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75 gallon project

Ok, so, I said I wouldn't be starting this until after the New Year, but I got impatient. I did most of the basics today, and as long as the silicone sets fast enough, it may have plants in it tomorrow. I'll fill in the specifications on lighting and stuff when it's all set up, but here's the basic design of it. The four posts on the left will support a shelf for the CP's, to keep them close to the lights, but I can't put the shelf on until the silicone is set.

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looks like its going to be spectacular man. What kind of neps are you planning on growing in there. You seem to have planned it out quite well. :)
 
Looks good! Can't wait to see the finished product :-D
 
I have planned none of it haha. I'm seriously just making this up as I go along, though the entire thing is very similar to the current terrarium that they're in. The only Nepenthes that will be going in there is my unidentified one. The N. eymae and N. sanguinea I have are both growing happily enough on the windowsill, so that's where they will stay. I do plan on getting aristolochioides, bellii, and argentii, all of which will also end up in here. I'll probably also be looking to add more species of Heliamphora, some pygmy dews, and anything else that strikes me. I'll probably put a thing of water in there, too, and grow some Aldrovanda. The majority of the tank will be going to orchids, though, and I'm always on the lookout for weird, small ferns, and I'd love to add an Amorphophallus obscurus. Oh well, all in due time. I need to start trading! :-O

Thanks for the comments guys...if the silicone seems to be set this afternoon, the plants will go in today, otherwise it'll be done tomorrow.
 
you have totally inspried me man!

it looks great! cant wait to see the finished product!
 
What is the divider in the middle for?
 
it seems your wanting to do highlanders in there, but bellii is a lowlander o_o;
depending on the heliamphora, it might not be able to take intermediate conditions....
 
The temp in this tank will be the same as my other, running at, or slightly above room temp (low 70's, slight drop at night, due to the lights being off). I have a Heliamphora minor doing very well in these conditions, so when it comes time to add, I will be looking for any that can run under the same conditions. Whenever I add a new plant, I always check the conditions it needs shortly prior to ordering the plant. With this new terrarium, it will leave my old one open for something else, so if I start messing around with anything that needs higher temps, it will be a simple matter to heat the old terrarium and keep things in there. The silicone looks set, so plants will be in tonight, unless I notice otherwise later.
 
Nice I hope I get to do something like that in the future.
 
  • #10
The silicone looks set, so plants will be in tonight, unless I notice otherwise later.
Be gentle with the posts on the left - if you've used silicone to 'glue' them in. IIRC, I learned the hard way that aquarium silicone doesn't bond with PVC the same way it does with clean glass....:nono:
 
  • #11
Yes, I've learned this too. Luckily, cable ties and I are still on pretty good terms. The silicone is just to help keep things from sliding around too much.

Anyway. It's done for now. Way too much open space, I think :p time to start adding to the collection.

As for specifications, as said, it's a 75 gallon tank. Lighting is 2 Coralife 48" aqualights, each holding 2x 65W PC fluorescent, 6500K bulbs. The divider was to provide more growing space, and to separate roughly the low light and high light plants. Most were kept under relatively high lighting before, but if something starts to show signs of stress, I can place window screening on top of that side of the tank for shading. There are also 2 fans in the front upper corners of the tank for circulation, hooked up to a dimmer switch to control airflow. The carnivore shelf is bending more than I wanted it to, so I'll have to add a support in the middle.

Full tank shot
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The carnivores (blurry...sorry! I'll try for a better one tomorrow)
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Some orchids
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The rest of the orchids
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  • #12
That came out very nice. Looks like it's time to expand your collection.
 
  • #13
holy crap! that looks sweet man! if only I could make a tank like that. sheesh!!!
 
  • #14
B-E-A-Utiful!I really want to do something like that.
 
  • #15
It's VERY easy to set up. And not terribly expensive. I'll HOPEFULLY have some orchids coming in from Thailand to fill it out a little better, and as soon as some more pots, treefern, and heat packs come in, I'll probably have a lot of stuff for trade, for those of you who may be into orchids. Anyway, if anyone needs any details on how to build this, just ask. It really isn't a complex setup. Thanks for the comments!
 
  • #16
Nice job, very clean and presentable, looks awsome, wait till you get more plants in there it will look fantastic.. Deffinately get alittle more suport for your shelf, since knowing you will have many more pots sitting on it..
 
  • #17
Yea, especially since this coming week, I'll probably repot and divide the large Cephalotus, and maybe the H. minor, since they've been in the same pots for over 2 years, and they're both getting a little out of hand. So I'll probably have several additional pots just from that. I'll probably put another support today or tomorrow.
 
  • #18
please do give more specs, its one of the best terra's i've seen!
 
  • #19
Hmm...there's not much else to add. It's a standard 75 gallon AGA tank, with glass versa tops. The foundation is a false bottom made with 1 1/2" pieces of PVC, with plastic lighting eggcrate over them. The back wall has 8 bathroom suction cups (the ones that you stick on, then pull the hook down to seal) siliconed to it, which supports the vertical eggcrate. I'll probably add more support to that by drilling through the lip in the rim that supports the glass, and cable-tying it to the frame of the tank. The divider in the middle is also held up by cable ties through the center brace of the tank. The shelf is just eggcrate resting on 4 PVC posts that are siliconed to the bottom of the tank. A fifth post will be added to the middle, as well.

Lighting is provided by 2 Coralife 48" 2x 65W, 6700K power compact fluorescent Aqualight fixtures, for a total of 260W of lighting. The right side of the tank also now has a layer of window screening under the lights, to provide some shading for the lower light orchids. Circulation is done with 2x 3.125" Coralife Aqualight cooling fans, hooked up to a ZooMed rheostat which is kept on the lowest setting. Temperature is normally around 70F at night, and 72-73F during the day. For some reason, my humidity probe is not working, so I don't have a humidity reading yet.

If there's anything else, just ask. Again, thanks for the comments, everyone!
 
  • #20
wow, sweet setup. did you buy the wooden material, or whatever stuff that is to hang the orchids, or did it come that way with the plants? I really like how you have them hanging up all over.
 
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