Vivs/Palu/Ripariums...

[Ebonsong]

I know some of you folks like your 'tats live planted, and some of you guys go a bit further than that. So I must ask you....

What are your builds, what are you planning? What is your bane and what is your love?

I'll be working on a Vivarium or maybe a possible paludarium this Spring. I might have a waterfall setup, but I'm not yet sure. Depends on what I can find. It'll be with Isopods, Springtails and other crawlies. No big critters though.

C'mon folks, let's see some posts and/or pics!

[Bridgitmac80]

I haven't done any live plants in mine but have majorly thought about it since seeing a picture somewhere that had the super small round flower pots full of worm castings, then had something different growing from each one. They were hanging from the top of the tank with hemp and the crabs could munch on what was growing or the worm castings any time they pleased. One of the items growing I recall looked like bean sprouts maybe........


Are you going to make your waterfall by hand with foam or buy one? I would love one but can't figure out how best to do it.

[aussieJJDude]

I have tried Prayer plant - crabs love this, grass seeds/bird seed mix, orchid - crabs destroyed it , philodendron xanadu, moss, pothos, spider plant - crabs love it too, must get some more ... And also because I have water bowls/pools, I also have java moss growing. I also going to put duckweed and some pygmy grass in there too - just gotta get filter then I get them....

[Ebonsong]

Bridgit (that's a lovely name, btw), if I go with a waterfall for my next build it will be made by hand with a standard filter pump hidden in the back.

For crabs I'd use silicone (GE1 and/or aquarium) with natural rocks and sand as a build. For non-crabs (that won't be picking the walls) I'm going with GreatStuff and/or styrofoam with epoxies and acrylic. Heck of a lot cheaper to make it one's self than buy, and certainly nice to have something custom-created just the way you want.

Aussie, I think the secret with live plants in a crabitat is to have more foliage and strong overgrowth than they can destroy in a reasonable time. Kinda like with aquariums and algae.

Of course keeping the hardy ones down below and the delicates out of reach does a lot with making it look nice.

[Bridgitmac80]

Awww ty

[wodesorel]

All of my creepies have live plants:

Scorpions:
(Although I've moved a bunch of plants around since this pic. )



And one of the hissers:
(They've since destroyed the ivy)



And then the fiddler palludarium before it flooded:
(Mix of live pothos and plastic)



I've tried live plants several times with the hermits, but they are so incredibly destructive with what could fit in the tank it's not worth it to try anymore. I have a 65 hex that I'm thinking of putting a sturdy palm into and then adding it as a playpen for the PPs, or maybe I'll just cement up the back and turn it into a climbing column. Not really sure what I want to do with it yet. Just that I want them to have more space to run around in.

I also want to add a cement climbing wall for my Peppered Roaches (they have a 20 gallon viv) and make something more cave like out of a 20 gallon hex for my giant cave roaches, and plant that up nicely since they aren't very destructive and my Curly Fern is spreading like crazy so there's lots to work with.

[Ebonsong]

Wode, those tanks are fantastic. Esp that fiddler one. Man I'd love to be one of your crabs. That looks like a riparium btw with how high the water is.^^

I've never seen a scorp tank that awesome before. Usually I see tubs with just plastic junk and some sand, esp in the shops. Yours looks like a paradise. You have blacklights for that sucker at all?

I know what you mean about the destructive power of hermies. Even with my plastic plants they're doing their best to tear up the place. Strangely though, they leave my moss borders alone. Save for the pit which they love to dive in. But then I do want them there.

A cement wall, won't that be kinda heavy? How are you planning on building that? I'm thinking of trying a clay or silicone/EE mix over GS for my next big tank. The latter'll be quite light and should be sturdy and safe for the crabs. Even better for the other critters that don't like to pick at walls...

[wodesorel]

Well, the fid tank kept flooding (I think from condensation on the hood dripping into the land section), so it's been torn apart and kind of pieced back together for now so the crabs are okay. I have new platforms planned and wolf is sending some more sea goodies to decorate. Pothos will grow in brackish water so no worries if I can't use dirt in there again. (The bacterial blooms in the dirt from the flooding was insane.)

When I got the Emperor Scorpion brothers, I read that they were going to be "pet holes". I figured if only got to see them once in a while then might as well make the 30 gallon tank nice to look at during the day! No, I don't have a black light for them, but it's something I've thought about getting. (They will glow emerald green in LED flashlights, however.) The 20 gallon I have Femscorp and her young in isn't as nice - just some pothos that I wack back once a month and some dried leaves, but there's a new 55 gallon in the closet that is planned for their upgrade, and it'll be the same type of heavy planting so that by day it's a pretty terrarium and by night it's a creepy crawly paradise. (Although I can see them nightly if I'm patient and there's dinner available. )

I was planning on doing cement over Great Stuf over stryrofoam glued to the glass with silicone. (Yeah, that doesn't sound complicated. :roll: ) Having trouble finding a safe area to work indoors right now so it looks like I'm going to have to wait until spring when the weather is warm enough to leave it all outside. I'm too afraid the roaches would chew through a silicone coating, and I know that wouldn't last for the hermits at all so better to experiment small first. Of course, if I do that for the roaches them I have to come up with some kind of escape proof lid addition... It's never ending.

[Ebonsong]

Sorry for the slow reply, I've been away from the forums a while!

I've been working on two builds currently. It's very slow going, I'm only at the interior fans right now. Next step is GS & cover for that. No crabitat though, will be Palus w/ I think maybe shrimp in the water. Nothing super.

Shame your fiddler 'tat. I've been pondering a rip/palu build for fids. Not yet sure on the builds yet, I'd love to see how your fixed-up version turns out though!

[wodesorel]

After I got the stuff from wolf I had a brainstorm on how to make the fid tank self-contained (no more HOB and escapees!), so now I'm just waiting for another $1 a gallon sale since the build-up on the current tank is so extreme it's really not worth the energy to fix up. Kill two birds - get a tank I can see through AND build a better palludarium for them. 29 bucks won't be so bad, and I figure I can keep the whole thing under $50 total by reusing what we already have. Just need some PVC pipe and some big styrofoam blocks. (THOSE are rather hard to find!!)