# The Peninsula



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That is really nice.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Wow this is epic. I love watching timelapse videos. Did you leave a camera in the same spot for like a month? How long did it take from start to completion?

Also... this isn't an actual fish tank right? There's no water...? It's really hard to tell if there is haha, but I feel dumb asking.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

A true artist you are! BEAUTIFUL!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I did a double-take when I first opened the thread because at first glance I really thought it was a fish tank, but I was trying to imagine what kind of aquarium plant looks and grows just like a red _Neoregelia._


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks guys. The build took 6-7 months, with a lot of waiting in between for materials and plants.

And no, there is only about 1cm of water in it right now. In the rainy season I will flood the bottom area 2-3" to make a small pond. The tank is mainly for orchids, and these little buggers....


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I was wondering why you painstakingly put the leaves in the bottom if you were going to flood the tank with water . Very nice looking tank. Did you ever get around to making the 4 other tanks that you described in the youtube video?


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Absolutely gorgeous!
Great still photos, too : )


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## Retrogamer82 (Oct 13, 2009)

That is phenomenal...


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

This vivarium makes me sad  Becauae it looks so much better than my aquarium, and I thought mine was pretty awsome. The only thing that would make it cooler was it it was a rimless tank. Amazing.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Great time lapse, beautiful tank, fantastic photography, and nice looking leucs.

Nice work!


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

karatekid14 said:


> This vivarium makes me sad  Because it looks so much better than my aquarium.


That was my second response, after "WOW"
lol


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## dragonsong93 (Nov 25, 2011)

That's probably one of the best vivs I've EVER seen! :icon_eek: Fits right into the room too, awesome work!


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

Georgeous tank and amazing video! That piece of video was so artistic. You should enter it into a competition. Is that your line of work?


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks again.



diwu13 said:


> I was wondering why you painstakingly put the leaves in the bottom if you were going to flood the tank with water . Very nice looking tank. Did you ever get around to making the 4 other tanks that you described in the youtube video?


I actually just posted that new video this past weekend, so I havent started those 4 tanks yet. Stay tuned though, because I'll be posting videos along the way.



psalm18.2 said:


> Georgeous tank and amazing video! That piece of video was so artistic. You should enter it into a competition. Is that your line of work?


No I havent really entered it in a competition. I did submit it to a popular youtube channel with 250000 subscribers, and got a 3 second clip put at the end of one of their videos. It didnt get much interest from it though. Maybe 10 subscribers and a few hundred views.

I wish this was my job. I have a job that I hate, so I spend a lot of my free time doing things that I love such as building tanks and photography. Ive just begun making custom tanks for people, so maybe someday I'll be able to do it full time. Thanks for the kind words!


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

The film reminded me of something on the Discovery Channel. I'd submit it to them. I see a future career brewing for you.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It took me a few minutes to realize this tank was not filled with water, I was distracted by all the different elements that are not common to planted tanks like the nice faux root background, the foggers or misters above were very distracting because I have no idea what they are so I kept going back to them and was so hoping to see them in action in the time lapse video. 

It is most definitely a top notch build and is also beautiful, it's apparent from the start this was not your first time. I'll have to go to the build journal to understand more about the tank but it is great and nice to see effort well spent.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

amazing tank. the background you used on the wall side panel a DIY?


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

psalm18.2 said:


> The film reminded me of something on the Discovery Channel. I'd submit it to them. I see a future career brewing for you.


Haha maybe I'll try sending it to them  Not quite sure what they would do with it though haha



150EH said:


> It took me a few minutes to realize this tank was not filled with water, I was distracted by all the different elements that are not common to planted tanks like the nice faux root background, the foggers or misters above were very distracting because I have no idea what they are so I kept going back to them and was so hoping to see them in action in the time lapse video.
> 
> It is most definitely a top notch build and is also beautiful, it's apparent from the start this was not your first time. I'll have to go to the build journal to understand more about the tank but it is great and nice to see effort well spent.


Thanks. And I like to keep the glass spotless, so it does sometimes look like an aquarium. Those are fine water misters mounted on the top. I do however have twin air ducts running inside the root structure which provide constant air movement. And there is also a fogging system built inside aswell to mimic the cloud forests of equador.



demonr6 said:


> amazing tank. the background you used on the wall side panel a DIY?


Yuppers, everything inside the tank, including the glass tops are built by myself. You can see it all come together on my timelapse videos. Its made from expanding foam, pvc piping, ropes, and then covered in silicone/peat moss


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## driftwoods (Feb 2, 2011)

Really amazing I watched some of your build videos just the other day an dnow you are on TPT crazy. Welcome hope to see more from you in the future.


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## driftwoods (Feb 2, 2011)

What are you using for lights. It looks like they are suspeneded from the ceiling?


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

I was hoping you would post this here!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

HOLY CRAP!!!! IT IS HERE TOO!!! Now I don't have to log into Dendroboard just to see this beast. This thing is absolutely amazing. With this kind of talent, I would hate to see what he would do to an under water setup. He would wreck that nonsense!

Ok, I am done being all hyper now.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The best part is if you pi$$ him off he can just dab a thorn on the frogs back, roll up a fat leaf, and blow dart you to sleep, after that it get blurry and nobody really is willing to talk.

I looked at it for 15 minutes before I could type out a comment.

Grimm are the frogs just colorful or poisonous?


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

150EH said:


> The best part is if you pi$$ him off he can just dab a thorn on the frogs back, roll up a fat leaf, and blow dart you to sleep, after that it get blurry and nobody really is willing to talk.
> 
> I looked at it for 15 minutes before I could type out a comment.


Hhmmmm, I think I heard you mention the blowdart thing before. Lol.

His videos are awesome too. Very informative and step by step. Awesome guides.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

150EH said:


> Grimm are the frogs just colorful or poisonous?


I'm assuming his Leucs are captive bred.. if that's the case they are not poisonous.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Wow amazing tank and time lapse video!! Thanks for sharing your work!


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## the planter (Jul 8, 2010)

that sir.. is one nice tank you got there.


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks again guys. I though the thread was lost in the depths of this forum already, but it looks like it got bumped up 



driftwoods said:


> What are you using for lights. It looks like they are suspeneded from the ceiling?


Yes the fixture is suspended. It is a Geisemann Infinity fixture, with roof mounting cables.



cableguy69846 said:


> HOLY CRAP!!!! IT IS HERE TOO!!! Now I don't have to log into Dendroboard just to see this beast. This thing is absolutely amazing. With this kind of talent, I would hate to see what he would do to an under water setup. He would wreck that nonsense!
> 
> Ok, I am done being all hyper now.


Yeah I would love to dive into the aquarium world, but I just dont have the time for maintaining it every day. Plus I go on a lot of long holidays and I need something that can maintain itself for longer periods of time. Once these vivariums are setup, they are very low maintenance compared to aquariums. Feed the frogs every few days, fill the misting and fogging reservoir once a month, and clear the glass whenever I feel like it. Thats it. Also, with the plants I used, I wont need to trim anything for at least a year. The fastest growing plant I have is my anubias coffeefolia, and Im sure everyone here knows how slow they can grow.

I have been getting into the aquascape planting style a lot, and I hope to bring the "compositional" techniques developed by aquarists into the vivarium world. I just recieved a copy of Takashi Amano's "Nature Aquarium: Complete Works 1985-2009" Hopefully I can try and pick up some skills from him and apply them on future tanks.


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## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

150EH said:


> Grimm are the frogs just colorful or poisonous?


 From what I've read there is some kind of bug (I want to say an ant) they eat in the wild that causes them to become poisonous. So in captivity they aren't harmful.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Grimm said:


> Thanks again guys. I though the thread was lost in the depths of this forum already, but it looks like it got bumped up
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If you do dive into the aquarium world, there are a lot of low tech, low maintenance setups that you can look into. Once you get an aquarium going well, you shouldn't have to maintain it every day. You can automate everything on a fish tank now, from water changes to feeding and everything in between. I, for one, would be very interested to see what you would do with a water box.:icon_smil


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> If you do dive into the aquarium world, there are a lot of low tech, low maintenance setups that you can look into. Once you get an aquarium going well, you shouldn't have to maintain it every day. You can automate everything on a fish tank now, from water changes to feeding and everything in between. I, for one, would be very interested to see what you would do with a water box.:icon_smil


Im most likely going to start with a small paludarium. That way I can ease myself into the submerged world. Only problem is that I dont have much space to put more tanks after this big one. Perhaps a small coffee table tank down the road, or a nano in my kitchen. Im going to keep building other people tanks from now on, because if Im not always building something Im not reaching my creativity quota lol.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Grimm said:


> Im most likely going to start with a small paludarium. That way I can ease myself into the submerged world. Only problem is that I dont have much space to put more tanks after this big one. Perhaps a small coffee table tank down the road, or a nano in my kitchen. Im going to keep building other people tanks from now on, because if Im not always building something Im not reaching my creativity quota lol.


Nano tanks are fun. A little challenging, but fun. If you go nano, I would suggest a 2.5 for a full water tank, or at least a 10 gallon on the palu. They are fun. I hear ya on the creativity thing. I just got all my tanks almost where I want them, and now have nothing to tinker with really. That is why I asked the fiancee for a 20 long for X-Mas.:hihi: Going to use it for my L 104 plecos. Should be awesome.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Beautiful! I'd love to have something like this someday.


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Updated pics from a few days ago. Lets just say it took me a while to edit these plant pics in Paint  To bad photobucket has an upload limit, because both of them are 30 Megapixels EACH and look sweet on a massive monitor. Hopefully you can still see the plant names with the decrease in size.





































And a bonus pic I entered into a local reptile forum contest. Requirements needed some heavy post processing modifications, thats why its a blacked out and desaturated background.


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## D3monic (Jan 29, 2012)

Turned out pretty sweet! I love the plant maps.


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## limeslide (Jan 27, 2010)

This is my dream!!!!!


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

I LOVE how it's set up to view from three sides!


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Almost been a year since I planted the tank. Time for an update.
Great view from my computer desk 

Peninsula August 8 2012-1 by Justin Grimm, on Flickr

Peninsula August 8 2012-4 by Justin Grimm, on Flickr

Peninsula August 8 2012-3 by Justin Grimm, on Flickr

Peninsula August 8 2012-2 by Justin Grimm, on Flickr


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Gorgeous! A real slice of nature. Any chance of getting close-ups? : )
How do you keep the glass so clean with the fogger/mister? Do you just wipe it down?


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

That's a SWEET setup!


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

You should definitely make a video showing some upkeep on the tank. I think many of us who don't have vivariums would like to see how much work is required, compared to a planted aquarium.


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

driftwoodhunter said:


> Gorgeous! A real slice of nature. Any chance of getting close-ups? : )
> How do you keep the glass so clean with the fogger/mister? Do you just wipe it down?


No closeups at the moment. I just hacked away a bunch of moss and moved all the plants around, so it looks good from afar but far from good haha.
And I just clean the glass before pics. Squeegee works wonders.



Capsaicin_MFK said:


> You should definitely make a video showing some upkeep on the tank. I think many of us who don't have vivariums would like to see how much work is required, compared to a planted aquarium.


There actually aren't enough maintenance tasks to even make a 30 second video to be honest. Aside from my first ever plant removal, cutback and remounting last week (once a year type deal), this is all I do...

Fill the misting and fogging reservoir maybe once a month. Feed the frogs 1-2 times a week, and squeegee the glass when I feel like it. Very low maintenance . I let it go for about 3 months without ever putting my hands down into the tank and it did just fine!


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## mihnata (Aug 1, 2012)

WOW!!! This is so cool! Love it =)


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

haha - you just made it even more appealing... : )


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## Kworker (Oct 28, 2011)

coolest tank I've ever seen.


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Watch in HD!

I was practicing some new video techniques and had planned to make a normal video using my gathered clips. I decided editing them to some over the top epic music was more fitting! I think its a pretty funny combo actually








Thanks for checking it out, liking and sharing.

I'll have a new display finished up in a couple months also, so stay tunned for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yux-TskkreI​


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## BeachBum2012 (Jan 16, 2010)

That video was great! I see something new to add to my list of things I want to set up.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

this tank is amazing! great work


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## Grimm (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks for the compliments guys. To bad you cant embed videos on this forum. Most people are to lazy to click a link  
I looked at my video analytics and only 8 people watched it from here haha.


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## BeachBum2012 (Jan 16, 2010)

Grimm said:


> Thanks for the compliments guys. To bad you cant embed videos on this forum. Most people are to lazy to click a link
> I looked at my video analytics and only 8 people watched it from here haha.


I was one of them for sure. Not only is your setup quite impressive, but your video is very well composed as well. Both are an inspiration.


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