More Terrarium Pics--Whadya Think?

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Posted by Homer1 on April 25, 2003 at 08:27:19:

In Reply to: More Terrarium Pics--Whadya Think? posted by kyle1745 on April 24, 2003 at 21:18:14:

The driftwood is made from the roots of an osage orange tree that had fallen over in the creek behind my parent's house. It's VERY rot resistant.

The terrarium is 24" x 24" x 24", but the glass viewing area is about 24" x 24" x 18". In volume, its a bit over 50 gallons of space. The base/reservoir is made of 3/4" exterior plywood and 2x6 dimensional lumber (that's overkill, as I now know) covered in fiberglass and painted with a two part epoxy resin paint for waterproof reasons. Because the bottom 6" of the tank is wood, I don't have to worry about the ugly false bottom syndrome you talked about earlier.

The entire front slides off (which is a design feature I LOVE--makes maintenance a breeze), and the glass is 3/8" thick with rounded edges. The top is glass that sits in a frame hinged to the terrarium for easy access to the top. Everything fits together as tight as a drum because I made silicon gaskets around every moving opening.

I'm still waiting for everything to grow in (especially up the back), but I'm pretty happy with the results. Maybe I can get some better pics later, but for now, my crumby digital camera will have to suffice.

Homer

Right now I am applying some oak trim pieces to the top and bottom so that it looks like a piece of furniture that my wife wouldn't mind having in our living room. I'll post some more pics when I finish that part sometime next month.

:Nice, I would also like to knwo what type of wood that is. Looks like a homemade tank also, what size is it?

:kyle

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::Okay, back by popular demand, I have some pics of the terrarium I have been tinkering with for quite some time now. It's been setup for about 3 months now, adding plants and new features a little at a time. Recently, I added a new stronger pump for the waterfall (which is difficult to see due to the lighting and the fact that the stones are red/brown/purple bluestone that blends in with the substrate and it's covered with java moss). That's why there is a cord in the upper right hand corner. I promise it will be covered soon, but I just haven't figured out how yet.

::I have some Selagenella I will be picking up this weekend to add some more texture and green to the darker corners under the driftwood roots. Let me know what you think. Too many plants? I think it will look better as it grows in. It still has that too young, recently been planted look to it. I'm hoping that the Nepenthes in the upper right will vine up the back of the terrarium and add some more height and texture variation.

::Homer

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