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

[11f150]

Looking great Don...just checking in on your tank

[hydrophyte]

I'd love to see an update for this.

Have any of those Tillandsia flowered? What do the riparium plants look like?

[Saxtonhill]

Awesome tank...I enjoyed reading (and re-reading ) and getting an education on substrate and different aquatic and terrestrial plant species

Looking forward to further updates and photos

[crazydaz]

Hey, thanks Guys! I just rescaped yesterday, moved some things around, and added some Floscopa, a few new crypts, along with two Sagittaria species from AaronT, including a "mystery" one. I got some of my depth back!!

To date, none of the Tillys have flowered....one was in bloom when I got it, but the spike finally is gone now. Several of the Tillys have pups though, and none have died, so I must be doing something well.

I do have an orchid that is beginning to flower, which is cool. And the jewel orchid cutting that I got from Xue is growing pretty well, which is great because, as far as he knew, it wasn't being commercially offered in the States.

Devin, the riparium plants are doing really well. I had to hack them back after New Year's, but they really helped to raise the humidity levels, and keep things in better condition. The Mexican Milkweed flowers prolifically!!!!

Pics later today! Thanks guys!

[toksyn]

I'm excited to see the progress!

[Jiinx]

Can't wait to see photos, don!

[crazydaz]

Hi and hope everyone is having a nice start to their New Year!

First, a bit of a teaser:



The Anubias nana "petite" is being used for a new tank that I'm setting up. It is a 30G long Tangynikan, and I just got the bulk of the set up done today. In fact, it was an incredibly long day, and spent a long amount of time getting the hardscape set up, the petite planted, heater and filter running, in addition to cleaning the Big Tank and getting it ready for pics. Anyhow, the 30G still has a ways to go though, but I'm hoping to post the build journal here a week from this coming Sunday or Monday. So far it's working out OK.

So, I went absolutely nuts with the camera today, so I'll be posting pics over the coming several days. I did a pretty MASSIVE re-scape yesterday after I got plants in from AaronT....few new crypts, "true" Sagittaria, a MYSTERY Sagittaria, and a few stems of Floscopa. The tank had become over-grown, which was fine as I was battling some green hair algae. Things are filling in now pretty nicely, and I wanted to reclaim the depth of the tank again. So, project done. I let the riparium plants become beastly-huge before I left for vacation to trap some of the humidity around the terrarium plants....I trimmed those down pretty far a little over a week ago, and they've bounced back nicely already!

I'll shut up now...I'm exhausted, and I will post more pics tomorrow. Feel free to comment if you would like to!!

Thanks!

Left Oblique...


Top part from this angle:


Closer look at the Alternanathera grouping:


Using my new Macro lens!:


Nice view of the slope from the Left side of the tank:


New Jewel Orchid cutting that I got from Xue is doing really well and has put out several new leaves:


Left side of the rock slope...close ups going from front to back:






Front of the tank.....left side (can you detect a "theme" here?):


Crypt bullosa "Bario":


Crypt Zukalii from Ghanzafar sending out a new leaf:

[SlopTank]

Wow everything's looking great! My LFS has this big community cube set up and it gave me a whole new appreciation for what you do, so much more going on! ... Thinking my next tank will definitely need some serious depth

[speedie408]

Your plants are growing in beautifully Don. Def one of my favs on the site. Love all the bright colors and the variety of plants you got goin on. AWESOME bro!

[orchidman]

Looks fantastic!! And you have such BRIGHT colors!!! This 30 gallon tank seems like it will also be stunning!!!

[amajoh]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Alternanathera! What a beautiful tank!

[hydrophyte]

It is a whole world unto itself.

[toksyn]

Never disappoints

[crazydaz]

Hi SlopTank! Thank you! Cubes and squares usually mean a little more work, but it's worth what you get in return. And if it's "depth" you are craving, there is plenty of it in a square tank!

Nick and Bob! Thank you both!! The colors do pop out now! I've learned that if you mist the plants and the branches, you get better color from them in a picture. Most of the Tillys are a bit sedated in terms of colors, as they are covered in white hairs. If you mist them before a picture, those hairs get wet and allow the other colors to come out. Otherwise, it just about adding the ferts and doing a few small water changes! And, the soft water really helps, I think, too. The crypts are just becoming incredible to look at, too! I never thought a burnt orange, brown, and red color pallet could look so appealing mixed in with dark and light greens, but so far it's working OK.

Amajoh--Thank you! The Alternanthera really stands out amongst the green leaves! I got that from Hydrophyte, and is one of my favorite plants. It also does a great job at hiding equipment and such. EXCELLENT filler plant!!

Devin--Indeed it is!! It didn't start off that way, but it's turning out the way I had hoped for. Still has a long, long way to go though. Owe you a lot of gratitude for those riparium plants and Manzy branches. And the GroSoil and GroHumate tabs, too!

Toksyn! Thanks bud! My next set of photos will show the two branches that I used the Hygrolon....so far, the results have been pretty good, especially for the vine that you sent to me......the mosses haven't done well, but that's simply due to the fact that the air is pretty dry, so don't feel bad! In a true vivarium, terrarium, or even riparium, it would be growing mosses like crazy. The air in this house is just so bone dry. I lose 3L of water from this tank per day in the winter due to evaporation.

Who knows, though....maybe the moss will rebound...it's still pretty early yet, and the branch that's closer to the water's surface has most of it's moss still alive and doing well!

More pics to come a little later today!

[Fishies_in_Philly]

I always wondered if you had enough humidity to sustain life above the tank. I see a modified humidifier turned fogger project in your future don....lol it would look cool having fog drop down from the canopy. Like the mountain fog moving into the lowlands