because they apparently needed a winter dormancy after growing a season.
 
#62 ·
Yeah he has some amazing shots of Schismatoglottis, piptospatha, Homalomena and Aridarum, I'm not going to get my hopes up on adding any of them but I have found some of the jewel orchids like the one in the picture on ebay as well as some web sites. I really think that would be a neat addition on the backwall of my setup, especially since I'm thinking of going with a clay dripwall. The only issue I see with using them in a riparium is keeping the roots wet all the time, my guess is that the can stay extremly wet but their roots can't stay completly submersed it would be a neat addition for you though.

Len
 
#63 ·
Yeha I did some more reading and it sounds like those Macodes will grow in real moist spots or on rocks with dripping water, but probably not right in the water.

There might be other Schismatoglottis or Homolomena to turn up. I have been surprised more than once with what I found on ebay with searches for "aroid".

Have you been around on the International Aroid Society page much? You can find a lot of great stuff there. There have been several recent articles there and as regular scientific publication by Peter Boyce. He lives over in Indonesia and he and his colleagues have done a lot of research on the aroids of Borneo and elsewhere in the region.
 
#65 ·
#70 ·
I'm thinking a 65g is what I'm going to go with, gives me enough room for substrate at the bottom then I can do the rocks above, I want to try a clay wall on the back above the water line. (I want it to look like a clay embankment) I just got my mistking this thing is awesome it is like the misters they use in greenhouses. I think I'm going to get a quad normal T5 with 2 ballasts so I can go 2 or 4 bulbs.

Len
 
#72 ·
It must have taken quite a while for those plants to grow on a rock like that and I would guess it had a thick coating of moss orginally that these plants could root in and steal nutrients from, that was a cool video and the water looked nice a clean.

Hows it comming besides the three plants.
 
#73 ·
Well the hardscape is my hangup right now, I'm not sure how I want to make the rocks, I have a few different buces growing i pots right now, i have a Schismatoglottis coming, and I'm getting a piptospatha from Xue. I also have a macodes petola orchid to put in it, I'll need to get a bunch of aquatic moss to put on the rocks but I figure I will get that when the hardscape is done. I also have few different clear water crypts from borneo that I plan on using in it. As for the hardscape I'm going to try making some foam rocks with a grout shell this weekend and see how it works.

Len
 
#75 ·
My biggest concern with drylock is what you said the surface is too smooth, the hardscape in this tank is going to be completly covered in moss and bucephelandras , piptospathas and other plants that will need something to grab onto, I'm considering using coconut coir pushed into some sort of adhesive as well because it will stay moist and make a great surface for the moss, the concern there is the visual affect until the moss grows in and as well all know moss isn't always the most prolific grower. A sanded grout seems to be my best bet but everyone recommends acrylic polomer in it to strengthen it the probelem there is it now becomes waterproof and may not be very good for moss growth. Real sandstone is also an option I'm mulling. I was thinking of doing a penisula out of the 65g tank with a pile of rocks in the back sloping down to a pool in the front of the tank with a rock jutting into the pool covered in buces and moss. I figured I can plant into the voids between the rocks like ferns, the macodes orchis I got and other less auqatic plants then have water trickling down the rock pile with Buces and piptospatha on them.

Len
 
#76 ·
I might try one more coat of the Drylok with shredded coco sprinkled on while it's still wet. The coco will eventually slough off as it decomposes, but the painted surface may remain more naturally-textured and with a little more bight for plants to hold onto. Maybe, I don't know.
 
#77 ·
I've renovated tons of bathrooms and kitchens and the poly will not really make it water proof but will give it better properties in resisting damage from water and some elasticity to prevent cranking, in any event the moss would grow just like in the video mostly by capillary action of the water being drawn up from below, mist, and splashing, I think you'll be fine. The sanded grout also gives a more natural texture and a bit of tooth for roots to grab hold not to mention the color is in the grout and not a top coat so chipping or a scratch won't require any repair to hide a color below but will make it look more authentic. Plus I think this is another area were the poly helps separate the grout from the roots so they don't burned by lime content, etc.
 
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