Terrarium Upkeep...?

[kairi]

Hey everyone. Well after 2 months, my BETF terrarium setup is complete. It is an 18x18x24 with lots of (fake) plants, ledges, branches, vines, etc. Now that I have everything in there, and intricately placed, my question is how do you all deal with maintaining your terrariums? Do you just pull it all apart once a week to check for excrement/cricket corpses/etc? And how often do you do a full clean out, to wash everything off and change substrate?

[clownonfire]

Hey everyone. Well after 2 months, my BETF terrarium setup is complete. It is an 18x18x24 with lots of (fake) plants, ledges, branches, vines, etc. Now that I have everything in there, and intricately placed, my question is how do you all deal with maintaining your terrariums? Do you just pull it all apart once a week to check for excrement/cricket corpses/etc? And how often do you do a full clean out, to wash everything off and change substrate?

This is a good question.... I keep springtails in all my tanks, including my big-eyed tree frog tank. They help with the waste, may it be fecal waste or dead feeders like crickets. I also have a drainage layer for the plants. So I personally let my little eco-systems clean themselves. I once asked John Clare, the founder of this site, and said that he personally removes the excess water when needed from the drainage layer, and will change the substrate if needed once each 9-12 months.

Make sure though that the water in your bowl is changed daily!

Eric

[LilyPad]

I was wondering the same thing especially since I put live plants in! Thanks for the answer Eric!

[bshmerlie]

Hey everyone. Well after 2 months, my BETF terrarium setup is complete. It is an 18x18x24 with lots of (fake) plants, ledges, branches, vines, etc. Now that I have everything in there, and intricately placed, my question is how do you all deal with maintaining your terrariums? Do you just pull it all apart once a week to check for excrement/cricket corpses/etc? And how often do you do a full clean out, to wash everything off and change substrate?

It would depend on the type of substrate you are using and how many frogs you are keeping. When you're dealing with live plants and a properly balanced substrate you can add in microfuana and the biological entities within the tank brake down and process waste so you only have to spot clean up random poo. Without those things the soil will foul and begin to smell. You can use a cricket bowl to help reduce dead crickets decaying in the substrate. Beside that I would probably change it out every 30 days or when it starts to stink.

[sajane]

My tanks are cocoa fiber with drainage layer below. Live plants and some artificial hanging suction cup plants.I have not changed the substrate for 2 years and it still smells clean.The most I do is wipe the glass, change the water bowls and pick up poo daily.

[Groffy]

About the drainage layers...How do you have your layers? Rocks on the very bottom? Any sand below the coconut fiber? I have life plants and wouldl like to incorporate a drainage layer in my viv but don't want to add more work for myself. I am afraid of fungus building and bacteria.

[sajane]

i have a layer of river rocks/ pebbles. then the cocoa fiber. my rock layer is never saturated. It always looks dry through the glass