Comments or suggestions please!

[luke1983]

Hi everybody.

I got my basic set up for a naturalistic Jungle type viv sorted.

I have a 24 x 24 x 18 exo terra viv, with a drainage layer of clay balls, topped with some live compost that i bought from dartfrog, then some rain forest type bark chips.

I also have a exo - terra medium water fall and am going to fit it with a fogger in the near future.

I have some peat blocks piled up at the back against the fake rock wall i got with the viv.

The plants i have are two types of Bromeliads (Neoregelia liliputiana & Cryptanthus rosens), a small orchid (Phalaenopsis Mini Mark ), a climber that i cant remember the name of ( I think it is some kind of creeping fig) and a Peruvian heartleaf Plant Philodendron spec.

I have also put some Kyoto Moss Spore in there and some Moss from the back garden (i live in germany and am unsure of its speciesa but am trying to find out). This was done on a reccomendation from another forum.

Everything seeems to be going okay at the minute although Philodendron seems to have lost all its leaves, i hope it will pick up over the next few weeks!

I have also put half a dozen earth worms in there to help aerate the soil.

I don't have any heat in there but it is obviously indoors at room temperature.

I am using an Aquarium light as this was good for aquatic plants.

I will get some pictures up soon.

I also would like some suggestions for Lizards that might be kept in such an environment when it has matured for a year or so.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome as this is the first time i've done anything like this.........

[luke1983]

C'mon guys!

[arthur cooke]

Hi Luke, sounds good. A fogger may make it very damp, so probably frog friendly.
You might find this site useful as to plants and what you need to give them.
AZ Master Gardener Manual: Plant Lists

In my naturalistic viv I would add a layer of dried micro waves leaves, worms , beetle grubs will turn these into plant food.Makes for a natural look too.
For beetle grubs you'd need an under soil heater, temp about 75f.
Difficult to say about what animals,without knowing temps,humidity etc.
cheers arthur.

[arthur cooke]

Sorry, that should read micro waved.
cheers arthur.

[luke1983]

Originally Posted by arthur cooke

Sorry, that should read micro waved.
cheers arthur.

Ahh, that makes sense now!! Microwaved to kill bacteria etc? I thought about frogs, but i much prefer lizards tbh.

As i said i am going to let the whole thing mature for a while to let the plants get settled then will look at humidity, temps etc before i get a lizard.

Just out of interest where about would you get beetle lava from? Would meal worms do? I hope so i have lots of these to feed the Leo's!

[arthur cooke]

I used to get my beetle larva from the insect show at Kempton Park racecourse,pachnoda are best, they are very easy to breed, Half a dozen larva should do the trick. Meal worms are flesh eaters, I'm not very sure how they would do, don't think they would turn over soil in the same way as worms or beetle larva.
cheers arthur.

[luke1983]

Cheers Arthur, they look quite good aswell & would make an interesting addition to the vivarium.

Looking into getting some now, what is the chances that they might overrun the viv?

Do you know any decent links to info about them? I've googled it and just looking through the results now.

[arthur cooke]

If conditions are right they do breed well and can be controlled by simply removing some of the adult beetles. I fed the beetles with ripe banana.
Don't know any good links but the invertebrate section might.
cheers arthur