18x18x24 AGTF Build Journal

[jarteta97]

Alright, big update. My package from NEherp came in today, as well as my new water filter, and I'm really picture happy. It's a bit like a miniature story:

Btw, thanks Paul for the water filter recommendation. I really like the fact that the sponges can be lain flat.



Here's me eagerly awaiting the FedEx truck while it's pouring down rain.



It finally arrived!



I felt like a little kid in a candy shop! They even sent me a whole freaking extra piece of ghostwood and my neoregelia chiquita linda had three pups on it!





Here's my impromptu lighting station, lol



The difference between jungledawn LED and a CFL



And now the plants:



Pilea Glauca:



NEherp moss:



Dischidia Ruscifolia "million hearts" cuttings in ABG



Two little tillandsias I found at Home Depot:



My Neoregelia "Chiquita Linda"



Here's how I setup my Bromeliad. I basically duct taped it into a little plant pot I had, with no soil or anything in the pot. Hopefully this will allow the root portion to have lots of humidity, but not actually be planted in soil.



My ghostwood pieces next to each other:



Here's my springtail setup. The idea is that when the build is done, I can just dump this ABG into the tank, along with the rest, and they'll reproduce and flourish. The seashell is where I'll put the brewer's yeast, and if I need to pull any springtails out, I'll just pull out the seashell when they're crawling over it to eat.




Ideas/suggestions are most certainly welcome, thanks

Josh

[jarteta97]

Here, I have some questions.

I don't need to do it until I actually plant the tank, but how does one go about splitting pups off of a bromeliad?
Will the springtails breed in those conditions, or would I need something more?
For the million hearts cuttings, I basically took the cut ends and stuck them into ABG mix in a flower pot. I'm not sure if this is actually how you would go about this, because I've never really had to deal with cuttings. A couple of weeks ago, I cut a leaf from a pothos plant and stuck it in some potting soil, and it hasn't died off, so that's basically all my experience, lol.

I've also been really thinking about the water section of the tank, particularly in the water to land transition. I've seen tanks where the soil seems to just merge perfectly with the water, and I'd love to somehow do that. Also, I'm not too keen about having an egg crate wall being seen through the water, so I got to thinking. What if I great stuffed the whole egg crate wall besides one little crack/section, so that the water could get through to the rest of the tank. Then, I could just silicone and coco fiber it like normal. Is this feasible? Suggestions, ideas, and critiques are welcome.

[DigitalPunk]

I don't need to do it until I actually plant the tank, but how does one go about splitting pups off of a bromeliad? A. You can either break the pups off as low down against the mother plants as possible or snip them off with a pair of scissors. You won't hurt the mother plant at all. In fact removing the pups will prompt her to grow more pups Feel free to snip them off anytime after the pups reach 1/3 the size of the mother. Until they are removed they will consume the mother plants nutrients preventing her from creating more pups.

Will the springtails breed in those conditions, or would I need something more? A. The Spring tails will breed in the soil bin you have them in and in the terrarium once they are all dumped in. They are prolific and as long as you keep them very humid (I would cover them with a lid and mist them several times a day)

For the million hearts cuttings, I basically took the cut ends and stuck them into ABG mix in a flower pot. I'm not sure if this is actually how you would go about this, because I've never really had to deal with cuttings. A couple of weeks ago, I cut a leaf from a pothos plant and stuck it in some potting soil, and it hasn't died off, so that's basically all my experience, lol. A. Yes that is all you need. Keep them well watered. These first few weeks are critical for them. They will start to grow roots, but will die quickly if allowed to dry out.

I've also been really thinking about the water section of the tank, particularly in the water to land transition. I've seen tanks where the soil seems to just merge perfectly with the water, and I'd love to somehow do that. Also, I'm not too keen about having an egg crate wall being seen through the water, so I got to thinking. What if I great stuffed the whole egg crate wall besides one little crack/section, so that the water could get through to the rest of the tank. Then, I could just silicone and coco fiber it like normal. Is this feasible? Suggestions, ideas, and critiques are welcome. A. I wouldn't bother with it. You can get some aquatic soil to build up and hide the egg crate or warp the egg crate wall in a couple layers of fiberglass window screen to obscure it from view. Once all the plants get in and going the last thing people will point out if the tiny bit of egg crate they can see but that is just me. I don't see anything wrong with your idea. I would probably use the black spray foam and then just leave it be so it disappears into the water.

[jarteta97]

Thanks Paul! ever so wise. The springtail box is covered in a lid, and is very humid, but I will mist like you said. As for the water section, I might go looking for aquatic soil, but if what you said is true, then I'm not going to worry about it too much.

[DigitalPunk]

Let me know how that filter works out for you. I have it in my Mantella tank and the water in there is doing great!! The filter is a bit big, but being able to rotate the sponges to be horizontal is a huge help. I took the snorkel off of mine which brought the top of the tube to just above water level. All my springtails jump in the water and congregate around the opening. It is quite funny

[jarteta97]

Found this beauty at Home Depot, and it's the perfect size of what I'm looking for:



Also, my miniature (more like micro, lol) african violet came in today from violetbarn.com, and it's going to definitely be put on the wall it's so small:



It's even prettier than I thought it would be, and I can't wait till it blooms.

And what's got me real excited is that after making $85 selling stuff on craigslist, I can finally afford the actual tank, and should be picking it up this afternoon, so expect updates to start coming quick.

[jarteta97]

Update: I got the tank!



First, I started playing around with the Ghostwood, which took forever. I narrowed it down to two different hardscapes, so let me know what you guys think.



For the second, I would combine the two into an actually pretty realistic looking tree using great stuff.



Here's my nifty garden glove so I don't stab myself on egg crate stubs




Until tonight, though, I'm leak testing it