Rocky's Tropical Neighbor!

[pogismom]

Rocky's tropical neighbor Petrie, my new crested gecko, has gotten a vivarium make over! It is a LIVE vivarium and very exciting to make. So different from setting up a dessert tank for my beardie Rocky!

After setting up my live viv the first time, I deconstructed it all and redid it all over again. It was okay the first time but after talking with Mike at NEHERP I realized I made a few mistakes that in the long run would cause issues down the road. Since it was still fairly new it was best to break it down and rebuild it. Mike at NEHERP was the best Viv Construction teacher a newbie could have!!!! He really helped me put it together with the right things.

Plus the products NEHERP carries for vivs is pretty outstanding. I would also rank Pangea, Josh's Frogs, and LLL Reptile as good sources for viv products and info.... but Mike and the folks at NEHERP just offer that extra insight, experience, and details that are incredibly helpful.

So my little 12x12x18 looks like a slice out of a forest right now! Here is the finished product and a tour of my set up....

https://www.dropbox.com/s/klj40xfvt4xqhl7/New Viv.jpg sorry it uploaded sideways!

Before starting the live viv I had no house plants. Now I have 4!!!! Leftovers from the viv: Two ficus, 1 coffee, and now one sansevieria. They all might come in handy one day should I decide to build another viv!

I followed NEHERPS online Viv Construction 101 instructions and processed the plants prior to planting.

Let me take you on a tour of my layout….

Substrate:
• Hydroballs (from LLL Reptile)
• Mesh (from LLL Reptile)
• 2 gallons of ABG built up so the back is higher than the front. (from Pangea & NEHERP)
• Micro fauna (isopods & springtails from bugsincyberspace and NEHERP)
• Oak leaf litter (from NEHERP

Hardscape:
• Cork tile backdrop (LLL Reptile)
• Magnatural Mushroom ledge glues on with E6000 (Repticom Vendor & LLL Reptile)
• Cork branch across (Petco)
• Cork tube under the branch for a humid hide (Petco)
• Magnetic Feeding ledge (Pangea)
• Some rocks and large Bark for added ground cover and texture (Petco)

Floral Arrangement from back to front all from NEHERP:
• I put some of the Golden Pothos along the back against the cork tile. I have not attached them yet. I also added them to the bottom of the cork branch so they can fill in the space under the feeding ledge and eventually grow up the branch.
• In the back corner I put the Mahogany fern and trimmed it back a little.
• On top of the mushroom ledge I added some sphagnum moss and the NEHERP moss all along the back edge and sideI
• I also placed a couple of tillandsia in the corners and crevices on the ledge. I did not attach them in case I want to move them.
• I also placed the NEHERP moss in the cork tube and places that had crevices on the cork tube and branch.
• I put some tillandsia on the cork branch too
• The Sansevieria is up front since the ledge prevented me placing any height in the back. I did trim the tops at an angle.
• The itty bitty fern is nicely tucked at the front near the bottom of the cork branch.

Lighting is the Jungle LED from NEHERP with the Zoo Med Hood.
Watered it all until the level was no higher than about ¼ inch or first row of hydroballs.

I feel really good about how it all came out. Took me several placements before settling on this.

Now the hard part…waiting for 4 weeks for it to cycle so I can put Petrie in his new home sweet home!!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The tank sounds great, is it almost ready?
I couldn't get the picture to come up, here on your link.

Tracie

 

[pogismom]

Yes! It is all set up and is in the process of cycling. So I have to wait another 3 weeks before I can put Petrie in his new viv.

The plants have to get established so they can tolerate being climbed on. The microfauna needs to multiply and help make the soil richer. The humidity also needs to get established within the viv, soil, and drainage substrate.

so far I have only lost one air plant but that was my fault as I knew better than to put it on the ground where it was unable to dry out so it basically rotted. I have others though that are high up and not in soil that are doing great.

Beardies are far more easier to care for in terms of their set up. With the tropical species the humidity plays a large part in keeping them healthy.it is a daily routine to mist the tank.

In terms of food, hands down Cresteds are easier than Beardies. For Rocky I have to prepare a bowl full of fresh greens every morning and then feeders in the afternoon. For Petrie my crestie I just have to add water to a teaspoon sized serving of pre made mash. It's like the food I used to feed my Baby Alive doll growing up! And that is it. Now, they can also enjoy some feeders but that is more like a treat than a staple. I have to harvest the smallest feeders for Petrie and the biggest ones for Rocky. Gotta admit I do enjoy that!

Watching them eat and hunt are pretty amazing to compare as well for they have different techniques. All are fun to watch as their little personalities kick up. Rocky looks like a dinosaur when he grabs a hornworm and throws it up and swallows it whole. When he eats dubias you can hear the crunch and its like he has a plate of potatoe chips! Whereas Petrie stalks his prey then lunges at it several times like a kid on a sugar rush until he gets it. Then he has to chomp down a few times before he can swallow it. When he is finished he licks his mouth and his eyeballs. With cresties you need to be concerned too that they don't accidentally in jest other things when they eat live feeders. They are known to be clumsy hunters.

This last fact does give me concern about the live viv. I do fear he might start stalking pieces of substrate n end up impacted the same way Beardies have been known to eat sand. So I will have to monitor that n feed him live critters outside the viv. Though there are Isopods n springtails that might temp him in the tank. But it is a risk I'm willing to take as he should be far happier in a viv that feels natural to him. Plastic plants and paper towels are okay, but seeing them interact with nature is really special.

 

[Taterbug]

Your setup sounds great, I bet he will be very happy with it. The live soil/plants really helps with humidity and moisture levels, makes your effort much smaller down the road. I actually use a scrub/desert variation of this for my dragon, and am starting vivs for my snakes. The springtails won't temp your gecko they never get big, but the isopods might - fortunately they are high calcium if he snags some.