# Please critique my new vivarium -



## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

Hi All - 
I have planted my first vivarium - Its an 18x18x24

I would like to house D. ventrimaculatus once the vivarium has cycled for a month..

So far, it has been going for about 8 days - Please forgive the 12 mangrove tree seeds  I got a bunch, only needed a few, and I just stuck the rest in there until my friend is ready to take them 

I have a water feature and a very small "pond" area that can be seen in the close up pic - 

Please let me honestly know if I have done anything blatantly wrong, or if I am using an incorrect plant, etc.. I am here to learn after all -

Thanks!


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## vugger#1 (Jul 20, 2009)

Looks great, nice job. The only thing I see is it could use some leaf litter.
Nice first Viv.


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## Redhead87xc (Jan 27, 2010)

The fern in the middle top is hard to keep alive in general from my person experience. It is a sensitive plant. Otherwise your cub looks great. Hope it does well. As long as you have proper drainage and the right light bulbs the plants should be fine.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Does the bottom always stay that wet? 
The small tillandsia on the piece of wood above the pool is probably going to rot unless it can dry out more than is seen in the setup and there is some form of air flow to prevent stagnation. 

If the bottom is going to stay that wet, do you know if that orchid tolerates being kept that wet? Does it tolerate air that isn't going to move much if at all? 

Are the two bromeliads on the bottom planted into the bottom substrate?


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## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

Looks great - especially the background! A few friendly suggestions with the plants tho...

Croton is potentially toxic, the Tillandsia needs to be higher to survive, the Guzmania will quickly outgrow the tank, the orchid should probably be planted epiphytically (unless it's in orchid bark in that one spot), and the Tillandsia cyanea does best in very well draining soil... Most proper vivarium substrates should be at least semi-ok with the cyanea - but I figured I'd mention it just in case.

I wish everyone had that attitude! Asking for help & waiting a month before frogs is always the way to go. What type of substrate mix did you use?


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

i agree that the Maidenhair fern is sensitive, but I have one in a viv that looks great. It's just touchy, so that's something to keep an eye on. Also, the Neofinetia is going to need better drainage and more air movement than can be easily provided in a viv. It also needs a cooler winter to initiate blooming. If I were you, I'd replace it with something else or just leave that area as open floor space.


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

I think the majority of those plants are going to quickly outgrow the tank


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

Wow - Thanks for all the tips and info !! I really appreciate it all -

Here are some answers, question, and clarifications:

My Substrate: The bottom of the tank is a 2 inch false bottom, covered with an inch (more of less) of pebbles, a layer of carbon, then a 2 inch layer of Orchid Bark / Psygium (sp?) moss / coconut husk / peat moss mixture.

*The only thing I see is it could use some leaf litter.*

I have a bag ready to go - Just wanted to wait until I got the plants in order before adding it!

*As long as you have proper drainage and the right light bulbs the plants should be fine. *

Thanks! I think the drainage is good, and the lights I have are the full spectrum exo-terra bulbs

*Does the bottom always stay that wet? *
No, It actually looks way more wet in the picture

Also, to answer Ed's other questions: Thank you, I will move the small Tillandsia to higher / drier grounds. The Orchid is in a small pot with orchid bark. I want to mount it to a piece of Fir bark, but the woman who sold it to me said I should wait until the flowers fall off - So its just there in the mean time. Will be mounted to the bark / back wall eventually!

*Croton is potentially toxic*
I didnt know that! Ill look into it and if its even remotely a possibility of being toxic, Ill remove it!
*the Guzmania will quickly outgrow the tank,*
Also didnt know that... I had seen so many of that type of Brom in vivariums, I didnt know there were species that grew faster than others.


As for air movement - I dont have it installed yet (doing it this weekend) but I am going to adapt some CPU fans for air movement!

*I think the majority of those plants are going to quickly outgrow the tank*

 But that is why I am here - To learn about this stuff - All the plants were pretty inexpensive ( 5-10$ range - most closer to the 5$) so its not going to break the bank to replace some.


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

Redhead87xc said:


> The fern in the middle top is hard to keep alive in general from my person experience. It is a sensitive plant. Otherwise your cub looks great. Hope it does well. As long as you have proper drainage and the right light bulbs the plants should be fine.


Really? It thrives in all my tanks, to the point where i have to rip it out...


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## auratusross (Jan 3, 2011)

> Croton is potentially toxic


 I did not know this either. Do you know how it is toxic to frogs? and when you say "potentially" what do you mean by this? thanks for the info...Ross


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

auratusross said:


> I did not know this either. Do you know how it is toxic to frogs? and when you say "potentially" what do you mean by this? thanks for the info...Ross



I just looked it up - Looks like the oil and bark can be very dangerous if ingested - - It's all over Dog forums as a no-no houseplant - 

Out it goes!


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## auratusross (Jan 3, 2011)

I have what i bought as "croton" in one of my vivs but it doesnt look anything like any of your plants, more elongated leaves with yellow and green. The name i bought mine as...."Croton Codiaeum species" Is this toxic also? All Croton in general toxic?


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

This is informative about Croton
Poisonous Plants - Croton - The Poison Plant Patch


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## auratusross (Jan 3, 2011)

Dont want to risk it! out it comes. Better safe than sorry


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

> Croton is potentially toxic


Man, that sucks! I recently bought the same type as the OP, and I know I've seen it in viv pictures before. But now it seems like it would be a bad idea

Quote from Poisonous Plants - Croton - The Poison Plant Patch:
"It contains an oil with violently purgative and irritating qualities, which is also suspected of being a co-carcinogen. 
...
All spurges cause vomiting, nausea, and/or diarrhea if they are eaten. If that’s not enough to keep you away, consider that handling some species, such as crown of thorns and poinsettia, can cause skin rashes, blistering, and eye irritation "​
Its a really cool looking plant though, anyone know of any good alternatives to croton that might have the same or similar look?


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## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

auratusross said:


> I did not know this either. Do you know how it is toxic to frogs? and when you say "potentially" what do you mean by this? thanks for the info...Ross


It's the sap inside the plant that's the problem. It's not worth the risk in my opinion, especially when there are so many inexpensive alternatives. I see people using that in Rhacodactylus vivariums... Which is scary. 

There are a TON of online vendors (including myself) that sell proper vivarium plants and most don't charge too much to ship... Dendroboard Sponsors


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

Here is how it looks now, following suggestions by all you guys!

What do you think? Also, I am getting a LOT of fuzzy white mold - I hear that's normal and I assume adding ventilation will help that issue


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## brod322 (May 27, 2011)

Looks very nice I think all the diversity in the plants is great. For being just planted it's pretty full looks like your gonna have a lot of trimming to do but great build


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## cairo11 (Jan 8, 2011)

The one thing wrong you did was .....making a lot of us jealous man!!! Very nice tank....gorrilla glue that tilliandsia up higher and youre goid to go...happy frogs


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## eldalote2 (Jun 3, 2009)

I'm not sure if this has been said, I didn't do a thorough read through. But the Maidens Hair fern may do better in the soil next to the pond. Mine like to be kept damp at all times it seems. If it dies, you can try another at a moist bottom level location. 
Good thing plants are cheap! I know I have killed my fair share.


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## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

Springtails will help with the mold issue...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Poor plant selection... still. Those two bromeliads are viv suitable but just look horrible and are way too large. The flowering one will die soon (since it's flowering) and the one on the left just looks plain bad. I'm not too sure how well the orchid is going to do up there (same with the fern). Sorry to sound harsh but you wanted critique!... I give harsh critique. 

Also, what lighting are you using?


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

This goes out to anyone who is starting a new viv....Dont buy all of your plants from Home Depot or big name home/garden stores. I did it on my first build, most other newbies do it also, and it looks pretty lame. The folliage always grows much to large, and all the flowering broms are closer to death then you may think.

Instead, stick with smaller vines, miniature orchids, small ferns, smaller neos, mosses. Key word being "small" or thing will outgrow the tank rapidly.


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## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

Both broms seem to be in flower, so are indeed ending their life expectancy. I actually like the larger one being on the left...at the very least it provides some good cover, though it may not like being kept in the moist substrate. The one on the right I don't like, but that's just my personal opinion .

The orchid should do much better up there. You may have to add some sphagnum moss around the roots if you have problems keeping it hydrated, but I don't think that should be a problem in such high humidity.


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## VicSkimmr (Jan 24, 2006)

I've got one of those orchids in my tank about midway up mounted epiphitically. it seems to be happy there


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

Mitch said:


> Poor plant selection... still. Those two bromeliads are viv suitable but just look horrible and are way too large. .


Easy to fix - Ill order them online and replace them soon. 



Mitch said:


> Also, what lighting are you using?



(1)Exo Terra Repti-Glo 5.0 Compact Fluorescent Tropical Terrarium Lamp - 26W 
and

(1)Zoo Med ReptiSun® 5.0 Compact Fluorescent Lamp 


As for the *HOME DEPOT* plants - I actually got these at a local nursery that does a lot of pond and terrarium stuff, so Im shocked at how bad the recs seem to be - *MeiKVR6* seems to have a nice selection of plants on his site that I will probably place an order with!


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

Also, as far as *HARSH CRITIQUE*, Thats why I posted here! I don't think telling me something helpful about some of my plants is harsh - It's better for the long run..

If someone said "You must be blind and stupid for putting that stuff where you did," Well thats a different story 

I have been a member of a lot of forums for everything from Toys to concept artwork - The forums I like the best are the ones with the "Show us your work" section, and the "Critique my work" section - The SHOW thread is more "Check this out but dont make and negative comments" and the CRITIQUE was "Tell me what I am doing wrong or right, and help make it better."


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Just a warning about HD/Lowes plants....make sure you clean and sterilize them BEFORE planting them in theh viv or you will most likely get a bunch of snails and other critters you may not want. I found out the hard way.


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## tylerh (May 3, 2011)

More changes from the advise I have been given - 

Orchids and small bromiliad moved up, ferns moved down. I did a lot of reading on keeping these ferns in terrariums today, and most people said it isnt easy, but it seems to be a luck of the draw - Some people cant keep em alive, some cant kill em... So I am going to try my luck - I really like the way these ferns look!

Also, my bromiliads have been moved to my garden - - 

I also removed ALL my substrate, and added an extra inch of drainage rock on top of my 2" false bottom so the substrate stays less constantly wet...

Getting there - - -

(I also removed like 12 mangroves - - They were temporary anyway though)










Im hopefully placing an order with out sponsor Mike soon for more suitable plants - That should really bring it to life properly this time!


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