Maintaining my vivaria

[Hilizanne]

I have 3 planted tanks with tree frogs and one with a crested gecko. I am having issues with some plants over growing others and also the epiphytic plants which were previously doing well (rabbits foot ferns) ailing. I am looking for a resource to best deal with these issues. Have they already discussed somewhere in this forum? I can't find it if so. I am also wondering how to clean the tank. Any advice?

I really cannot completely clean out the tanks and replace the dirt because the roots are so developed. I also have moss. I could replace the moss and some of the dirt of course. I have springtails living in the dirt and they are visible so I know that helps. I remove visible feces, wash plants down with water and clean walls with water now, but I am not doing much else regarding maintenance. Tanks are 1-2.5 years in.

For the ferns--add spaghum moss around their root structure? They are really grown onto the wood. I know I can't fertilize but I wonder if I am missing something.

[Hilizanne]

Here they are. Bromeliads are a problem, too.
And yes the crested deserves a bigger space. I'm working on that. Have the tank already.

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[acpart]

I can't help you out entirely, but I do have a lot of planted tanks (cresties, day geckos, fat tail geckos, gargs, leachie and one RETF enclosure). I've found that some plants don't do well at all and some do well for years, sometimes, and then seem to lose ground. I know there are vivarium forums and that may be a useful place to start (use google). Good luck with it.

Aliza

[deranged chipmunk]

What kind of drainage setup are you running? What are the humidity numbers for the tanks?

Plants will overflow each other, that's just their natural growth. You can always trim back the faster growers to allow the slower growth stuff to catch up.

When you say the ferns are ailing, please define ailing. Are they wilting? Turning yellow? Getting spots? Dropping fronds? If you could be more specific, it would be helpful. Same with 'bromeliads are a problem, too'. Are they not growing? Losing leaves? Rotting?


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[Krispy]

My soil was too moist(ty bill) and kept killing my ferns and broms. But my pothos plants overwhelmed my tank. Get a cheap soil moisture meter from the hardware store and see what ya got.



Btw. Whats growing up the back left wall of the bottom tank?

[Hilizanne]

Ok sorry for the slow reply. More pain than expected from bilateral carpal tunnel repair on Wednesday.

Humidity in tank not soil 65-75%. I have standing water bowls that I change out daily and mist once daily. I have a drainage layer with porous rock and I am usually able to keep without any visible moisture. I just realized my photos do not show the drainage layer--I have one with hydro balls and the others with fluffy rock from Joshs Frogs. I can't remember the name.

The ferns are turning brown but only on the wood. I have always made special effort to spray their roots daily. I tried to see if the roots would loosen a little but they are tightly bound to the wooden branches. The ferns in the soil are doing great.

The bromeliads are over growing and leaves are on the screen top of the tanks and turning brown there. There are no "pups" to remove. Should I just remove the longer leaves or remove the entire plant if I can?

That cool little plant growing up the wall is a creeping fig. I got it from Black Jungle Terrarium supply but it didn't take off until I got the 6500k bulbs. It's growing on to the coco husk background.

I have been pruning a few plants in the largest tank. The rubber plant oozes and has to be dried before awake hours, right? That's what I do. It was blocking out light to the other plants.


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[Krispy]

Oh i understand pruning.... creeping fig. Thank you. Did it grab root into the background at all? In the process of making a monster.

[Hilizanne]

Yes it is firmly rooted onto the background and trying for the glass. I tried to train it to go along a branch previously without success.


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[Hilizanne]

Made a mistake about the background it is growing on. It is tree fern panels.


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