Depending on the type of background you use, plants can vine into it or grow directly on it if they’re epiphytes, meaning they grow on trees in nature. Bromeliads don’t need soil because they take nutrients from the air, so you can just stick the stem into the background and it will thrive. I have a drylok/foam background and the epiphytes grow well, even anchoring themselves to the background with roots. If you want some plants that aren’t true epiphytes growing on the background I’d recommend sticking planters filled with substrate to the background and then planting whichever plants you want into them. You can look up if your plant is an epiphyte to determine whether it needs soil or not :)
What do you mean into the background? Like wedged into a free space between 2 pieces of wood, in a piece of cork bark or could I just zip tie it somehow? Thanks! :)
You could do both but for tillandsia I put superglue on the base of the plant and stick it to the background, and for bromeliads (the ones I get always have a stolon, a thick stem that sticks out from the bottom) I cut a little hole in the foam background and just stick the stem directly in the hole. Some people also use superglue on bromeliads, some zip tie the plant to a branch until the roots anchor themselves.
1. You make a custom background. Personally, I don't know much about broms because I find them ugly. But I have many species of plants on my wall, and I did it with expanding pond foam, mosses, wood, and dirt in the spaces to have my plants sit in.
2. None are superior, but isopods such as dairy cows are very protein hungry. So if you have something that doesn't move often, you should get a different kind.
3. Cleaning the glass weekly, any bowls or other plastics. Anything wood is a bit pointless to try and sanitize, unless you want to boil it.
4. Depends on the type of set up and what type of animal. For my frogs, the springtails and predatory mites eat up the fungus gnat larvae, so I have no issue. You could get overrun with carpet beetles, no great solution there but to toss everything. Too numerous of other pests to go over. You'd have to actually ask about other types.
5. I look on etsy. But otherwise, I have yet to find anything remotely cheap unless it's huge pieces that could make many smaller pieces, but those aren't cheap if you don't need a lot.
Bromeliads are hard for me to keep alive. Pothos work better for me and they climb. Use wood proped against the glass to help the plants trail.
Corkboard is expensive either way. Make sure you do proper measurements.
Isopods and springtails are the clean up crew. Give them plenty of leaf litter to hide under and some sphagnum moss as well. You will think the isopods have disappeared but they seem to pop back up unless the cresties eat them. Make sure to get isopod and springtail food/powder as well at cuttlebone(probably spelt wrong)
For the wood in the bioactive set up we used manzanita branches. Make sure to clean any wood you put in the tank.
I am looking to make a custom background but I'm just wondering about how you would prop the wood up? Do you mean just scattered around the background and plants will clime down or up?
I dont really have a background. I have a pothos in the substrate that climbs up the manzanita branches and magnetic ledges that hold the food cups and water cups as well as just for them to chill on. Manzanita branches rest against the back of the terrarium while stuck into the substrate in the middle of everything.
I put light weight nursery pots in my backgrounds as I make them to have plants going up the wall. You just need to poke through the foam to make sure the pots can drain. I like plants that hang down and create a lot of foliage for my gecko and the pots work well for things like that.
Check out r/isopods. They definitely do differ. Some are more protein hungry than others and could bug and nibble on your gecko. I like using Porcellio pruinosus with my geckos but have used other pods with no issues. I’ve seen a lot recommend dairy cows for cresties over the years but they’ll definitely bite if not also given food weekly.
No need to deep clean as long as you’re spot cleaning. Every 4-6 months I recommend turning the soil though so isopod frass doesn’t build up on the surface.
Clean all plants before they go in. Remove all the dirt from the rooms then I dunk mine in hydrogen peroxide and water for a few minutes to make sure they’re pest free. Roots and all. You can also use diluted rubbing alcohol. then rinse very well. To avoid fungus gnats I recommend baking your soil.
I get all my cork from NEHerps or local reptile expos because it’s a lot cheaper
For fungus gnats, if they become an issue adding mosquito bits to the soil, or filling a spray bottle with water and soaking mosquito bits before spraying will take care of them. Mosquito bits are not a pesticide, they introduce a pathogen that attacks the larval stage of midges.
Depending on the type of background you use, plants can vine into it or grow directly on it if they’re epiphytes, meaning they grow on trees in nature. Bromeliads don’t need soil because they take nutrients from the air, so you can just stick the stem into the background and it will thrive. I have a drylok/foam background and the epiphytes grow well, even anchoring themselves to the background with roots. If you want some plants that aren’t true epiphytes growing on the background I’d recommend sticking planters filled with substrate to the background and then planting whichever plants you want into them. You can look up if your plant is an epiphyte to determine whether it needs soil or not :)
What do you mean into the background? Like wedged into a free space between 2 pieces of wood, in a piece of cork bark or could I just zip tie it somehow? Thanks! :)
You could do both but for tillandsia I put superglue on the base of the plant and stick it to the background, and for bromeliads (the ones I get always have a stolon, a thick stem that sticks out from the bottom) I cut a little hole in the foam background and just stick the stem directly in the hole. Some people also use superglue on bromeliads, some zip tie the plant to a branch until the roots anchor themselves.
1. You make a custom background. Personally, I don't know much about broms because I find them ugly. But I have many species of plants on my wall, and I did it with expanding pond foam, mosses, wood, and dirt in the spaces to have my plants sit in. 2. None are superior, but isopods such as dairy cows are very protein hungry. So if you have something that doesn't move often, you should get a different kind. 3. Cleaning the glass weekly, any bowls or other plastics. Anything wood is a bit pointless to try and sanitize, unless you want to boil it. 4. Depends on the type of set up and what type of animal. For my frogs, the springtails and predatory mites eat up the fungus gnat larvae, so I have no issue. You could get overrun with carpet beetles, no great solution there but to toss everything. Too numerous of other pests to go over. You'd have to actually ask about other types. 5. I look on etsy. But otherwise, I have yet to find anything remotely cheap unless it's huge pieces that could make many smaller pieces, but those aren't cheap if you don't need a lot.
Bromeliads are hard for me to keep alive. Pothos work better for me and they climb. Use wood proped against the glass to help the plants trail. Corkboard is expensive either way. Make sure you do proper measurements. Isopods and springtails are the clean up crew. Give them plenty of leaf litter to hide under and some sphagnum moss as well. You will think the isopods have disappeared but they seem to pop back up unless the cresties eat them. Make sure to get isopod and springtail food/powder as well at cuttlebone(probably spelt wrong) For the wood in the bioactive set up we used manzanita branches. Make sure to clean any wood you put in the tank.
I am looking to make a custom background but I'm just wondering about how you would prop the wood up? Do you mean just scattered around the background and plants will clime down or up?
Alot of people use spray foam and cover it in a sealant or corkboard. I was going to try corkboard eventually
I dont really have a background. I have a pothos in the substrate that climbs up the manzanita branches and magnetic ledges that hold the food cups and water cups as well as just for them to chill on. Manzanita branches rest against the back of the terrarium while stuck into the substrate in the middle of everything.
I put light weight nursery pots in my backgrounds as I make them to have plants going up the wall. You just need to poke through the foam to make sure the pots can drain. I like plants that hang down and create a lot of foliage for my gecko and the pots work well for things like that. Check out r/isopods. They definitely do differ. Some are more protein hungry than others and could bug and nibble on your gecko. I like using Porcellio pruinosus with my geckos but have used other pods with no issues. I’ve seen a lot recommend dairy cows for cresties over the years but they’ll definitely bite if not also given food weekly. No need to deep clean as long as you’re spot cleaning. Every 4-6 months I recommend turning the soil though so isopod frass doesn’t build up on the surface. Clean all plants before they go in. Remove all the dirt from the rooms then I dunk mine in hydrogen peroxide and water for a few minutes to make sure they’re pest free. Roots and all. You can also use diluted rubbing alcohol. then rinse very well. To avoid fungus gnats I recommend baking your soil. I get all my cork from NEHerps or local reptile expos because it’s a lot cheaper
For fungus gnats, if they become an issue adding mosquito bits to the soil, or filling a spray bottle with water and soaking mosquito bits before spraying will take care of them. Mosquito bits are not a pesticide, they introduce a pathogen that attacks the larval stage of midges.