gecko viv construction ?'s

vindicatedornot · #1 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 10:43 AM

Hiya. My name is Andrea, i'm 19 from Houston, Texas. Trying to build my first viv out of a 20g high for a single crested gecko.

I tried posting this in the introduction section but never got a response. Maybe it's more appropriate here anyways. It's almost the exact same except I added a few questions. All help is appreciated. My project is on hold till I get some of these answers so If someone knowledgable could help whenever you get the time.

I've got 2 cans of great stuff, 3 bags of hydroton, 1 tube of brown silicone, and a big bag of forest floor coco fiber. I also have the mesh to seperate the drainage layer from the substrate. Buuuuuuuuut, i'm a little confused about a few tiny things.

Not going to use a water feature, and the viv won't be very wet at all, but I was wondering if I should have a layer of activated carbon to put between the substrate and base layers? If so, how much would I need?

Second, i have this horrible fear that my tank will get mold, dirty or smelly, or something of this sort. I wanted to use springtails and isopods in the tank. How many would I need for cleaning up after 1 gecko in a 20g tall? Or would you recommend something else? (would I need temperate or tropical springtails?)

I was going to put some grapedwood, mopani wood, corkbark, and some of those mushroom ledges into the GS along with some hanging plants. Pothos to be act. Any suggestions for pots and how do you work out drainage? Just carve a hole in the gs? or don't worry about it?

And last but not least.. what is a good mix of soil for regular tropical plants? (Schefflera, Ficus, Pothos, and 2 broms) I need it to dry out well, but remain slightly moist. Also, anyone have luck growing dwarf hibiscus in a viv? I am using a reptiglo 10.0 UVB strip light for the plants. The crestie doesn't require any specific lighting.So far I was just going to use peat moss/sand/coco fiber. Is there something better? Can I add some topsoil? And should I bake the mixture since I will be using springtails anyways?

Thanks in advance. I'm SO excited to start this

Of course I will take a bagillion pics. Please any advice (relevant to the questions or not) would be so greatly appreciated. I don't want to screw this up.

-Andrea

Vivweaver · #2 (**permalink**) 08-13-2009, 09:22 AM

Vin,

Please check out Orchid Board for some good info about the soil. They should also have lots of good info.

vindicatedornot · #3 (**permalink**) 08-18-2009, 10:42 PM

step 1: OMG I hate silicone. I had one tube of black, and it worked great (except for the fact that silicone is super difficult to spread apparently.) No stinky smell, noxious fumes, nothing. I ran out quickly and went to buy 2 more. (only used 1..) But I bought a different brand. (still 100% silicone) This brand was the worst idea I ever had. Smelled horribly and made me light headed instantly. I was doing this in a well ventilated area but it was no good. I worked as fast as possible and booked.

step 2: Next I siliconed some corkbark and driftwood into place, and started with the great stuff. wow, was this fun..

step 3:

yaaaaaay, done being foamy. I added a feeding mushroom ledge and carved a cave out of a blob I made on purpose.

and that is all for now. I was going to sand off the shiney-ness of the GS (someone on another forum suggested this would help the silicone to adhere better) and also sand around and inside the "cave."

tomorrow is coco-fiber time!

Any suggestions, questions or comments?

-Andrea

cmm889 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-22-2009, 03:15 PM

Looks good

I'm working on building a tank for a friend who houses a crested gecko so I'm following this carefully,

vindicatedornot · #5 (**permalink**) 08-22-2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmm889

Looks good

I'm working on building a tank for a friend who houses a crested gecko so I'm following this carefully,

thank you very much, this is my first so It's not the best lol

I have done a nother layer of silicone/cocofiber touch ups and have scraped off all the excess. Next I was going to seal the background with something called Mod Podge. It is a craft sealant that is non-toxic. After that a few days to air out and I should be good to go!

-Andrea

vindicatedornot · #6 (**permalink**) 08-23-2009, 11:54 PM

Hooooooray! It's done. Now after a few days of airing out and the plants have taken a bit of root then 'Sheila' can go into her new home. (yup, finally named my baby

)

I used a layer of highly watered down "Mod Podge" to seal the background.

1-1 1/2" layer of Hydroton on the bottom, a thin layer of activated carbon in the middle, and a mix of sphagum/peat moss, potting soil, eco earth, and a smidge of sand as the "dirt."

here is a close up of the cave.

questions or commets?

-Andrea

HewesHort · #7 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 12:02 AM

looks very nice! are you sure mod podge will hold up under humid comditions?

vindicatedornot · #8 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HewesHort

looks very nice! are you sure mod podge will hold up under humid comditions?

not really. lol. but it will only get misted once in the evening. (crested geckos dont need a rainforest) I don't think that will cause it to come off at all. Thanks for the compliment! I'm letting it air out so I can see how it holds up before my gecko goes in.

brp4e. · #9 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 03:14 AM

you should get some more vines and maybe some big pieces of drift wood that go across the tank for your gecko to climb on. They aren't really ground dwellers

vindicatedornot · #10 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdizzle10

you should get some more vines and maybe some big pieces of drift wood that go across the tank for your gecko to climb on. They aren't really ground dwellers

Thanks for the advice! I have some grapewood I was going to put in there, just letting the plants get some light and take root first.