Crab-Orchidarium :Split Design Build

[Smotzer]

Hello all! I am back at it going to be building a large new vivarium as the center piece/faux wall barrier for our new living room redesign using two 30x12x16” tanks!

I’ll use this thread to post updates as I build what should be my most fun build yet!
I’ve been wanting to start a build for my miniature Orchids for over a year now and the tanks are not quite as tall as I was going to build them to be but these tanks on sale for $64 each on Black Friday ($100 off) was just way too good to pass up and I can make them work for my orchids and also some invertebrates too.


Picking them up Friday:


The tanks:

For me when doing layouts like this side-by-side I want it to visually flow from one tank into the other with the hardscape and I think I decided this morning what the shared hardscape will be that includes a trunk feature with an branch feature to plant the orchids and epiphytes on as well. Aspects of the trunk will sit hopefully in a pond feature and I would like to have a small trickle of water falling from the trunk into the pond. I am thinking I might add Geosesarma into the tanks hence the water pond feature! But the macro invertebrates are still open to change. Here’s what I am thinking design wise:


And also possibly on one side or the other this reaching branch feature.

Since I don’t have as much height as I initially planned for this build I will be trying to maximize as much horizontal leveling by creating tiers and levels to plant at different heights so I can create different light levels around and underneath objects which I need for the flora.

Anyway thanks for stopping by and I look forward to any comments or questions in the thread as I begin this new build over the winter!

 

[moricollins]

Nice!
Look forward to seeing it as it progresses.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I second this! Love your tank designs.

 

[Dorifto]

+1

Waiting for the progress!!!

Any plans for an automated misting system?

 

[The Snark]

I'd be tempted to saw a unique piece of wood in half, separate the tanks by a few inches and have the sawed pieces make continuity between the two.

 

[me and my Ts]

I'd be tempted to saw a unique piece of wood in half, separate the tanks by a few inches and have the sawed pieces make continuity between the two.

I like tanks like that, I saw somebody do it with like 5 different exo terras

 

[Smotzer]

Nice!
Look forward to seeing it as it progresses.

Thanks! I do too!!

I second this! Love your tank designs.

Thanks as well! It should be a fun one!

+1

Waiting for the progress!!!

Any plans for an automated misting system?

You know I haven’t thought about that yet, possibly. I don’t do any automated misting i kinda prefer to take care of everything as needed but maybe!?

I'd be tempted to saw a unique piece of wood in half, separate the tanks by a few inches and have the sawed pieces make continuity between the two.

That is the exact plan!

I like tanks like that, I saw somebody do it with like 5 different exo terras

Wow that would be awesome to do it with that Many side by side! Viv Goals for sure!

 

[Dorifto]

You know I haven’t thought about that yet, possibly. I don’t do any automated misting i kinda prefer to take care of everything as needed but maybe!?

Yeah there is some charm doing it by yourself

Let me know if you eant to build a cheap diy kit.

 

[Smotzer]

Yeah there is some charm doing it by yourself

Let me know if you eant to build a cheap diy kit.

And yeah I also find that I can manage moisture a bit better doing it manually.

A cheap diy kit for a misting system? Sure I'll take a look at that and consider it for sure!

 

[Dorifto]

And yeah I also find that I can manage moisture a bit better doing it manually.

A cheap diy kit for a misting system? Sure I'll take a look at that and consider it for sure!

A cheap coffee machine high pressure pump
Pvc neumatic tubes
Neumatic couplers
Misting nozzles
A digital switch, with seconds measuring option.

I built mine for 30bucks, then after adding stainless still tubes around 50 bucks

Or cheap aliexpress ones.

US $63.19 | Sistema de nebulización de reptiles Mister para terrario camaleón tortuga lagarto tanque con boquillas ajustables de 360 °

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EjJldMr

 

[Smotzer]

Finally getting towards building the hardscape, other things took priority and I was still in the process of collecting all the hardscape wood pieces! but I just now sawed the trunk in half that will tie the two tanks together visually in the middle, so here starts the process of beginning to at least put togrher the

The inspiration:

For me when doing layouts like this side-by-side I want it to visually flow from one tank into the other with the hardscape and I think I decided this morning what the shared hardscape will be that includes a trunk feature with an branch feature to plant the orchids and epiphytes on as well. Aspects of the trunk will sit hopefully in a pond feature and I would like to have a small trickle of water falling from the trunk into the pond. I am thinking I might add Geosesarma into the tanks hence the water pond feature! But the macro invertebrates are still open to change. Here’s what I am thinking design wise:

My bandsaw has to be fixed so I had to do it the old fashioned way!

it’s going to look pretty good in there!

And then got the branch section that will offer some vertical planting/climbing space and dynamics over the pond off the trunk. Just have to cut them to fit onto the trunk and attach them likely with some screws since the one side is quite lofty.

I am still debating doing a water fall/flow down the trunks on each side of how to go about it. The pump housing the traditionally way of making a large rectangle that goes from floor to ceiling to house the pump takes up a lot of room since the tanks are only 12” front to back so I may try and make an abbreviated pump housing and hide the cord a little more creatively. But not totally sure yet!

And here are some of the hardscape pieces I have collected over the last few months to try and create lots of dimension and dynamics in the tank for the Geosesarma to utilize as climbing space! All have been collected from nature! Have no idea how everything will all be planted yet except the split trunk!

Anyway thanks for stopping by, following along, reading, and viewing my new build thread! Happy New Year to you all!

 

[The Snark]

Sweet!
What you are doing there is very similar to a studio set where they were making a claymation movie as a class project. They were undertaking the layout as you are doing but to add a little complexity the animated gnomes were assembling the set. Measuring, cutting and constructing. And more complexity, there were about 6 gnomes undertaking the operations, all under the eye of several stop motion video cameras one frame at a time.
(Around 20 students involved, most of a school year in the making. Some serious award given for the finished 15 minute movie. Of note, the father of one of the students was an animator working for Disney. A little leg up on using the tricks of the trade. I saw the 'pre-padding' of the video before the filler frames were added which was only 2+ minutes long. If memory serves, some 20,000 frames edited out to around 200,000. Gack!)

 

[Smotzer]

Sweet!
What you are doing there is very similar to a studio set where they were making a claymation movie as a class project. They were undertaking the layout as you are doing but to add a little complexity the animated gnomes were assembling the set. Measuring, cutting and constructing. And more complexity, there were about 6 gnomes undertaking the operations, all under the eye of several stop motion video cameras one frame at a time.
(Around 20 students involved, most of a school year in the making. Some serious award given for the finished 15 minute movie. Of note, the father of one of the students was an animator working for Disney. A little leg up on using the tricks of the trade. I saw the 'pre-padding' of the video before the filler frames were added which was only 2+ minutes long. If memory serves, some 20,000 frames edited out to around 200,000. Gack!)

Yes it’s kinda like that it’s very step by step and incremental with allowing a design to come out naturally!

 

[Smotzer]

Right tank right side corner! This will make a nice dynamic level off the floor in the corner for additional planting and climbing space and alter light levels!

 

[Smotzer]

I will probably stop updating this thread for a bit and then make a step by step build post or probably two back to back to show how the to do a full build like this but the split trunk design that links the two tank designs buttressing the ponds got siliconed in this morning, after the pond features were installed on Friday! So finally the build has begun!! If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask them in here and I will be happy to answer your questions! The next step will be building and establishing the waterfall feature that will cascade down onto the trunk and down into the pond!

Geosesarma Orchidarium Build Begins!

• Smotzer
• Jan 10, 2023
• geosesarma orchid orchidarium paludarium pond terrarium vampire crab vivarium water

Got the split trunk siliconed in place that joins the layout of the two 30”L tanks in the middle...

 

[The Snark]

I'm curious as to what orchids you will be putting in. Those ultra rare $$$$$$$$$$$$$ miniatures or just swap in younger ones when they over grow or are you competent in dwarfing them or or or?? (I'm a top flight expert at dwarfing them. Neglect + klutz)
I keep thinking of a mind blowing display of orchids hanging in little baskets in a row. Most of them had flower stalks with brilliant white flowers. From tip of roots to the end of the stalks, each no more than 6 inches or so. I think I was told they were a Borneo varietal. Then at a restaurant near here they have some very mature orchids on their trees. One is competing with a strangler fig for root growth, from the longest root out to the end of a nearly 3 foot flower stalk it's about 7 feet.

 

[Smotzer]

I'm curious as to what orchids you will be putting in. Those ultra rare $$$$$$$$$$$$$ miniatures or just swap in younger ones when they over grow or are you competent in dwarfing them or or or?? (I'm a top flight expert at dwarfing them. Neglect + klutz)
I keep thinking of a mind blowing display of orchids hanging in little baskets in a row. Most of them had flower stalks with brilliant white flowers. From tip of roots to the end of the stalks, each no more than 6 inches or so. I think I was told they were a Borneo varietal. Then at a restaurant near here they have some very mature orchids on their trees. One is competing with a strangler fig for root growth, from the longest root out to the end of a nearly 3 foot flower stalk it's about 7 feet.

I am going to be using my true miniatures or mostly miniatures( I would also like to use a few of my Chiloschitas which are not that small in time but they are all leafless so they don’t take up much room till they bloom) !
I am not totally sure what all I will be putting in and whetebecause I am not totally sure the hardscape design yet so not sure what will all fit in! I’ll DM you all that I am keeping as I am not sure what I will use so I’ll post a full plant list in here when it is all planted which will include all the other non-orchids as well!

And those sounds like all very nice orchids you have seen!!

Thanks for continually engaging with me here in this thread!

 

[Smotzer]

Life had massively gotten in between making progress on these but 1 of 2 is done and just needs to be planted!

 

[Smotzer]

Life had massively gotten in between making progress on these but 1 of 2 is done and just needs to be planted! View attachment 455024
And how the wage feature looks all done!

 

[TLSizzle]

Soo amazing looking!

I apologize if you've already stated it, but how do you adhere the wood to the wall? Silicone? Also, to do the dirt background, is it Silicone and dirt?