trying to make a plan...

[Brently]

So one day in the distant future I want to build a large viv for my RTB. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the exo terra light cycle unit. Here is the link
Exo Terra : Light Cycle Unit / Electronic Dimming Terrarium Lamp Controller
Also I would like to be able to include some small plants like ferns and small plants like that. Would reptisun flourescent bulbs be good enough to supply them with the nutrients they need?

[Gungirl]

All I can say is good luck keeping any plant alive in a viv with a RTB. It will destroy/flatten everything and will also make keeping the viv clean very hard if it's planted.

[Brently]

Well I kinda figured the plants would suffer. But I was going to keep them potted and just see if there was a way to keep them from getting crushed. Like maybe put a climbing stick over the fern so that she climbs on that instead. I would have to get creative but I would be using cheap plants regardless. Just curious if the bulbs will provide nutrients.

[jarich]

It depends on a few variables, but neither one of those things is necessarily true Kat. Plus plants are always a good idea. It keeps humidity levels more stable and cleans the otherwise stale air in the enclosure. On top of all that, I think they look great!

Let's answer Brently's questions first. No I don't have any personal experience with that ExoTerra unit, though I like the sound of the gentler transition. As to whether the bulb will be enough, I would recommend two. Ferns are normally shade plants anyway, and that's important to remember when choosing your plants. However, I always have a combination of ReptiGlo/ReptiSun and a daylight basking lamp in my enclosures and have never had a plant die yet. I'm not sure why the daylight basking lamp helps, but it genuinely seems to, especially with the ferns.

As to keeping your snake from destroying them, it's tougher as they get bigger but not impossible. Put them away from the walls of your enclosure. Your snake will create a 'trail' along the perimeter of the cage normally. Also place them near/under other solid things like hides or driftwood pieces, that will protect them from being squashed flat.

I've never kept a large snake (bigger than 6ft) on soil before so I can't speak to that regarding cleaning. I've always kept them on mulch/bark but the live plants have made cleaning no harder. In those enclosures I just keep the plants in pots and bury them in the mulch so that when cleaning I can easily remove the plants and put them back in. No harder than cleaning without plants really.

[jarich]

That's exactly the right attitude about it too man. For those larger snakes I would recommend Pothos as they grow easily and heartily. Ferns are a little easier to kill. And hey, a large Pothos only costs $10-20, so if it dies after 6 months of being abused by your snake, then no big deal.

[asneeze531]

I have yet to jump into plants with my snakes (going to attempt this soon) but i have several dart frog tanks with a huge variety of live plants. If you asking is the lights will provide nutrients for your plants, you wanna aim for a bulb that will have an output around 6500K, you can find them in a variety type of bulb, and i didn't see what those exoterra ones were listed at. When i first started i have much less light than i needed and it didn't turn out well. I now use LEDs from an online place pm me if you want the link (not sure about posting vendor names on here??) but my plants are going crazy and there is very little heat, which allows me to use another heat source to keep the heat in the tank as i want it regardless of how much light i need. it's also worth it to mention that certain plants require different types and spectrums of light, so what i said is not an end all be all, but what works for many common terrarium plants.

[jarich]

Thats cool, Ive read about using LEDs but havent tried them yet myself. Id love to get the link you spoke of. Could you send me a pm with it?