Crazydaz's Square 200G RIPARIUM Strikes Back! NEW PICS 4/19-4/21!!!

[ua hua]

I wasn't quite sure where you were going with the above water portion of this tank when you started but it turned out beautiful. Not the typical riparium plant choices that most use so kudos for you for thinking outside the box. This will without a doubt be an inspiration for many others to try to copy. I always enjoy looking at all your pictures(much more enjoyable than reading through 15 pages of small talk).

[mack23]

wow! great work, man. the planting looks great, and should get even more amazing with time.
keep a tight eye on the orchids and lecanopteris to make sure they don't stay too moist. you may have to move them a up to a bit higher and dryer spot, like the tillandsias. or they may just love it where they are, as they are all a little more moisture loving than some twig epiphytes.
and i just have to say it again, great work man!

[SpecGrrl]

Her usual tank is a Spec 2. It has Matrix in it. If I stem plant it things will be better.

[izabella87]

DAZ THE MAN!!.. The tank is just gorgeous n getter better !! bravooo!!!

[c_gwinner]

Love the new additions and the suprises you have arround each corner. The colors and texture you have with this tank this go round are so awesome, not to say last time wasnt awesome either though. If you ever need to sell some of your buces I will glady take them off your hands.

Keep it up and hope your getting some sleep, cuz I would be restless with that tank thinking of what to do next with it. haha

[crazydaz]

Ua Hua! You should read the small talk! Lots of important info in there! LOL! Sometimes, there's a "nugget," but I understand if you are a "pictures only" type of person! I appreciate you making the time to post here, and thank you for the nice words! I didn't have an exact plan for the top part of this system, but I did start out knowing that I wanted something more unique to be growing on the wood. I didn't want all orchids or tillandsia, so I think that I have a nice mix of species up there now. I'm pretty content....maybe I'll change some stuff around, and add a few stick-mounted orchids to it, but at this point, I just have to let Nature take it's course.

Mack buddy!! So awesome the stuff that you sent to me! I can't thank you enough for initiating this Trade. You have free reign when the time comes!! I just can't get over your generosity and kindness! Wish you lived closer...I'd treat you for beers! You're a cool dude!

SpecGrrl! Thanks for clearing that up! Yes, if you can add a fast growing hygro, that would help him out a ton!! Plus, it would grow out of the tank/bowl and look pretty nice too! Any of the hygros should work. Let me know what you think. I'm also getting close to having enough RRF to try to send you some again, if you would like, too! Probably will be ready right after I get back from Thanksgiving.

Thanks Izabella! You're very kind!! I know that you, of all people, can appreciate something different! I hope that over time, this will look really good after the plants on top, like the ficus and the orchids will fill in some of these gaps, some of the stems in the tank continue to grow emmersed, and the crypts, buce's, and anubias species continue to grow inside the tank and fill up the underwater nooks and crannies. It just takes a while, but I'm not in a hurry!

Thank you C Gwinner! It looks a lot better in person...it's hard to capture all of the species with a camera...the colors and leaves tend to blend in with one another. It's a neat system, and I'm having fun with it.

I'll let you know when buce clippings are available. It'll probably be this coming spring, but you never know!

[Fishies_in_Philly]

ya know Don, like i said in another thread, this one is a game changer. Amano may be the godfather, but you brought his work to a whole new level. that being said, there is one thing that bugs the crap out of me when looking at your tank, those 2 branches on the right with the flush cut ends!!!! any plans for something to cover them?
now, if you could find an animal that would live in there peacefully and never escape, then you, my friend would have the tank of the century.....lol

[izabella87]

Your tank is beautiful enough that my dyslexic ass will get a book n read beside it all evening

[@marko@]

i want in on the bruce sales too!
i have a neoregelia fireball X n. lilliputiana that sends out runners all the time that i would happily trade you for a discount if you want it for your branches. also have a n. fireball with a new runner coming in. not as red as most though, but i think your lighting would fix that...

Originally Posted by Fishies_in_Philly

now, if you could find an animal that would live in there peacefully and never escape, then you, my friend would have the tank of the century.....lol

an iguana would likely be happy to bask on those branches, eat the plants, swim around stirring up the sand, and relieve its bowls in such a tank.

[Chrisinator]

Those Tilisandrias are phenomenal! I saw a little booth at the mall selling these and wanted to try a couple of them! So cool!

[crazydaz]

Thanks Bill! That's probably the "Ultimate" compliment that I've received, but let's not forget: this tank is far from done. So, I have PLENTY of time to screw things up!! If the bottom fills in nicely, and I can get some good growth on top of at least a FEW of the things Mack sent to me, I will be pleased. Far from knowing any of that though, yet! I don't have your know-how when it comes to the terrestrial side of things.

I suppose that I could put a tree python in there and tie a leash around it so it couldn't get out! heh heh. I do have animals in there that can't easily escape already, come to think of it, Bill....the fish!

Izabella--what are you talking about? You have several pretty kick ass systems at your place to curl up next to. What's more is that you actually made your own tank....I wouldn't have the know-how to start something like that, nor the guts to try! Well-done to you! Though, if you want to read, I probably have plenty of that for you! Actually, my wife and I are making that into a reading room. We are planning on getting matching black or mahogany colored bookcases for either side of the aquarium, along with a few matching chairs and a few reading lamps. Should be nice. We'll see!

Marko....I'll try to keep that in mind, bro. Mack gets first dibs on everything, though. Let's not get ahead of ourselves....but I am interested in setting up a trade with you, though! PM me! And I'm sure that an iguana would end up killing everything thing, just by the sheer amount of crap coming from his bowels. That's some nasty stuff!

Chrisinator....thank you! I hope that I can get them to flower, along with the orchids! They are easy to take care of...almost idiot proof. I would recommend that you get a few to try. You just mount them to some wood or stone and spray them with a spring water/RO water (I use cheap spring drinking water) with a tiny pinch of ammonia-free fertilizer every two or three days. They seems to be doing well with that, so far.

However, if you get Spanish Moss (I have Usneoides 'circulato'"), you may have to mist every other day if you keep in in dry conditions.

Most of these plants die from over-watering, so make sure that they can dry out. In a vivarium, the humidity may be so high that you wouldn't probably need to water them hardly, if at all!

The really nice thing about these species are that they are all pretty inexpensive, too! That's always nice!

[orchidman]

Originally Posted by crazydaz

Thanks Bill! That's probably the "Ultimate" compliment that I've received, but let's not forget: this tank is far from done. So, I have PLENTY of time to screw things up!! If the bottom fills in nicely, and I can get some good growth on top of at least a FEW of the things Mack sent to me, I will be pleased. Far from knowing any of that though, yet! I don't have your know-how when it comes to the terrestrial side of things.

technically it would be epiphytic.. :b ounce:

[crazydaz]

^+1 Thanks for the correction, Mr. Bob! LOL!

[orchidman]

Originally Posted by crazydaz

^+1 Thanks for the correction, Mr. Bob! LOL!

lol, just thought id be annoying

[Fishies_in_Philly]

ya know Don, i knew you were gonna say the fish. i even thought about editing my post, but i figured, ah, i'll give him that one, he earned it...LOL btw, i wonder if a Jackson's Chameleon would try to escape the "airborne" section of your tank. (don't want Bob correcting me..LOL)

i figured you were far from done. you're probably just like me, tinker, tinker, tinker. you start to get it going good and then you want that extra pop and BAM! the blasphemy starts!! happens to me all the time.....LOL