Vivarium setup guidance

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sericinda

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 1, 2010
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North Dakota
sunkistbubbles.blogspot.com
I have a 30 gallon tall aquarium I want to set up as a vivarium and get the plants going now, while my baby grows up in the 10 gallon tank.

I have read tons and feel a bit overwhelmed because my knowledge of plants and plant-related terms ends at "dirt" and "plant".
icon_rolleyes.gif


Here is my plan....any comments/corrections? The geckos will not go in here until they are adults.

I can't find clay pellets anywhere around my area...(small city) so I plan to use gravel for a drainage area about 1/2 - 1" thick. Is this sufficient?

Will put down a layer of mesh screen on top of the gravel.

2" thick layer of organic soil with no pearl-thingys or fertilizers. Can I add some earthworms to this layer to help decompose?

Remove plants from planters, Plant the plants...planning to do ivy of some sort, spider plant and pothos. Sphagnum moss is something I'm looking into as well.

I have a screen top on my tank, and a regular aquarium light....can I use the light and get a certain bulb for it for the plants? Or will that be too hot for the geckos.

I feel like an idiot here but I really want to do this, just very new to it!

ANY comments welcome. Please. lol
 
foto69man;4150836; said:
While I don't have the most knowledge on Vivs out there...I can direct you to a place thats does...lol...

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/

Scroll down to the Vivarium section...two categories, plants and parts/construction.

Also...what geckos are you getting to put in there, cause that changes what you can/should do...
Click to expand...


Thanks for the link! I will check it out.

And oh, duh, yeah, that would be helpful...crested geckos lol
 
I have a 30 gallon tall aquarium I want to set up as a vivarium and get the plants going now, while my baby grows up in the 10 gallon tank.

I have read tons and feel a bit overwhelmed because my knowledge of plants and plant-related terms ends at "dirt" and "plant".
icon_rolleyes.gif


Here is my plan....any comments/corrections? The geckos will not go in here until they are adults.

I can't find clay pellets anywhere around my area...(small city) so I plan to use gravel for a drainage area about 1/2 - 1" thick. Is this sufficient?

I used pea gravel in both my terrarium setups. Seems to work fine for me.

Will put down a layer of mesh screen on top of the gravel.

Good idea. Wish I would have done that too.

2" thick layer of organic soil with no pearl-thingys or fertilizers. Can I add some earthworms to this layer to help decompose?

I used Eco Earth but organic soil will work great too. Adding some eathworms would be fine too. You can even use Springtails to help break down decay. They sell them on most dart frog supply sites.

Remove plants from planters, Plant the plants...planning to do ivy of some sort, spider plant and pothos. Sphagnum moss is something I'm looking into as well.

I like to keep the plants in the containers. The reason for this is that it's easier to work in the tank if I can remove the plants easily. Plus if one dies, it can be replaced. Sometimes you run the risk of an aggressive plant species choking out the competition when they are planted in the tank soil. But in the end it's your choice.

I have a screen top on my tank, and a regular aquarium light....can I use the light and get a certain bulb for it for the plants? Or will that be too hot for the geckos.

You can use fluorescent lighting for the plants. Since the geckos are nocturnal lighting is not important for them. Fluorescents also don't put out much heat.

I feel like an idiot here but I really want to do this, just very new to it!

ANY comments welcome. Please. lol

Hope I answered some of your questions. Don't be afraid to ask some more. :)
 
pea gravel is good for drainage, it's just really heavy.

mix eco earth with your soil along with some coc bark chips, this will keep your soil light and airy, and provide better drainage..

nix the earthworm idea, they break down the soil way too quickly (you'll end up with noithing but worm castings in a few months).

plants in containers, no containers, it's really a personal choice. If you like to change things around, or are new to plants the containers are good, if you have experience, you can go without.

Flourescent lighting is good, just make sure it's the proper type of light. For plants you want the 6500k daylight bulbs.

No need to feel like an idiot, we all have to start somewhere, and ofter the best places are forums asking those of us that have plenty of experience.

Any other questions please feel free to post or PM.

Don
 
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