Saturday, April 9, 2011

i have an unused rectangular cocofiber planter.
i'd like to use it to grow plants in my vivarium. i'd like to build a light framework hidden inside and place it along to one side against the side wall in the aquarium. i could affix the framework to the the false background that covers the back side of the aquarium with screws. the frame work will help to keep the cocofiber mat's shape so i can put soil in it without it going limp. i have a couple of inches of water in the aquarium. i dont want the planter to sit in the water. the soil would get too wet to grow the plants i want in. so i'll attach it to the back wall so that it sits just on the water's surface. i'll have to give it little legs to help support the opposite end. by sitting the planter just on top of the water the soil won't get too wet for the plants but they will be able to suck up what they need. this would be ideal to grow a young miniature tree fern in and give my aquarium a natural tropical appearance. at least i hope i will be able to make it look natural. it would be more natural for the top edge of the planter to slope from the aquarium side wall down to the water line. like a stream edge. i could construct the inner framework to make it slope with just an inch of lip along the water's edge to keep the soil and the water seperate. some of the frame will have to be natural wood so that it looks natural. where the end of the planter meets the front panel of the aquarium i will have to attach pieces of natural wood to the bottom along the front edge. these pieces of wood will look like roots growing down into the water as from a river bank.
similar to the picture above but on a much smaller scale and just a couple of sticks hanging down from the front bottom edge of the cocofiber planter. this make it looks more natural and not like its just floating mysteriously on top of the water

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