# T. mucronatum source!... Riparium Bonsai



## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

Dude, you're trying to grow a Montezuma Cypress in your tank!:drool:

More power to you:icon_bigg

However, I would use it as an island centerpiece for a large cube tank


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AirstoND said:


> Dude, you're trying to grow a Montezuma Cypress in your tank!:drool:
> 
> More power to you:icon_bigg
> 
> However, I would use it as an island centerpiece for a large cube tank


This plant isn't very big. The stem is only about 5/16" at the base. And I don't have a large tank to put it in. If the tree survives the change I will keep it small with pruning and bonsai training.

I'm also starting some Montezuma cypress from seed right in a couple of riparium planters. It's going to take these little plants 12 months or so to grow up to size.


----------



## Adogowo (Mar 5, 2013)

Sounds awesome. Do you have a style in mind for the tree? I have always wanted to try a tiger bark ficus. Letting the roots tangle into a curtain inside a vivarium. Perhaps even doing some under plantings or tillandsia. Subscribed


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Adogowo said:


> Sounds awesome. Do you have a style in mind for the tree? I have always wanted to try a tiger bark ficus. Letting the roots tangle into a curtain inside a vivarium. Perhaps even doing some under plantings or tillandsia. Subscribed


I have wanted to try a fig like this too. There are many different _Ficus_ species and it would be best to use one that is adapted to grow in the water. Swamp fig (_Ficus__ trichopoda_) would probably be a good choice. I remember seeing large strangler figs in Mexico growing near rivers practically in the water. 

I cut out a lot of the roots on this cypress so that I could fit it into the planter.










I also took about 50% off the top of the plant.










Here it is potted up. The stem is straight like a stick and I'm going to have to wire it to put some natural curves into it.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm working with a few other tree and shrub species as potential bonsai for ripariums. Here is a quick list...

Swamp Rose (_Rosa palustris_)
Buttonbush (_Cepahalanthis occidentalis_)
Hummingbird Flower (_Sesbania grandiflora_)
Pond Apple (_Annona glabra_)
River Cane (_Arundinaria tecta_)

These are all true swamp/wetland plants, so I hope that they can adapt to growing in a riparium. The river cane is actually one of just a couple of related US-native true bamboos.

I bought a dormant buttonbush a couple of weeks ago and planted it in a ripairum planter. It is starting to leaf out and grow lots of roots in the planter. I should get some new pictures of. This shot shoes the dormant potted buttonbush plant...


----------



## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

what is your professional background? do you do this for a living?

always inspiring to this community. One day I'll make a purchase from you for more than substrate.


----------



## chevyguy8893 (Nov 5, 2012)

This is an awesome idea that has some great potential, especially with your setups and experience. I look forward to seeing how this turns out.


----------



## pmcarbrey (Jan 19, 2013)

Hydrophyte where did you order your Cyprus from? I'm thinking of ordering one and doing an island in a rimless cube. It's either that or doing some other form of bonsai that wouldnt suffer root rot.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

scapegoat said:


> what is your professional background? do you do this for a living?
> 
> always inspiring to this community. One day I'll make a purchase from you for more than substrate.





chevyguy8893 said:


> This is an awesome idea that has some great potential, especially with your setups and experience. I look forward to seeing how this turns out.


Thanks so much!



pmcarbrey said:


> Hydrophyte where did you order your Cyprus from? I'm thinking of ordering one and doing an island in a rimless cube. It's either that or doing some other form of bonsai that wouldnt suffer root rot.


I got the Montezuma cypress from a nursery in Texas. It was sort of expensive. You can get the related and similar bald cypress (_Taxodium distichum_) a lot cheaper, but I got the Montezuma cypress because it's more of a subtropical/tropical plant and I thought that it might have a better chance of living indoors without a cool winter dormancy. If you like I can link the place in Texas for you. For a planting like that you might also consider one of the bushy riparium plants like _Ruellia_ or _Asclepias_. Those grow fast when established and they are easy.


----------



## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

i am totally down to see how your CYPRESS WORKS!!

being from the south.. nothing is more beautiful then a CYPRESS growing on the bank of a river!!!


----------



## pmcarbrey (Jan 19, 2013)

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks so much!
> 
> 
> 
> I got the Montezuma cypress from a nursery in Texas. It was sort of expensive. You can get the related and similar bald cypress (_Taxodium distichum_) a lot cheaper, but I got the Montezuma cypress because it's more of a subtropical/tropical plant and I thought that it might have a better chance of living indoors without a cool winter dormancy. If you like I can link the place in Texas for you. For a planting like that you might also consider one of the bushy riparium plants like _Ruellia_ or _Asclepias_. Those grow fast when established and they are easy.


How much did the montezuma run? $2-300 I'm guessing? If so sure, shoot me a pm and I'll place an order sometime!


----------



## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

pmcarbrey said:


> How much did the montezuma run? $2-300 I'm guessing? If so sure, shoot me a pm and I'll place an order sometime!


Texas.. ?

Where


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

No it wasn't that much. It was thirty bucks shipped. You can get bald cypress saplings for just a few dollars on ebay, but like I said I thought the Montezuma cyypress was a safer bet for this. I'll send you a PM about the nursery source. If you are interested in plants like this I have also accumulated a little collection of seeds here for tropical wetland trees & shrubs.


----------



## pmcarbrey (Jan 19, 2013)

hydrophyte said:


> No it wasn't that much. It was thirty bucks shipped. You can get bald cypress saplings for just a few dollars on ebay, but like I said I thought the Montezuma cyypress was a safer bet for this. I'll send you a PM about the nursery source. If you are interested in plants like this I have also accumulated a little collection of seeds here for tropical wetland trees & shrubs.


oh, for some reason i thought it was an already trained bonsai; that's a great price and it looks like it should do well!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

No this tree is just a potted sapling. I have to train it into a nicer shape, if it survives.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

if this works, i will be very VERY impressed. it never even occurred to me (and to most people i suspect) that aquaria and bonsai can be combined. you have a very innovative imagination, congrats.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

@[email protected] said:


> if this works, i will be very VERY impressed. it never even occurred to me (and to most people i suspect) that aquaria and bonsai can be combined. you have a very innovative imagination, congrats.


Thanks so much! I will keep working on it. I think that an aspect that will be as important as training the tree will be to make a whole tank setup and placement in the dwelling that will go along with the visual idea. 

My buttonbush in a riparium planter has more new buds on it and lots of new roots in the planter. I should get another picture of it. 

I will also have some swamp rose (_Rosa palustris_) plants coming in the mail. I hope that it will be possible to grow roses year-round inside(?). I have seen roses growing and blooming in hydroponics for several years straight. Bonsai-training roses and similar bushes is not the same as training trees. It looks like the trick is to instead select a plant with a nice trunk base, cut it way back, and then let a few branches re-grow with the natural branching pattern. There are some nice shots of bonsai roses in this thread at ibonsaiclub...

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1126-rose-bonsai










(Wikimedia Commons image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Swamp_Rose_(Rosa_palustris)_on_the_Galien_River_2011.JPG)


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another plant I hope to get pretty soon. _Arundinaria tecta_ "river cane" is a true bamboo native the the Southeast US that grows in river bottomland swamps. I have see some pretty nice bamboo bonsai and I hope this plant will work out.









(Wikimedia Commons image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arundinaria_gigantea.jpg)

Here's a Wikimedia Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bamboo_bonsai_Chengdu.jpg) photo of some kind of large-growing bamboo as bonsai. It is interesting that they got it to branch so much from the canes.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

always pushing the edges.
i like this. its people like you that allow the hobby to grow and expand.
Thank you for all your hard work!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> always pushing the edges.
> i like this. its people like you that allow the hobby to grow and expand.
> Thank you for all your hard work!


Thanks so much! I will keep working on it.

I have some new pictures of the buttonbush that I'll process and try to post tonight. It is budding out and rooting really fast.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is a quick update for the _T. mucronatum_ that I have started from seed. The little plants are growing very fast right in the planter. I wonder what they will look like in six months(?).


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I see new white roots in the planter for the sapling Montezuma cypress. This is pretty exciting. The foliage still looks good as well. The leaves up near the light fixture have developed a reddish hue.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I finally went over to pick up the glass and silicone for this tank. 

I hope to get started building tonight.


----------



## Sethjohnson30 (Jan 16, 2012)

*Riparium Bonsai*

Sub'd this is awesome! Keep it up hydrophyte.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Sethjohnson30 said:


> Sub'd this is awesome! Keep it up hydrophyte.


I'll try to post more soon. I'm getting the new tank finished. It's taking a while waiting for the silicone to cure.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Since this tree seems to be establishing fine I decided to just go ahead and wire it. I was getting tired of seeing its awkward shape.

Here it it wrapped with wire before I started to bend it. You can see that it is just straight and sticky.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

but now we need a pic of how you bent it. 
and how long has it been in that planter? there is already a lot of root growth.


----------



## Pdxbmwguy (Apr 17, 2013)

*Riparium Bonsai*

I have always wondered if this would work! I dig it.


----------



## toksyn (Aug 15, 2011)

Very interesting, tree in a planter .


----------



## Bserve (Nov 4, 2012)

Very cool concept


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

@[email protected] said:


> but now we need a pic of how you bent it.
> and how long has it been in that planter? there is already a lot of root growth.


Here is a shot after bending. After putting the tree in the tank I sharpened some of these angles a bit more.










You can see the new, white roots in the planter. I was very pleased to see good root development so soon after transplanting. This is a sign of a healthy plant.


----------



## Pdxbmwguy (Apr 17, 2013)

*Riparium Bonsai*

I wonder if this would work with a Japanese maple


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Pdxbmwguy said:


> I wonder if this would work with a Japanese maple



I am certain that this would not work with a Japanese maple. The Montezuma cypress is a true wetland/swamp/riparian plant adapted to live with its root in wet substrate, whereas Japanese maple is an upland forest plant. The roots of Japanese maple would just quickly drown and die if you put them in a riparium planter. Furthermore, Japanese maple is a temperate zone plant and it really needs to have a cool winter dormancy period and it thus not suitable for growing indoors. Montezuma cypress is a subtropical plant and it might be able to live year-round inside.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got the tank all put together. Now I just need to clear some room to set it up. I'll try to get more pictures pretty soon.


----------



## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

Could you share/post some water parameters? CO2? Light/levels?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AirstoND said:


> Could you share/post some water parameters? CO2? Light/levels?


Riparium plants are generally undemanding. We have pretty hard water here with pH around 8.0. Riparium plants don't need any extra CO2. I am going to set up this tank provisionally under a single HO T5 strip, then upgrade later on to a couple of PAR38 LEDs.


----------



## Pablom (Apr 11, 2013)

hydrophyte said:


> Since this tree seems to be establishing fine I decided to just go ahead and wire it. I was getting tired of seeing its awkward shape.
> 
> Here it it wrapped with wire before I started to bend it. You can see that it is just straight and sticky.



Hey Hydrophyte looks great. Quick question, what kind of soil are you using on this guy? It doesn't look like your standard pellets


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Pablom said:


> Hey Hydrophyte looks great. Quick question, what kind of soil are you using on this guy? It doesn't look like your standard pellets


That is just the regular clay gravel.


----------



## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Fantastic as always. Can't wait to see it once it's added to the tank.


----------



## AdamC13 (Mar 28, 2013)

Just recently I saw a bonsai weeping willow tree. Could you use one of those in a setup like that since from what I understand are water lovers. I know as a kid we had one bust our water pipes with it's roots.

It's something I know literally nothing about but have always been interested in.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AdamC13 said:


> Just recently I saw a bonsai weeping willow tree. Could you use one of those in a setup like that since from what I understand are water lovers. I know as a kid we had one bust our water pipes with it's roots.
> 
> It's something I know literally nothing about but have always been interested in.


Willows are also northern temperate trees and I imagine that they require a cold winter dormancy and they probably would not do very well indoors. 

There are a few other tropical/subtropical swamp trees that I am testing for growing as bonsai or that I hope to get pretty soon. Here is a quick list...


Swamp Bay (_Persea palustris_)
Buttonwood (_Conocarpus erectus_)
_Sesbania bispinosa_
I also hope to try out some _Ficus_ figs.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm back to setting up the tank today! The silicone has had a full week to cure, so it should be strong.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick shot to show the tank construction. The glass is 1/4" plate and I sealed the seams with GE Type I silicone. After bonding the five glass panels and letting the silicone cure for a couple of days I scraped excess silicone from the inside corners, then masked for 1/8" seams all the way around. This is the easiest way to get nice and straight seams. I gave the completed tank a full week to cure before adding water today.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm setting up the tank in a provisional way on a bench top in the basement shop.


----------



## wastewater (Apr 5, 2010)

Masterfully crafted! Very nice footprint (dimensions).


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! I wouldn't call it masterful, but it'll do. I like the shape. 

Here it is with water.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

And finally I put the Montezuma cypress in the tank for an idea of the proportions. I hope that the foliage on this little tree will fill out a bit more. I have a few other plants to combine with it, too.








[/QUOTE]


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here are a couple more shots of the cypress tree.










It has very good root development in the planter!


----------



## All your base (Dec 6, 2006)

On this timescale that seems pretty incredible indeed.

I know in "traditional" bonsai there's consideration given to managing growth of the whole tree, i.e. size/proportions of the pot and repotting schedules relative to root growth. Do you have any thoughts on how that translates to riparium planting?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

All your base said:


> On this timescale that seems pretty incredible indeed.
> 
> I know in "traditional" bonsai there's consideration given to managing growth of the whole tree, i.e. size/proportions of the pot and repotting schedules relative to root growth. Do you have any thoughts on how that translates to riparium planting?


I was impressed with how fast the new roots started to grow. The plant seems happy.

This will just a process of seeing how the tree changes over time. I really like the look of this Montezuma cypress, so I can imagine hanging onto it as a riparium specimen for a couple of years or longer. I imagine that the limited volume for roots in the planter as well as pruing of shoots will maintain it with manageable proportions.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

So jealous of that little tank. Nice job!


----------



## jarvitron (Aug 6, 2012)

Super neat footprint, that's gonna turn into a stunner.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

rocksmom said:


> So jealous of that little tank. Nice job!





jarvitron said:


> Super neat footprint, that's gonna turn into a stunner.


Thanks. It's pretty easy to build a small and short tank like this. With the shallow water depth the seam strength is less critical.

I think the tank will look good with the tree. I almost with that the cypress were a bit taller, but it might look better as I start to add more things. I need to use some short riparium plants around the base of the tree.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope to get back to work on this thing tomorrow. I need to start rounding up more plants and it would be nice add some substrate, too. 

Before going much further with the setup I need to decide about how to situate the tank. I might just leave it on this bench in the basement shop, but raise it up a bit with a very short table: this would be similar to the short furniture stand used to display bonsai trees in their pots. I could build one easily enough with a piece of double-thickness plywood, steel pipe and flanges. Here is one that I made a while back with these Ikea table legs.










I might also start shopping for nano fish. Does anybody have any favorite tiny fish that are less likely to jump? I wonder about using a group of _Heterandria formosa_(?). They could complement the cypress tree pretty nice.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I love, love, love microdevario kubotai. I've moved mine between three different rimless tanks and only had one jump, and that was right after a move. They aren't as flashy as the chili rasboras that everyone likes, but I think the green is very pretty. Mine are always out in the open too so you can see them. No hiding.


----------



## nerdariostomp (Aug 23, 2012)

looks like a very well thought out plan. very stoked to see this one grow


----------



## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Sweet hydro!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

rocksmom said:


> I love, love, love microdevario kubotai. I've moved mine between three different rimless tanks and only had one jump, and that was right after a move. They aren't as flashy as the chili rasboras that everyone likes, but I think the green is very pretty. Mine are always out in the open too so you can see them. No hiding.


Thanks for this tip. I had wondered about those. I might have a local source for them if they are still in stock. Have you kept them in an open-top tank?



nerdariostomp said:


> looks like a very well thought out plan. very stoked to see this one grow





bitFUUL said:


> Sweet hydro!


Thanks a bunch!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick update for the buttonbush plant. It's looking great! I really like this foliage.










This is a temperate-zone plant, but I hope that I can keep it in a riparium like this. If it insists on going dormant in the fall I will just try bagging it up and keeping it in the frdige for a few months.


----------



## jarvitron (Aug 6, 2012)

I have a group of Heterandria Formosa that live in a 10G and four now in a small windowsill bowl. They're skittish but not jumpers, interesting hover/peck grazing behavior in a species tank but a little too timid to see in any other situation (White cloud minnows were a little too boisterous for them to get comfortable, guppies were WAY too aggressive, I assume any type of microdevario/microdanio would be OK but the larger danios might freak them out with the race/chase behavior. Watching two males track a female is quite a bit of fun. They are tiny but they will tear the legs off a full sized cherry shrimp if given the opportunity.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks for this tip. I had wondered about those. I might have a local source for them if they are still in stock. Have you kept them in an open-top tank?


Sorry, I should have been more clear and said open top instead of rimless, but yes I have. I usually keep the water level down a little bit in all my tanks so I don't know if that helps, but I only had the one jump. The only time they seem skittish is when the lights turn off. They dart around a bit, but nothing too bad.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

rocksmom said:


> Sorry, I should have been more clear and said open top instead of rimless, but yes I have. I usually keep the water level down a little bit in all my tanks so I don't know if that helps, but I only had the one jump. The only time they seem skittish is when the lights turn off. They dart around a bit, but nothing too bad.


Thanks again. Maybe I should just get those. There is a local guy with an online store--I can go over there and pick up fish--who had them for just a couple bucks each. I'm still trying to decide which substrate to use. I think those little green fish would look best against a dark substrate.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here are a couple more quick shots.

I love the foliage on the Montezuma cypress. 










I might stick the buttonbush in this tank if there is room with the other plants that I want to add. I think it looks good with the cypress. I remember seeing buttonbush in a cypress swamp in Florida, so it's a nice biotope representation, too.


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

Slowly but surely... lol


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

oldpunk78 said:


> Slowly but surely... lol


This project is coming along faster than most of my setups do. I like small tanks like this without extra complications.


----------



## Pablom (Apr 11, 2013)

Nice tank Hydro.

What kind of filtration are you going with? Submersible?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Pablom said:


> Nice tank Hydro.
> 
> What kind of filtration are you going with? Submersible?


Thanks a bunch.

This tank is going to have a very light bio-load. I might use either a real small submersible filter or an airstone to just move the water around a little bit.

Just this morning I got my _Lysimachia nummularia_ with a plant order. I think this will work well as a carpeting riparium plant in this setup.









(Wikimedia Commons image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lysimachia_nummularia_002.JPG)


----------



## All your base (Dec 6, 2006)

I can see this being a really cool sub-genre. Imagine a Yose-ue style grouping of one species of trees above water, and a "matching" grouping of driftwood below the water.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

All your base said:


> I can see this being a really cool sub-genre. Imagine a Yose-ue style grouping of one species of trees above water, and a "matching" grouping of driftwood below the water.


I think it might look good in this setup to use a couple of slender manzanita branches with curves similar to the cypress tree but somewhat shorter that would be positioned to rise up out of the water in the midground. 

I might also consider some small cypress knees.


----------



## JeremyM (Feb 23, 2012)

First off let me say that this is a fantastic idea, and I'm incredibly glad that someone with the know-how is going after it! I'd played around with this idea but have always dismissed it before I could get to excited over it, as I don't have any experience with the art of Bonzai growing (YET). It's amazing to me how quickly this plant is progressing through the stages, especially that it didn't seem to be phased at all by all the trauma it's been through. You must really know what you're doing! 

I really do think that formosas would be the perfect fit for where I think you want to go with this tank. I've never had problems with one jumping before, but it should be noted that their true behavioral beauty and uniqueness shines through best in a species tank (certainly not with larger quick and nippy fish) with plenty of cover for them to feel secure in. Though they're quite diminutive, they're the kind of nano fish that is always active doing something interesting but not in a dartlike manner; rather, they spend their time puttering around. they're not schoolers either, so each has its own individual plan of action to carry out. I think they're much more interesting in that sense than other nanos, as they seem to spend their time curiously exploring rather than in a perpetual state of nervous, twitchy paranoia... now, of course, that can be a good behavior as well, but I feel the behaviour of formosas would much better fit the vibe of this tank. Personally, I think their activities would emulate the swimming pattern and behavior of larger fish that would be found prowling the root systems of overgrown riverbanks with either unbelievable accuracy or a somewhat farcical leer that makes us laugh at ourselves for ever considering the two alike.

then again, I've only seen the thing empty with the beginnings of a bonsai in it so I really can't tell what you have planned! 

here's a link to a video (not mine) demonstrating a little of what I was talking about. 



 at times they actually remind me a little bit of pea puffers in certain movement-related behavior. (ie, they can swim backwards!) There are two main color morphs, the black barred/striped one (that would be striped and/or barred, they may exhibit only stripes or bands or both) and the 'gold morph', which is pale gold in color and sports little pattern. I hope this helps you decide, and I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

JeremyM said:


> First off let me say that this is a fantastic idea, and I'm incredibly glad that someone with the know-how is going after it! I'd played around with this idea but have always dismissed it before I could get to excited over it, as I don't have any experience with the art of Bonzai growing (YET). It's amazing to me how quickly this plant is progressing through the stages, especially that it didn't seem to be phased at all by all the trauma it's been through. You must really know what you're doing!
> 
> I really do think that formosas would be the perfect fit for where I think you want to go with this tank. I've never had problems with one jumping before, but it should be noted that their true behavioral beauty and uniqueness shines through best in a species tank (certainly not with larger quick and nippy fish) with plenty of cover for them to feel secure in. Though they're quite diminutive, they're the kind of nano fish that is always active doing something interesting but not in a dartlike manner; rather, they spend their time puttering around. they're not schoolers either, so each has its own individual plan of action to carry out. I think they're much more interesting in that sense than other nanos, as they seem to spend their time curiously exploring rather than in a perpetual state of nervous, twitchy paranoia... now, of course, that can be a good behavior as well, but I feel the behaviour of formosas would much better fit the vibe of this tank. Personally, I think their activities would emulate the swimming pattern and behavior of larger fish that would be found prowling the root systems of overgrown riverbanks with either unbelievable accuracy or a somewhat farcical leer that makes us laugh at ourselves for ever considering the two alike.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much! I'm more strongly inclined to use the _H. formosa_ at this point. Since the planting will include the cypress and buttonbush it will be like a Southeast US biotope anyway and this fish will compliment that nicely. 

Cypress are pretty hardy trees. I ran into a number of descriptions of using bald cypress as bonsai and they apparently take to pruning and other bonsai training well. I hope I can keep this tree going long-term.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I wrote a blog post about this setup. It includes most of the same details that I have already mentioned here. Here is the link if you want to check it out...

http://ripariumsupply.com/?p=901

I still need to set up the tank with substrate, hardscape, fish, a few more plants and a better setting, so the blog post just describes it as a work in progress. I will try to make more headway with it as soon as I can.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

What a terrific footprint. 20x14 sounds perfect. 

All of us lovers of shallow tanks are going to be watching with envy.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

somewhatshocked said:


> What a terrific footprint. 20x14 sounds perfect.
> 
> All of us lovers of shallow tanks are going to be watching with envy.


I like the shape a lot. 

I need to hurry up and set the tank up properly so that I can start adding substrate and everything else.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Last night I set this up with pool filter sand and oak leaves. I think I like the way this looks. I gotta get some pictures.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Yes, pics please! Since I'm redoing the underwater part of mine I'm going back and forth between sand and the Mr. Aqua plant soil I have. I'd love to see how yours looks with the PFS.


----------



## cosm3 (Apr 23, 2013)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> always pushing the edges.
> i like this. its people like you that allow the hobby to grow and expand.
> Thank you for all your hard work!



:thumbsup:


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'll try to get some pictures this afternoon.

I just got the _Rosa palustris_ plants with the mail. They are bare root plants with no leaves at all yet. I will pot them up tonight. I got a few of them and I might plant one outside in the yard.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here its is with the pool filter sand and oak leaves.


----------



## SomeCanuck (Mar 25, 2012)

Wow! That's got the makings of a very natural-looking scene.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

SomeCanuck said:


> Wow! That's got the makings of a very natural-looking scene.


Thanks! I think it will be looking good when I put it in its permanent spot. I am going to set it up on a hardwood cabinet top in front of a dark blue wall and I think that will be more attractive. Dark colors like purple and blue contrast nice with riparium plants. 

I might have fish to add this weekend.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

*Riparium Bonsai*

This looks amazing, my man!! Wow. I'm super impressed! This shallow tank looks great.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

MABJ said:


> This looks amazing, my man!! Wow. I'm super impressed! This shallow tank looks great.


Super shallow tanks like this one have a lot of potential. Someday I'd like to make a regular fully-aquatic planting with this tank or a similar one and real short plants: it would be an aquascape for viewing from above.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Ah, that looks really nice! Now you definitely have me considering sand. Somecanuck is right, it's very natural looking.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

*Riparium Bonsai*



hydrophyte said:


> Super shallow tanks like this one have a lot of potential. Someday I'd like to make a regular fully-aquatic planting with this tank or a similar one and real short plants: it would be an aquascape for viewing from above.


Heh. That's already in the works on my side. I call it shallow zen garden. 

I'm thinking 8" by 4" by 8".

Pool filter sand, rocks, moss several shrimp and some very small plants. 

It is a plan that I'll be working on this summer hopefully.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

*Riparium Bonsai*

View attachment 144050


I'll fashion a stand out of this repurposed metal thingy some guy was using for an art project.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Really love what you're doing with this. Once those leaves start breaking down, it's going to look even more terrific.

Looking forward to the stand, as well. 

You're giving me ideas I never thought of for my spare 60-F and 45-F.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

*Riparium Bonsai*

Lol, Jake you have too many tanks! xD 'Spare' ADA tanks lol.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

somewhatshocked said:


> Really love what you're doing with this. Once those leaves start breaking down, it's going to look even more terrific.
> 
> Looking forward to the stand, as well.
> 
> You're giving me ideas I never thought of for my spare 60-F and 45-F.


Thanks a bunch. 

A 60-F would be great for a setup like this. 

Let me know if you might start looking for plants. I can suggest some good sources for trees on ebay and a few other spots. I have an extra _Rosa palustris_ here, too.

Here's my current livestock idea...


_Boraras uropthalmoides_ - 5
_Indostomus crocadylus_ - 1

I can get these from a local seller. I have read that _Boraras_ are a bit less inclined to jump out of tanks(?).


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The idea you set off for me: using Mangroves/training them. 

Boraras could be a nice option for the tank. Maybe even H. formosa? They're the perfect size for this tank, though obviously not colorful. 

Since Corydoras habrosus are so much fun to observe from above, they could be great for a shallow tank. But I suspect you could have the occasional carpet surfer until they get used to things.

Indostomus crocodilus are amazing little fish. I've always avoided them because I'm not a fan of always feeding live foods. DEFINITELY take lots of photos if that's the fish you go with.

Have you considered a pair of Dario dario?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I had _H. formosa_ in mind too. They could actually make a nice biotope represetnation along with the cypress and the _Cephalanthus_. But I think I will go with the _Boraras_ because I have this local source.

I had dwarf cories in a small tank once and half of them jumped out. One of them landed right on the arm of the couch and stuck right there all dried up.

The _I. crocodulis_ looks pretty cool. 

I had considered _Dario dario_ too, but I have kept those before.

Most mangroves will not work very well for bonsai; they have big leaves with long internodes, and they hate to be pruned. One exception that should make a nice mangrove bonsai is _Conocarpus erectus_ buttonwood. If you look on ebay you can see sporadically find nice buttonwood pre-bonsai.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I think Boraras of any sort will look much nicer than H. formosa. 

Think you could do way more than five, though.

Really looking forward to this.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope I can get those fish sometime early this coming week.

I intend to also add a couple of long slender curved manzanita branches to complete the scape.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got another new plant in the mail last week. These are three bare root sapling of swamp rose (_Rosa palustris_). As I was explaining earlier, this is a northern rose and a temperate-zone plant, but I hope that it will work out in the riparium. I have seen a few cases of roses growing as houseplants, so they might not necessarily require a cold winter dormancy.

I planted this specimen in a riparium planter on Saturday and already the buds have started to open and I see new roots in the planter. This might be a pretty good plant to grow like riparium bonsai.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another shot a little bit closer to show the foliage textures.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

So very cool!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

waterfaller1 said:


> So very cool!


Thanks Carole!

I might have fish for this setup tomorrow. I plan to go with seven _Boraras_ and the _I. crocodulis_.

I removed most of the wire from the cypress and found that it had already assumed the wired shape. I might re-wire in a couple spots to make a couple more curves.


----------



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

What kind of Boraras are you getting? I have 20+ maculatus and those buggers are tiny! I just moved them from my six gallon to my 11.4 and they look lost in there!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

rocksmom said:


> What kind of Boraras are you getting? I have 20+ maculatus and those buggers are tiny! I just moved them from my six gallon to my 11.4 and they look lost in there!


They are _B. urophthamoides_. This one is also very small, but with the substrate this tank has only about five gallons of water in it. I think that a light bioload is better and a half-dozen is about right. I might not even use a filter and just put a slow airstone in there instead. 
*
*


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Where are you finding indostomus? Can't wait to see what you get. I finally saw chili rasboras for the first time the other day and boy are they tiny.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

waterfaller1 said:


> Where are you finding indostomus? Can't wait to see what you get. I finally saw chili rasboras for the first time the other day and boy are they tiny.


Carole, Did I send you that guy's link? I think he might still have some _Indostomus_.

I got a new photo update for this tank. It looks a lot better against a dark background. I need to set it all all up for better photos. This is in part a piece of plywood with black paint and some Photoshop.










The Montezuma cypress tree is doing great!


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

This is super excellent looking. 

Bravo. You've got a bunch of people drooling, even if they won't admit to it. I know I am.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

MABJ said:


> This is super excellent looking.
> 
> Bravo. You've got a bunch of people drooling, even if they won't admit to it. I know I am.


It looks really good in-person too. I wish I had a good spot for it in our house somewhere, but there's not more room so I just have it in my basement shop for now.


----------



## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

it looks great! are you going to add any fish to the tank?


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> It looks really good in-person too. I wish I had a good spot for it in our house somewhere, but there's not more room so I just have it in my basement shop for now.


That's too bad. I could see something like this on a coffee table of mine some day. 

I'm trying hard to envision the perfect fish for this tank... Sparkling gourami are one of a few that come to mind.


----------



## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

This is just really nice. Keep it up hydrophyte!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

@[email protected] said:


> it looks great! are you going to add any fish to the tank?





MABJ said:


> That's too bad. I could see something like this on a coffee table of mine some day.
> 
> I'm trying hard to envision the perfect fish for this tank... Sparkling gourami are one of a few that come to mind.





Acro said:


> This is just really nice. Keep it up hydrophyte!


Thanks so much you guys!

I need fish that will be less inclined to jump out. I would worry about sparkling gourami. I was planning on using some _Boraras_ and one or two _Indostomus crocodilus_.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Did we ever establish the exact volume on this?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

MABJ said:


> Did we ever establish the exact volume on this?


I wrote it down somewhere, but now I can't find it again(?). I think it was something like 6.25 gallons.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> I wrote it down somewhere, but now I can't find it again(?). I think it was something like 6.25 gallons.


Well that's not shabby at all. Definitely rules certain options out. 

Certain Boraras species would look great, but my only concern is they look much better from the side. 

Hmm I'll keep thinking.


----------



## Retrogamer82 (Oct 13, 2009)

I dont chime in often but while reading through this thread I am happy for once when getting to the end that the fish haven't been added yet as I would like to cast my vote for the H. Formosa for livestock... When you are this close to a biotope, especially a SEUS one... Gnarly tag to add to a project.

Hydro, your stuff is always awesome.. Always enjoy reading your stuff.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> Carole, Did I send you that guy's link? I think he might still have some _Indostomus_.


Yes, thank you. The tree and tank looks awesome!


----------



## Scottyhorse (Mar 13, 2013)

Wow, super duper cool!!

Could you PM me where you are getting the Indostomus from? I am wanting some for a tank I am planning... Hehe. 

I think this is going to look amazing once the tree is more Bonsai, but, already.. wow!


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Since there's a concern about jumping fish... what about going the invertebrate route? 

If you added some mosses, it wouldn't change the aesthetic of the tank as adding bunches of plants would.

Maybe some really colorful Neos? Or even a couple Cambarellus patzcuarensis sp. Orange?

Or - since you don't have plants in the tank itself - you could keep a more colorful variety of Cray.

Just tossing those out there as options. Though, I'm still excited to see you keep fish in the tank.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

I actually think H Formosa would be cool too. They're more visible from the top and don't pose a large jump risk. 

If you could do shrimp, that'd be neat. Some really heavy fire reds or blue diamonds or dark blue velvets would be really neat.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

I recommend before any of you purchase either type of Indostomus, that you purchase a good grindal worm culture. And if you have no experience keeping those, do practice with it until you get the hang of it. It took me awhile not only to find someone capable of sending me a quality culture, but also keeping it alive. They do not take to prepared foods easily. Another option is to stock your tank with a live mixed culture from Sach's Aquaculture. But give that time to establish in a heavily planted tank that is also established, not new.


----------



## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

This looks really amazing Devin! Loved the article you had printed in Amazonas too!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

MABJ said:


> Well that's not shabby at all. Definitely rules certain options out.
> 
> Certain Boraras species would look great, but my only concern is they look much better from the side.
> 
> Hmm I'll keep thinking.


Thnaks!



Retrogamer82 said:


> I dont chime in often but while reading through this thread I am happy for once when getting to the end that the fish haven't been added yet as I would like to cast my vote for the H. Formosa for livestock... When you are this close to a biotope, especially a SEUS one... Gnarly tag to add to a project.
> 
> Hydro, your stuff is always awesome.. Always enjoy reading your stuff.


I agree that H. formosa would be nice too. I will look around a bit more to see if I can find some.



Scottyhorse said:


> Wow, super duper cool!!
> 
> Could you PM me where you are getting the Indostomus from? I am wanting some for a tank I am planning... Hehe.
> 
> I think this is going to look amazing once the tree is more Bonsai, but, already.. wow!


Thank you. 

The tree is pretty close to what I had in mind. I would like for the foliage to fill in a bit more. 



somewhatshocked said:


> Since there's a concern about jumping fish... what about going the invertebrate route?
> 
> If you added some mosses, it wouldn't change the aesthetic of the tank as adding bunches of plants would.
> 
> ...


Thanks for these additional tips. Shrimp would be cool too. I would worry about crays crawling out. I had a small colony of Cambarellus once and I lost two that climbed out on the airline hose. 



MABJ said:


> I actually think H Formosa would be cool too. They're more visible from the top and don't pose a large jump risk.
> 
> If you could do shrimp, that'd be neat. Some really heavy fire reds or blue diamonds or dark blue velvets would be really neat.


I agree about the H. formosa.

Blue shrimp (or blue fish) would contrast nice against the oak leaves.



waterfaller1 said:


> I recommend before any of you purchase either type of Indostomus, that you purchase a good grindal worm culture. And if you have no experience keeping those, do practice with it until you get the hang of it. It took me awhile not only to find someone capable of sending me a quality culture, but also keeping it alive. They do not take to prepared foods easily. Another option is to stock your tank with a live mixed culture from Sach's Aquaculture. But give that time to establish in a heavily planted tank that is also established, not new.


thanks again Carole. I can get grindal worms from the same source as the fish. Will Indostomus also eat vinegar eels, or are they too small for them?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> This looks really amazing Devin! Loved the article you had printed in Amazonas too!


Thanks!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have new background colors for this. The tank is sitting on a painted dark brown piece of plywood, while there is a dark blue panel on the wall. I will try to get new pictures tomorrow.

The fish and plants all look pretty good.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here are a couple of quick shots.

I think I did a pretty good job picking out that blue color.










I really need to get a new flash so I can take fish pictures again.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Looking terrific! And it's exciting to finally see some critters darting around the tank.

How are they enjoying it?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

somewhatshocked said:


> Looking terrific! And it's exciting to finally see some critters darting around the tank.
> 
> How are they enjoying it?


Thanks. The fish seem to be doing great. The Boraras colored up a lot for me. I have been feeding with mosquito larvae.

The chocolate gourami look good too, but I think that they were the runts in the batch because they were the last individuals that the seller had. They are very small. I might think about replacing them with something else.


----------



## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

Looking great! And keep up with those chocolate gourami, they may bloom into amazing fish under your care.


----------



## Chester (Mar 25, 2013)

Wow sweet set up Devin... I have a tank that is a shallow cube like that as well and have been trying to figure out with to grow in it...look amazing!


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

My only complaint is that hydrophyte needs to post about 10,000 more photos.


----------



## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> My only complaint is that hydrophyte needs to post about 10,000 more photos.


Agreed! :thumbsup:


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks everybody.

Yes I hope that the chocolate gouramis will color up some more and grow if I keep feeding them the mosquito larvae.

I have a couple more pictures here. These are just quick snapshots. I will try to set up the tank for better photography soon.


----------



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> My only complaint is that hydrophyte needs to post about 10,000 more photos.


+1 and soon

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow.

The plants are shaping up better.

I need to get some photos before the current batch of leaves in there totally disintegrates. They are starting to fall apart.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This setup is still doing well. The cypress tree has grown some more. I replaced the _Marsilea_ fern with some creeping Jenny (lower right) and it is filling in nicely. I need to replace the oak leaves. You can see here that they are really starting to fall apart.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Awesome!roud:


----------



## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

Devin do you still have the chocolate gouramis in this tank?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I haven't been back to this thread in a while. The tank is still looking good. I have had to trim the Montezuma cypress a few times. It has been growing all along.



waterfaller1 said:


> Awesome!roud:


Thanks!



swoof said:


> Devin do you still have the chocolate gouramis in this tank?


They are not in there anymore. They were runts to start out with and one of them quit feeding. The other one jumped out of the tank. I do still have the little group of _Boraras_ in there and they look good.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I moved this tank over to the warehouse tonight. The cypress tree is looking a little sad because my basement shop was getting awful chilly and I didn't have the most consistent light on the planting. I will keep it better lit and I hope the tree will perk up again. The fish all look good.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's the tank in a temporary spot. As soon as I can get power to it I'm going to move it out of this corner to another wall. I thought that the planting could be a bit more full, so I added a _Cyperus_ umbrella sedge in one more planter to the right of the cypress tree.










The bonsai tree looks all blown out against that white wall. When I move this again I will hang up that blue background with it. Now that it is in more steady and warmer conditions I hope that the tree will start to grow again.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope to get back to this thing tomorrow. It will look better when I hang up that blue background again.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Still looking great, though. 

Can't wait to see how it progresses.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

somewhatshocked said:


> Still looking great, though.
> 
> Can't wait to see how it progresses.


Thanks. It'll look better when I can get it cleaned up again.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am going to replant this tank pretty soon. The room is warmish at about 77F, but the _Cephalanthus _buttonbush looks like it is trying to go dormant. It has stopped growing all together and now some of the leaves are turning red. This is a northern plant that occurs here in Wisconsin and I wondered if this might happen. 

I have a few various bushy plants that I can replace the buttonbush with. MaybeI'll have new pictures on the way.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I changed the planting a bit. I replaced the Montezuma cypress with a _Chamaedorea cataractarum_ cat palm and the buttonbush with a _Suarurus cernua_ lizard's tail. I think these new plants look pretty good.

This is just a crumby cell phone shot. I will try to set the tank up for better picture-taking sometime soon. It would be nice to get a couple of new leaves on the cat palm plants.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Looking good! I have had a few ripm plants fail on me. Too flooded you think? Do you add back nutrients every so often to the soil? I cannot keep the pink on that one plant. I guess my lighting is not good enough. The one that is a tree{forget the name} with the sawtooth red edges is doing great!


----------



## Bserve (Nov 4, 2012)

So much for riparium BONSAI...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

waterfaller1 said:


> Looking good! I have had a few ripm plants fail on me. Too flooded you think? Do you add back nutrients every so often to the soil? I cannot keep the pink on that one plant. I guess my lighting is not good enough. The one that is a tree{forget the name} with the sawtooth red edges is doing great!


Thanks Carole!

I'll send some more plants if you want to try replanting. This week here is above average temps and good for shipping.

Do you have any recent pictures of those plants? All those plants I sent should grow fine in the water. I think you were using CFL lamps over those little tanks. Is that right? Were the bulbs relatively fresh?

Sawtooth red leaf margins sounds like _Pandanus utilis_. That is a fun plant. I have a houseplant potted specimen here that grew to almost 48" tall outdoors this summer and it is starting to develop nice stilt roots around the base.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a better look at the _Saururus cernuus_ lizard's tail. I like this plant. It has grown well and it's nice and sturdy.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick update photo. The plants are looking pretty good. I added anohter planter with cat palm. I'd like to set it up for better picture-taking and move it to another spot without all these cords and outlets.


----------



## JoshBA (Aug 21, 2013)

Very nice riparium! It reminds me of some of the foliage along the hill streams in the mountains of Montana. 
Is that an led spotlight you're using?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks very much. You have palms in Montana?

Yep, that's a 5,000K PAR 38 LED. I got a few of them pretty cheap at Menards.


----------



## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

The plants are looking great!


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Saururus cernuus 

Lizard's Tail 


Classic plant for so-called "Streets" in Dutch Style aquaria. The first "Street" was seen at an aquarium exhibition in Leiden, Netherlands. This very street was planted using Lizard's Tail. Hence, this plant is known in Holland as "Leiden Plant" (Leidseplantje). Unique, very handsome plant which will develop a waxy sheen if kept happy. A stand of Lizard's Tail will make the most beautiful street you can imagine!

http://www.extraplant.com/saururus-cernuus.html


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

waterfaller1 said:


> The plants are looking great!


Thanks a bunch!



BruceF said:


> Saururus cernuus
> 
> Lizard's Tail
> 
> ...


What the heck is this?


----------



## SweetNotice (Nov 23, 2013)

I love the look of the oak leaves! I'm going to look for some to purchase for my pool sand tank!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

SweetNotice said:


> I love the look of the oak leaves! I'm going to look for some to purchase for my pool sand tank!


Yeah I really like to combine leaves with silica sand. It is pretty easy to make the tank look nice. If you have a taller tank you can fill more of the vertical space with a few manzanita branches.

The large magnolia leaves that I am using in my 56G have worked out better. They stain the water a lot more than the oak leaves.


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Regrettably, Saururus cernuus, the first plant ever to be used for a Dutch Street, is now rarely to be seen. Allegedly, in modern aquariums with lots of equipment, it simply grows too big. (BTW the first ever Street was shown at an aquarium exhibition in Leiden many years ago, which is why this plant is known as “leidseplantje” in Holland)
http://blog.extraplant.com/visit-to-the-netherlands.html


----------



## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> BruceF said:
> 
> 
> > Saururus cernuus
> ...


I think it's to do with post #142


----------



## Urbnbtta (Sep 26, 2010)

*Cypress gone?*



hydrophyte said:


> I changed the planting a bit. I replaced the Montezuma cypress with a _Chamaedorea cataractarum_ cat palm


Why did you swap out the cypress? Do you think the cypress won't end up working as a bonsai planting?


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Urbnbtta said:


> Why did you swap out the cypress? Do you think the cypress won't end up working as a bonsai planting?


I still have it. I had removed it because it was looking kind of sad after my basement shop started getting chilly in the fall. Now I have it in a water tray under some T5 grow lights and it has leafed out again. For now I like the look of the cat palms in this tank. I'll set up the cypress tree again in a tank at some point.

I think the Montezuma cypress is a real good plant for this.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got a quick shot of this tank in the new spot. I should rearrange the plants a bit, but they look OK.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another quick photo. 

I hope to make some time to clean this tank up for more serious photography.


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

Insanely beautiful. To me, the way these ripariums make me feel... it's hard to phrase, it's like you make gorgeous hardscapes out of plants. I want you to make one for me :hihi: , they're so much prettier in a room than a full glass tank. I bet people would pay you to make these as decorations, or almost as "furniture"


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

What are the dimensions of your diy riparium tank?
Btw lovely photos


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

CmLaracy said:


> Insanely beautiful. To me, the way these ripariums make me feel... it's hard to phrase, it's like you make gorgeous hardscapes out of plants. I want you to make one for me :hihi: , they're so much prettier in a room than a full glass tank. I bet people would pay you to make these as decorations, or almost as "furniture"


Thanks so much! Yes I agree that with the plants growing out of the top the riparium planting interacts visually with the space in the room.

These setups look a little dingy right now. I need to clean them up and rearrange the plants a bit more and then get some better pictures. 



AquaAurora said:


> What are the dimensions of your diy riparium tank?
> Btw lovely photos


Thank you! I think I might have described it a few pages back. The tank is something like 14" deep by 20" wide by 5" tall. It holds about 6 gallons of water.


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks so much! Yes I agree that with the plants growing out of the top the riparium planting interacts visually with the space in the room.
> 
> These setups look a little dingy right now. I need to clean them up and rearrange the plants a bit more and then get some better pictures.


BS, they look stunning, I would start advertising locally and make some serious cash on the side. I'm telling you, you find the right town and you wont have enough time to set them all up. I know for a fact that if you advertised with those photos in my town, you'd be overwhelmed with work... I know a few dozen people within my NEIGHBORHOOD that have been looking for decoration/furniture like your setups... and these people are willing to pay way more than you'd ever expect. You're sitting on a goldmine talent my friend, and I say this with confidence, wouldn't say this if I didn't mean it.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

CmLaracy said:


> BS, they look stunning, I would start advertising locally and make some serious cash on the side. I'm telling you, you find the right town and you wont have enough time to set them all up. I know for a fact that if you advertised with those photos in my town, you'd be overwhelmed with work... I know a few dozen people within my NEIGHBORHOOD that have been looking for decoration/furniture like your setups... and these people are willing to pay way more than you'd ever expect. You're sitting on a goldmine talent my friend, and I say this with confidence, wouldn't say this if I didn't mean it.


Thanks again. Well, one important caveat is that these setups are like any other fish tank and require a certain amount of maintenance work, daily care and aquarium expertise. Unless you can find hobbyists within such a market it might be hard to sell this kind of thing without also offering a maintenance service. 

Conversely, you can also consider (or sell) as a riparium planting as self-watering, self-fertilizing houseplants. LOL.

I'll send you a little stack of business cards if you want.


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks again. Well, one important caveat is that these setups are like any other fish tank and require a certain amount of maintenance work, daily care and aquarium expertise. Unless you can find hobbyists within such a market it might be hard to sell this kind of thing without also offering a maintenance service.
> 
> Conversely, you can also consider a riparium planting as self-watering, self-fertilizing houseplants. LOL.
> 
> I'll send you a little stack of business cards if you want.


Of course you'd have to include the maintenance requirements within the deal, but these people all have hired help that would do it... They wouldn't see it as an issue, they'd have you teach the help, not themselves...

And yeah, due to their nature these 'rips' tend to care for themselves to extent.


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

hydrophyte said:


> Thank you! I think I might have described it a few pages back. The tank is something like 14" deep by 20" wide by 5" tall. It holds about 6 gallons of water.


Opps sorry must have accidentally skipped a page when reading ^^''
Its an awesome tank, if iIhad spare glass around I'd love to meddle in making a shallow one too.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AquaAurora said:


> Opps sorry must have accidentally skipped a page when reading ^^''
> Its an awesome tank, if iIhad spare glass around I'd love to meddle in making a shallow one too.





CmLaracy said:


> Of course you'd have to include the maintenance requirements within the deal, but these people all have hired help that would do it... They wouldn't see it as an issue, they'd have you teach the help, not themselves...
> 
> And yeah, due to their nature these 'rips' tend to care for themselves to extent.


If I could find the market I would like to try to do this kind of custom design. 

I am more interested in doing custom terrarium design. I have been working on some concepts that I think are pretty innovative and also simplify the plant care to a certain extent.


----------



## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

The last branch is pretty freakin sweet! Nice!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks. I'm working on another one that is going to go into a 90G tank. That one will use more blooming orchids.


----------



## llayz (Feb 21, 2014)

Wow, wow. , wow. Your work is amazing!!!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

llayz said:


> Wow, wow. , wow. Your work is amazing!!!


Thanks so much!


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another one of these shots from a while ago. I am going to redo this tank somewhat. I want to keep the cat palm, but add some other plants and also use some other kind of substrate. I might just use some nice clean gravel and rounded river stone. 

This shot shows the straight cone of light and crisp shadows from the PAR 38 LED. 

I need to think about livestock again too. I just had a few RCS in there. I want to use some kind of nano fish.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I've had a lot of people ask me about sources for the Montezuma cypress (_Taxodium mucronatum_). These trees are not easy to find and previously I knew about just one nursery that had twenty-dollar trees in 1-gallon pots.

I just ran into another new source. The Johnsteen Company has seedling Montezuma cypress for just five bucks! Here's the link...

http://store.sequoiatrees.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-196/MONTEZUMA-CYPRESS-%28small%29/Detail


----------

