Today I finished the restoration. I installed an external filter to keep the pump outside of the vivarium. The drip wall and waterfall are up and running. Alot of the background is covered with hygrolon.

 

Today I finished the restoration. I installed an external filter to keep the pump outside of the vivarium. The drip wall and waterfall are up and running. Alot of the background is covered with hygrolon.

Awesome! I bet all that hygrolon will be covered in moss very soon.

 

It's great that you are still keeping this awesome build alive. Really cool. Definitely one that inspired me when I first became interested in building vivariums.

How did the fake vines made with rope and silicone hold up over the years?

 

The fake vines hold up just fine. They don't get as wet as the background so you can't really compare.

 

Out of all aquariums/ vivariums/ paludariums, this build has been the biggest inspiration for me over the years. Your ideas and fixes are priceless!! 😎

 

this post taught me my favorite technique...years later people are always like "how did you makes those roots and vines?" thank you much

 

Hey Raf, question, you said you went with hygrolon on this viv over the old root system. Did you re-cover the old roots with epoxy first and then apply the hygrolon? if so what brand epoxy did you feel safe using? If not what brand would you have used if you did it all again?

Also hows the moss coverage now 8 months later? Did it work the way you wanted/expected?

 

Hey Raf, question, you said you went with hygrolon on this viv over the old root system. Did you re-cover the old roots with epoxy first and then apply the hygrolon? if so what brand epoxy did you feel safe using? If not what brand would you have used if you did it all again?

Also hows the moss coverage now 8 months later? Did it work the way you wanted/expected?

Hi Nathanael,

Sorry I totally missed your reply.
The hygrolon is not covered with Epoxy. I just attached the hygrolon with stainless steel nails into the background.
The brand of epoxy some use is mr. Boat. I believe this is a good brand of epoxy.
I certainly need to update this topic asap. The moss doesn't cover as quick as I thought (had a lot of issues with algea instead).

I updated the opening post so it shows the pictures again. I try to update the rest of this topic also so it's easier to read.

Grts
Raf

 

Hey Raf, how is the PU foam doing soaked over the years?

 

Is it wrong that your pics turn me on? haha just kidding, but you did an amazing job. One of the best back walls I have seen.

 

Latest update on the viv. It still lives!
A while ago I begin to use rainwater and what a difference it made. The mosses finally begins to grow.
I used hygrolon to make baskets for the plants (Monstera, Ficus Punctate, Solanum, peperomia prostata,...).
They all do well. I hope the vivarium turns out as green as I always wanted it to be.

 

That is amazing!!! I’m so glad you shared the process. Incredible.

 

I'm getting back into the hobby after an 8 year hiatus, so it's really nice to see that a viv that's been an inspiration for a long time is still doing really well and looking amazing. Can't wait to peruse this thread about 50 more times before I start building again,