terrarium completed!

[1joyceh]

I have collected several types of moss...ferns...carnivorous, and tillandsia...
thought this would add to the orchid collection, a little different, but same conditions...
Unfortunately, I lost my fish during the freak blizzard, and had the tank empty...thought it would be of use for these guys

polystrichum sus-sinese (2)

Pinguicula moranensis (3)

3 types of selaginella

Sarracenia‘Scarlet Belle' (1)

Tillandsia ionantha (4)

Nepenthes ventricosa (1)

ps.....Justin, this is the baby ventricosa for you....if she survives, feels like there are roots the maxima too YIPEE!!!!!!! soon, they will be on their way

[tocarmar]

Very Nice!! Eventually I will have one too..

[jpyerry]

Lovely, and nice setup I like the layout. I have a CP terrarium, I will have to put up a few pictures. I have been slowly moving a lot of my terrarium plants into pots because I have had problems with crowding.

PS. I can't wait to get my babies, so excited. I think it shouldn't be too much longer before yours are ready to be exchanged, hopefully less than a month.

Justin

[Filb]

Very cool! I really like terrariums!
They are a bit intimidating though. What do you use for a lid (or don't you)?

[1joyceh]

no lid...because the carnivorous are in there...want the darn soil gnats to go in...the butterworts love them ;-)

[JudyC]

Very nice!!

I've purchased a few really nice heavy glass containers from our local thrift store in hopes of making a coffee table arrangement.

Tho, in my area I've yet to find something that would add a splash of colour that would survive nicely with the ferns, and that type of environment.

[jpyerry]

Here are two pictures of my CP terrarium, it is not nearly as extensive as Joyce's, and like I said I have been moving a lot of my plants out of the terrarium and into the grow tent. The plants in the terrarium are from left to right: Venus Flytrap 'Crested Petioles', Drosera spatulata var 'Fraser Island Form', Drosera capensis, and Pinguicula primuliflora. And, there is some live sphagnum moss in there too. Enjoy!

[1joyceh]

Very nice Justin!!! I was afraid to put the Drosera capensis in...a little on the finicky side for me...afraid to move her now....might try with the next one...I have a little "greenhouse", more rustic than yours...really like that one btw
maybe my next go round??? LOL, always a project going on in my head...thanks for the idea

[RebelCowgirl]

That is so cool Joyce, hey are you gonna put those cute little tree frogs in there?

[1joyceh]

nooooo, no tree frogs Jenny....LOL...
I would drag the 55 gal tank up from the cellar for that...as you can tell, I have thought about that
....but my latest mantra is no more critters...3 dogs, a cat, and a bird are plenty...broke my heart when the fish died a few weeks ago, during the storm....no more critters...

[RebelCowgirl]

Awww thats sad but I think it would be cool with frogs.......Just sayin lol.

[SurfDudeVb]

I thought I would chime in with some photos of my terrarium. Mine isn't a carnivorous plant terrarium though, mine is a few bromeliads(sadly from HD, but they look nice), Tillandsia Iontha, Nephrolepis cordifolia 'duffii' (Lemon Button Fern), Ficus sp. 'Lance Leaf', Pellaea rotundifolia, Pothos Ivy, and a NOID Phal that I recently mounted to the background.

The terrarium is a 18x18x24 ZooMed Terrarium, it has 2 24" flourescents for lighting. Humidity is maintained with a ZooMed Fogger and controlled by a ZooMed HygroTherm, which also controls the heat. The tank is misted every morning when the lights kick on for 30secs with a ExoTerra Monsoon mist system. The tank maintains a daytime temp of around 75-80F with the heater running, and night time drops down to about 68-72F with heat off, it runs a RH of anywhere from 75-80%. The fogger is set to 80% but it will fall about 5% or more before it kicks itself on.

I plan to add some miniature orchids to the terrarium collection. I want to mount them all over the background and on some of the branches. I'm going to wait and see how the phal does and then move from there. I have a Drydella Simula that I would love to mount but don't want to risk it until I see how something else does. I would also love to get some leafless orchids to attach somehow to the screen top so the would grow hanging down and give the tank of having plants growing above it and its just a section out of the jungle.
Here are some pics for everyone to check out.

[SurfDudeVb]

I don't know how to get the nice little thumbnails... If someone could MOD this it would be awesome. Sorry for the huge photos...

[1joyceh]

LOL we LOVE the big pics SurfDude
that is a super terrarium!! great work

[RebelCowgirl]

WOW SurfDude that is awesome, do you have any frogs in it?

[jpyerry]

Wow SurfDudeVb, really nice setup! I showed the pictures to my terrarium and now it is off in the corner of my room feeling embarassed about itself. Nice job. You should add a few CP's, no terrarium is complete without at least one. Since you kind of have a tropical forest motif going, I would recommend a Nepenthes, something on the smaller low growing side like say an ampullaria or something along those lines.

Justin

[SurfDudeVb]

Originally Posted by jpyerry

Wow SurfDudeVb, really nice setup! I showed the pictures to my terrarium and now it is off in the corner of my room feeling embarassed about itself. Nice job. You should add a few CP's, no terrarium is complete without at least one. Since you kind of have a tropical forest motif going, I would recommend a Nepenthes, something on the smaller low growing side like say an ampullaria or something along those lines.

Justin

I would love some ideas for CP. The one you describe sounds ideal for me. I have a section all the way down at the bottom of the tank that needs to be filled. I thought that most CP needed very bright light which might not work for the location I have.

[jpyerry]

Originally Posted by SurfDudeVb

I would love some ideas for CP. The one you describe sounds ideal for me. I have a section all the way down at the bottom of the tank that needs to be filled. I thought that most CP needed very bright light which might not work for the location I have.

You are correct that most CP's do need very bright light, full sun is best, but I have a lot of luck growing mine about 12" away from T5HO lights. However, Nepenthes plants do not require as much light, I have found that too much light can actually burn them. I grow mine around 24" away from my T5HO lights, alongside my Oncidiums and they seem happy enough. So, I think that that if you wanted to give Nepenthes a try, you would probably have luck. N. ampullaria (the one I recommended) comes in a variety of colors, a particularly striking coloration is the red one. It would be a nice way to add a splash of color to your terrarium, and I am pretty sure N. ampullaria is fairly inexpensive (I think you can acquire one online for under $30).

I hope you give it a try,
Justin

[1joyceh]

hey SurfDude, another one you might try is Pinguicula. They like a lot of light, but I have had great luck on a 2nd shelf...getting only filtered light, that low in the terrarium, they would be great at snagging any newly winged soil gnats that came around....just a thought....

[orchids4me]

These are very noce set ups you 3
I wish I had room and time for this avenue of growing.
All look fantastic!!!

[Carkin]

I love your terrariums! Thank you for sharing those pics, they are truly inspiring. I went to a seminar at Clouds that was about vivariums and terrariums and got lots of good ideas. They had a terrarium on display that had a miniature pond and a waterfall, and they had glued cork bark to the sides of the tank so there were lots of little mounts too.
Jenny you are fixated on frogs just like me! I would love to have a vivarium with little frogs hopping around in it.

[bumpman]

Hi Joyce, Nice set-up! Please be careful not to let the tillies stay wet - like most epiphytes, they like to dry out before re-wetting. If their base stays wet it tends to rot. Note in Surf Dude's great terrarium he has them mounted up high.

[1joyceh]

ahhhh!!
thanks bumpman
...did not think of that...
will mount then on some rocks, or shells, keep them above the sphag...
that's why I love this forum, everyone helps everyone else!!

[RebelCowgirl]

Originally Posted by Carkin

I love your terrariums! Thank you for sharing those pics, they are truly inspiring. I went to a seminar at Clouds that was about vivariums and terrariums and got lots of good ideas. They had a terrarium on display that had a miniature pond and a waterfall, and they had glued cork bark to the sides of the tank so there were lots of little mounts too.
Jenny you are fixated on frogs just like me! I would love to have a vivarium with little frogs hopping around in it.

Lol I am...they are just so cute. I really like the little blue ones.

[jsehorn]

Looks great! Very nice. The N. ventricosa grows pretty quickly and they can get big, so you'll probably have to eventually move it out of the terrarium, but there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy it in there for a while. Again, looks very nice!

[jpyerry]

Jenny, do you yourself keep frogs? By the little blue ones, do you mean the poison arrow dart frogs? I thought about setting up a frog terrarium briefly last Fall, but my obsession with orchids kind of ended up taking up all of my time and energy. As far as pets go, I have been lately considering expanding to a larger aquarium and maybe getting some more fish, other than my betta and school of Platys. I also though about getting an aquatic frog, but since I have live plants, I know they would get torn up. Here pics of my aquaria:

[1joyceh]

jsehorn, the Nepenthes ventricosa is actually just hanging around in there for a few weeks, it is a baby from my big boy, I call them volunteers, but I am sure that is not the real name of what they are......that one is for jpyerry...who I get to meet in a few weeks
...he's coming to pick the rascal up along with Pinguicula moctezumae, Nepenthes Maxima, a clone I am working on, also an orchid or 2...

[RebelCowgirl]

Originally Posted by jpyerry

Jenny, do you yourself keep frogs? By the little blue ones, do you mean the poison arrow dart frogs? I thought about setting up a frog terrarium briefly last Fall, but my obsession with orchids kind of ended up taking up all of my time and energy. As far as pets go, I have been lately considering expanding to a larger aquarium and maybe getting some more fish, other than my betta and school of Platys. I also though about getting an aquatic frog, but since I have live plants, I know they would get torn up. Here pics of my aquaria:

Nope I don't have any frogs especially poisonous ones lol, but I just think they are soooo cute. I would like to have a terrarium set up someday to put them in, maybe when my 2 yr. old gets old enough to leave it alone. I do have a 55 gal. tank with 2 Oscars in it and I do have 2 trouble making cats also. Thats all I have for pets right now....but thinking about getting a puppy also.

[Carkin]

Originally Posted by RebelCowgirl

Lol I am...they are just so cute. I really like the little blue ones.

Little blue frogs hopping around orchids...how cute would that be!!!! Plus a puppy and a two year old? Your place would be overflowing with cuteness!

[1joyceh]

Another terrarium completed! I used a grow and a bloom compact fluorescent bulb in a double fixture above, and this great material, black canvas on one side, reflective on the other to cover sides....adds more light and looks nice!
mostly tillandsia, with 1 NOID phal in there (she is loving it in there) a NOID Cym. in front, and cactus on the bottom shelf...a great entryway piece...and good conversation starter!

[jpyerry]

Looking good!

[1joyceh]

Thanks Justin!
That 'tent' material really finished it off nicely

[bumpman]

Nice job Joyce, looks like you'll be having a great new year with it!

[1joyceh]

Thanks bumpman!
My next project will be when I get another tank....want to do the mounted orchids in a tank of their own