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Epiphyte Branch

hydrophyte

hydrophyte

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Joined
22 Aug 2009
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Epiphyte Branch

I have a pretty good start on a new project. It is very simple. I mounted a manzanita branch feature in a 30G fish tank (36" X 17" X 12") and I will plant it with miniature orchids, small epiphytic ferns and mosses.

14-XII-12-tank-III-b.jpg


I will also add a gravel substrate to the bottom along with very shallow water. I put three gallons of water in the tank for this shot and I won't use much more thatn that for the complete setup. I want to add a group of some kind of very small micro fish, such as a Boraras sp., Heterandria formosa or Neoheterandria elegans

I'll have more pictures on the way pretty soon.
 
wow this again is different and cool! i saw this in a triptych on youtube, cant remember who by.. anyone? is that teo bits of different wood? looks great. but a lot of your projects are different and interesting so cant wait to see them again!

Jack
 
Hi all,
Hydrophyte that looks really good, I've always said I'm going to do this. There used to be a huge branch arching over the pool in the "Wet Tropical" biome in the "Princess of Wales" Conservatory at RBG Kew in London. It has gone now, but I remember it had a lot of Bromeliads and a huge Medinilla magnifica, right down by the water at the front (this photo is from above and behind).
Kew_Princess03.jpg


Personally I would fill the water level up to the very base of the wood, in that way the water will wick up the wood, and it should allow you to grow moss and Anubias etc in the lowest sections and still have Tillandsia etc higher up. I also think that will help plant growth due to the increased local humidity around the plants.

cheers Darrel
 
This is going to be very surreal and thoroughly beautiful. Where do people get these amazing ideas from :) And check out the table lilies in Darrell's pic ! Crikey ! You could fall asleep on them.
 
Wow, I can't wait to see how this progresses! I've got a small tank with some miniature orchids in (Lepanthopsis astrophorea, Epidendrum peperomia and Restrepia lansbergii, but no water. That's the next thing I want to try, but for now I can experience it vicariously through yours!

If you haven't sourced your orchids yet, can I suggest Burnham Nurseries, http://www.orchids.uk.com/paradise.htm? Completely excellent choice of orchids, including many unusual, and smaller, species. Although - ahem - I have to confess it belongs to a friend of mine. But she'd also be able to throw in some mosses and fern seedlings (they're weeds to her! :lol: ), and be able to advise on suitable species.

Hope you don't mind me adding a few pics of my tiny tank, but it shows the ferns and mosses too:

20121214lepanthopsisasr.jpg


20121214moss.jpg


Lepanthopsis flowers
20121214fts.jpg
 
Thanks everyone I will try to post more updates soon.
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all,
"Sarahtermite" that is brilliant, how easy is Lepanthopsis astrophora to grow? I fancy a really small orchid for a bottle garden.

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...
and
The Lepanthopsis is probably the easiest of the three; flowers the most (though the flowers are minute!) and is spreading by runners/keikis, which I just push down into the moss. Lovely little plant.
 
tim said:
Any updates on this I'm hoping my wife will see an aquarium with orchids and give me the go ahead for another one
Click to expand...

I haven't planted it yet, but I got this thing wrapped in sphagnum and I also added substrate and water to the bottom area. I might have more pictures later tonight.
 
tim said:
Look forward to them :thumbup: can't wait to see it planted
Click to expand...

Here you go.

I got the feature wrapped with moss. I tied it tight with 4 lb. fishing line and then trimmed away the shaggy loose ends of moss with scissors.

I also added gravel substrate and a couple of inches of water.

28-XII-12-tank-I-b.jpg
 
tim said:
Will be watching this with great interest mate does the sphagnum moss just retain moisture for the orchids and ferns or some other reason for it ?
Click to expand...

The sphagnum moss holds moisture and it also provides a substrate that the orchids and other plants can root into.

Murf said:
Great idea ..... I would tend to want the water level higher with more options below aswell ..... but excellent idea. How is that attached to the glass? drilled through?
Click to expand...

The shallow water will reinforce the effect of greater dimension. I might add another one inch or so, but not much more than that. I mounted the branch to a bracket that leans up against the enclosure side wall. I have a picture of that somewhere...
 
Here it is planted. There are three different little orchids on there and several mini ferns. I want to add a couple more orchids. This thing take a while to grow in. I'm not going to worry about adding fish until these epiphytes start to cover pretty well.

4-I-12-tank-IV-b.jpg
 
That's already looking really lovely. What species of orchids did you choose in the end? And how are you caring for them - do they need regular spraying, or is the high humidity from being above water sufficient?
 
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