Took the Exo-Terra Plunge, Three!
 

Yes I did it - Thanks to BlackJungle.com :):Tup: - Great doing business with them!
I went to a reptile show at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY and purchased a 24" x 18" x 24" Exo Terra Tank! :biggrin: and at the excellent price of $127.
Now time to do hours of reading and figure out how to set it up for the orchids I have (or will be getting :o ) .. :hmm
I know I want to give it an oriental look so I will be making bamboo lattices for the flooring as a wall for hangers and mounts ..
What else can be used at the base .. I have seen Leca .. but I would think that would make the tank funky after a while and not very maintainence free .. does anyone use a tray to collect water than may drain to the bottom?
I'll have it set up in front of a window and may forego lighting :scratchhead:
So much to decide on .. :hmm

Yes Ross .. I know, I know I did it ..
but it won't be in the basement ;)
:coverlaugh:

MistKing is one of the first of many things to consider :nod:

Photos to come in the near (?) future .. :roll:

Very cool, D! :clap:

Are you going for cool or warm growing plants?
Keep temps and lighting in mind when you're choosing :)

I can't wait to see what you do with it :cheer:

Right now I am thinking for warm plants since the winter is coming. I'll be able to keep the cooler plants without a problem .. but already I see another Exo in my future and I haven't even started with this one!
(Another reptile show is coming in the spring and closer - this time on Long Island .. BlackJungle .. here I come)
( Darn, those poison dart frogs are so coooool! .. I also discovered crested geckos at the show .. http://www.baystatereptiles.com/imag...ed_gecko_1.JPG
awesome critters! )

I didn't see any blue tailed lizards ;)
Darn it! :(

Dorothy! What great news! Congratulations! I'm sure your tank will be a stunner.

I went with LECA on the bottom, and so far its worked out well with no 'icky-ness' - but I am growing most of my things mounted on (or at least stuck into crevices of) pieces of 'bog wood' - kinda like drift wood.

I hand mist so that I can leave the top completely open providing air circulation without any electrics involved. And mine sits in front of the window, too, so I also don't have lights.

I'm so happy for you, Dorothy! Can't wait to see the photos of your setup when you post them. :)

I am sooooo laughing! Dorthy, your posts are such a delight!

I LOVE your idea to create bamboo lattices! And I LOVE the idea of going with an oriental theme. Great ideas!

A note on changes made to my humidity "system":

Originally, I had the Hydroton balls on the bottom of the tank, beneath the flooring. . .sitting in water. This got ugly.

I cleaned out the entire tank and added a small tray of water, hidden in the middle of the layer of Hydroton. My humidity levels shot up!

Because I had washed off, what I shall henceforth refer to as "the balls". . .LOL. . .they released the humidity back into the tank. Because the tank was more humid than it was, the humidity drips back down into the balls. . .creating a cycle. The tray in the bottom, full of water. . .just stabilizes it all. It's sooo much cleaner (so far) and more effective.

I take all the plants out to water them. . .actually dunk them in a bucket of MSU water. I like to scrutinize each plant to see if anything miraculous is happening. .. it often is!

And I bought some tiny clear drip trays for each plant. . .trying to keep down the mess.

I am such a nerd. :roll:

Shak and GM -Thank you for your input .. I will definitely keep your ideas in mind!! :nod:

"the balls" :coverlaugh:

Maybe because mine is a cool tank, I don't get the 'stuff' on "the balls"??? :lol: (Gwen, you're too funny!)

I'll have to see if I can get a photo sometime this week to show you all...

Oh that would be wonderful!
Thanks Shak :)

OMG .. "stuff" on "the balls" :yikes:
Don't get me started .. :coverlaugh:
( I'm being good :biggrin: )

Hi Dorothy! I was just curious if you ever decided on what to put in the bottom of your terrarium? Maybe you posted it in another post and I missed it. :) I was thinking of getting one and am trying to make plans in my head so how you all are doing it is really helping me out. I know nothing about this kind of stuff! :blushing:

I haven't started yet - but will let you know and post pics when I do :nod:
Check out the other threads on exos, tanks and orchidariums in the search option - quite a few have taken the plunge. :)

:cheer: Come on, D! You're one post away from 2000 :cheer:

WooHoo!! Congrats, Dorothy on gaining another flower!

This thread reminded me that I promised to take a photo to show how things were going (i.e. no yucky stuff on "the balls" - still can't say that with a straight face!!) with water sitting in the bottom of the tank.

This has been set up since early August, and here is what it looks like today:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...Exo_Update.jpg

Your balls look clean! :o ...
:coverlaugh:
I love the ornaments you added .. I saw a few l liked I, too will be adding them once I get my butt moving on my Exo .. GMTA ;)

What is that squid like plant in the planter in front? Is it a kind of air plant? :scratchhead:


:banana: woohoo I did it ... 2000 strong!

The black spots that you can see on 'the balls' are actually where the outer coating has chipped off, and has exposed the inside - which is a dark colour.

I love the chinese look, and found these with some bonsai supplies... and thought that they would make a nice addition to the tank.

Here is another shot:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...pdate_Full.jpg

(Can you see the bud on Masd. tovarensis?!!)

The plant in front in the first photo is a Tillandsia butzii:
Tillandsia Butzii Reed's Greenhouse

OMG - that's a new one - black spots on the balls :coverlaugh:
Very cool - I love the tall tower in the background :nod:
Just those few touches produces a little Asian jungle :)
That Tillandsia is one funky little air plant :D
:scratchhead: Where is the bud? I can't make it out :(

Dorothy, The Masdie in the very front is the tovarensis. It has two flower spikes (these are persistent between bloom seasons, and will flower several times). The spike on the right has a green flower bud showing - so not much longer now! The spike on the left will also flower later this year.

Woohoo! :banana:
I believe the tovarensis is a white masdie :hmm

Yep, that's right... pure white: IOSPE PHOTOS

I've got some other Masdies that are going to flower first, though.... hopefully, any day now.