Terrarium idea

[TylerK]

Hi all,

In the classic terrarium the base is usually covered with a layer of gravel for drainage followed by a layer of some kind of moss or bark in which one would grow the plants. Is it possible instead to turn the whole terrarium into one enclosed orchid mount assuming that all I want to grow in there are epiphites?

My idea...adapted from something I saw on the Black Jungle website:

Spray foam the whole tank (bottom, back and sides) in which would be embedded pieces of cypress and cork. Carved into the base would be a small pond which would serve as drainage for my misting/fogging systems. There would be no gravel or bark in the bottom as one would normally find in a standard terrarium. Ideally I would have orchids growing on the cork and cypress with moss eventually covering the areas in-between.

Does this make any sense?

[harrywitmore]

Yep, make lots of sense. This is basically what you are speaking of. This is a 125 turned on it's end. I do have some substrate but it's not needed at all. But I would allow for somewhere for the water to collect before being removed.

[RoyalOrchids]

That is sweet, Harry!

[harrywitmore]

Thanks, it's doing better since I put in the mist system. No flowers on any of the orchids though. Some pretty good moss growth and ferns seem to like it. The intent was to have all Panamanian plants in there and I kept with that except for a few things here and there.

[TylerK]

That's a great setup, and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the reply.

What plants do you have in there besides orchids?

[harrywitmore]

Here's the build log I posted on another site. It has a plant list. I have lost a few but not too many.

125 Gallon Vertical Build Log w/Pics - Vivarium Forums

[TylerK]

That's a great link. Thanks. Very informative.

Did you have any trouble learning how to use the spray foam stuff at first? You ended up with a great job in making it look like tree branches/roots.

My terrarium is going to be much smaller (~45 gallons), and I'm hoping to make it look like the base of a tree mixing in some ferns, moss and orchids (mostly my miniature Angs). With a misting system and a fogger I'm hoping to be able to simulate a cloud forest type environment.

[harrywitmore]

Originally Posted by TylerK

That's a great link. Thanks. Very informative.

Did you have any trouble learning how to use the spray foam stuff at first? You ended up with a great job in making it look like tree branches/roots.

My terrarium is going to be much smaller (~45 gallons), and I'm hoping to make it look like the base of a tree mixing in some ferns, moss and orchids (mostly my miniature Angs). With a misting system and a fogger I'm hoping to be able to simulate a cloud forest type environment.

When using the foam, go slow. Do small parts and don't make it really think. It cures pretty fast on the outside but may take much longer on the inside. You get the hang of it pretty quick. When spreading the silicone and coir you must do small patches and it's best if done outside.

Good luck and let us see how it goes.

[iljjlm]

Sorry to the original poster for hijacking your post.

Harry, your tank has looks great. It has filled in nicely since I saw it on DB.

Dave

[harrywitmore]

Originally Posted by iljjlm

Sorry to the original poster for hijacking your post.

Harry, your tank has looks great. It has filled in nicely since I saw it on DB.

Dave

Thanks, I didn't really mean to hijack the thread either but I thought it pertinent to the original thread.