Mitch's 65g Peninsula

[Mitch]

Welcome!

This thread will be used as a journal for my 65 gallon Peninsula-Style Vivarium. I had been constructing the vivarium for a few months and I finally set it up last weekend on Saturday, 1/28/12. I am quite happy with the work I have done thus far. Here's some of the details about this vivarium:

Tank: All Glass Aquariums 65 Gallon Tank (36 7/8" x 19" x 24 5/8")
Lighting: Fishneedit 36" 4 bulb fixture with four 39 watt, 6,700K bulbs. The fixture is hanging from the ceiling.
Stand: Ikea bookshelf with shelving boards on top cut to the correct dimensions for the tank.
Background: The Background is made from Great Stuff foam and GEII Brown Silicone covered in Coco Fiber. The wood in the background is Manzanita wood.
Misting System: MistKing Starter System with 3 misting heads. I am still fine tuning the system but as of now I mist 5 times per day, 10 seconds each time. This will probably be changed soon, though.
Air Circulation: Internal Air Circulation is provided by two columnar ducts in each corner of the back of the tank. These pull air from the bottom of the tank and push it out at the top. The fans being used are two SilverStone Suscool 81 Fans.
Substrate: There is a 2" layer of Hydroton on bottom and a 3" layer of ABG mix above that. The two layers are separated by one sheet of window screening. On top of everything I have a 1" layer of leaf litter which consists of Oak and Willow leaves.
Plant List (As of Now, 2/4/12): Ficus radicans, Trailing Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum caudatum), "Mini Aroid Vine," Cissus discolor, Syngonium rayii, Rhaphidophora sp., Stelis sp., Philodendron wend imbe, Assorted Mosses. This list will definitely change over time. I am planning on adding Bromeliads and more Orchids soon.
Inhabitants: In 3 weeks (2/25/12) this vivarium will be home to my 3 D. leucomelas (Black Jungle Line). I believe it is a 1.2 group.

I am still fine tuning the misting system, internal air circulation, and lighting. Once the moss begins to settle in and I begin to get some plant growth I will post more pictures and a few videos. For now, here are a few quick pictures:


Side view


Corner view


Orchid - Stellis sp. I am already seeing new growth on this guy!

Thanks for looking, and feel free to comment! Any constructive criticisms or compliments would be greatly appreciated.

[smittydc]

Very nice tank..love the simplicity of look .I like tank's set up in this manner from a visual standpoint.I think it 's cool to be able to look all the way through while having the background on end.Maybe some vines would be cool looking?

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by smittydc

Very nice tank..love the simplicity of look .I like tank's set up in this manner from a visual standpoint.I think it 's cool to be able to look all the way through while having the background on end.Maybe some vines would be cool looking?

Thanks! I have a few vining species in there, but obviously they have some growing in to do. I plan on letting the Cissus discolor cover the background and allowing the Oak Leaf Creeping Fig to cover the central piece of wood, along with Mosses, Orchids, and such.

[steven2213]

beautiful setup nice & clean thumbs up

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by steven2213

beautiful setup nice & clean thumbs up

Thanks!

(10 Characters)

[drutt]

It looks familiar... nice build

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by drutt

It looks familiar... nice build

Why do you say this? Thanks though.

[DCgecko]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Why do you say this? Thanks though.

I guess he was referring to this:

The Peninsula - Final Timelapse - YouTube

The Peninsula - Final Timelapse - YouTube

both are brilliant tanks!

[Azriel]

Yeah, the similarities can't be denied! But both are really nice tanks of course.

Can't wait to see how it looks when the plants grow in more, Mitch.

[Mitch]

I was certainly inspired by Grimm's Peninsula but that's not to say that he's the first one to ever create a Peninsula vivarium. His is definitely one of the nicest vivariums on the site, though.

Thanks for the compliments everyone!