Large Vivarium Construction

[HunterB]

The first question, I can't really answer
The second,
Orchid bark is an airy substrate and seems to be good for the roots

[yumpster]

I don't know about bulk amounts of coco fiber, but petco.com currently has a 6 pack of compressed brick coco fiber for 43% off retail price. I think it's at under $13. That's an amazing deal. With a tank of your size you will need quite a lot though as I'm sure you have already realized.


I think you will become hooked on this hobby incredibly quick. I know of a number of people that have moved from reef tanks to dart frogs, and as far as I know none of them regret it at all. Good luck!

[Dragas]

Sent you a pm.

I am sure someone could correct me if I am wrong, but you could probably use the bulk peat moss found at the hardware stores in cubic foot bags ? Mixed with the other ingredients listed above. (Which keeps it from compacting (air), and helps it drain.)

I go for Coconut husk chips over standard orchid bark mixes (which is mostly fir bark.) The CHC are a renewable source and are supposed to last longer than fir bark.

[yumpster]

I believe you are correct as long as you make certain there is no fertilizer in it.

[Jellyman]

Please document the build with alot of pictures. This will certainly be an impressive enclosure when completed!!

[Dragas]

Originally Posted by yumpster

I believe you are correct as long as you make certain there is no fertilizer in it.

This is what I have used :

Listed as 100% canadian Sphagnum

http://www.premierhort.com/eProMix/G...r/fPremier.htm

Look for the product: Peat Moss

[slaytonp]

You can google coconut fiber and come up with literally hundreds of outlets for bulk fiber, such as Plant'It Earth that has 50 liter bags for $22.00. You'll want to shop around a bit and compare prices, because they vary a LOT. The same is true of orchid bark, which is more coarse, disintegrates slowly, so provides aeration and drainage over a long period. You might even consider mixing in some long light brown sphagnum moss (NOT the dark brown peat moss, also available in bulk) as this does a magnificent job of preventing root and stem rot in plants due to some sort of "antibacterial, anti fungal" properties. It will also sometimes "come alive" and grow. There are probably viable spores among the fibers, and it's rather pretty when it does this. Both Canadian and New Zealand sphagnum may be available, although a few years ago the New Zealand type became hard to get, apparently due to depletion of the sources.

I would recommend that you avoid any mixtures that contain either Perlite or Vermiculite, as both of these substances will stick to frogs, float in water and tend to clog things up more than they help in a vivarium situation.

Other alternatives for separating the soil from the drainage layer, whatever you use for this, are polyester batting (from the quilting section of most any fabric store), and weed cloth that comes in big rolls from most any nursery. I've worked with both and somewhat prefer the batting.

[RarePlantBroker]

If you decide to use straight sphagnum peat as a substrate, I would like to make a couple of suggestions:
check to see if the peat is pH adjusted. Most sold in hardware stores is nowadays, but you want to make certain that the mix isn't too acidic. (many South/Central American plants come from calcareous soils and are alkaline with an acidic leaf-litter layer above)

Mix some horticultural charcoal into the peat before adding the substrate. This will help keep the soil from "souring" should it become saturated with water, and plant roots really benefit from the chemical/mineral composition of the charcoal.


When making a "potting mix" for my Anthuriums, Philodendrons, and other semi-epiphytic plants, I use the following mix: 2 parts Peat, 1 part Bark (I found ZooMed Reptibark works quite well), 1 part horticultural charcoal, and 1/4 part pearlite. I would suggest a similar recipe, less the pearlite.

[Energy]

Thank you everyone- OK I have revised this somewhat and since to me this is one of the most critical elements of the build I need to get it right the first time. Remember on a tank my size I can't change things easily so I definately appreciate this input.

So for my base I will use 2" volcanic rock (light and airy -drains well)

next layer will be 1" volcanic rock( same reasoning)

Then weed matting or other barrier

Then sand mixed with coconut fiber and orchid bark.

[devin mac]

The only thing i would worry about with sand is it compacting over time and/or sinking out of "suspension" in the mix over time.

if you're worried about drainage and air in the actual planting layer of substrate, The orchid bark should do you just fine. Maybe mix in some tree fern fiber, and something like schultz aquatic plant soil, which i have used in some of my tanks for increased soil drainage. Essentially you're putting together a similar mix to what a bonsai grower would use. I'd even hold off on much of the coco bedding, as you will have the tank very well hydrated on a regular basis and don't necessarily need that much moisture retention in the soil. Drainage and longevity will be key for a long term large tank like yours.

For the bottom layer, it might be worth investigating some ways of creating a false bottom. This would actually give you an advantage by allowing a larger water volume, if the land and water area will be sharing a common filtration system.

My $0.02 either way, and i'm looking forward to seeing the build out.