Setting up a Vivarium for Beetles (and potentially other invertebrates)

[d3ns06]

Hi All,

I'm pretty new to new to setting up vivariums and I'd like to get some advise from you "veterans" out there.

A bit about my set up (photo-1)(photo-2)(photo-3):

• I have a 30cmx30cmx45cm(h) vivarium.

• I am using Reptile One Coco-Fibre substrate

• I have a male Rainbow Stag Beetle as the sole occupant at the moment (Phalacrognathus muelleri) but in future I might look into breeding some Rhino Beetles (Xylotrupes ulysses)

• I have two small plants inside (fern/moss) type low maintenance plants that require low light

• I have an Exo Terra Natural Light bulb

The vivarium has a drainage layer composed of medium sized pebbles and charcoal. I am planning to place an artificial mesh in between the drainage layer and the substrate layer to separate them.

The vivarium is in an area that gets very little direct sunlight. At the moment the temperature ranges from 20-25 degrees centigrade with around 60%-85% humidity.
When I introduced the plants, I was not able to do the proper processing of the plants so I've been observing the vivarium for the past two weeks and have not observed any abnormalities.

I am finding that one of the plants is not doing so well, I believe it is due to the lack of nutrients in the substrate, and possibly because the beetle loves burrowing under it.
I have read that vivarium plants need around 12 hours of light so I will begin doing this, the light I got doesn't really affect the temperature of the vivarium too much. The light I have has a 6700K colour temperature and I am anticipating that's all I will need to sustain plant life in the vivarium.

I will be doing a complete overhaul of my set-up and starting fresh.

To improve my set-up further, I believe I need to replace the substrate with one that can support plant life as well. I will also be getting woodlice as the vivarium's "clean-up crew" so they can feed on decomposing matter whilst providing extra nutrients to the substrate. They will also help aerate the soil further to ensure it stays healthy for both flaura and fauna. I'd also look into introducing sterile leaf litter that can add some nutrients to the substrate once they break down. The care guide for the beetles I want say that they like coco-peat substrate.
Keeping in mind introducing substrate that needs to be sterile, I am planning to buy some materials to mix my own substrate from my local gardening shop.
The mix I'm planning will be (all unfertilised - click to view materials):

• 2 parts organic compost
• 2 parts coco-fibre
• 1 part bark chips

For extra nutrition for all plants, I will also be spraying them with small doses of organic liquid fertilizer.

I will be putting small plants with small root systems (similar to the plant you have to the right of the beetle in "photo-1") as well as potentially some moss and leaf litter to be on top of the substrate layer. Majority of the plants I want to introduce will be epiphytes (plants that grow on surfaces and not on the actual substrate), this is so that the plants will not be disturbed by the beetle's burrowing habits.
I'm planning to get potentially bromeliads, ferns and maybe a vine or two. I will be mounting the epiphytes on an Exo Terra foam background and on the piece of mopani drift wood that I currently have. I will also spray small doses of organic liquid fertiliser on the epiphytes to ensure they get nutrition.

In terms of maintenance, once this is all set up, I'm anticipating it'll simply involve:

• Daily misting of the vivarium
• Trimming plants
• Introducing more leaf litter
• Adding food for the beetles and potentially adding small amounts of extra food for the woodlice
• Syphoning water from the drainage layer if it starts to get too close to the substrate layer
• Occasionally spraying small doses of liquid fertiliser onto the plants

Aside from that, once I have this set-up I am not anticipating any large overhauls unless problems arise.

What I am planning is to transfer my rainbow stag beetle into a temporary enclosure for 1-2 months to let my vivarium cycle letting the plants and woodlice acclimate.

Please let me know what you think and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Dennis

[deranged chipmunk]

If your enclosure has only been set up for 2 weeks, it may be that the one plant that doesn't seem to be doing well is still acclimating. Some plants, especially ferns, will have some die off during the first few weeks. Most are going from rather low relative humidity to a much higher humidity in the enclosure and they need to adjust. It is highly doubtful they it is from lack of nutrients. Symptoms of nutrient deficiency normally take longer than 2 weeks to show.

Your plan for revamping the enclosure seems sound and should provide a happy home for your inverts.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[d3ns06]

Your plan for revamping the enclosure seems sound and should provide a happy home for your inverts.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Hey Bill,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I've been trying to get feedback on my plan for the build in a couple of forums but no one's really given me any useful feedback except for you. Considering this is my first build, I'm glad to get some positive feedback regarding my build (completely theoretical based off piecing together information from different sources).

My only concern with my build at the moment is still the substrate layer mix, I've looked around my area and I can't find places to make my own ABG mix (can't find orchid bark or tree fern fiber) that's why I'm thinking of simply replacing those two components with some type of organic gardening mulch but I'm afraid it might break down significantly faster than orchid bark or tree fern fiber. Do you think it makes a huge difference?

I've updated my above substrate mix, I'm thinking:
2 parts organic sugar can mulch (for the easier to breakdown nutrient adding component)
2 parts coco fibre (substrate material that takes longer to break down)
1 park pine wood chips (as per ABG mix - I'm assuming it adds some harder pieces to the substrate to help with aerating the substrate and preventing it to compact too much over time)
1 part charcoal (as per ABG mix - gardener's say that this is done to "sweeten" the soil, not 100% sure what that means but I'll take it! )

As mentioned, the mulch component of the substrate is the biggest uncertainty for me, I understand I have to create a substrate that provides nutrients, retains moisture whilst not breaking down too quickly, does my above mix fit the bill?

Thanks again for the help!

[deranged chipmunk]

Everything sounds good, but I would opt for this instead of the cane mulch
http://www.bunnings.com.au/potting-m...31344_p3010202

As far as fertilizing, I would add ferts to your mister once every other week. Too much fertilizer may cause mold and algae issues.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[d3ns06]

Everything sounds good, but I would opt for this instead of the cane mulch
Potting Mix Brunnings 5l Peat Moss 31344 I/N 3010202 | Bunnings Warehouse

As far as fertilizing, I would add ferts to your mister once every other week. Too much fertilizer may cause mold and algae issues.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Awesome! I will make that change to my build and keep you posted on my progress. I couldn't really find much resources for building a vivarium specifically for rhino/stag beetles (and I'm not sure how different it is from vivarium building for amphibians) so hopefully this "journal" will help other people looking to do the same.

I'll post some pics when I start the build and document it in the forum as an extra resource for other vivarium enthusiasts.

Thanks again sir!

[deranged chipmunk]

My pleasure and I look forward to watching your build progress.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[d3ns06]

Hey!

Hope you're well.
I've set up my vivarium with just the plants and substrate and the plants are acclimating well.

Unfortunately after 2 weeks I've observed that the substrate has some mites! I did my best to process the plants but the mites may have been in one of the 3 materials from the gardening shop.

As mentioned the main inhabitants for the vivarium will be pill bugs and Rainbow Stag Beetles.
I've read that the mites are nothing to be worried about as they can NOT harm the beetles or larvae or the pill bugs.

Can you weigh in on what your thoughts are regarding the mites?

Cheers,
Dennis