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18X24 Exo Terra....(Updated 4/9)
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18X24 Exo Terra....(Updated 4/9)
#1
Finished up another one. I still have some more planting to do, and some finishing touches, but...

[Image: DSC04809.JPG]

[Image: DSC04802.JPG]

This is an 18x24 Exo Terra that I plan to put my Imi's into.
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#2
really beautiful double waterfall/trickle action! nice!
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#3
Added some stuff to it...

[Image: DSC05007.JPG]

[Image: DSC05000.JPG]

I still want to swap out the brom on top (it's not doing to well) but it's pretty close to being finished. I'll let it grow in for a while, and see how everything does.
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#4
Nice vivs!
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#5
hey mike,

nice! are the myrmecodia/hydnophytum mounted where they can dry out? they like it humid, but i think will rot if you have them mounted where they are constantly wet.
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#6
looks beutiful.

hows the double waterfal thing being done?
is the pump putting water into a small pond that offers two streams leaving it? or is it actually 2 pumps?
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#7
Thanks everyone!!!

mack Wrote:hey mike,

nice! are the myrmecodia/hydnophytum mounted where they can dry out? they like it humid, but i think will rot if you have them mounted where they are constantly wet.

I'm hoping they will be alright? I still need to monitor it some, on the placement, but that will be about the driest part of the viv.

I wrapped the moss that was attached to the roots loosely around the branch, then placed longer strands of spagh around those, and wrapped all that fairly tight, with quite a bit of thread. From my research, I was told that the leaves will wilt if allowed to dry out. I tried to wrap the moss pretty good so it wouldn't retain to much water. I am trying to maintain a sort of wrung-out moister level?

These are the first ones I have had, so any advice would be appreciated.

zaroba Wrote:hows the double waterfal thing being done?
is the pump putting water into a small pond that offers two streams leaving it? or is it actually 2 pumps?

Confusedhock: Ooooohh, you want to know my secrete....... :lol:

I used three pieces of airline tubbing, stuffed into the pumps exhaust tube. they fit pretty snug in there, but will still allow some bypass flow. Two of the lines are for the falls, 1 in the rock formation, and 1 through a drilled hole in the standing wood. The third is ran under the substrate to the opposite corner of the false bottom for better circulation of the watter below it.
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#8
Did you have to do any mods to it? I have one I am planning on working on next week and it looks as if FF could get out on the left side of the door. I will have to silicone it but can you get any clear silicone that is froggy safe?
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#9
ahh, thanks for the info. i was curious because my new viv will have a few outlets for water from one pump aswell.

but am planning to do it via a small pond with outlets of various sizes.
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#10
on the myrmecodia and hydnophytum, i sometimes let them sit bone dry for 24 hours or so and don't get wilting. i also believe that the brown spotting which can occur on the leaves is caused by standing water. i'm now careful not to mist the leaves. my best growing caudiciform ant plant is a hydnophytum formicarum which is kept at only about 50% humidity and allowed to totally dry out every 10 days or so. it's very underpotted in pure spagnum moss. i fertilize it some, making sure to get fertilizer in the tunnels which form in the caudex. obviously, this is not in a frog tank. they like LOTS of light. i have a myrmecodia which survived being abandoned for two months following hurricane katrina...it was in a humid tank and the timer made the lights work after the power came back. it had dropped all of it's leaves, but is recovering...so don't give up too quickly if they drop their leaves.
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#11
tmkuroda Wrote:Did you have to do any mods to it? I have one I am planning on working on next week and it looks as if FF could get out on the left side of the door. I will have to silicone it but can you get any clear silicone that is froggy safe?

I was lucky to find one locally that had very tight fitting doors. I did do some other mods on the top and front vent though. I put no see um netting in the front vent to keep the flies from climbing through, and removed the screen top and cut out the holding clips for it. Then replaced it with glass and a screen strip/vent in the center.


Hey Mack,
Thanks for your advice.

How often do you fertilize. I haven't noticed any openings in the caudex of these yet, should I wait to fertilize until after they appear. I've herd BJ sells a viv safe fertilizer, but I will still have to look into that. Would a concentrated placement of "froggie rice" right above them be sufficient?

Sorry to hear Katrina hit so close to home, I hope all is well...
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#12
Mike, I have my 15 done, my 40 just needs to be planted so now I am going to start working on my exoterra... Did you use the background provided with it and add to it or did you just take it out? IF I left the background in there and added some GS to it how well would it hold up? Also do I HAVE to take the top off or can I ust add plexi glass to the existing screen top?
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#13
Hey Tina,

DAP makes a 100% silicone that is "safe for food contact", in clear and colors(black/bronze- which is drk. brown), or aquarium silicone would work as well.

I took the background out so I could make a more natural looking one, and tie in all the hard scape together. I also read a post where some thumbs were lost due to the gap above the stock backing, and the holes made for cords to fit through the top rim. When I made the background with the foam, I made sure to fill those in, and trim off the excess, level with the frame rail after a few days of drying/shrinking.

I'm not sure how well the foam will bond to the original, but I think you would be better off taking it out, and you would be happy you did, in the long run.

I removed the screen to prevent the frogs from coming in contact with it, and was unsure of its sustainability in such a humid environment(oxidation/rust).

There was quite a bit more work involved in doing these mods, but I feel I made a safer environment, and IMO a better looking background, then how they come from the manufacturer.
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#14
hey mike,

sorry i missed your post. i wouldn't sweat fertilizing in a vivarium. compost happens, as they say...as for the storm, i miss my old life in new orleans, but texas has been a blessing, too. austin is treating us well.
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#15
Wel I kinda like the idea of some screen so I am thinking about just putting plexi over the top of the screen on the back half and on the front half covering all but about an 1/8 of an inch to allow the "non fog" idea work.. I just woke up so pardon my scatterbrain postSmile
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#16
I have the same exo that I plan to start building in about a month.
Where did you get the rock formation on left side with the water coming
out of it?
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#17
Hi Ammedia,

I made the rock formation out of a bunch of pieces of lace rock.

I used a hot glue gun to "tack" them together, then used great stuff to hold them all together more firmly, and keep the water from passing through. I used sand and gravel to fill in the gaps were the great stuff was showing on the front side.

Here's a shot that shows some of it in the construction stage.

[Image: DSC04741.JPG]

After I filled in behind the rocks with great stuff, and let it sit for a couple of days, I carved out all the excess foam that is showing in the pic.
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#18
So a question would be how do you press on the soil after you have the foam on do you squish it in the foam while it is still moist? or do you adhear it somehow else???
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#19
Most people will apply a layer of silicone over the spray foam once it has cured, and while the silicone is wet, they will press the coco fiber into the silicone. When you do this, you want to work in small areas, as the silicone will skin over quickly.
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#20
I'm almost finished building my exo terra. Just need to finish planting it and installing a fan in the top lid. Question on your water feature: did you treat the water with anything? What type of water did you use? I have a similar setup
where the water flows into the pond, then under the false bottom and out through the intake tube. My water is getting foamy where it flows out and hits the pond. The foam then covers up the entire pond. I'm going to attach a pic of how it looks. Any help on this would be great. It just doesn't look right.
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