[Evan Keller]

Hey everyone, long time no post hahaha. It's been probably 13 or so yrs since I left the hobby (moved around too much) and I just never lost the itch so here I am again. Not sure if I will get frogs again, but I'd like to make a nice planted tank that could house some inhabitants in the future should I choose to do so.

I remembered years ago reading about a guy that made 3D printed tank conversion kits and sure enough he's got a website and everything now so first thing I did was order the 20high kit (top and bottom vent and the door brackets). I have glass put in but I cracked the top corner while cutting so will eventually have to replace, but for now it is fine since there are not inhabitants.

For a background I chose to do the cork mosaic with sphagnum in the channels between. I also used hydrated bentonite clay to cover some of the edges of the cork and the areas that some of the trimmed foam could still be seen. I like the look and if it needs to be added to later I can always smear more on. I'll have to get some pics of that later.

The false bottom was made with egg crate and window screen zip tied over it with 2in pvc pipe supports. I'll add a siphon tube in one corner so I can remove any standing water.

NEXT:
I need to add a substrate. I was thinking of going with NEHerp's Substrate V2 and maybe adding a few amendments. I don't want any ferts so obviously any commercial soil is out but I do have an active compost pile. Thought of maybe screening and sterilizing a small portion to add to the mix for nutrients.... Thoughts?

Lighting - I really like the look of some of the grow lights available now. Does anyone have experience with them? I was looking at the LED grow light Vivarspectra P1000, or something like that. They seem like a great option but it doesn't seem like many people use them?

Plants - all my tropicals are pretty much gone so it's a total restart. I would absolutely love some Marcgravia (when did this get so expensive???) and some oak leaf fig. Also going to throw in a bunch of bromeliads and maybe some pepperomia. Likely going to make a trip to a nursery in the summer and see what is available first before I try and get things shipped to the house.
Does anyone on here offer tank cuttings or anything like that? It would be awesome to get like a grab bag of cuttings. Nothing too fancy, not looking to break the bank.

It's good to be back and I'm really looking forward to a fun build on this tank.

 

[Evan Keller]

Made some minor progress. I got my mister hooked up, it's a Repti-rain 2 nozzle mister but I got some replacement nozzles for the Monsoon from my local pet supply that seem to work a bit better and have more directionality. Picked up 5gal of ABG mix from a seller on Etsy, very happy with the blend.
Plants for now are:
Ficus pumilio
Raphidophora sp.
Unk species of what looks to be a variety of wandering jew (cutting from a coworker)
Unk fern variety

I'm waiting until it's warmer out to get bromeliads. I have my eyes on a few choice variety packs, and might also pick up 1 or 2 more yellow flashy variety. Also need to upgrade the lighting. Was thinking of going with a dimmable LED grow light. Does anyone use LED grow lights on their tanks and can advise? They seem great but not sure if they have really made it to the terrarium hobby yet.

 

[Evan Keller]

I was definitetly planning to add some sort of ventilation aid but wasn't sure how yet. I have a small PC fan rigged up but just need to mount and add a longer power cord. So far it hasn't been too bad but I'm in the establishing phase so a little extra humidity is good for now

 

[Evan Keller]

5 or 6 month update?? I added some magnolia leaf litter collected in my backyard and also threw in a few begonias. The fern is doing nice and moss is growing like crazy. I also clipped and relocated some of the Rhaphidophora and that has rooted and is doing well.
So far everything is doing very well, the only issue is my cork started peeling off almost immediately so lesson learned. Fix it to some egg crate and make a removeable background. With no silicone behind the GS it just won't last. Oh well!