Help for 29 gallon Vivarium

ichthyogeek

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jan 1, 2015
288
185
61
Arkansas
I'm debating tearing down my 29 gallon planted tank. There. I said it. I'm thinking of tearing down the tank, and drying it out...however, a lot of the plants in it are emersable...and I wanna try doing orchids, bromeliads, and Tillandsia if I can find them. Oh! And also carnivorous plants like pitcher plants and venus fly traps! The substrate of the tank is just plain black sand...so if I clean it really well, can I use that as substrate?

I really want to keep epiphytic plants, so do I just grab a bunch of sticks and tie the plants to the sticks with black string? Is that how it works? (Sorry...I'm used to trying to keep plants from sticking to wood, not actually attaching it)

I know that the plants all really like humidity, so should I get them a screen, or a glass top? If I get the glass top, or even the screen, will I need to provide air movement throughout the tank? I plan to just grab coconut coir, dig out a little well, and let it just sit there to release water/show when more water is needed, while misting every day/other day.

The lighting of the tank right now is pretty high...it's an Oddysea F4+MH...I currently just run the four fluorescent bulbs (T5) and rarely turn on the MH...for the plants I want to keep, should I reduce down to two lights?

I really want to keep the following plants, do they seem compatible? :

Terrestrial layer: Java moss (emersed form), Echinodorus sp, Alternanthera reineckii, Pogostemon Helferi (Or some other fern like plant, I'm open to suggestions), venus fly traps and/or pitcher plants.

Arboreal layer: Tillandsia, one or two epiphytic orchids, and one or two bromeliads. Maybe java moss.

Does anybody have tips on what to do/how to go about doing it? I'd love any and all feedback!

Also, does anybody know anything about scent-mixing? I don't really know how to describe it but here goes: Like taking two scents that won't overpower each other, but will also complement each other to make a better scent overall? I'm looking at fragrant orchids right now, and I'm thinking of using a Phalaenopsia orchid that my mom has, as well as an Aerangis fastuosa and maybe also a Oncidium "sharry baby" (whatever that is...). Thanks!
 
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