Your Orchid Setup - Orchid Board

Marty · #1 (**permalink**) 05-11-2005, 10:57 PM

Come on! Somone post some pics of your orchid setup. I'm dying to see how you guys keep and display your plants.

Marty

Mantellaprince20 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 03:00 AM

Well, this is a dart frog vivarium with about 6 different species of orchids, and unfortunately most of them were unlabled when I received them.

Tell me what you think,

If I remember, I have a Pleurothallis scurrula, two mounted oncidium miniatures, a paphiopedulum, an unidentified species, a ground dwelling oncidium i believe, a miniature dendrobium, a restrepia sp., and two other similiar, but unidentified species. I should get a more recent pick as the dendrobium and the oncidium in the bottom right corner are blooming, as will be the Pleurothallid.

Ed Parker

Marty · #3 (**permalink**) 06-15-2005, 11:17 AM

WOO HOOO!!!!!!!!

Quite a setup. Beautiful! Few questions I have for you.

How often do you trim the ficus pumilia vine in the background? Mine has been going completely out of control. It actually starting to choke out my broms. Time to take the scissors out !

What soil mix are you using ? Looks very nice. I think I'm going to incorporate more soil in my tanks. I'm all about java moss right now

What do you keep in there as far as darts go?

Great job and great looking tank.... nice pond too !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mantellaprince20

Well, this is a dart frog vivarium with about 6 different species of orchids, and unfortunately most of them were unlabled when I received them.

Tell me what you think,

If I remember, I have a Pleurothallis scurrula, two mounted oncidium miniatures, a paphiopedulum, an unidentified species, a ground dwelling oncidium i believe, a miniature dendrobium, a restrepia sp., and two other similiar, but unidentified species. I should get a more recent pick as the dendrobium and the oncidium in the bottom right corner are blooming, as will be the Pleurothallid.

Ed Parker

Tindomul · #4 (**permalink**) 06-18-2005, 06:44 PM

Wow!! Nice tank! How did you make the water feature? Does it soak the rest of the soil? Also, how big is that tank? IT looks mighty deep. Plus when can we see the bloooming pics?
Nice job.

Mantellaprince20 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 11:11 AM

Hey there, sorry for the delay, I have been out of town.

Marty, I rarely trim the ficus pumilia, but I just recently had to trim it to give some clippings to a guy. i like the going wild look it gives when it is untrimmed. For soil, I have a false bottom that sits about 3 inches, which is then topped with a 2 inches of gravel, then about an inch of coco brick substrate. So far, this has been a great substrate I have noticed, as it allows drainage, acidity for moss, and lasts for a long time. I have 8 Dendrobates ventrimaculatus in this vivarium, and when I get home I will try to remember to post some pictures of them up.

Tind, the water feature is made from a full false bottom underneath everything, which I have a submerged pump under for circulation and a water trickle off the main cork log and then one into the pond. I just sloped the false bottom in the front for the pond section, and then used a piece of tree fern root panel to block the opening off. The soil never gets soaked thanks to my method mentioned above. The vivarium is a 75 gallon, which is about 48" x 13" x 22"

. Blooming pics will be coming shortly I hope, I have just been in the process of getting married, moving, etc, and with 20 + frog tanks, it is quite a busy job

. Take care,

Ed Parker

Marty · #6 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:31 PM

Very nice. I'm just surprised that the soil doesn't get soggy by osmotic/capillary action in between gravel. I use almost the same method in my other tanks, with the exception that I put landscaping fabric above my gravel/clay pebbles. It also works without a problem and keeps the soil from falling in between the pebbles (clay pebbles are much larger then pea gravel).

I like the natural look of the ficus too....it's just so competitive that it's taking over my entire tank now. Well... I'll get to it one day with garden shears

Send some more pictures

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mantellaprince20

Hey there, sorry for the delay, I have been out of town.

Marty, I rarely trim the ficus pumilia, but I just recently had to trim it to give some clippings to a guy. i like the going wild look it gives when it is untrimmed. For soil, I have a false bottom that sits about 3 inches, which is then topped with a 2 inches of gravel, then about an inch of coco brick substrate. So far, this has been a great substrate I have noticed, as it allows drainage, acidity for moss, and lasts for a long time. I have 8 Dendrobates ventrimaculatus in this vivarium, and when I get home I will try to remember to post some pictures of them up.

Tind, the water feature is made from a full false bottom underneath everything, which I have a submerged pump under for circulation and a water trickle off the main cork log and then one into the pond. I just sloped the false bottom in the front for the pond section, and then used a piece of tree fern root panel to block the opening off. The soil never gets soaked thanks to my method mentioned above. The vivarium is a 75 gallon, which is about 48" x 13" x 22"

. Blooming pics will be coming shortly I hope, I have just been in the process of getting married, moving, etc, and with 20 + frog tanks, it is quite a busy job

. Take care,

Ed Parker

Tindomul · #7 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 08:20 PM

Wow, pheeew, thats a big tank. how did you make the background?
How many tanks have you made. It sure looks like expert work to me.

cyberloach · #8 (**permalink**) 06-25-2005, 12:00 PM

great tank, i was wondering what kinda plants was growing up the background

Mantellaprince20 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-29-2005, 11:03 AM

the background is just cork wall tile siliconed to the tank wall. I have some construction pics at my old house that I can load up of another tank with the same stuff so you get a better idea.

Plants on the background, hmm, good question, I have ficus pumilia, various neoregelia bromeliads, a few tillandsia's, MOunted oncidium orchids, a paphiopedulum, oh yeah, the vanilla orchid, Selaginella plana, and I think that about covers the plant species on the background, other than a few various tiny orchids from one of my mother plants.

Ed Parker

oh yeah, I am definitely no expert, this is probably like my 30th tank I have set up, and by far my best, however I just got into a modified version of a 10 gallon fish tank and my group of them is exquisite in my opinion

. Take care all

pics for fun

half my frog room

Dendrobates ventrimaculatus

Dendrobates pumilio

Orchid/fern covered tree I saw on my summer trip to Thailand

TeresaE · #10 (**permalink**) 06-30-2005, 01:09 PM

Well it's my first time posting here so I hope it works along with the URL for my pics at Webshots.

I don't have much yet there but I have a gazillion on my computer and just need to find the time to post more of my orchids at Webshots. I have also since moved my orchids from the basement to an upstairs bedroom under flourescent lights on a 7 foot high by 48 inch wide shelf. Seems to be working great and I have way better humidity. Just having some issues with air movement (I think) and freaking bugs!! :x

http://community.webshots.com/user/mcflycan1