Planted Enclousure w/Gopher - Page 2

ilovemypets1988 · 06-30-11, 08:45 AM

that will be done sometime this week, probably on the weekend tbh

Teckdragon · 06-30-11, 08:50 AM

A simple, yet effective display tank! That's an umbrella plant if I'm not mistaken.

As per questions regarding soil, I highly recommend you make your own as opposed to purchasing topsoil, which often contains many chemicals such as phosphates and nitrogen that can irritate animals' skin. I highly recommend the ABG Mix (Atlantic Botanical Garden) which is: 2 parts tree fern fiber, 1 part peat moss, 2 parts cocofiber, 1 part charcoal, and 2 parts orchid bark. I know some keepers also add a pinch of calcium sand to the mix for consistency, but that's just personal preference.

If you're interested in moss, you can buy dried peat or sphagnum moss from any garden center, plus companies like Exo Terra, Zilla, and Zoo Med all sell compacted, dried variants. Once water is added it usually spring back to life. If you want to avoid the dried stuff, you can try to find java, ricca, or pillow moss online. I know several tropical retailers stock and ship it. These species can be finicky, and usually require some type of misting system to regulate humidity.

But before you can even consider soil or moss, you have to think: drainage. You'll need somewhere for all that water to go. You have a couple options, including false bottoms, a layer of LECA and mesh screen, or some combination combined with a drain and/or siphon.

stephanbakir · 06-30-11, 09:31 AM

How would one go about doing that? I know that for our T we had 2 inches of gravel at the bottom with 2 tubes going to the top through the rest of the substrate. We poured water through the tubes to add to the bottom and that keeps up the humidity. Would that work for the mosses/plants?

Coffee Black · 06-30-11, 02:58 PM

Looks great. How often are you going to have to change the soil ? I know that you can get it so that you rarely need to change it but I'm not entirely sure how that works.

Teckdragon · 06-30-11, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

How would one go about doing that? I know that for our T we had 2 inches of gravel at the bottom with 2 tubes going to the top through the rest of the substrate. We poured water through the tubes to add to the bottom and that keeps up the humidity. Would that work for the mosses/plants?

You could do some type of hidden siphon/tubing up the back, but you'd still need either a false bottom or a drainage layer for the water to collect in. If you have the time and money, I'd simply suggest drilling a hole and installing a simple valve.

Teckdragon · 06-30-11, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Black

Looks great. How often are you going to have to change the soil ? I know that you can get it so that you rarely need to change it but I'm not entirely sure how that works.

In a properly regulated tank: never. The biotic wastes from the animals act as fertilizers to feed the plants. The only real maintenance comes from cleaning the glass.