Lunarae's Enclosure Thread

[lunarae]

So I figured rather then have a new thread for each enclosure I do and share, I'd just make a thread I can post to when I have a new one finished. Pictures taken will be right after the finished product. If they are desert themed but appear moist that's because I have sprayed it down to help the top layer settle some before letting it dry out completely.

This is a 5.5 gallon tank. It's very humid in there and the lighting isn't the best. It's not the best set up but it's my first ever vivarium that I did. It has a water fall which is what causes such a high level of humidity in there. I actually have a madagascar hissing cockroach living in there, it has been living in there for a month or so now without any issues. I almost thought it may not be keen to the moisture level but it actually hangs out by the pool of water and waterfall the most. Occasionally I toss in leaf litter which I'll see the little guy munch on, some of the plants have thrived and others have died off a little but in all it's still going and I set this up I want to say first week of January.

This is a 2.5 gallon tank I did for my grandmother, it's just a terrarium. I'm currently waiting on my dad to drill the holes in the glass in order to provide proper ventilation. I am working on proper watering in order to keep the African violets producing flowers. The flowers have died off but the plant itself is still thriving, as are the others. I want to say I made this probably end of January and it's been working rather well thus far. The fern probably needs a little trimming back. I can't wait to give it to her though once the lid is finished.

This is a 2.5 gallon as well that I did for our G. porteri sling. It's taken to it rather well and has holed itself up in one of the hides for what I assume is pre-molt. I use succulent plants as they need very little water and don't have the highest light requirements when they don't get a lot of water. That way I can keep the substrate dry, while using a food injector to provide water straight to the roots of the plants so the top layer remains dry. Working quite well so far, we will see how the T does with the plants when it gets bigger. I'm hoping it may leave them be if it grows up around them but only time will tell. Yes, I know the opinion of this being 'to big for a sling'. It finds food just fine (As I place it there in front of it), and the set up is not cluttered up with so much I can't find it easily when it's out of it's hide.

This is another 2.5 gallon that's on it's side and being used for A. versicolor. She's at least 2" considering her molt was 2" when I measured it. The only thing I don't like about this set up is the lack of cross ventilation. I didn't have the means for drilling glass in order to set that up. However future set ups that I plan to do will be set up accordingly. I believe that the live plants in here is what helps keep the air rich in oxygen and from being stagnant for her as she seems to have no issues and has been living in this type of set up I want to say since December but my memory isn't the best, it's been months though. I have only just recently started to keep very strict records of everything dealing with our T's.

This I did today. The backdrop is built using one of the bark slabs I had brought home from my parents property yesterday. I used it with left over substrate from making my 5.5 gallon vivarium, along with eco-earth. Because of how big the gap is in the top to allow for ventilation is (About 1cm wide) I don't see putting anything in here that could possibly climb the walls. However I am seriously considering in place of where the leaf litter is, putting a few carnivorous plants considering it will hold humidity rather well. This enclosure my parents found at a goodwill for 7 bucks and it even has a little music box to it as well though I haven't identified the tune it's playing. Still it's the latest one I've done. I absolutely love setting these things up. I can't wait to get to play with our 20 gallon tank. ^.^

Next enclosure I do I'll be sure to post here. If anyone has any questions on any of these feel free to ask.

 

[edesign]

Regarding using succulents...I think it's the other way around. They don't need much water because winter is when they get the least light and go dormant. Have you used them this way before long term? Just curious. Tanks look very nice. I've been bouncing around the idea of dart frogs for quite a few years, it's fun to come up with designs.

 

[lunarae]

With succulents the more light that they get, the more water they need to keep up with what they get from the lighting. I've had an aloe that kept in low light didn't need very much water even in the summer months, but when I put it out where it was getting much more sun it started having issues until I watered it more. So far the same seems to be true for what I have right now, though they still need a level of light and if they aren't provided enough light your still in the danger zone. So it takes some careful observations on the plant itself and see what it's doing in order to keep it going properly. If in the summer you have them indoors and they don't get a lot of sun it's going to be the same basically as the winter months. Least that's how it's been for me, out here it's like we have 9 months out of the year that are winter lol. And I've kept my aloe inside where it got the same basic lighting year round. At least that was until my mom killed it when I had her watch it for me for a month so many years ago. I had that thing going for 2 years, even got several babies off of it I kept giving away to people for free, before she murdered the poor thing. lol.>.<

Right now I have supplementing LED lighting for the enclosures. Because the T's have their own hides that they can go to and get away from the light I'm not to worried about them having issues with it. Everything seems to be working so far, but the lighting requirements of the plants can be indirect light which is going to be necessary as I'll be having to move the T's to the bedroom soon cause of the temps. We don't have air conditioning and tend to have to let the cool air come in the morning and then store it inside with the windows shut and such to keep cool during the day otherwise we roast in 90+ heat. I had totally forgot about our temp issues here when I first got the T's and now I gotta figure out what I'll do about that. Maybe we'll be lucky and have moved before it gets that hot.

 

[The Snark]

At least that was until my mom killed it when I had her watch it for me for a month so many years ago.

Professional herbicidist or just a gifted amateur?

No hard and fast rules with succulent-cacti. They are so darned diverse. The advantage is they are hardy and will usually tell you things aren't right quite a while before they die.
As far as environment is concerned they all, to varying degrees, only have two serious enemies, moisture and freezing. Nearly all hate cold and moist rich (read, bioactive) soil can start root rot in a matter of days.

If you suspect root rot, sudden wilting, take it out of the ground and let the roots dry out in open air for a couple of weeks. Even a few days with direct sunlight on the roots won't cause any serious harm and can help kill the molds and fungi.

 

[lunarae]

Professional herbicidist or just a gifted amateur?

That's what was sorta funny about it. She normally had a green thumb but where they live now there's a lack of proper lighting cause it's right against a mountain. She simply put it in the wrong place and it never got enough light I believe.

 

[The Snark]

That's what was sorta funny about it. She normally had a green thumb but where they live now there's a lack of proper lighting cause it's right against a mountain. She simply put it in the wrong place and it never got enough light I believe.

That is very strange. One would expect it to simply go dormant. Cacti and succulents don't normally have a 'time to die' syndrome all other plants have. That just bears out the no hard and fast rules and a warning to not get complacent.

Those are very nice terrarium set ups. Something I would never try. I have neither the patience nor the green thumb. Just the opposite and a contained environment operated by yours truly would be future compost.

 

[lunarae]

That is very strange. One would expect it to simply go dormant. Cacti and succulents don't normally have a 'time to die' syndrome all other plants have. That just bears out the no hard and fast rules and a warning to not get complacent.

Those are very nice terrarium set ups. Something I would never try. I have neither the patience nor the green thumb. Just the opposite and a contained environment operated by yours truly would be future compost.

Yeah it ended up rotting so she probably over watered on top of not enough sun. She has a hard time keeping most things alive where they are cause they get so little sun even in the summer months by the cabin.

And thanks. Sounds like my hubby, he has a black thumb. Couldn't even keep grass in a little container I got for him alive XD He ends up killing even succulents as well, it's either to much water or not enough for him. I have my moments where I get rash and make the wrong choices of plants to use for a set up I can admit. I'm still learning as well but I don't to do bad with reading what the plant is saying and adjusting in time, usually. Last year I had a container garden on the porch of about 60+ veggies/herb plants going that thrived really well. Started them in January from seed and probably May I got to leave them outside over night until fall when they started dying off and such. I'm hoping my rose bush comes back but I'm a little doubtful, it was in a container as well but left outside so it's debatable. I really enjoy the plants and I absolutely adore making enclosures.

I'm going to be learning how to cut and drill glass and start making glass enclosures with the proper ventilation set up similar to what they do in the UK but without metal grates, I'll just drill holes in the glass itself if it's possible. If I get a good set up going I may try and sell them if people are interested. I personally like glass over acrylic. But until then right now I'm working on gathering and cleaning bark up, making hides and bark slabs to sell to people that should be safe to use with their T's. Specially for those who live in areas where people spray pesticides and such, all my bark comes from 10 acres of land that's virtually uncultivated except where their 600sqft cabin is and my parents are very big on keeping the natural integrity of the ecosystem intact so they don't use pesticides for anything.

 

[The Snark]

Working with glass. Half precision skill, half art form. And half having the right tools. And getting used to tiny slivers of glass forever impaled in your body.

Growing desert and warm temperate climate plants that far north, you need to be thinking southern exposure greenhouse with a lot of thought given to insulation, air circulation, and thermal 'batteries'. Royal pain in the ass stuff as your construction costs double or triple what it would cost down around southern California. I wish you luck.

I helped design a 'earthship' home outside of Billings. Off the grid self sustaining home and garden. 6 foot thick walls, triple glazing, heat tunnels, natural convection, desiccant air treatment. A fantastically complex undertaking for a modest 1200 sq ft home but ultimately worked. Maintained temperature no lower than 50F without supplemental heating in the dead of winter.

 

[lunarae]

The enclosures I plan to try and do would be very small scale. Like the last one pictured. Nothing huge, just little enclosures for small animals and terrariums and such. I don't think I'll get into trying to mass grow succulents and the like up here, that would be a nightmare to me I think. Because of exactly what your talking about. The fact that we live so far up here and it is basically winter 9 months outta the year it feels like.

 

[lunarae]

So I caught what I think is a mimic ant spider today. Really pretty. Here's the little enclosure I set up for it using bark from where I found it in the first place. It was residing in some of the bark with moss I had collected last week.

Here's a picture of the spider in question:

This also inspired me to go through with upgrading our LP's digs. Since they hang out on the forest floors of the rainforest I wasn't to considered with the substrate being moist. It's not saturated by any means, but here is what I set up for our LP sling even though it'll outgrow this enclosure quickly.

Before anyone comments about dangers in the bark of pesticides, this comes from my parents land out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains. 10 acres and they don't use any pesticides. As for critters the parts I used were stripped down so outside of something microscopic there isn't anything living in there as well as I rinsed them with warm water. It's not fool proof but I seriously doubt it will harm the LP. Substrate used for both was eco earth.

 

[lunarae]

I made this today for my hubby to keep on his truck with him.

 

[Venom1080]

I made this today for my hubby to keep on his truck with him.

very cool.

 

[lunarae]

Thanks. ^.^ I'm actually tempted to start doing a lot of those. They're fun, easy, and well....I spent a 1.50 on that XD so very cheap

 

[lunarae]

 

[Venom1080]

Thanks. ^.^ I'm actually tempted to start doing a lot of those. They're fun, easy, and well....I spent a 1.50 on that XD so very cheap

i have a thing for watching things grow. would love to keep one on my desk. very creative.

 

[lunarae]

i have a thing for watching things grow. would love to keep one on my desk. very creative.

That's the fun thing with moss, it takes so long you don't notice it is even growing if that makes sense. Yet one day you'll suddenly realize 'oh hey, there's a lot more there then there was before' lol. Moss is frustrating to grow indoors though. And I couldn't figure out why it could manage outside days on end without rain, but after a few days inside it's dead if you don't mist it. My dad finally pointed out to me how the moss survives on the morning dew. I had totally over looked that whole cycle outside. Makes total sense, and I don't have issues trying to keep the moss now, I give them a good drench every once in a while, there's enough of a lip it'll hold a little moisture in there to work. The other set ups are enclosed so they keep that humid air longer so I don't have to mist them really at all. And the bottle with the lid, that I don't even have to touch. I have it in a good spot where it gets the right amount of light and leave it there. The water inside will cycle on it's own and just be reused. If I'm lucky it'll even have little rain cycles XD. But yeah they're a lot of fun to do, and cheap and easy. Find some moss from outside, a little dirt, maybe bark with some moss or what not growing on it to add some color and voila. ^.^

 

[lunarae]

Here is the latest set up I did, This is for our A. versicolor. Final home. I went ahead and set it up so that I could let it sit for a month or so and see how well it works before introducing her to it. I'm probably going to wait till she molts again before I add her to the set up. But here is the final home for her. 12x12x18 I may have to make the holes at the top bigger or add more. I wont know till I tend to it for a while and see how it does.

 

[louise f]

Here is the latest set up I did, This is for our A. versicolor. Final home. I went ahead and set it up so that I could let it sit for a month or so and see how well it works before introducing her to it. I'm probably going to wait till she molts again before I add her to the set up. But here is the final home for her. 12x12x18 I may have to make the holes at the top bigger or add more. I wont know till I tend to it for a while and see how it does.

Pretty cool setups

 

[lunarae]

Pretty cool setups

Thanks. I love making them ^.^

 

[EulersK]

Whoa! I haven't checked into this thread in awhile! Seriously luna, you have a talent. That's a darn impressive. You're going to have a very happy versicolor on your hands soon.