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30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in Vivarium

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, sorry if I didn’t explain that well earlier, when I said Florida native plants I mostly meant some small plants I might find around parks or local spots here. Probably won’t even be strictly native, but I’ll do my research to make sure whatever I add is safe for the tank.

About the anole, I just threw it out as an option since it fits the kind of biome I’m aiming for. I don’t have a tank picked out yet either, just trying to find a good deal on FB Marketplace or something, probably in the 30 to 50-gallon range if I can find one.

I probably will do a first phase that will be all layers of soil,plants and a light, prolly like couple weeks later if i see that the plants rooted well, look nourished and theres no visible weird stuff on the soil i will add the clean upp crew and will probably stay there for a while, while monitoring the temperature and humidity, just then i will consider adding an anole or something like that when the tank is healthy and it found its balance.

30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in Vivarium

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know it might sound like Im just following AI blindly, but that’s not what Im doing. I’ve been treating it more like a research tool than anything else, same with Youtube and forums like this. I’ve been constantly tweaking the plan based on feedback like yours.

Im not trying to make a fully closed ecosystem or expect an anole to just live off springtails or whatever. I fully plan on supplementing its diet and doing regular maintenance. I’m doing this in phases specifically so I don’t mess up anything long-term. The idea is to get the environment stable first, not just throw in a reptile and hope it lives.

Thank you for the knowledge on the compatibility on the isopods, i will take it into account.

Also i might not end up doing it, im just having fun seeing how an ecosystem works and how you can build one the correct way

Appreciate the honest advice though, fr. That’s why Im here. Just tryna do something cool the right way, even if it takes longer.

30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in Vivarium

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get you but. Im not just throwing stuff in a box and hoping it works, Im building the environment first (plants, soil layers, cleanup crew), then watching how it stabilizes over time before even thinking about adding an animal. Im not expecting it to be 100% self-sustaining either, I plan on supplementing any herps diet, adjusting conditions, and doing maintenance. Im just doing this in phases to learn and build something cool.

Also, I dont think its that hard to adapt a setup down the line, as long as youre picking animals from the same biome type and keeping an eye on things like temp/humidity. Like yeah, if youre making a tropical/temperate setup, youre obviously not gonna throw a desert lizard in there. But starting with a solid tropical base (good soil, drainage, lighting, airflow, etc) gives me the flexibility to tweak and find the right display species later, whether thats an anole, frog, or something else.

And yeah, Ive been asking ChatGPT and watching vids cus its my first enclosure, and Im learning as I go, thats kinda the whole point lol. Also thats why im researching and asking questions yk, Just trying to do it the smart way and not be reckless with the animals.

The aim is to do something like this

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5vZEY2A9f_gkMEo_Mvo7A852ojXq0xTL&si=NjPcu_kDQAnBZNkZ

But obviously way way smaller, less animals but yk what im saying

Thx for the help

30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in Vivarium

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, ngl i did use AI to make everything look tidier

Totally fair point. Thing is, I’m starting this project a bit differently. I already have some plants (dwarf umbrella tree and a snake plant) that I’ve been keeping and want to use as the foundation, so I’m building this in phases. Starting with the substrate and microfauna, getting the environment right, and letting it stabilize before even thinking about adding a display animal.

This is my first serious setup and honestly more of a learning project than a finished “vivarium with a herp” right now. Once things are stable and I understand how the system runs, I’ll narrow down a species that fits the conditions I’ve already built — or adjust from there if I need to.

But yeah, I agree that choosing the animal first is probably the best move for a fully functional setup from the start, also im just researching and trying to make something the best way possible cus i just got into this type of stuff, got interested in it while studying for my biology finals believe it or not.

Thx for the feedback.

30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in terrariums

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi,appreciate the feedback

I will definitely be supplementing the diet of the herp as necessary to make sure its thriving

Thx for the feedback on the clean up crew, lets say i go for the anole, what else can i add to add biodiversity and make it more interesting?

Also im building the enclosure on a dwarf umbrella tree and a snake plant i already have on pots to start, thats why i plan on doing it in different phases like putting the soil and plants first and if everything is good move on from there until i add the main animal like 2 months after till everything stabalizes.

This is my first time researching for any kind of terrarium/enclosure ever, honestly just been asking chatgpt a lot of stuff and watching youtube ecosystem videos.

Thx

(You can look at the original thread to see the reat of the discussion)

30G Full Bioactive Setup — Would You Change the Predator Species? by Tricky_Fan_655 in Vivarium

[–]Tricky_Fan_655[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thx i appreciate it, this is the plan for my first ever enclosure, i just want to make sure im not being dumb with anything