How moist should my soil be?

[smaug]

In a vivarium with a false bottom and 2 " of water and a small pool,how moist should my eco earth be?I have a layer of clay balls under roughly 2" of soil.I will be planting this fairly thick.

[Jason]

You soil dampness is all depending on what type of plants you have in there, most plant will come with a stick or spike in the pot telling you what lighting and soil conditions thay need, best to refer to those to figure that out.

[smaug]

What I was asking is there a certain moisture level I should be looking for that is healthy for overall viv health.For instance,my soil at the moment is actually wet,if you pick up a hand full and squeze it water will run out.Is that too wet?Its like that throughout the tank bottom.Im using compressed coco and peat as a soil.

[Jason]

Im most cases that would be to wet and not conducive to proper plant and tank health unless your plants require that level of hydration in the soil. as i said there is no Overall mosture lvl for a viv because not all plants are the same. You would need to have your Viv full of the same type of plants in order to have a consistant saturation of substrate, thats why i suggested reading the stick that came with them or reaserch them on the net. if you have 4 plants form different elevations or regions you may need 4 different saturation lvls in your soil..

[Rainfrog]

Ya, Swampy is bad!! What type of animals will be in here? what are your humidity requirements? this will generally determine many of your peramiters. A good general idea is to have the soul just clump a little when it is pressed but not to have water drip out of it. most plants you put in here will die of root rot and you will have a very smelly mess on your hands. How deep is your leca drainage layer? I would say you want a good 4-6 inches of leca for best drainage (less can work but can lead to wicking) Also make sure you have some type of barrier between the leca and the substrate that allows water through but will prevent dirt packing into the spaces.

[Green Ghost]

Smaug, are you asking what the soil dampness should be like for a terrarium without any animals in it and only plants? I'm asking because a lot of people do build thier terrarium and get it growing well and then decide what animals might do well inside. If that's the case with what you're attempting then yeah soggy is bad. To give you an idea, the soil should be slightly humid just like a potted plant about an hour after it's just been watered.

There are many people on this forum that have a lot of experience building vivs and can provide good info that will save you from making the typical beginner's mistakes.

[smaug]

Hello all.I did some changes yesterday and added more drainage material,not 4-6" as rainfrog suggests I just don't have the space for it.I added new coco dirt,about 3" in spots as little as 1" in others.I did this over top of fine gravel and clay balls [about 2"}.This is all built over around 2" of water below a false bottom of egg crate.I have much less wet soil now,but I think I still need better ventilation.I added a 4" by 1" screened in vent hole to the back strip of my glass canopy.I want to keep small tree frogs,I was gonna keep whites but they just get too big for the plants I want.Poison darts intrigue me but I don't have the experience.BTW, my soil if squeezed into a ball does not drip,but does stay in a tight ball.

[Green Ghost]

Originally Posted by smaug

BTW, my soil if squeezed into a ball does not drip,but does stay in a tight ball.

That sounds much better.

[jhanlon303]

Does anybody use landscape fabric on top of the egg crate false bottom? It's supposed to allow moisture to drain down. It works in wood chip landscaping outside.
John

[smaug]

I would think it would only work for a while.I think it would eventually clog and cause water to pool.i used it in interupted coverage to keep some of the moisture from wicking into my soil.So far its working,only been a week though.l