This is my first ever Vivarium build. I originally purchased the enclosure to house my crested gecko but after conducting some research I’ve decided an 18x18x24 is much more suitable. I will start that build in the coming months, however I am left with this Vivarium that I would still like something to inhabit. The question is what is suitable for a 12x12x18 enclosure? I’ve kept various invertebrates throughout my life, and while I love them, I would prefer a reptile IF possible. Any suggestions?

Edit: I do plan on adding more plants and climbing options.

After preparing it for month i think my Blue Tongue Skink Vivarium is ready , What do you think. Critism are accepted

Chose to secure almost all of the hardscape by tensioning them between the dried tree-vines.

Size: 30x30x42cm (Repto Terra Sky)

Hello everyone. I recently set up an 18"x18"x24" enclosure. Here are some specs:

• Background and side panels were created with the Gorilla Glue method + coco coir and sphagnum moss
• Drainage layer is about 2 inches of Leca (I have about an inch of water in that layer currently) with a mesh to separate it from the substrate
• Substrate is typical ABG mix with leaf litter on top
• Plenty of tropical terrestrial, epiphytic, vining, and background/foreground covering plants installed throughout the background and hardscape
• Misting system has four nozzles; sprays for 10 seconds every six hours and I hand mist plants/moss that might be neglected by the misters (I'm still in the process of finding out what position to place them for optimal watering)
• Humidity is around 50% near the top of the enclosure and about 75% near the substrate level; temperature holds around 74° F throughout the day
• Clean-up crew consists of about 300 orange springtails and about 40-50 Cubaris murina Papayas
• After the vivarium cycles for a few weeks, I intend to add a Chahoua gecko

Okay, so I thought I had gotten it right, but I'm really worried I may have shellacked by Cubaris murina Papaya isopods due to all the water-retaining shit I got in the vivarium. After the mister system went off, I saw a little Papaya stand up on its hind legs and just... die? Turns out isopods rear up when it's too wet for them or something, and I'm worried I just released my critters into their own humidity hell (the orange springtails are fine; they're lovin' that shit)! I was under the impression that Cubaris can and prefer a bit more humidity?

Anyway, this is the situation I'm in, and I'm looking for some solutions that don't require me to replant everything. While keeping the isopods in their own container, I give them a humidity gradient, and I wondered if this could be an issue with the vivarium (no gradient). Could I just add a few pieces of cork bark for the microfauna to hide under with more leaf litter? Do I need to bury those silicon packets in the substrate to keep moisture levels low on one side?! (kidding, of course)

If you all think that the Papayas are done for and I'm gonna need a new clean-up crew, do you know of any isopods that can handle high humidity? Due to the living parameters of the gecko, I don't think I can really compromise on the vivarium's humidity levels.

Thank you!

Hey guys! I’d love some advice for this viv. It’s my fifth project in the last 6 years, and I’ve always struggled to keep them alive, let alone thrive.

I poured a crap ton of time, love, and money into this one, and I REALLY don’t want to let it go down the drain. I already feel like the plants are starting to get iffy, I can’t find my cleanup crew at all, and overall I’m just worried and would love some advice. I planted this guy about a week ago. Here are a few specs/notes for those curious:

• will house 2 cresties in about a month
• misted once a day
• lighting 10hr a day using BioDude Solar Grow LED
• has a ventilation system on both sides (pc fans blow air from top to bottom)
• bedding is sphagnum moss/cocofiber/charcoal/zilla jungle mix/Fluval plant and shrimp stratum
• Cleanup crew consists of springtails, 10 Dairy Cow isopods (left tank), and 10 Ukraine Pied isopods (right tank)
• cleanup crew nutrition is sprinkled in 1x a week

Ps, this tank will not stay on a garage floor for long lol. Thanks guys!

New builder here. ISO spring tails and other things from local sources.. Reach out, lets trade cultures!

Recently acquired this clear glass terrarium (second photo has standard size pop can for scale). Currently full of fake plants and smooth black river stones, I have done a leak test and it doesn't leak!

Looking for suggestions for an aquarium, vivarium or terrarium. If I did an aquarium, I wouldn't be able to run filtration into it, so it would probably have to be more like a Walstad method tank, or plants only.

Open to thoughts of what you would do with it!

i wanted to make it more green and add creeping fig to the wall and have a bunch of moss on the ground. but my mom is worried about bug infestations and if that happens we'd have to give her away i wanted to plant grass in the enclosure but i heard it wasnt a good idea. i think moss is a safe option but shes worried about bugs getting in the plants and getting an infestation. im just not satisfied with it yet and i want to add more. what do i do? oh and she also think the isopods bother her and she thinks that she doesnt like me adding more stuff and that the snake might think its too cluttered but i tried to make it functional. i think its kind of empty though

4 bottles of lexel sealant later and I am almost ready to move forward with installing the background on my build now that the retaining wall I built is no longer leaking. I’ve been testing with 2 1/2 inch of water for a while now and no leaks have appeared!

I am considering waiting until winter to put all the soil and drainage layers in though. Now that it is summer I get occasional flies and moths in my apartment and I don’t want them to make the enclosure their home so I might wait until winter before putting the drainage layer and soil in.

Also I was wondering if anybody had any tips: what is the best method to track the water in the drainage later in the finished build? I am considering adding a pvc tube vertically that I cap off which I can use to view down into the drainage layer from time to time.

I was silly and forgot to add the plant mesh between the substrate and drainage layers of my frog vivarium. By the time I realized I had already put all the dirt in there and Google said it wasn’t a big deal anyways.

I was going to add some more plants and rocks tomorrow anyways, should I just take everything out, wash the rocks, and place it all back properly, including the godamn mesh?

Setting up a second bioactive enclosure. My first has been running for a year and a half, and 'm happy with how it's set up. But I kind of frankenstein-ed a bunch of products together to handle the lighting, heating, misting etc. Now that I'm setting up another one and I'm more experienced, i am wondering if there are any good products that would do what my current setup does, but cheaper or better. For reference, these are the products i use currently:

Hygrometer: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0892B3VWM/ref=ox\\_sc\\_act\\_title\\_1?smid=A197YPAPAP8V04&psc=1\](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0892B3VWM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A197YPAPAP8V04&psc=1)

Thermostat for basking spot: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HXM5UAC/ref=ox\\_sc\\_act\\_title\\_2?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&th=1\](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HXM5UAC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&th=1)

Thermostat for ambient temperature: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQ88JMY7/ref=ox\\_sc\\_act\\_title\\_3?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1\](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQ88JMY7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1)

Mister:

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BXGYL8GW/ref=ox\\_sc\\_act\\_title\\_4?smid=ALHMCZG7P2QCI&th=1\](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BXGYL8GW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ALHMCZG7P2QCI&th=1)

Timer plug to turn things off and on automatically:

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083JKSSR5/ref=ox\\_sc\\_act\\_title\\_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1\](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083JKSSR5/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1)

this stuff altogether costs $205, and it lets me:

Program everything by phone

make the devices turn off and on with the sunrise/sunset

Monitor the tank parameters from my phone from anywhere

spray the tank remotely

Is there anything specifically for terrariums/vivariums that would do all this and not be vastly more expensive?

It’s 18x18x24 tank so I am worried they won’t use the vertical space as much.

I'm looking for ideas for how to heat this large 5x8 vivarium.

I've used radiant heat panels in the past for a smaller builds but I'm concerned that they may not produce enough heat for this.

I'm trying to avoid using bulbs including ceramic heating elements because I like it to look as natural as possible.

This build is so big I'm almost considering getting a small overhead heater like you'd have at a outdoor sports bar but this seems like a safety concern.

Does anyone have any ideas?