I put together a nicely planted (well, for a beginner) 10 gallon vivarium last year for a juvenile day gecko. The setup ran well for almost three months, but then crashed horribly - mites appeared out of nowhere, killing my day gecko before I even saw the first mite, and resulting in me scrapping the whole project and giving up. It was very disheartening.
In hindsight, I think the humidity levels got too high, fostering the mite colony. I've gotten a little more confidence back and would like to try a vivarium for some sort of terrestrial/arboreal insect - but I would like some ideas and advice before I get started!
I'm planning on using a 2.5 gallon tank - hence "nano" vivarium. I plan on blacking out the sides and back with paint and using low light conditions. I'm not picky on the substrate/floor - I can do a hydroton/drainage layer if necessary - but there won't be a ton of room for anything fancy.
Mainly I'm searching for the appropriate insect for such an enclosure. I would love a roach species, but I know that my plants would likely be consumed by roaches. Maybe someone could recommend a good beginner beetle species for this sort of setup instead. I'd prefer not to keep a predator - arachnid, mantis, etc. - in this tank as I also want the ability to add millipedes, isopods and/or springtails to maintain soil health. I'd love to hear suggestions - it doesn't have to be a beetle but definitely something that's widely available, fairly simple to keep and would go well with a high humidity, planted environment.
*Small Update*: I actually picked up a nice sliding-top 5.5 gallon tank and plan to use this instead of a 2.5, as it will give me a little more room to work with, while still keeping it a "nano" project. I'm currently painting and gathering ideas/information before I move ahead with the project.
In hindsight, I think the humidity levels got too high, fostering the mite colony. I've gotten a little more confidence back and would like to try a vivarium for some sort of terrestrial/arboreal insect - but I would like some ideas and advice before I get started!
I'm planning on using a 2.5 gallon tank - hence "nano" vivarium. I plan on blacking out the sides and back with paint and using low light conditions. I'm not picky on the substrate/floor - I can do a hydroton/drainage layer if necessary - but there won't be a ton of room for anything fancy.
Mainly I'm searching for the appropriate insect for such an enclosure. I would love a roach species, but I know that my plants would likely be consumed by roaches. Maybe someone could recommend a good beginner beetle species for this sort of setup instead. I'd prefer not to keep a predator - arachnid, mantis, etc. - in this tank as I also want the ability to add millipedes, isopods and/or springtails to maintain soil health. I'd love to hear suggestions - it doesn't have to be a beetle but definitely something that's widely available, fairly simple to keep and would go well with a high humidity, planted environment.
*Small Update*: I actually picked up a nice sliding-top 5.5 gallon tank and plan to use this instead of a 2.5, as it will give me a little more room to work with, while still keeping it a "nano" project. I'm currently painting and gathering ideas/information before I move ahead with the project.
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