[Josh loves dart frogs]

Looks nice

 

[blew42]

Couple of questions:

1) Once the springtail/isopod populations have grown, how easy should it be to see them around the vivarium? I had seen somewhere that people could see a "wave" of their springtails at the water table line in their drainage layer. Mine hasn't accumulated enough water for that yet, so as far as that goes, I can't see them there. I know the isopods are in there, but again, just can't see them very easily.

2) I know that mold is a normal part of a cycling vivarium, but should I be concerned about the mold that's starting to cover the upper piece of wood in my set up? You can somewhat see it in the last picture I posted. Even if the springtails are still in there somewhere doing well under the substrate, I don't think they're going to climb their way up to that wood and eat that mold.

Thanks again!

 

[Josh loves dart frogs]

Once the springtail/isopod populations have grown, how easy should it be to see them around the vivarium? I had seen somewhere that people could see a "wave" of their springtails at the water table line in their drainage layer. Mine hasn't accumulated enough water for that yet, so as far as that goes, I can't see them there. I know the isopods are in there, but again, just can't see them very easily.

I usually only see springtails, and notice isopods when I lift up leaves.

I know that mold is a normal part of a cycling vivarium, but should I be concerned about the mold that's starting to cover the upper piece of wood in my set up? You can somewhat see it in the last picture I posted. Even if the springtails are still in there somewhere doing well under the substrate, I don't think they're going to climb their way up to that wood and eat that mold.

I had a bunch of mold for the first 1-2 weeks. The springtails started to get rid of it after that. It also depends on the wood you used. Some woods get mold really easily and will need to be replaced in the humid environment. Some do fine. You’ll just have to wait and see

 

[fishingguy12345]

2) I know that mold is a normal part of a cycling vivarium, but should I be concerned about the mold that's starting to cover the upper piece of wood in my set up?

No.

 

[blew42]

More update pictures! Got my bromeliads in, removed most of the remaining big patches of moss and covered a couple of the bare spots with java moss (looks way better and doesn't take up so much usable space). Hoping to put some Ranitomeyas in in a few weeks, assuming the plants continue to look happy and healthy with the humidity/ventilation as it is.

Anyone have any good recommendations for vines/hanging plants that would do well in this enclosure? I was hoping to maybe drape/hang some off of that knob on the "bridge" piece of wood that's attached to the hardscape/glass.

 

[LucasET76]

Anyone have any good recommendations for vines/hanging plants that would do well in this enclosure? I was hoping to maybe drape/hang some off of that knob on the "bridge" piece of wood that's attached to the hardscape/glass.

Looking good so far!
Not sure where you would root it, but Cissus amazonica could work.
Slathering some moss mix on the back would help fill in the bare spots, along with maybe Peperomia emarginella or a Marcgravia sp.
Best.

 

[blew42]

Hi all, I wanted to make this thread to ask for advice/input/seasoned eyes on the status of my current (first) vivarium. For reference, it has been cycling for almost two weeks now, with one substrate shuffle/slight replanting a little over a week ago, and bromeliads added a few days ago. These pics were taken around 2 hours after last misting today, and my system is currently going for 1 minute every 12 hours. Light is an ExoTerra TerraSky - I don't have it on a timer yet and have just been turning it off at night/on in the morning.

Aside from the bromeliads*, I made the noob mistake of not knowing anything about the specifics of the plants, just buying ones available at the local reptile shop (assuming that meant they were good for vivs), paying 0 attention to labels before throwing them in the trash, and planting away using only my heart for guidance. I tried to get decent pics of all the plants I have in here currently. Gave my best guess at the species of each, just for fun. The only one that I am all but sure is going to die is the one in the back left corner (a fern maybe?), which is probably the darkest spot in the viv, and by far the most difficult to get to. Since there is an awkward gap back there between the GS and the glass, I basically just tried to pile/slope up a bunch of substrate to fill up to the bottom of the hardscape. Might have buried some of that guy in the process, but tried my best to give her a fighting chance. Of all of them, she definitely looks worse than when I first bought.

* I did buy a little (mini?) orchid from Lowe's because it was cheap, mixed Cattleya I believe, pictured below. It's in the other corner of the viv, had decent direct light at first, but now that the brom above it is starting to open up, it's got a little more shade. I could rotate that brom in its little hole in the hardscape if needed. I don't have the highest hopes for it, but so far the leaves seem to have been moving/adjusting, and it doesn't look worse than when I bought it. I am equally a noob to the plant world, if you couldn't tell.

Most of them look fairly different/like they have been growing towards light/around the main piece of wood and have little visible sprouts, with the exception of the one below which was hard to get a good angle of and looks identical to when I planted it. Couldn't find anything online, but maybe some kind of ivy?

Another thing to note - I thoroughly rinsed every plant and made sure to get all of the dirt off of their roots before planting, but I did not disinfect with bleach. I am not sure how big of a booboo that was/will have ended up being, but thought I should mention it.

As always, very grateful for everyone's advice. I am glad that I found this forum before buying my frogs - as excited as I am to eventually get them in there, the more I read, the more I think this bad boy might be cycling for a lot longer than I had thought at first, hahaha. Cheers

Fittonia albivenis?

Epipremnum aureum? Or Philodendron?

Dracaena fragrans ?

 

[Harpspiel]

Everything is looking healthy so far, but there are a few important changes to make. You're gonna want to pull that ivy out right now, before it roots and completely takes over the tank. And the Cattleya should be in the furthest spot from where you have it - as close to the lights as possible, somewhere it dries off quickly, and not planted in soil. I don't think the Cattleya will do well long-term - there are Cattleya hybrids that will stay small enough for a vivarium, but probably not ones that you would find at Lowe's, and Cattleyas generally want to be watered only once a week and really thoroughly dry off in between. They also need a lot of light, more than your average vivarium light will produce and probably more than dart frogs would be comfortable with.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Moderator's note:

I pasted the two above posts that were in a new thread onto your previous thread regarding this viv. In considering your newest questions, I found myself wanting to know viv dimensions, substrate, intended inhabitants, and so on -- all of which are discussed in the previous thread. This is all together now, and should make things move forward better.

 

[blew42]

Everything is looking healthy so far, but there are a few important changes to make. You're gonna want to pull that ivy out right now, before it roots and completely takes over the tank. And the Cattleya should be in the furthest spot from where you have it - as close to the lights as possible, somewhere it dries off quickly, and not planted in soil. I don't think the Cattleya will do well long-term - there are Cattleya hybrids that will stay small enough for a vivarium, but probably not ones that you would find at Lowe's, and Cattleyas generally want to be watered only once a week and really thoroughly dry off in between. They also need a lot of light, more than your average vivarium light will produce and probably more than dart frogs would be comfortable with.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. If I were to say screw it and keep the orchid in there in futility, should I try to mount it, or does it need anything specific around the roots? I also have that little nook up there that I could put some kind of material on to surround it. I tried to find some posts about this, but partially due to my uncertainty of the specific variety, I haven't been able to find anything.

Also, appreciate the reroute, hahah - noob to threads as well

 

[Harpspiel]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. If I were to say screw it and keep the orchid in there in futility, should I try to mount it, or does it need anything specific around the roots? I also have that little nook up there that I could put some kind of material on to surround it. I tried to find some posts about this, but partially due to my uncertainty of the specific variety, I haven't been able to find anything.

Also, appreciate the reroute, hahah - noob to threads as well

There are many orchids that would do better in this environment, stay smaller, and would be much more likely to bloom for you, such as Epidendrum porpax and Dinema polybulbon. That being said if you want to keep the Catt in there, tie/pin it to the branches somewhere and do not put anything around the roots. Most vivarium orchids would appreciate some sphagnum moss under their roots, but you want to try to keep this as dry as possible. By the way, if it was labelled "compact" it's probably some kind of SLC, which means it has a mix of Sophronitis, Laelia and Cattleya in its genetics. There are species of straight Sophronitis that can be grown in vivs (cernua is probably the best bet), and some mini hybrids with a lot of Sophronitis in their blood - but they're not "beginner" orchids.

Edit: compact Catts are actually not very difficult to grow and bloom on a windowsill or under lights, if you have other houseplants. This particular specimen may be difficult, since I can already see threads in the pic that look like mold and it may have root damage that will make it susceptible to a fungal or bacterial infection.

 

[blew42]

There are many orchids that would do better in this environment, stay smaller, and would be much more likely to bloom for you, such as Epidendrum porpax and Dinema polybulbon. That being said if you want to keep the Catt in there, tie/pin it to the branches somewhere and do not put anything around the roots. Most vivarium orchids would appreciate some sphagnum moss under their roots, but you want to try to keep this as dry as possible. By the way, if it was labelled "compact" it's probably some kind of SLC, which means it has a mix of Sophronitis, Laelia and Cattleya in its genetics. There are species of straight Sophronitis that can be grown in vivs (cernua is probably the best bet), and some mini hybrids with a lot of Sophronitis in their blood - but they're not "beginner" orchids.

The exact one I got is not pictured, but it was packaged like these

 

[blew42]

View attachment 313206

The exact one I got is not pictured, but it was packaged like these

I think it was this one, just the smaller 2 in version like the ones above

 

[Harpspiel]

View attachment 313207
I think it was this one, just the smaller 2 in version like the ones above

Oh, in that case, the smaller version is just younger - probably 3 years or more from blooming - not actually a more compact plant. Standard Cattleyas easily get 12+" tall and wide, with multiple 4-6" flowers.

 

[blew42]

Oh, in that case, the smaller version is just younger - probably 3 years or more from blooming - not actually a more compact plant. Standard Cattleyas easily get 12+" tall and wide, with multiple 4-6" flowers.

Ah. I will definitely keep looking into the other ones you mentioned then, haha. I have patience for cycling the viv, but maybe not that much

 

[blew42]

I went ahead and put it up here towards the top with all the roots tucked behind this piece of spider wood. Should stay relatively dry up there (although I am already wondering if, because of that, I'll need to move that brom). Even if it doesn't bloom any time soon, maybe the frogs will like those leaves.

 

[blew42]

I can already see threads in the pic that look like mold and it may have root damage that will make it susceptible to a fungal or bacterial infection.

Since you mentioned this, I noticed the same little wisps around the base of this brom. You can't see them in the pic, but you can see that little white fuzzy spot which is new and is where they are. Should I be concerned/move/clean this brom? Of all of them, I had been waiting to see how this one would do because it does not get nearly as much water - cup is not full, leaves don't have drops on them.