The final preparations before a 2 week build

I just got the final device in from delivery which is the Zoo Med Hygrotherm! Having this and my background now means that I have virtually everything I need to build the enclosure. I will get more soil from the local pet store who provided the enclosure and later next week like around this time I will begin the project. Once the project begins I'm the kind of person who wants to finish fast what I started. I believe it will take me about 12 days to build this setup. I am excited to finally begin this project! I have been planning a large enclosure for years and then once the decision was made in December 2016 to make it the PA Woods I have been planning it out since. I knew what I would need generally speaking with some of the devices and soil and plants that I have now. For my soil I have settled on these ingredients

Top Soil
Plantation Soil
Cypress Mulch
Peat Hummus

I think I shared why I wanted mulch. I'm trying to make the top layer where the animals poop more acidic because this helps break down the ammonia levels. The Top Soil is important because it is what my plants need in order to survive. The Peat Hummus and Plantation Soil are going to make the soil very good for plants to grow in. This is very important for me because I'm using plants I've never had before. One thing I did not state is my background soil. As of right now I'm just planning on using plantation soil and possibly cypress mulch. I'm not too worried about how detailed the background soil is because this will not be growing the majority of the plants.


One thing I'm excited for...

It has to be a three part answer of the living organisms such as animals, insects and plants all in their own ecosystem. I'm extremely excited to see King III and Pious meet in the 125 Gallon. I'm interested to see Ace and Pious explore the new setup and to see how they adapt. I have seen Ace and King sit together but King III does not seem interested in mating with Ace. They have a resemblance and I caught King III a year later exactly where I caught Ace from. So I think they are related. This could be a benefit because it would decrease tension between King and Pious if Ace and King are related. She does seem to enjoy his company since Pious went dormant and doug into the dirt. So I'll have to look for a female toad for King. Maybe raising a baby from the eggs of my mom's pond? Or finding "the one" which would be a drop dead stunning specimen. The odds of the other inhabitant accompanying the toads is
Gray Tree Frog 34%
Wood Frog 33%
Northern Leopard Frog 33%

If I catch some Gray Tree Frogs Sunday night then I will use them. If I do not and my tadpoles currently are Leopard Frog then I'll keep them. If both options fail then it's all the way a Wood Frog. Unless I find them first Sunday.

I am excited to have various insects living alongside the amphibians and plants in harmony. Yes they are hopefully feeder insects but I do want some to become established in the enclosure and reproduce and live a longer life. It will be cool seeing how the two cricket species interact with each other and how they would treat wild crickets or grasshoppers if they are added. I'm looking forward to hearing the different sounds of the crickets and hopefully it will really sound like a woods with a couple of different noises inside the enclosure.

I am very excited with the plants. All the plants are brand new so this will be interesting to see how they do inside the enclosure. Growing my own ferns and scallions and some moss has made the process even more rewarding. I am very excited and interested to see how these plants will do with a new type of light actually. I'm also interested in growing crops with my plants. If the scallions work out it will be a doorway to more potential crops like radishes and lettuce and others possibly.

I will be responding a lot this week before the build and I'll give updates on how it's going when I start. So I have a few questions for you all.
Would a 3 species enclosure interest you if it were to happen that I have the toads and not just one, but two frog species? Which would you prefer to see together of those listed?
What thing or things have you most excited to see with this enclosure?
What weather feature do you want to see first on YouTube when the build is completed?

A) Thunderstorm
B) Foggy Day
C) Rain Storm
D) Clear Day
E) Full Moon
F) Dusk to Dawn
G) Write in your own

I will be updating the Facebook Page and YouTube Channel as the build progresses!

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