# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  2 ft Paludarium journal

## gorilla83

Hi all, is inspired by many nice paludariums on the web as well as this forum, so I decided to set up one since I have a empty 2 ft tank lying around.

Intend to house ferns, mosses, crypts, bucephalandra etc in this tank.

2014-10-17 14.42.32.jpg
Had done up the elevated portion... should have used black crate, but it would be covered later so I guess it should be alright.

2014-10-17 17.09.22.jpg

Originally intended to use cork bark for the background, but I can't find it. So I decided to use felt instead (got it from Artfriend). Would be installing drip bar above the 3 walls. Have also made pockets in the felt to slot in plants (got the idea from Green walls). Right now it is looking very artificial, hope it would be saturated with plants and mosses in future.

Would be covering the crate with mesh and also positioning the rocks and driftwood that I got...

More updates to come...

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## whitedash

Nice DIY work.

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## gorilla83

Thank you whitedash  :Smile: 

Been working on the tank for the past days after work, some more updates;

3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg
Added mesh, driftwood and some rocks to get a feel of the tank..
Also installed the drip bars.

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The black mesh isn't very secure, so I added some coco fibre mats...
Going to add the gravel and soil next.

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## gorilla83

8.jpg9.jpg
Next, added gravel, soil and sand. Have used some dried sphagnum moss at the edge to stop the soil and falling off the edges.

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Added water and water test.. it seems to be working okay.

Now I can't wait to add plants in !!

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## Justikanz

Very interesting idea on the set up! I have a few questions:

1) How do you really support the base plate for your elevated section?
2) Is the corner 'lobang' meant for a pump? If so, where is your water outlet? Also, is your inlet obstructed by the mesh and mats?
3) What are you using as the cover?
4) Are you intending to house any fauna?

Thanks  :Smile:

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## gorilla83

Hi Justikanz, would be glad to answer your questions  :Smile: ;

1) The base is really just supported by using the crate as "legs". Not strong, but sufficient to support about 2 kg with no problem. I am only using a relatively thin layer of soil on top, so the strength is sufficient.

2) Yes, the corner lobang is for the pump access. Water outlet is straight up to the rain bars.

3) You mean cover for the base? I used one layer of very fine mesh, those mesh that are used to make shrimp nets. Followed by rough mesh (I just used the black plant shade cover that I got from Daiso).

4) Initially I thought of housing frogs / small crabs, but think again, I would go fauna-less. I think if I kept fauna, the fauna would also sneak into the lobang into the pump area and maybe die.

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## gorilla83

Some updates...

12.jpg13.jpg
Bought a new light - Up-aqua pro led z20. The light is bright but very pinkish... But I think it is good for plant growth, so it's okay. Maybe the pinkish-ness would be less obvious once the tank is full of green plants.

Added some crypts, HC, riccia, taiwan & flame moss, bucephalandra from old tank, some rotalas (trying emersed)...

The mosses are just pasted on the wall. They stick very well on the wet and rough surface of the felt!

Hope the plants would grow fast  :Roll Eyes:  Plan to DIY a small fan for the tank next... the air is kind of stagnant in the tank, which is bad.


Please feel free to comment on how to improve! It's my first time trying a paludarium, I don't know what I did right or wrong really... But my aim is to have a tank with very lush emersed moss growth.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Bought a new light - Up-aqua pro led z20. The light is bright but very pinkish... But I think it is good for plant growth, so it's okay. Maybe the pinkish-ness would be less obvious once the tank is full of green plants.


The Z-Series lights are supposed to be whitish-bluish... i think they seem pinkish in the tank because the side walls have those light brownish colored felt mats, so the lights reflect off them and combine to cast a pink-orange color hue to the rest of the tank.  :Very Happy: 

But yeah, once the plants grow in and the green moss cover the felt mats, the overall color hue in the tank should change.

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## Justikanz

Thanks for the reply... Sorry, more queries...  :Razz: 




> 1) The base is really just supported by using the crate as "legs". Not strong, but sufficient to support about 2 kg with no problem. I am only using a relatively thin layer of soil on top, so the strength is sufficient.


This is a good method that can increase the water volume. I will try this out in my next project!




> 2) Yes, the corner lobang is for the pump access. Water outlet is straight up to the rain bars.


Wouldn't the water flow be restricted by the coconut husk mats?




> 3) You mean cover for the base? I used one layer of very fine mesh, those mesh that are used to make shrimp nets. Followed by rough mesh (I just used the black plant shade cover that I got from Daiso).


Sorry, I meant to ask the tank cover. You will need to maintain a high humidity in the tank and keeping the tank cool at the same time?




> 4) Initially I thought of housing frogs / small crabs, but think again, I would go fauna-less. I think if I kept fauna, the fauna would also sneak into the lobang into the pump area and maybe die.


I will think some fish will be necessary?  :Razz:  Frogs will be great but you will need to cover the holes of the wall mats...

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## gorilla83

> The Z-Series lights are supposed to be whitish-bluish... i think they seem pinkish in the tank because the side walls have those light brownish colored felt mats, so the lights reflect off them and combine to cast a pink-orange color hue to the rest of the tank. 
> 
> But yeah, once the plants grow in and the green moss cover the felt mats, the overall color hue in the tank should change.


never thought of this  :Razz:  yea, maybe this is the reason for the pinkish cast

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## gorilla83

> Thanks for the reply... Sorry, more queries... 
> 
> 
> 
> This is a good method that can increase the water volume. I will try this out in my next project!
> 
> 
> 
> Wouldn't the water flow be restricted by the coconut husk mats?
> ...


Water flow doesn't get restricted by the coco mat, because the main flow is straight down the felt mats to the back of the tank. A small dribble of water flows down the drift wood to the centre water area, but this flow is not restricted too, because the flow is small and also there are some gaps in the coco mat.


Yes, I found that covering the tank increases the temperature by about 2 degrees higher than ambient temperature. So I need to add a fan soon!

Maybe I will add some tiny fish like boraras brigittae or galaxy rasbora when the tank is fully mature :Wink:

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## gorilla83

Dear all, some updates after a month... Added more wild mosses on the driftwood, a sundew, ludwidgia repens, mini pelia, fissidens, hydrocotyle sibthorpioides etc. Moss wall is spreading slowly, hope it grows thicker. Still many bare patches in the soil that I don't know what plants to add yet.

14.jpg 15.jpg 16.jpg 17.jpg

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## kennethc

May i ask what is the purpose of the slant wall at the left hand corner?

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## AQMS

Nice...
if you want a fast growing moss wall on all the panels
check this out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsIljmgm7o

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## gorilla83

> May i ask what is the purpose of the slant wall at the left hand corner?


Hi kennethc, actually the slant wall is due to the opening for the water pump, so had to place the wall that way.

Intend to keep vampire crabs in the paludarium in future, so will be blocking the opening with a triangular mesh soon.  :Roll Eyes:

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## gorilla83

> Nice...
> if you want a fast growing moss wall on all the panels
> check this out....
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsIljmgm7o


Thanks zerofighterx101 !

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## gorilla83

Hi all, some photo updates during this festive season...

Recently, wanted to add some fauna into the tank, so I got a Geosesarma crab into the tank, but took it out after a few days after finding out that it likes to eat some of my plants in the tank :Shocked:  it munched on my drosera and also ate my bucephalandra leaves  :Knockout:  Here's a photo of my tank earlier with the crab in it  :Roll Eyes: 
phot.jpg

Recently also tried taking the photos with a better camera instead of my handphone. The photos turned out much clearer.

Trying some close-up shots...

Mini anubias
DSCN1208.jpgDSCN1209.jpg

Some mosses
DSCN1211.jpgDSCN1212.jpg

continued below...

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## gorilla83

can't attach any more images.. it says exceed quota..

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## limz_777

have to use photo hosting like photobucket or just delete old pictures

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## gorilla83

> have to use photo hosting like photobucket or just delete old pictures


Thanks limz_777!

To continue from previous post...

Bolbitis growing new leaves...


Added some new Bucephalandra and Crypt Parva... I can only grow semi-aquatic plants in the tank, as the substrate is continuously wet.


Wire vine growing slowly


Frontal tank shot
Have blocked off the openings at the left side... Now trying to keep 2 small feeder frogs


One of the 2 feeder frogs... I'm not sure what frog it is.. but I think it looks like a juvenile field frog with yellow stripe on it's back.
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/amp...field_frog.htm


The other frog with green stripe... I think the frog likes the environment.. The tank is full of springtails for them to eat. Also feeds them small crickets occasionally.

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## limz_777

nice, did i see a mushroom ? by the way how many type of moss you using on the wall ?

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## gorilla83

> nice, did i see a mushroom ? by the way how many type of moss you using on the wall ?


Yes, I think it came with the wild mosses I gathered...  :Razz: 

I think about 4? mainly taiwan moss, with some christmas moss, java moss and also riccia and fissidens.

The taiwan moss seems to be browning, not sure why.

Some apple mosses are also starting to grow on the wall too.

I plant whatever moss I can find in the tank.. trying to see which one grows best in the tank condition.

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## gorilla83

Froggy posing for the camera... interesting creature. Wish we could keep dart frogs in Singapore but unfortunately it is banned. :Sad: 


Froggy stoning...



Also added some more nana petite to the walls



Random shots

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## limz_777

> Yes, I think it came with the wild mosses I gathered... 
> 
> I think about 4? mainly taiwan moss, with some christmas moss, java moss and also riccia and fissidens.
> 
> The taiwan moss seems to be browning, not sure why.
> 
> Some apple mosses are also starting to grow on the wall too.
> 
> I plant whatever moss I can find in the tank.. trying to see which one grows best in the tank condition.



browning could be heat issue or initial dryness , quite surpise the riccia can stick to the wall

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## mark.s

A really interesting way to set it up!
I can't wait to see more updates from you...  :Smile: 

Great job!

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## atolylica

May I ask if it's possible to show how you connect your pump to the drip bars? For your 2 feet, how much liters per hour are you working at to ensure it is dripping (instead of shooting out)? And also, what's the minimum lift power to your tank height?

I'm really interested to start a semi-dry, but clueless on how to set the pump up?

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## polyho

May I asked what kind of felt you buy? Is it a hard felt that can stand up right without support? Also any other creative way to make the background wall uneven like bark? 

Intend yo yo make one and following your thread closely

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## gorilla83

> A really interesting way to set it up!
> I can't wait to see more updates from you... 
> 
> Great job!


Thank you for your encouragement mark.s! Waiting for my plants to grow bigger now, and also experimenting with keeping frogs... Will definitely post more photos in future :Wink:  One of my frogs actually managed to sneak out of the tank (I didn't seal the top properly). I discovered that it died and dried up outside my tank  :Knockout:  Now I am only left with one small frog  :Razz: 





> May I ask if it's possible to show how you connect your pump to the drip bars? For your 2 feet, how much liters per hour are you working at to ensure it is dripping (instead of shooting out)? And also, what's the minimum lift power to your tank height?
> 
> I'm really interested to start a semi-dry, but clueless on how to set the pump up?



I drew a quick diagram of how I connect the pipes in the tank.. the blue parts are connectors...
As you can see, I used many elbow connectors which are not necessary if I can find a 3-way connector. But somehow, I am unable to find a 3 way connector with the correct size  :Sad:  so I make do with many elbow connectors instead... lol  :Very Happy: 

The pump I used should be 650 l/hr if I didn't remember wrongly... I didn't do much calculations, it is just trial & error for me. But I did checked that the lift height specified is more than the tank height when looking for the pump. In my case, the water actually shoots out quite strongly, but no issue as the water is aimed to the felt which absorbs the water, which means there is no splashing. Also, the water flow had also been reduced at the moment, due to some algae growth in the pipe. There is still good flow, just not as strong.

I think depends on your set-up, if you just require one drip wall, it is pretty straightforward. But if 3 walls, you just need more piping  :Wink:  

Look forward to seeing your tank too  :Well done: 





> May I asked what kind of felt you buy? Is it a hard felt that can stand up right without support? Also any other creative way to make the background wall uneven like bark? 
> 
> Intend yo yo make one and following your thread closely


Yes, I bought the hard felt, quite stiff and rigid type. I sewed two layers of felt together, and there are slits cut in one layer of felt to allow the insertion of plants... Got the idea from those green walls pouches in the example photo below... just that I did it at a much smaller scale...


I think if you use felt, you could try making different sized pouches and fill it with peat.. but if you want it to look natural, you could just use cork bark for the background or mold your own styrofoam with peat moss silicon-ed on, it looks much more natural even without plants on it. Look forward to seeing your tank too  :Well done:

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## leezard78

very nice setup and pictures :Cool:

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## gorilla83

> very nice setup and pictures


Thank you leezard78  :Cool: 

Some updates... the leaves of all the Buceps I added seems to wilt and dry off, not sure why..

Added 4 more plants, Bacopa, Glossostigma, and 2 wild plants from the reservoir  :Grin: 

Bacopa caroliniana


Glossostigma elatinoides


Unknown plant 1 - could anyone help to ID?


Unknown plant 2 (bottom right of pic) - could anyone help to ID?



The Pleurothallis I added last time finally start growing 2 new leaves




Moss updates
This wild moss is spreading very fast in the tank


This wild liverwort? is also doing well



Frog updates
This 2nd frog with green stripe has grow quite a bit, but it is so timid and shy, always hiding. Had a hard time taking photos of it.
Missed the other frog that died that likes to pose for the camera.



Random shots of the tank







Happy Chinese New Year to all in advance !  :Jump for joy:

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## CP

Very nice!

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## Ipit

I'm just inspired to setup one of my own, just awesome sight. i like the transition from the groundworks all the way up to the growing stage. I have some questions about the "watering" part.

The rain bar is not exactly pouring out water like the "Over head filter" kind of flow right ? 

Mind if you could take a video water pump in action ?

Truly awsome setup man.Good job!

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## leezard78

its' beautiful. recent FTS?

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## kennethc

Amazing how your wild moss can grow! Mine just stay at its size and never grow onwards  :Crying:  perhaps you can teach me how? :-)

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## gorilla83

> Very nice!


Thank you CP :Smile: 




> I'm just inspired to setup one of my own, just awesome sight. i like the transition from the groundworks all the way up to the growing stage. I have some questions about the "watering" part.
> 
> The rain bar is not exactly pouring out water like the "Over head filter" kind of flow right ? 
> 
> Mind if you could take a video water pump in action ?
> 
> Truly awsome setup man.Good job!


Yes Ipit, the rain bar shoots water towards the back into the felt, so there is minimal splashing of water, just dripping...

In the beginning when setting up the tank, I had wanted to do a small waterfall.. but somehow ended up with this version.

Took a short video for you to see the water flow  :Wink:  click on the image. (No sound because you can hear people talking :Opps: )

Look forward to seeing your tank!







> its' beautiful. recent FTS?


Thank you leezard78.. Yes recent photos within a week of posting I think.




> Amazing how your wild moss can grow! Mine just stay at its size and never grow onwards  perhaps you can teach me how? :-)


I think just happened that this certain moss likes the tank conditions in my tank, there are some moss that seems to disappear, like the taiwan moss that I pasted on the walls initially. I am just like trial and error which moss/plant can survive better in my tank.

But I think the important thing is constant moisture, and also the temperature and air circulation.. I did made a small diy swamp cooler and directed the outlet into the tank.. it helped to lower the temperature by 0.5-1 degrees compared to room temperature, at the same time circulating the air, as well as supply humid air.

I saw your tank, nice layout. I think instead of the rainbar, you could use a water mister? To make more damp surfaces to provide more surfaces for the moss to grow. Think like cloud forest kind of environment. But also need lower temperatures and air circulation, if not you would encourage mold to grow.

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## Donut the Donkey

Awesome progress bro! May I know where you got your "wild mosses" from? The light green ones growing on the diagonal driftwoods look amazing. I can't seem to find this moss anywhere. Do you know it's name, or where you bought, or where you acquired them from if from the wild? Thanks.

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## limz_777

what diet you feed that field frog?

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## gorilla83

> Awesome progress bro! May I know where you got your "wild mosses" from? The light green ones growing on the diagonal driftwoods look amazing. I can't seem to find this moss anywhere. Do you know it's name, or where you bought, or where you acquired them from if from the wild? Thanks.


Hi Donut, those long erect ones are actually flame moss, got it from c328 last time… the growth seems to be very slow currently…




> what diet you feed that field frog?


Hi limz_777, i now feed the frog exclusively on small crickets, 1 cricket per day  :Smile:

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## limz_777

not easy to find small crickets , you breeding them ?

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## kennethc

coming out very beautifully! the moss are well grown, like.  :Well done:

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## gorilla83

> not easy to find small crickets , you breeding them ?


Nope, not breeding them, got the pinhead crickets from C328. One packet can last for a long time... I keep the crickets in a container and feed them fish flakes, with some added cotton wool for water. However, the crickets grow quite quickly, and after about a month, the crickets will have become medium sized already  :Surprised:  I had some crickets from my previous batch becoming adult, and the cricket chirps are so loud that I released the adult crickets. But right now my frog is bigger, so it can eat the medium sized crickets too. :Wink: 




> coming out very beautifully! the moss are well grown, like.


Thanks a lot kennethc!  :Smile:

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## gorilla83

Not much changes to the tank recently, but took some macro photos, so would like to share it over here.

Added one new plant from C328... Hydrocotyle tripartita


Took a close-up shot of a mushroom... like the texture on the mushroom cap


The green specks from the moss spreads everywhere...


One more leave growing from the Pleurothallis


Unknown plant grown a little


Crypt growing nicely


Small white flower from Glossostigma


Ludwigia repens - somehow this plants does not grow well in the tank, the growth is very slow.


Unknown plant sprouting from the moss


Random moss shot

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## gorilla83

Forgot to post about froggy... I managed to capture a shot of the frog recently... quite rare that the frog is out in the open and stays there for photoshoot  :Roll Eyes:  usually it hides and darts around the tank.


Another unknown moss growing across the Anubia leave...

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## gorilla83

Latest frontal photo of the tank


Random shot

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## gorilla83

Some updates after 1.5 months...

Added a new piece of driftwood at the centre.


Hydrocotyle tripartita is starting to colonize the foreground.


Added sphagnum moss and transplanted some liverwort and moss onto the new driftwood.


Like the moss growing reddish stems...


Full tank shot.

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## Donut the Donkey

Looks amazing bro! May I ask where you got the live sphagnum moss from? I recently bought the dried forms. Don't know if they can be revived. Doubt so if they're treated chemically. 

The additional new driftwood in the centre adds more depth from the fts perspective. Looking forward to the moss growth there. Macro shots, love it bro!

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## golfball

V nice! Especially so that the plants are growing.

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## gorilla83

> Looks amazing bro! May I ask where you got the live sphagnum moss from? I recently bought the dried forms. Don't know if they can be revived. Doubt so if they're treated chemically. 
> 
> The additional new driftwood in the centre adds more depth from the fts perspective. Looking forward to the moss growth there. Macro shots, love it bro!


Thanks bro! Nope, mine is dead sphagnum moss too... I pasted some liverworts on the sphagnum moss, maybe that's why you mistook it as alive  :Razz: 





> V nice! Especially so that the plants are growing.


Thank you golfball! Currently having some blue-green algae growing in the water though, I think there is no way I can get rid of the blue-green algae. The emersed areas are growing well though, so I'll just leave the blue-green algae alone.

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## Donut the Donkey

> Unknown plant sprouting from the moss
> 
> 
> Random moss shot


Really? Then what is the moss growing in the first picture? Looks like live sphagnum moss to me. If so, could it have been revived somehow, from being dried? If it isn't LSM, do you know what moss that is and where you got them?

edit: Sorry I didn't notice you put liverwort. What type of liverwort is that then, and where did you buy/get it?  :Smile: 

In the second picture, what is the moss growing in the bottom left of the picture?

Lastly, I read that you have 'Apple moss'. Where did you get that too?

Sorry for asking alot of questions. I really love your setup. Thanks.

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## gorilla83

Yes, quite sure it's not sphagnum moss, I transplanted it from one of the potted plants that I got from world farm quite some time ago. Not sure what moss it is though. The liverwort was also unknown, scraped it off the ground from some plant nursery..  :Razz: 

In the second picture, the moss at the bottom left is some apple moss... got that wild too. From some rocks near Dairy farm park I think... I only got a fifty cent sized patch.. but it spreads everywhere in the tank. Most of the mosses are wild from outdoors... they establish faster since they are already in terrestrial form.

No problem Donut, I love my setup too  :Smile: 
It's virtually maintenance-free.. besides topping up water that is filtered with activated charcoal every 2-3 days. And also feeding my always hiding frog with crickets.

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## Donut the Donkey

> Yes, quite sure it's not sphagnum moss, I transplanted it from one of the potted plants that I got from world farm quite some time ago. Not sure what moss it is though. The liverwort was also unknown, scraped it off the ground from some plant nursery.. 
> 
> In the second picture, the moss at the bottom left is some apple moss... got that wild too. From some rocks near Dairy farm park I think... I only got a fifty cent sized patch.. but it spreads everywhere in the tank. Most of the mosses are wild from outdoors... they establish faster since they are already in terrestrial form.
> 
> No problem Donut, I love my setup too 
> It's virtually maintenance-free.. besides topping up water that is filtered with activated charcoal every 2-3 days. And also feeding my always hiding frog with crickets.


Awesome! Many thanks bro gorilla83. I especially adore the 'Apple moss'. Hey, if your's is established enough, care to scrape off some for me to test/grow out?  :Grin:  Or you could sell some off to me.  :Smile:

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## gorilla83

> Awesome! Many thanks bro gorilla83. I especially adore the 'Apple moss'. Hey, if your's is established enough, care to scrape off some for me to test/grow out?  Or you could sell some off to me.


This moss is very commonly found really.. you just need to look around closely. I think you can find it on the floors of most plant nurseries, those shady and moist areas.

But if you really want, you can PM me your address, I don't mind mailing some to you FOC.  :Smile:

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## koky

Very nice natural looking eco system! How do you keep the moss on driftwood wet? Do you spray water over them once in a while or just rely on the water dripping onto the felt?

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## gorilla83

> Very nice natural looking eco system! How do you keep the moss on driftwood wet? Do you spray water over them once in a while or just rely on the water dripping onto the felt?


Thank you koky! No spraying at all... for the left and right driftwood, it is kept wet by the 2 water tubes connected from the spray bar. For the centre driftwood, it is kept wet by the layer of sphagnum moss spread on the driftwood, which is linked to the felt and wicks water down to the driftwood.

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## fireblade

what moss is that on the left side of the tank?
do you encounter mould problem?

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## kennethc

Bravo sir, enjoyed looking at your set up. My tank failed miserably because i think its too hot.. so only water plants survived hah  :Embarassed:

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## gorilla83

> what moss is that on the left side of the tank?
> do you encounter mould problem?


Hi fireblade, it is some apple moss which can be found quite commonly... I guess it is Philonotis hastata.
Yes, there are quite a lot of mould growth initially, which disappears by itself after some time. There is quite strong air circulation in the tank which helps prevent the mould from taking over I think.





> Bravo sir, enjoyed looking at your set up. My tank failed miserably because i think its too hot.. so only water plants survived hah


 Hi kennethc, yes the recent weather is so hot... have a DIY swamp cooler which helps to cool the tank, if not many plants in my tank will die too I think. :Sad:

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## bluebubbles

Very nice tank. I would also include a "waterfall" if space allows. But I have a question, will the felt eventually give way or "melt" under prolong wet condition? It seems though that it holds many plants very well as compare to a cork bark.

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## gorilla83

Thank you bluebubbles, am thinking of how make some water trickle into the centre pool  :Wink:  I think the felt would last for many years, as the felt is those very dense and rigid type, so it remains strong even in wet condition. Yes, it holds the plants very well as the plant's roots grow into the felt quite easily.

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## limz_777

any picture of the swamp cooler ? thinking of diy one too ,weather this month really damn hot , how long can the cooling effect last for ?

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## gorilla83

> any picture of the swamp cooler ? thinking of diy one too ,weather this month really damn hot , how long can the cooling effect last for ?




Hi limz_777, picture of my diy swamp cooler... my design is not really efficient, a better design is probably the one in the link below.
For my design, I just put water and throw some wet cloth in the box. The surface area for the water evaporation is not maximized.
The cooling effect lasts as long as the media in the box is wet, usually I top up water once a week. The coolness is not very much, probably 1 degrees, but you can feel the cooler air when placing your hand at the air outlet  :Cool:  I think the air from the swamp cooler is great for moss since it is cool and moist.

Note: You need a powerful fan and also good air sealing, if not the air output will be quite low. Also, The diameter of the inlet and outlet should ideally be quite similar, if not the fan has to work much harder. (Initially, my cooler only has 1 pipe, and the fan not strong enough to push the air, which result in very little output. The air output is higher after I added another outlet)

https://robotfun.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/swampcooler/

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## onnonn

Cool setup. Hope I can do one also. Thank you so much for sharing. Very informative.

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## Cardinal Tetra

Any updates on your tank? How about a fts?

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## gorilla83

> Any updates on your tank? How about a fts?


Hi Cardinal Tetra, yes it's been quite some time since the last update... didn't make any major changes, just let the tank grow by itself.

So here's a some photos which I just took today of my tank  :Smile: 


Recently, the coco fibre mat have started to disintegrate, so I did some patching and also some trimming of the plants.

Currently, the most vigorous growing plant is the Hydrocotyle, which completely covers the centre portion of the foreground, and sending runners everywhere. The plants in the foreground are completely covered by the Hydrocotyle and disappears under the leaves.

The centre background still does not get as thickly covered in moss as I wished. Will prefer the moss to grow densely like it is on the left side wall.

Latest FTS - added some philodendrons and fittonia to test if it can grow well in the tank





The Hydrocotyle manages to grow up the driftwood and over it...



I like this leafy liverwort, but currently it only grows in a few small patches in the tank.





Not too much grow on the centre driftwood... the black patches on the wood are actually blue-green algae



The Crypt is still doing well, recently noticed that it sent out some inflorescence, which had already wilted away 



Anubias nana still growing, though the big ones kind of died away, not sure why.



Lastly, a photo of froggie, which is still always hiding and extremely hard to take photos of.

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## kennethc

Maybe you can shift the light towards the back so that more light can be reached to the center background moss?

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## Cardinal Tetra

Appreciate the update, hope to learn more from your setup.
Perhaps you can add red or pinkish plants to break the green colour, just a suggestion.

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## gorilla83

> Maybe you can shift the light towards the back so that more light can be reached to the center background moss?


Yes, I will try that now  :Well done: 





> Appreciate the update, hope to learn more from your setup.
> Perhaps you can add red or pinkish plants to break the green colour, just a suggestion.


Yes, no problem, will look for reddish plants, but I can only think of fittonia now. Maybe I will try growing some water plants emersed again.  :Roll Eyes:

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## Ke77eth

nice work !

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## Ingen

Nice! What are those mosses that you have on the wall? I'm building a riparium/paladurium, unsure what type of moss to use for the driftwood wall.

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## gorilla83

> nice work !


Thank you Ke77eth!





> Nice! What are those mosses that you have on the wall? I'm building a riparium/paladurium, unsure what type of moss to use for the driftwood wall.


Thank you Ingen! I think those are Philonotis hastata. This moss spreads very fast and usually also grown as foreground cover under bonsai.
I think you could try a few different mosses on your driftwood, to see which one grows best. Initially for my tank, I pasted aquatic mosses on the felt wall, but I think all of them disappeared.

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## Ingen

Thanks for sharing. Any idea where I can get some? Would like to give it a try

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## gorilla83

> Thanks for sharing. Any idea where I can get some? Would like to give it a try


I think got the moss wild from some nature trails, but i can't remember. I saw this moss in plant nurseries too growing on the ground.

You just have to observe carefully the mosses on the ground.

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## Ingen

You mean its those common moss on the ground along the footpath?

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## gorilla83

> You mean its those common moss on the ground along the footpath?


Yes, it can sometimes be found on rocks along footpaths, but it's more commonly found in potted plants in nurseries.

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## TheAquarist

Normally on tree barks got de . Just pluck off the whole thing 😂

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## Cardinal Tetra

Any updates? I really like your setup, it gives a lush and wild overgrown moss land that looks so natural. Where do you usually get your mosses from?
Where do you stay? Would like to see your tank in person if possible.

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## tarzanboy

Hi, pardon me if the question being ask may i know what kind of moss grow at the diftwood do you tie them or simply attact them or are those moss as you mention is commonly found in potted plants in nurseries.  :Wink:

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## gorilla83

> Any updates? I really like your setup, it gives a lush and wild overgrown moss land that looks so natural. Where do you usually get your mosses from?
> Where do you stay? Would like to see your tank in person if possible.


Hi Cardinal Tetra, thank you very much for your compliments. I picked the mosses from nature parks  :Razz: .

I stay in the west, but not comfortable with visits to see the tank as the tank is in my bedroom :Embarassed: .

Will try to post updates whenever I can though.


Latest tank shot...
Added 2 stem plants from C328 in the left-back portion of the tank. I think I found a plant that likes the tank conditions finally, as the growth is very vigorous. Also tried adding a mini-orchid that I got from hortpark bazaar... I hanged the mounts in mid-air, so the mount does not stay wet, which almost killed my previous mini orchid. Also, I deepened the front portion of the water area by removing some substrate, so the water portion appears deeper. Also added some Selaginella erythropus from C328 too, to add some red plants as suggested by Cardinal Tetra :Wink: . It's not that red, but it did break the monotony of the green colour a little  :Smile: 



Left angle shot


Right angle shot... also trimmed off the over-grown Hydrocotyle in the centre portion to make room for the Selaginella.


Closer look


Closer look on the 2 plants in the left back portion


Close-up on the mini orchid - Schoenorchis fragrans. Very cute mini-orchid.


Managed to catch froggy on camera..
Froggy shot 1


Froggy shot 2


I think I liked mini-orchids... will look for more to add in the tank.


Also thinking of setting up an aboreal vivarium soon, using an exo-terra tank (but it's too expensive and can't find the right size that I want, so I think I'll DIY from a 2 feet tank)
Eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-oBqw4X_Ww
Will keep it dry this time though... will start a new thread for this tank when I have time to set up a new tank  :Smile:

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## gorilla83

> Hi, pardon me if the question being ask may i know what kind of moss grow at the diftwood do you tie them or simply attact them or are those moss as you mention is commonly found in potted plants in nurseries.


Hi tarzanboy, for the left driftwood, it is now occupied by a type of liverwort that I found on the floor in a plant nursery... for the right driftwood, it is mostly occupied by flame moss bought from C328, and also some wild moss.

I did not tie the moss, I just pasted it on the driftwood. You can also provide a media for the moss to grow, pasting some wet sphagnum moss on the wood first (those dried sphagnum moss that people use for planting orchids).

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## tarzanboy

Thank brother for your information i setting a vivarium soon by year end moving house soon, may i know that where you purchase your mini orchid i went to world farm yesterday but could not find any any advise.

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## gorilla83

> Thank brother for your information i setting a vivarium soon by year end moving house soon, may i know that where you purchase your mini orchid i went to world farm yesterday but could not find any any advise.


Hi tarzanboy, I got it from hortpark at the garden bazaar.. this sat and sun the bazaar is still on, but no guarantee if there are any mini orchid left. But you could still visit the place if you are into gardening, there are many plants for sale there by gardening enthusiasts.

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## fireblade

will there be any mould issue? if yes, how did you combat that?

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## TheAquarist

Mould means warm temp and high humidity, this usually happens when theres no exchange of air, if im right

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## gorilla83

> will there be any mould issue? if yes, how did you combat that?





> Mould means warm temp and high humidity, this usually happens when theres no exchange of air, if im right
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Hi fireblade, yes initially there was some mold growth on the driftwood, but I think it is just a natural process of decay that will go away after some time. But agree with TheAquarist too, if there is no air circulation and it is too warm and wet, it could favor mold growth instead of moss. 

However, even if we could prevent the growth of mold with some subtance that is anti-fungal (eg. tea tree oil? but never tried before), moss would still not grow well because it is too hot.

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## Cardinal Tetra

Hi bro, saw that you used acrylic cover for your tank. Is the cover fully sealed?

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## gorilla83

> Hi bro, saw that you used acrylic cover for your tank. Is the cover fully sealed?


Hi bro, nope it's not sealed at all... the acrylic cover i have is too short, so I extend it using plastic sheet.

I think my frog escaped about 3 times last time from the tank  :Confused: 

I intend to DIY a proper hood with some wood from daiso, but currently still no time to do it yet...

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## TheAquarist

Question, how does the substrate NOT fall in the mesh when u first started out? 

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## gorilla83

> Question, how does the substrate NOT fall in the mesh when u first started out? 
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Hi TheAquarist, there is an additional super-fine mesh layer, so the substrate can't fall through the mesh  :Wink:

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## Cardinal Tetra

Hi gorilla, any updates? I read that you seeded your soil with springtails. Where did you get them? Also, do you feed your frog crickets daily?

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## gorilla83

> Hi gorilla, any updates? I read that you seeded your soil with springtails. Where did you get them? Also, do you feed your frog crickets daily?


Hi Cardinal Tetra, not much changes to the tank, still looked the same now, so won't post updates yet.

The springtails I got them in the wild too  :Razz:  you can find them under damp leaf litter... but there are other insects in the leaf litter too, so this is if you don't mind some other insects... The springtails multiple quite fast when the conditions are right. In fact, springtails are everywhere. You can even find some in your home.. although there are many different species at different locations.

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## Goalkeeper

Very nice growth. The Bolbitis are ok grown outside of water? Where do you get the wire vine from...nice leaf shape and color.

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## Cardinal Tetra

Hi gorilla, hope you're still around. I've just updated my thread. Time to update yours.  :Smile: 
Interested to see how your tank is doing.

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## gorilla83

> Very nice growth. The Bolbitis are ok grown outside of water? Where do you get the wire vine from...nice leaf shape and color.


Thank you Goalkeeper  :Smile:  Yes, I think the Bolbitis can grows in very humid and cool environment, it is not a aquatic plant if I am not wrong.
The wire vine I can't rem where I got it, I think some local nursery sells it.

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## gorilla83

> Hi gorilla, hope you're still around. I've just updated my thread. Time to update yours. 
> Interested to see how your tank is doing.


Hi Cardinal Tetra, yea still around  :Wink:  Recently have been busy and have been neglecting my tank. Also, I am tired of topping up my tank with water every 1-2 days.  :Razz:  My frog also died a few months ago too  :Knockout: 

So I decided to let the tank die off and change it into a scape without water in future.

Here's how my tank looks like now, just took the photo...

I turned off the fan and water pump 2 days ago... so there are some condensation on the glass and the moss wall is slowly drying off...

Will start a new scape when I have more time  :Wink:

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## Cardinal Tetra

Thanks for the update. Hate to see your setup go, especially the moss walls. I suppose the air plants didnt make it? Also, what is the black mesh for? The picture looks like a scene in a nature broadwalk!

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## gorilla83

> Thanks for the update. Hate to see your setup go, especially the moss walls. I suppose the air plants didnt make it? Also, what is the black mesh for? The picture looks like a scene in a nature broadwalk!


You mean the mini orchids? Yes, still alive, but it's not in the picture because I removed the plastic cover and the plants are hanging on the cover.

The black mesh platform I used it previously to place some humid loving plants  :Smile:

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## Greyc

Where did you get the spring tails from?

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## gorilla83

> Where did you get the spring tails from?


Hi Greyc, i got it in the wild under some decomposing wood in the forest. After that they sort of multiplied in the tank afterwards.

There are many different kinds of springtails and you can find them almost everywhere, even in some parts of your home  :Grin:

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## Cardinal Tetra

> Hi Greyc, i got it in the wild under some decomposing wood in the forest. After that they sort of multiplied in the tank afterwards.
> 
> There are many different kinds of springtails and you can find them almost everywhere, even in some parts of your home


Hey there, any updates on your new setup?

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