New - first - terrarium!

[s1ren]

I uploaded two pictures of a terrarium I created last night.

I have three tanks of aquatic newts, and a few years ago I had a cheesy and easy 1/2-land setup for a Cynops morph I had at the time - but I've never tried a REAL terrarium before.

This is my first one. It's simple, and small. Descriptions are in the photos, in the member galleries. I'm excited - if this goes well, I'll make a bigger one; and if THAT goes well, there be frogs in my future!

[Tindomul1of9]

I looks good. I think it will do well with the plants that you have in there.
My first vivarium was a cheasy 3/4 land and 1/4 water separated by a piece of glass. I had used white silicone to glue the glass on, and the water sipped up, and leaked through. For the land I had a layer of soil covered by a layer of gravel. Little did I know I had it wrong. Later on, I inverted the soil and the gravel. Having the gravel under the land provided drainage to grow more types of plants. Unfortunately the leak was still there, and the soil never dried out in 4 years. But it wasnt a muddy mess.

[zaroba]

looks good.

what do you mean its a 'real' terrarium? by definition, any encloser with a plant or an animal is considered a terrarium or vivarium. or...do you mean real in that its made the way most people think is 'proper'? :P


heh, my first 'true' terrarium was a 55 that i tossed 3 inches of dirt in, some tropical plants, and had a paint pan as a pond. it diden't do too well. some of the plants weren't growing well, while some others were growing alot, but not nicely. i moved it accross my room when rearranging and 2 of the lizards in it died, i tossed a small space heater on it to keep it warm and that killed the rest of the plants. ended up disassembling the terrarium and giving the remaining gecko to a friend who had some.

[s1ren]

I meant that I've never run a tank that was an actual terrarium or vivarium - all I've ever had before were aquariums (fully aquatic for fish and/or aquatic newts).

The little tester terrarium is still going! I haven't seen any growth yet (most of the stuff in it is slow-growing anyway), but nothing has died, so far, and the soil is staying nice and healthy.

I'm really itching to start a full-blown thing with waterfalls and everything - I wanted to run this little tester-terrarium for a while, but then I realized this weekend that I HAVE all the materials I need to set up a more complicated tank, just sitting around in my garage! (Except the lighting I would need).

In order not to drive my husband out of his mind, I am forcing myself to finish the projects I'm already working on before I start a new tank, LOL. I'm one of those people with fifty thousand things going on at once, hehe. At the moment, I'm refinishing my master bathroom cabinets and an antique desk.

[Tindomul1of9]

Cool, so you should have no problem making nice vivariums/terrariums.
YOu can always use your first terrarium as a quarintine enclosure for when you get first animals.

[Mrnicolai]

Very nice!!!!