My Odd Little Vivarium Project - Micro Mini's - Orchid Board

RSS · #1 07-18-2008, 12:47 PM

Since I'm new here I thought I would start off with one of my little projects. Yes, yes there are orchids but you have to wait!

Some general info about the tank, it measures 17 3/4" long X 5 7/8" wide X 6" High. The lighting is from a Current Nova Extreme 18" T5HO strip light. The bulbs I'm using as the saltwater versions as they do not make a freshwater 18" version

. 1 20W 10K and 1 20W actinic. Nothing in the tank seems to mind the actinic light so I'm keeping it. I think replacing it with another 10K bulb would be too much lighting anyway. No fan as of yet, I'm still trying to figure that part out.

The first few pictures cover the construction of the substrate, as you can quickly see there will be alot more in here than just orchids.

1st Picture - 4 Apr 08 - First I layered down some laterite the red stuff

, the non-orchid plants seem to love this stuff. Then went in a good portion of sphagnum moss in the front area.

2nd Picture - 4 Apr 08 - The next picture I added some pond mud that I've had really good luck with, its an ADA product we got while we were in Japan and I'm hording it

. Its easily the best stuff to grow emersed aquatic plants I've found, but thats for another forum. I put in a thin layer maybe 1/4" over all the non-sphagnum mossed areas.

3rd Picture - 4 Apr 08 - Then I placed the driftwood, some Aquasoil and some more mud. Now we wait while I let the mud dry out and harden up a little and fight some fungus from the excess humidity. You can still see the fungus on one of the driftwood pieces, all the white stuff, its gone now but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Royal · #2 07-18-2008, 12:51 PM

Looking good so far. I'm interested to see the completed project. Looks like you really planned this out. What orchids do you have in mind?

Oh, and Welcome!

RSS · #3 07-18-2008, 12:56 PM

Zoom, 9 days pasted and we continue onward.

4th Picture - 3 May 08 - After planting some Plagiomnium trichomanes (Mossy stuff) in the back, some Pellia (Monosolenium tenerum ) the greenish stuff in the bottom left crack in the mud, and some cryptocoryne affinis (I think) I filed the water level up to the top of the sphagnum moss and went to grumble about my Plagiomnium affine having another type of moss in it and started the long annoying process of removing the unwanted moss and planting the Plagiomnium affine in the sphagnum moss and moist area's on the driftwood. Note the fungus is still there....I do get ride of it thou. Yes, Yes, Yes no orchids yet! They are coming!

RSS · #4 07-18-2008, 01:08 PM

Pardone the mess! Kids. The tank is not generally this wet, I just misted it prior to the photo.

5th Picture - 11 Jun 08 - By this time all the crypts have melted as expected, don't worry they are fine and doing well. Cryptocoryne's really dislike being uprooted, moved, poked, prodded, or laughed at they tend to lose all there leaves when they are not happy. But I degress, onward to Orchids.

Ha Ha! Not yet!

Added an Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite', above the sphagmun moss between the driftwood.

Added some HC - Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) into the mud hill on the left.

Added my Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula) to be wall (the tank is viewable from 3 sides). So far this has required pulling every 2-4 days to keep it confined to that wall, but its very slowing filing in.

Added a Cryptocoryne pygmaea in the middle back.

Added 5 Cryptocoryne parva to the front left. 3 Made it though the replanting process, lost 2 thou

.

Added a bit of live sphagnum moss for no good reason.

And finally!!! The first orchid is added. A Macroclinium manabinum wrapped in a little sphagnum moss. Just a teaser it is currently in spike

.

RSS · #5 07-18-2008, 01:58 PM

Orchid Photo Day!

6th Picture -02 July 08 - The next picture shows how much the HC - Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) loves it new home, most everything is moving along nicely. Also note the Orchids!

I covered the Macroclinium manabinum with what I believe to be weeping moss (aquatic mosses are often confused and the only real way to get an ID is too use a microscope, no thanks). Both moss and orchid seem happy with this arrangement, the Macroclinium manabinum has even started a flower spike! Its been a month and it still slowing growing

. Someday I'll have flowers

.

Added alot of weeping moss to the *wetter* driftwood.

Added a Cephalotus follicularis picture as a test. A month later and its still green so there is hope. I'll need to trim the moss around it soon thou, to keep it from getting covered up.

Added a Dendrobium prenticei wrapped in sghagmun moss, its currently growing a new leaf, bulb, umm whatever those green round things are called

.

Added a Pleurothallis alata, not too sure this plant is happy where it is, may be moving.

Added a Pleurothallis grobii, could not get a good picture of this one...I'll have to try again later.

Will try and get some pictures this week of the new additions, 4 more so far.

Royal · #6 07-18-2008, 02:01 PM

You do know this is the ORCHID board?

Just kidding! Looking cooler and cooler. Very natural. I like the toys in the last one!

Akhenaten · #7 08-01-2008, 10:48 PM

Super!!!
It look very well

justatypn · #8 08-01-2008, 10:57 PM

Looks great. Want to make a change with mine, your ideas are turning in my head. What a great looking grobii, tried to take a photo of mine in bloom...oh so teeny tiny. Great job on your tank

susiep · #9 08-01-2008, 11:21 PM

RSS, that is awsome! You are really good at this. I can't wait to see the finished tank all grown in (with orchids in bloom, of course). Amazing!

RSS · #10 08-09-2008, 06:21 PM

Update time! 09 Aug 08

A few weeks ago I had to give the HC - Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) a hair cut

. Its recovering nicely. The HC is not allowing the hairgrass to make a wall

. I'll have to rethink that idea.

Picture 1 - Finally added the rock I had set aside, its in the middle of the HC now, hopefully the HC will grow up the rock a little. I'm planning on putting a Sarcochilus ceciliae or 3 on/around the rock when they are ready for repotting. They were just deflasked so will be a while. Provided all goes well with that project and they are the proper size when grown up.

Picture 2 - And the main reason for the update.......The Macroclinium manabinum is in flower

. Only 3 off this spike but its a start. Had to make a support for the spike a few weeks back, tie straps are so helpful. The flowers were not in a very easy place to get a photo of, they must be shy.

Picture 3 - Added a Stelis Barbata scrap piece wrapping in a little sphagnum from repotting. Just placed it into the moss there and it seems to be happy, I really thought I'd lose it but it decided to spike instead of dieing

. You can also see the Macroclinium manabinum as it is today in this picture.

Added a Platystele stenostachya scrap piece wrapped in some sphagnum hanging on the side of the driftwood I had from repotting, not sure about this one yet thou. It still has 1 flower, wow this plant never stops flowering. Sorry can't get a good photo of this one due to its location. Its the plant on the right side of the rock in picture 1, fuzzy and all.

Picture 4 - Added a Den. cucumerinum piece I pulled off another mount. Hope it settles in ok. Needed to tie strap it down since its on the ledge.

Picture 5 - Added a Mediocalcar decoratum cutting cut end into the sphagnum moss pit. This is part of the sphagmun moss pit, the green stuff is the Plagiomnium affine, it is really covering nicely. The big purple leaf is from a few repotting pieces from a Pleutothallis prolifera, I'm pretty sure it will not make it. There were no roots on these 3 pieces. But I have to try.

Picture 6 - Added an Epidendrum longirepens cutting again right into the moss pit. In this picture you can see the Macroclinium manabinum flowers and the live sghagmun moss, along with the Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'. The nana has put on a few more leaves.

Picture 7 - Added an Epidendrum porpax cutting again into the moss pit.

Picture 8 - Added a Bulb. ovalifolium cutting sitting on a few strings of sphagnum moss. One of the crypts is trying to take over this ones personel space. I keep having to move its leaves.

The Pleurothallis alata is the only thing not happy with its living arrangement. Will be moving it to another home very soon.

So far everything is going pretty well, I'm still misting the tank once daily. Once a week I mist with a few drops of fertilizer added. The tank is usually not as wet as it appears in most of the pictures. I have to keep misting the crypts or they throw a huge fit and melt.

I'll post the next update when I add more plants

. And yes there is always room somewhere

.