A long, long time ago, and some of you remember, I set up a really cool tropical vivarium that housed all sorts of plants and critters. Some of you also remember that after I moved into the country, maintenance of said vivarium became increasingly difficult and it turned into a graveyard. The tank sat for years in the back room with dry ground and dead plants (among other things).
About a week ago, I finally got around to cleaning it out. The plastic cylinders you see were the base of the “false bottom” I used in Vivarium v1. Those came out too, as I’ve decided not to use the “false bottom” concept this time around.
The idea for this one will be similar, but a bit more complex. Here is the test placement of rocks and wood pieces I’ll be using. There will again be a small pond in the middle to support water-growing plants. There will also, again, be a waterfall. But this time, rather than just having the water shoot from a hose mounted to the back, the waterfall will consist of a stream dripping through a small cork-tube (still on order). Under the pond (and around the front and sides) will be a shallow layer of small river rock. The pond will be enclosed by a slice of cork bark on one side and some large rocks on the other.
From this angle you can see where I’ve added Terra-lite behind the cork bark slab. Unfortunately, I didn’t have very much, so I’m also waiting my new shipment to arrive. But conceptually you can see how it will work. The Terra-lite will come up about 3″, then be covered with nylon “screen” material to keep the substrate mixture from settling in it. The substrate, a mixture of topsoil and peat-moss, will cover the Terra-lite forming the “land” areas of the terrarium.
Cool so far, eh?
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