# New nano vivarium



## parotet

Hi all

I got some time this weekend to think about a new nano vivarium (30x20x20 cm) I want to build during the next months (many thanks to Johnbol and Dominic for the inspiration and interesting exchange in the thread "My nano paludarium"). I have decided that I want to do it from scratch (first time I build a tank). It will be something like this:



The back and left walls will be covered with Hygrolon (glued with silicone) with the aim of becoming moss walls (probably some little ferns such as Selaginella). I will use an enriched substrate that will be planted with emersed aquatic plants. As far as I know, ensuring good ventilation in the tank is very important to avoid fungal diseases, although if I try to have two moss walls I will have to reach an equilibrium between good ventilation and dehydration. I want to keep the set up very simple: so no computer fans, no artificial light (probably some in winter), no pumps, etc. It has to work on its own (just add evaporated water and some water spraying). The substrate will be soaked with distilled water + ferts.

I have two doubts I want to ask to the most experienced folks:

1. Will this 3 mm slot on the front ensure enough (or too much?) ventilation? It will be just above the substrate line. This way I will be able to take pictures without having a line in the middle. The vivarium plans I have seen with sliding doors are too difficult for my skills…

2. I will cut the Hygrolon fabric a bit longer in the bottom to be in contact with the damp substrate, but I’m not sure if this will keep the fabric wet enough for growing mosses. I was thinking of making a kind of glass separation, parallel to the Hygrolon walls (3-4 cm height -same as substrate layer- and 2 cm width) to be filled with water and to keep the piece of fabric in contact with water. Of course this part would be invisible due to decoration.

Any feedback will be welcome 

Jordi


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## Martin in Holland

subscribed.....


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## Edvet

Nice plans. Though i would realy look into buying a readymade/secondhand one first, just to get experienced in how these vivaria work. Get used to working with the materials people use, see how they react. Vivaria/terraria are built they way they are because that works. Not implying your way can't work, but to many iff's and but's. Small ones new aren't that expensive, secondhand could be an option. (like this:http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/terrariums.php)
Ventilation is key in these tanks, looking through an misted window all the time takes away the fun.
Look at fernroot to cover the sides (xaxim, i kept my orchids on that) or Epiweb.
Not wanting to play down your ideas, just a friendly advice.


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## parotet

Hi Edvet

thanks for your comments... I definitely want to try a DIY vivarium, this is why I'm going nano, I will spend some hours and a few euros, so if it doesn't work it won't be that hard. I agree with you that a nano Exoterra is not that expensive, but I don't like how the small ones look like... in the large ones there are huge glass surfaces to observe what there is inside but in the nano ones there is no way of taking a good picture of your plants with the vent holes, black plastic brace, etc. 
I will finally use Hygrolon because I have found a Spanish retailer that sells 50x50cm pieces for 6 euros, not bad (actually just a few euros more expensive than xaxim). It seems that this fabric is very good for moss growing as it holds 280% of water and lifts water vertically 32 cm. I don't want (don't have room) for big orchids, so I guess ferns and mosses' tiny roots will do well.

Jordi


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## Edvet

Ok. I guess ventilation wil be the biggest attentionpoint.


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## Lewis G

Subscribed. Interesting to see how you'll get on. Good luck!


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## jose_j

subscribed!


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## parotet

Et voilà! Not much work left to do… just fill the bottom of the tank with aquarium substrate and that's all.
Now it is extremely hot to use the moss mix, so I will wait (if I can…) to final August. The emrsed plants I want to use will also keep better in the propagator than planted here, so meanwhile I will look for nice wood and the light fixture will be paint in silver.



(I have to clean a little bit the mess done with the silicone )

Jordi


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## Edvet




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## parotet

Waiting for cooler temperatures for planting but some interesting progress in the plant propagators:

Unknow aquatic moss growing on a piece of wood, also some Selaginella attached and a fern gametophyte! (probably Java fern but not really sure)


Wild moss collected last week (it was completely dehydrated) that seems to do well. I will use it with the Hygrolon tropical moss mix on the walls


And some emersed aquatic plants that will fill the vivarium base


Cheers
Jordi


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## X3NiTH

Looking good!


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## parotet

Hi all

I finally planted my moss and emersed aquatic plants nano vivarium… It is still quite hot around here but I will be at home for the next weeks so I will have time to mist the vivarium as much as needed.
For the Hygrolon walls I have used the Epiweb moss mix but I decided to add some chopped Java moss and an unknown species collected from the wild (Mediterranean low land, let’s say a subtropical moss). Some pics:

 

I used two pieces of wood in which I have been growing Java moss for the last 2 months (just moss attached to wood with cotton line or painted, kept in a clear plastic container, misted once a day and with plenty indirect sun). And of course some emersed aquatic plants from my tanks. More pics:




The species that have been planted for the moment are: Anubias bartieri, Ludwigia repens, Rotala rotundifolia, Hydrocotyle tripartita, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Staurogyne repens, Limnophila aromatica, Azolla filiculoides, Selaginella kraussiana and Anagallis tenella… none of them are truly aquatic plants as you know. They are planted on recycled Aquasoil that is kept damp. Everything will be mist by hand, probably 3 times a day during the moss setup and hopefully once a day once established. And this is how it looks for the moment… The moss will take quite a lot of time to grow and hopefully cover all the Hygrolon.



Regarding the plants I am not sure what will happen, time will tell… I guess the most adapted species to the vivarium conditions will cover the whole setup. For the moment what I aim at having a good collection of species to make sure that at least some of them will thrive. Some more pics to show the scale of the vivarium, it is really small, sometimes a bit tricky to work on it. The lamp on the pictures is provisional (13w CF) as the one shown in previous post is being painted in black (this one will hold a 7w LED). It also receives good light during the morning, so in total 8 hours of artificial light + 4 hours of indirect sunlight.

  

I also decided to toy a little bit with Hygrolon and moss… not really emersed aquatic plants, just tropical moss mix from Dusk/Epiweb (Sweden) and some bits of native ones. I want to give a big thanks to Mikael Karlbom at Dusk Tropic Sweden for his good advice on the nanovivarium design and Hygrolon use. Here’s a series of pics showing a pair of little toys that will grow beside the nano vivarium:

 
 



Jordi


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## Jaap

parotet said:


> Waiting for cooler temperatures for planting but some interesting progress in the plant propagators:
> 
> Unknow aquatic moss growing on a piece of wood, also some Selaginella attached and a fern gametophyte! (probably Java fern but not really sure)
> 
> 
> Wild moss collected last week (it was completely dehydrated) that seems to do well. I will use it with the Hygrolon tropical moss mix on the walls
> 
> 
> And some emersed aquatic plants that will fill the vivarium base
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Jordi


Last picture bottom half in the middle what is that feathery looking plant?


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## parotet

Bottom from left to right: Anubias, a leaf of Bolbitis on the base of the Anubias, Selaginella kraussiana, Java fern Trident (behind Selaginella) and then Hydrocotyle tripartita japan. I guess you mean Selaginella, isn't it? It looks like a moss but it is actually a fern, non aquatic, needs high levels of humidity but leaves suffer in contact with water. Not sure now where it is native from, this one comes from the local botanical garden, it covers the whole fern greenhouse substrate. We have in the Mediterranean some native species but with much smaller leaves, hard to tell from moss for most people

Jordi


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## Jaap

Yes thats it. How come u r growing it in your emersed setup?


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## parotet

Jaap said:


> Yes thats it. How come u r growing it in your emersed setup?


Well, it will grow well over a wet substrate and will benefit from daily misting so I guess it will thrive


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## James D

Looks fantastic Jordi, well done mate. Are you planning to put any fauna in there or is it a bit small?


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## parotet

Thanks James. It is very small, just 30x20x20 cm. Anyway this is just a small toy. The family looks interested in what is happening with plants and moss... Honestly it looks nice in the living room. It's is just the beginning for something bigger, you know what I mean? 

Jordi


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## Dominic

I noticed this on dendroboard! It looks sweet mate! I have started a journal for a vivarium myself but wasnt sure whether to post on here considering this is an 'aquatic plant society' lol


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## parotet

Thanks mate... Actually I wanted to do something like a big wabikusa with emersed plants but finally I decided to use Hygrolon and moss... Not sure how to call it lol

Jordi


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## parotet

Day 15



Good and healthy growing. See Limnophila aromatica on the left back corner, Rotala rotundifolia and Ludwigia on the right. Moss mix on Hygrolon is beginning to show signs of being alive! Cannot be seen but Hydrocotye tripartita Japan on the foreground is blooming. The Anubias has new and healthy leaves. I added some new wild moss and some Riccia bits.

Jordi


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## Dominic

Looks sweet pal! The moss will take ages to start growing, it did on mine, and still hasnt grown much, but it should grow much faster in yours once it gets going because of the higher humidity! Good luck with it!


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## parotet

2,5 months later...



I got rid of Limnophila aromatica that grew very fast and I have to trim Rotala and Ludwigia every 15 days. Hydrocotyle tripartita was also invading the setup so I decided to make some room for Java moss in the foreground (right corner).
The moss walls are really fascinating (not in the picture, crappy picture...). In some places it is mixed with Riccia. I hope to have it all covered for Christmas.

Jordi


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## Edvet

Any inhabitants or planned ones?


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## parotet

No, it is very small for inhabitants, just plants...
(Let's say I'm training just in case I 'need' something larger )

Jordi


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## Italicus

This looks astonishing.

Have you thought about insects maybe?

Some tropical mantis perhaps?


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## parotet

What you see is not even a 12 liters tank (30x18x20cm)... Definitely no room for critters, even for insects 

Jordi


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## Italicus

Many mantis breeders keep single mantis in similar size enclosures.

Give it a look, maybe there is a specie you can keep in that size, after all many mantis are raised in pints glasses

http://www.ukmantisforums.co.uk/forum.php


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## parotet

Updates of the other setups in which Java moss has been mainly used (but also Riccia and a stem of Rotala.





Jordi


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## X3NiTH

These look great!


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## Martin in Holland

Good example how beautiful nature at its smallest is.


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## Zak Rafik

Nice progress. I loved the photography method. Thanks for the updates.


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## parotet

New update. I've added some (Rosmarinus-Rosemary) branches to the nano vivarium... 4 months until now and happy with the progress although really slow despite a photoperiod of 12 hours under the 13w PL lamp (notice how the moss has grown significantly all over the Hygrolon Wall compared to previous pictures, but still without covering it all! I guess it will take 4 months more...)


General overview with one of the other emersed setups (this one only moss)


Close-up. The large piece of wood on the right doesn't look good now but it will be soon covered by the moss and Selaginella. I've also added on the left foreground a micro wabi-kusa I did a month ago with Rotala macrandra, Rotala rotundifolia and Pogostemon stellatus (it probably won't fit very well in the future there but I have no room for more emersed setups and it has been integrated here. Some R. macrandra flowers can be spotted close to one of the branches on the left)

Jordi


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## UllavL

Look really nice Jordi!
 I've also used dusk's mossmix and hygrolon. Think that if I would do it again, I'd do my own mix of aquatic/tropical mosses. Find there to be a bit to much spagnum and ferns in the mix. Ferns that grow really big and the spagnum doesn't creep but rather grows longer and longer which doesn't always look very nice.


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## parotet

UllavL said:


> Look really nice Jordi!
> I've also used dusk's mossmix and hygrolon. Think that if I would do it again, I'd do my own mix of aquatic/tropical mosses. Find there to be a bit to much spagnum and ferns in the mix. Ferns that grow really big and the spagnum doesn't creep but rather grows longer and longer which doesn't always look very nice.


Thanks Ulla, this is just a little toy compared to your super paludarium (I need some practice before the final jump ). The batch of moss mix I had from Dusk (through an online Spanish shop) was poor in ferns and rich in moss, great for my small setup. Hygrolon is superb, I guess much better in combination with Epiweb. I would actually love to create a larger and shallow moss setup only with branches and these materials, just like the last Viktor Lantos' aquascape but emersed.

Jordi


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## UllavL

Epiweb can be tricky to get wet enough if you don't have some kind of dripwall system or rain system. I have it in my tank, but I'm not really pleased with it.

I however used an hygrolon branch in my miniviv where my froglets grow up before I move them to the large tank. In the water filled bottom layer I've hid a small pump
which provides the branch with water. It's really easy to maintain and I think will look great in time. Here it is about 5 weeks old. 

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/729/OxryfU.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3659/xs39WR.jpg


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## parotet

Looks great! Which is the power of the pump you have hidden? And what's the pumping frequency? I got some spare pieces of glass which are asking to be converted in another nano viv!

Jordi


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## UllavL

Just go for it! 
I have no idea about the power and frequency, just a pump I have had laying around. Costs about 10-15 £ I guess. But it's a mini circulation pump which I've attached a hose to. I've also made small holes in the hose so the water may be distributed evenly. If you are going to use one, just make sure that you are able to access it to clean it if it clogs. I have no access to mine, but I have put plenty of filter materials around it and avoided substrate that easily clogs.


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## parotet

With frequency I meant the time the pump is on during the day... Maybe I've used the wrong word. Is it switched to a timer?

Jordi


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## UllavL

Probably not, English is just not my native language so I missunderstood  It's on 5 x 30 min during the day and 6 houres during the night. Switched to a timer.


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## parotet

Hi all

this one is doing very well now...






Mosses love cooler temperatures, they look and grow much better now!

Not sure, but my guess is that all I have is Java moss (although originally there were other species). Any idea?


Jordi


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## UllavL

No idea (never used Java moss). But it looks great! Do you normaly have that box in a more humid environment or is it able to tolerante the dry air in a normal room?


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## parotet

UllavL said:


> Do you normaly have that box in a more humid environment or is it able to tolerante the dry air in a normal room?


It needs some protection in winter (December-February) due to heating, and during the summer (August) due to the high temperatures we have, but the clear plastic case you can see on post 33 is not very well done and has plenty of gaps that ensure a good ventilation. Additionally it is not covered most of the time.
The rest of the year it can be kept without protection. In both cases, I just mist some water when I wake up and when I go to bed, during the cooler months just once is enough... maintenance is like heaven compared to planted tanks!

Jordi


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## parotet

New update...



Jordi


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## Martin in Holland

Any plans for live stock?


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## parotet

No, it's just 30x20x20 cm... Anyway I'm thinking about using a 60 liters tank for doing something similar but, regarding critters (and especially dart frogs) I fear having live food can be a pain. I really love plants and for the moment I enjoy very much this kind of setups, easy, beautiful and no maintenance at all...

Jordi


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## UllavL

If you want to try dartfrogs, chose a Ranitomeyaspecies which doesn't require the same amount of food..Before you get the frogs, estsblish a springtail culture in the bottom of the tank. Then you don't have to be as dependant on fruit flies (which yes can somewhat trubblesum/smelling). 
Ulla 


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## parotet

UllavL said:


> f you want to try dart frogs...


We will be probably doing some works at home during the next months... Miss and me were discussing the possibility of having a new large tank (400 liters?) right in the middle of the living, but honestly I am now very happy with my two small tanks (20 and 65 liters... maintenance is sooooo easy). I think that if I finally go for something bigger, it is going to be a vivarium. Regarding the critters, I like plants much more than fish, which are actually "something to complete my layouts" (and not the opposite as it usually happens in the hobby), and for the vivarium I guess it is more or less the same. If I think about this new vivarium, TBH moss, orchids, bromeliads, etc. are the first things that come to my mind.... but, who knows? Maybe I will be asking you things about dartfrogs in some months!

Jordi


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## UllavL

Well it's actually the same for me. Plants come first, fish/frogs are more for decor (although of course it's important that they are happy as well). Most time consuming when it comes to making the plants happy is the making destilled water...


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## parotet

UllavL said:


> Well it's actually the same for me. Plants come first, fish/frogs are more for decor (although of course it's important that they are happy as well). Most time consuming when it comes to making the plants happy is the making destilled water...
> 
> 
> Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk


Do you mean RO or distilled? I used only distilled for mosses and orchids (tap water is too hard, it was enough with 5 liters/month which costs around 1.2 euros) but now I have a new nano tank in which I use 50% of soft water and my soft water demand has increased to 20 liters/month. This is why I have moved to RO which costs monthly 2 euros. Luckily I have found a source of rainwater for at least part of the year

Jordi


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## UllavL

Sorry, I mean RO water. I got an osmosis filter at home fot that purpose but it takes like 7 houres to produce 25 l water. 


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## parotet

More updates!

First of all, the nano vivarium which is completely overgrown.



And now different views of the moss setup









Jordi


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## parotet

Quick update during lunch time...






Jordi


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## James D

Looking great Jordi.

I actually thought that Nano was about the size of a 60-P, I never realized it was so small!  Unless you've got giant hands of course!


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## parotet

James D said:


> Looking great Jordi.
> 
> I actually thought that Nano was about the size of a 60-P, I never realized it was so small!  Unless you've got giant hands of course!


I am not a giant, promised! It is just a little toy to play with. A good way to preserve some cuttings you don't want to lose and really low maintenance

Jordi


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