Somewhere over the rainbow, the 125 part deux

[deranged chipmunk]

People give names to a lot of things. i know many people who name their planted tanks, and i have seen people name their vivs. i was never one of those people, until now. Please bear with me, for a little backstory. a few years ago, we lost my mother-in-law after an 18 year battle with ovarian cancer. she was a strong woman and i learned a lot from her. she wasn't an wide open animal lover like most of us, she was more reserved about it. but i caught the look in her eye when were strolling through sea world the year before we lost her. as you guys know, we can spot each other out in a crowd.....lol anywho, her favorite movie was the wizard of oz, hence the name. the tank is a tribute to her.

anyway, after many negotiations a LOT of arguing, and more revisions than i care to remember, the architect, the contractor, the property owner and the newest member of the team, the engineer, finally agreed on one concept, one design. they all decided to go with a "true" rainforest floor design. no broms, no orchids, just ferns, vines and aroids. sounds really boring, doesn't it? only one way to find out ;-)

now, i am not going to be updating this one like i have with past builds. i'll update it when i feel as though there's progress made enough to show. and also keep a few of my own secrets, secret

as some of you know, the frogs for the tank came in last week and are all healthy and doing well! this is a pic of their temporary enclosure.


and here are some of the little ones living there, in case you missed them




btw, the ferns in their tank are for the 125. a lemon button fern on the left, with a few bonus plants growing in the pot, and a miniature tree fern (blechum brasilienese) on the right. yeah, i said tree fern

construction actually started last week, the engineer was WAY busy. then he and the contractor went to work on the filtration and the rain/watering system. the main issue was that everyone wanted to maximize space which meant no maintenance tunnel. this proposes a HUGE problem, what if something breaks. that's why we have the engineer. he figured it out here's a sneak peek, it's a mess, but, "it's a process" as Paul Jr. would say..lol



see ya next update, or until someone has a question.....LOL

[MatthewM1]

I've been waiting for the rebuild, can't wait to see how it turns out

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

[HerpDerp]

Is that the tree fern in the big pot? I LOVE it. That's pretty much exactly what I want for my tank. I'll have to keep that in mind for when I do mine.

[deranged chipmunk]

I've been waiting for the rebuild, can't wait to see how it turns out

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

you and me both Matt....LOL

[deranged chipmunk]

Is that the tree fern in the big pot? I LOVE it. That's pretty much exactly what I want for my tank. I'll have to keep that in mind for when I do mine.

thanks Michelle. it's just a baby right now, but it will eventually grow into a monster, like this:


the trunk on the one on the left is about 18" and the the one in the back on the right was well over 2 feet. granted, it took years to grow that big, but it is something to plan ahead for. imagine what their root structure looks like that you would have to eventually pull out when it gets too big.

[deranged chipmunk]

here's a young plant. probably several years old, but you can get a sense of it's size:


but they do throw the most beautiful fronds :

[FriedrichsFrogs]

I like the "mapping" on the glass, good idea

[deranged chipmunk]

thanks jay. i do that with all my tanks. i can visualize what i have planned better that way. as i complete each part i just scrape it away or erase with an alcohol pad

[HerpDerp]

Wow they get HUGE lol. Are there any small ferns that look similar? I would love to have a fern like that growing just as a house plant. Too bad my cat would make it lunch!

I think a natural forest floor look is a fantastic idea. I think the frogs will appreciate it too.

[deranged chipmunk]

Sadly, this would be the smallest of the group. It's not classified as a true tree fern. When it gets too big, i'll yank it and make it a houseplant, or sell it.....lol

[Heatheranne]

Great idea, Bill! I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress.

[deranged chipmunk]

thought i would give you guys a sneak peek at what i am building outside of the tank. my mini fig tree stump:


i'll get a pics of it in the tank in a few days after it has had enough time to dry completely

[deranged chipmunk]

just a little update. the fig stump is done. and i decided to add a nifty little twist on a water feature. i built a massive buttress root. the void in the roots will be a "puddle", my water feature. i have to add a couple more coats of grout and the roots will be done, then i can concentrate on the background, which is going to be a full 6 foot drip wall. here are a few pics of where i am at.

[deranged chipmunk]

spent the day scraping and painting. finally finished the larger buttress root. i sprayed it down with water to see how it is going to look wet. i know the accent painting is a bit heavy right now, but once everything grows all over it, it will never be noticed.


tomorrow, i can take the tank off the stand and place it on the floor so i can start working on the actual background.

[LunaDay]

spent the day scraping and painting. finally finished the larger buttress root. i sprayed it down with water to see how it is going to look wet. i know the accent painting is a bit heavy right now, but once everything grows all over it, it will never be noticed.


tomorrow, i can take the tank off the stand and place it on the floor so i can start working on the actual background.

Wow. Nice work!