Why a Vivarium?
Vivariums have been exploding in popularity over the past few years or
so. There are several advantages of a vivarium over a traditional
terrarium setup. Theres often much less upkeep, they are much more
aesthetically pleasing, and the lucky inhabitants love the extra hiding,
climbing, and breeding spaces provided. When set up properly, upkeep
should involve nothing more than cleaning the glass.
Introduction & Construction Basics
There are a few basic aspects in the initial construction of a true
vivarium; a
drainage layer, a
screen separator (or similar), and the
substrate layer. (see picture right)
The drainage layer keeps the substrate layer from becoming soggy and
allows for an "airy" substrate. The best type of drainage layer in our
opinion is made of hydroton (or an equivalent) expanded clay media.
Some hobbyists use gravel or false bottoms, but we've had bad experience
with both. Gravel is so heavy it can crack the bottom of a terrarium
if it's bumped, and false bottoms don't encourage microfauna & beneficial
bacterial growth as well as hydroton does. This layer should be at
least 2.5" high, but it corresponds to the size of the actual terrarium
used. Rinse it thoroughly before using it, and don't add water to your
drainage layer until the vivarium is completed. Pouring water over the
plants through the substrate will ensure it won't move around and it'll add
beneficial tannins from the leaf litter & soil that wouldn't be present
otherwise. Water should rise about 1/3-1/2 way up the drainage layer.
Never let it get too close to the substrate layer, and try not to let it dry
out completely.
Above the drainage layer is the screen separator. It's a non-toxic fine screen mesh that allows air & water to pass
through it. The purpose of the screen separator is to keep bits of the
soil from reaching the drainage layer and wicking up the water, creating a
very soggy substrate above. Pre-cut pieces are available online for
most common size front opening terrariums, but standard mesh from your local
hardware store works too.
Substrate is a topic of debate. There are so many substrate recipes
out there containing so many different ingredients it's impossible to keep
up. Simply put - a proper vivarium substrate must sustain plant life,
microfauna life, and the lives of the herps inhabiting the enclosure.
Sounds simple, right? Well it also depends on the type of animal you
are housing. For most tropical & temperate vivariums we suggest the
following substrate mixture: Coir (this should never exceed 50% of the mix),
AAA sphagnum (fine/med), charcoal (fine/med), orchid bark (fine/med), and
tree fern fiber (fine/med). If you are housing larger animals that
have sensitive skin or dig, consider skipping the tree fern fiber. We
sell a pre mixed vivarium substrate
here. Contrary to what has been said
on may internet forums - straight coconut fiber is NOT an appropriate
vivarium substrate. It is extremely easy for it to become compacted
and soggy. Worse than straight coconut fiber is potting soil or
potting soil mixed with coir. Both break down far too quickly and
even "organic" potting soil often contains a lot of unwanted
ingredients.
Decor & Hardscaping
Aside from the three basic elements already covered, most vivariums
have either a background or some type of hardscaped feature.
Neither is 100% necessary, but it greatly enhances the look, and when
done correctly the inhabitants will greatly appreciate the extra
climbing room. Adding loose wood pieces is a common practice, but
more often they are added to complement a background.
For backgrounds you have a few
options. There are many
pre-made backgrounds available today,
which generally look & perform very well for the money. Custom
backgrounds usually look and function the best, but they are costly and
often time consuming. We usually go with the
polyurethane foam & silicone based custom
backgrounds, but there are many ways to go about this.
Kitty litter (clay) based backgrounds are becoming more and more popular
lately, but they only hold up well in vivariums that will sustain 75%+
humidity. Some people use concrete and other faux-rock styles that
can come out looking really fantastic. If you choose a custom
concrete (laticrete, grout, or other) style rock background, be sure to
check for PH neutrality before planting it.
There are a few different types of
wood that can be added to a vivarium's hardscape:
Grapewood
- Nice
looking and very inexpensive, however it will not hold up well in a
humid habitat. It will quickly mold over and eventually begin to
rot. We suggest only using grapewood in more dry environments.
Mopani
-
Beautiful but heavy and expensive. Mopani sinks in water, and
is one of the hardest and most dense types of wood. Will hold
up long term in just about any setting (even underwater!). If you
are using this wood in a water feature, consider boiling it for awhile
to get the tannins out. Once it's been boiled, rinse it and boil
it again 'till the water remains semi-clear. Tannins aren't
harmful (technically beneficial) but can turn the water a "tea" color.
Malaysian Driftwood
- A
bit harder to find than mopani, and also fairly expensive. Holds
up long term in humid settings, with beautiful textures & shapes.
Another extremely dense wood that sinks underwater. Not to be
confused with normal driftwood which often won't hold up as well in high
humidity.
Cork -
A lighter
wood that's middle of the road price wise. It holds up great in most
vivarium conditions. This wood is one of our favorites for it's
availability in different shapes & sizes. (tubes, rounds, flats,
etc) It's rot & mold resistant, and floats in water.
Ground Cover & Flora Selection
The most popular ground cover for most vivariums is
moss.
It's beautiful, somewhat inexpensive, and pretty easy to grow (if you get
proper live stuff). However, a beautiful carpet of bright green moss
is not really a natural looking choice.
Leaf litter covers most tropical &
temperate habitats with moss & other plants peeking through occasionally.
For the most realistic looking vivarium floor, consider a mixture of moss,
leaf litter, and other smaller
vines & climbing plants that can peek out here & there.
Rocks,
pieces of wood, and other decor can help
make it look even more realistic.
Choosing the right flora for a tropical or temperate vivarium is absolutely
key to the success of the contained ecosystem. It depends very heavily on
the type of animal youll be keeping. Different species call for
different humidity levels, housing size, lighting, temp levels, and more.
The most important things to consider when choosing a plant is the size &
growth rate, conditions for optimal growth, and the plant's ability to
withstand the potential abuse from the animal. Getting into a list of
appropriate plants for each individual species would be impossible, but in
general medium & small herps (under 3") can use just about
any plant we
offer online. Just consider the type of environment the
plant needs. (lighting, humidity, etc) For larger animals we have a list of appropriate plants available
here.
Processing & Planting
You should process all plants before adding them to your vivarium unless
you grew them yourself in traditional vivarium substrate. For more
info please check out our
plant processing sheet.
Please don't skip this very important step!
So long as you keep the
plant's optimal growth conditions in mind, the rest should be a piece of
cake.
Bromeliads and other epiphytic plants
should be mounted up and off the floor of the vivarium on
backgrounds and other pieces of raised
decor.
Tillandsias can be a bit tricky (check out
our
Tillandsia care sheet) You can attach
vines & climbers to backgrounds with toothpicks or florist wire.
After a few weeks of acclimation, the plants will begin to throw their own
grips on whatever they are resting on. Eventually the supports will no
longer be needed.
Lighting
Most plants do best with about 6500K color temperature bulbs.
Required intensity varies per species, but we've had luck with using a
variety of bulb types.
Compact fluorescent (20W-26W), T8, and T5 bulbs have worked very
well for us. T12s are OK too, but are a bit dim for the amount of
wattage used. Never put a vivarium in direct sunlight. It will
cause the tank's temperature to skyrocket in a very short period of time.
Lights should be
timed for 12 hours on, 12 hours off.
Lately we've been hearing a rumor being spread about plant lighting.
Plants do not need UVB lighting.
They will not benefit from it. The only time UVB lighting is necessary is if
you housing an animal that would benefit from it. Save your money and
get some inexpensive grow bulbs!
Misting & Humidity
Most vivarium inhabitants will do best with 60%+ humidity, and if this
is the case with your chosen species you might want to consider having a
partial glass lid cut to fit the terrarium. It will help hold in the
humidity between misting.
Automated
misting systems are a huge help from our
experience, especially with species like dart frogs that do best with
multiple mists per day. Regardless, for the first week (at least) that
your vivarium is set up, pay extra attention to the plants until they
acclimate properly.
Selecting Appropriate Microfauna
Microfauna species are the clean up crew that makes sure the vivarium
stays in top shape. They help break down decaying flora, eat fungus &
mold, and even the vivarium inhabitant's waste. For many vivarium herp
species, the right microfauna can mean no cleanup whatsoever for the owner.
We suggest using captive bred microfauna only.
Springtails (Collembola) are the most
common, most available, and usually least expensive type of vivarium
microfauna. They aren't technically insects, but hexapods. There
are dozens of species of springtail, and many are vivarium appropriate.
The common ones are usually broadly divided into "tropical" or "temperate"
species. Honestly both will work in either type of vivarium, but we've
had luck with our temperate cultures. They breed like crazy do an
excellent job keeping things clean. If you are interested in buying or
breeding these, check out our springtail caresheet
here.
Woodlice (Isopods) are another very common microfauna species for
vivariums. They are significantly larger and much slower breeding than
springtails, but they have the ability to clean up a much bigger "mess" than
springtails can alone. Both species can coexist in one vivarium with
no problems. We use woodlice in larger gecko vivariums, but leave them
out for small species like dart & tree frogs.
Tips, Tricks, and Other Useful Info
Have your
vivarium set up for at least 1 week before introducing animals.
A mixed species vivarium
is something to be considered only if you have an enormous tank and plenty
of knowledge & experience with the involved animals. It's very
important to understand that mixed species vivariums have nothing on the
"plus" side of things besides aesthetics, and have many negative aspects.
One species per vivarium is the best practice to follow.
If your animals are
new to you, consider a standard quarantine period before introducing them to
the vivarium. This can save you a huge headache!
If you are housing an
insectivore who is at risk for impaction when diving for food, consider
offering insect prey items in a deli cup placed in the vivarium temporarily.
Always use
dechlorinated water. Reverse osmosis water is an excellent choice for
misting, since it won't leave water spots on the glass.
Avoid getting
supplement powder on plants. It can quickly kill them!
Build the environment
for the animal. Don't select an animal for your environment as an
afterthought.
Mold? No worries.
A little mold after the vivarium is first set up and cycling is completely
normal. It will go away on it's own in time, and until then it'll act
as a food source for springtails and/or isopods.
A nice landscape is
key to a nice looking vivarium. Try sloping the substrate layer
slightly from high to low (lowest at the front) to achieve a nice illusion
of depth.
On the topic of seeding a cage
with microfauna; We've seen people suggest "bringing in dirt from outside
and throwing a bunch in the vivarium" and that's it. That's extremely
risky! The potential for
contamination with countless parasites, as well as other bacterial & fungal
issues greatly outweighs the benefits. Please seed your vivarium with
captive bred microfauna.
55 Gallon Vivarium
Housing a trio of P. terribilis 'Mint' In The Front Desk At Our Retail Location. Click to
enlarge.
The 3 Basic Elements
(Viewed from side of vivarium)
A Crested Gecko Viv
Beautiful moss but it's not quite as natural looking as it could be.
Moss, Leaf Litter, and Vines Create a Natural Looking Vivarium Floor
A Very Simple Gargoyle Vivarium
Color Temp Chart
- Click to Enlarge
Springtails (Collembola)
Leucomelas Vivarium
Flush Mounted Vivarium
Simple Plant Growth Vivarium
Flowering Columnea 'Carnival'
Vivarium Construction 101
This care sheet is downloadable for easy printing!
Click to download.
For
Phelsuma Klemmeri
For Dendrobates Leucomelas
For Tinctorius Azureus
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