ENCLOSURE PLANTS LAYOUT

[jack_wardayyyy]

Hi everyone, I’m in the process of building a bioactive enclosure for my Cham and I’ve been mapping out where certain plants will go.

I’m doing an expanding foam background with coco fibre planting mats for the hanging plants and getting a log for a small fern towards the top of the enclosure.

I’m currently a little stuck with my lower level and centre pieces. I have an umbrella plant and a Fatsia japonica but they would both be sharing the middle area, would this be okay?
There’s also a zee zee and hosta to go in the corners of the lower level but the zeezee doesn’t cover too much space and seems to adapt well to a tight area, the hosts will be rested on the wall and there for drinking obviously it will have a lot of space in the lower area too itself as the two centre pieces grow.

Do you think these two centre pieces will be okay together?

The first images are just the umbrella and then the last ones are both together, their leaves/branches will overlap - will this be okay?

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

Hi everyone, I’m in the process of building a bioactive enclosure for my Cham and I’ve been mapping out where certain plants will go.

I’m doing an expanding foam background with coco fibre planting mats for the hanging plants and getting a log for a small fern towards the top of the enclosure.

I’m currently a little stuck with my lower level and centre pieces. I have an umbrella plant and a Fatsia japonica but they would both be sharing the middle area, would this be okay?
There’s also a zee zee and hosta to go in the corners of the lower level but the zeezee doesn’t cover too much space and seems to adapt well to a tight area, the hosts will be rested on the wall and there for drinking obviously it will have a lot of space in the lower area too itself as the two centre pieces grow.

Do you think these two centre pieces will be okay together?

The first images are just the umbrella and then the last ones are both together, their leaves/branches will overlap - will this be okay?

For a bit of further context the viv is 122 x 61 x 61. On the ground drawing I’ve given an inch for the wall and another once which is marked with the squiggly line to say potential wall incase it moves towards two inch. One side is mesh so this gives a bit more play for the plants and I can use hanging baskets. Higher up in the viv I’m going to use his favourite branches and fix them into the wall so he has some space which isn’t too covered and he can bask

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

@crosscutts I’ve seen you talk about plants recently could you help me out on wether to have both or just one please?

 

[MissSkittles]

Dang! You are all organized and plan and stuff. I buy whatever plants I like (usually way more than I need) and then just stuff them in where they’ll fit. The thing to think about with two taller plants is which one will be winning the competition for light. I would put in the fuller one that has the most sturdy branches/stalks and leave the other out for maybe a free range or in case the other doesn’t do well. For the shorter plants on the bottom, do keep in mind that they will be getting little to no light.

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

Dang! You are all organized and plan and stuff. I buy whatever plants I like (usually way more than I need) and then just stuff them in where they’ll fit. The thing to think about with two taller plants is which one will be winning the competition for light. I would put in the fuller one that has the most sturdy branches/stalks and leave the other out for maybe a free range or in case the other doesn’t do well. For the shorter plants on the bottom, do keep in mind that they will be getting little to no light.

Hahahahaha I cannot express the excitement I have for this bioactive viv and how much I don’t want it to go wrong glad to know I aren’t the only one trying to stuff things in the competition tor light was what I was worried about but they both seem to be sharing the area fairly well so I wasn’t sure if it would cause that much upset on the other plants? Maybe I will have to get just one in

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

Dang! You are all organized and plan and stuff. I buy whatever plants I like (usually way more than I need) and then just stuff them in where they’ll fit. The thing to think about with two taller plants is which one will be winning the competition for light. I would put in the fuller one that has the most sturdy branches/stalks and leave the other out for maybe a free range or in case the other doesn’t do well. For the shorter plants on the bottom, do keep in mind that they will be getting little to no light.

I’ve also bought a few strips of cushion and carpet moss, I wasn’t sure wether to try embed them on the wall, do you know how deep they needed to be planted?

 

[Sonny13]

If you go bioactive please think out perfectly your drainage and drainage layer. @DutchChams recently made that mistake

 

[Sonny13]

For a bit of further context the viv is 122 x 61 x 61. On the ground drawing I’ve given an inch for the wall and another once which is marked with the squiggly line to say potential wall incase it moves towards two inch. One side is mesh so this gives a bit more play for the plants and I can use hanging baskets. Higher up in the viv I’m going to use his favourite branches and fix them into the wall so he has some space which isn’t too covered and he can bask

The best way to build it, is building or try to find planter box for underneath your enclosure. otherwise your bioactive soil takes up a lot of useful space inside your enclosure. Check this for two good ideas https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/the-third-official-enclosure-picture-thread.173186/

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

If you go bioactive please think out perfectly your drainage and drainage layer. @DutchChams recently made that mistake

The best way to build it, is building or try to find planter box for underneath your enclosure. otherwise your bioactive soil takes up a lot of useful space inside your enclosure. Check this for two good ideas https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/the-third-official-enclosure-picture-thread.173186/

As always appreciate the help and advise sonny! I am not sure if it was you or someone else but someone linked me up with mujipanthers who build enclosures for zoos and they’ve developed an enclosure that doesn’t require the hydro balls and mesh, the bottom is designed to drain itself which it already has a plug/dripping points and you simply put whatever you want underneath and it will always drain the unused water so I’m planning on doing around 20cm of substrate and then Bruce will have 100cm of height to play but there’s also a 25cm stand which will elevate Bruce nearly to the roof

 

[Sonny13]

As always appreciate the help and advise sonny! I am not sure if it was you or someone else but someone linked me up with mujipanthers who build enclosures for zoos and they’ve developed an enclosure that doesn’t require the hydro balls and mesh, the bottom is designed to drain itself which it already has a plug/dripping points and you simply put whatever you want underneath and it will always drain the unused water so I’m planning on doing around 20cm of substrate and then Bruce will have 100cm of height to play but there’s also a 25cm stand which will elevate Bruce nearly to the roof

A right, you bought one of them, perfect . I’m really excited how your build turns out. Enjoy building it, always love building an enclosures.

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

A right, you bought one of them, perfect . I’m really excited how your build turns out. Enjoy building it, always love building an enclosures.

Thank you! Very excited for it hopefully all goes well!

 

[Multivitamins]

Big fan of the money tree ! Is this going to be in indoor or outdoor enclosure?
Your fatsia will get really large of you give it the correct conditions and likely will prove too large for an enclosure in time.
It's not that it won't work but you may very well have to do a great deal of maintenance or replanting in the near future.

Love the plants but am concerned that they will create a canopy that light will not penetrate you will have a very dark bottom half of the enclosure so anything planted below their tallest leaves will really struggle. I ran into this with my schefflera and even a pothos that was hung in the top part of my first enclosure.

I run a multi bulb t5 as well as led lights and it's difficult to keep all my plants happy with the amount of sunlight between the leafy canopy and branch. Structure providing shade coverage to the lower 1/4 of the enclosure. I did a hard prune recently due to some scale I noticed on some one particular plant and am happy with the dramatic results the chameleon seems to enjoy the extra space it made too.

Side note. If you need a clean up crew I've got some healthy populations of springtails, as well as isopods (punta cana and powders) I'd be willing to send ya some to get that soil colonized with a x
C.u.c just dm me if it's of interest

 

[DutchChams]

If you go bioactive please think out perfectly your drainage and drainage layer. @DutchChams recently made that mistake

Yepp.. that was a lesson hard learned . Drainage is of the upmost importance!

 

[Tkrd69]

I have no luck with money trees. What's the secret that I don't know

 

[MissSkittles]

I have no luck with money trees. What's the secret that I don't know

Me too. I had a small one that promptly died.

 

[Beman]

Beautiful plants. Really think out drainage... IT will be especially important because of the money tree. They do not like being in soaking wet soil. This kills them off pretty quickly.

 

[crosscutts]

@crosscutts I’ve seen you talk about plants recently could you help me out on wether to have both or just one please?

Since there’s so similar I think I would try to find something a little more bushy instead of the giant leaves put one of them in and maybe some ivy or something on the lower section

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

Hi everyone! Sorry the delayed response had a hectic few days, sadly my dog has hurt herself real bad so been between the vets and looking after her as well as trying to sort everything for this enclosure build! Really appreciate the advice and info! I’m about to put a new thread on of the first part of the build and give updates! Thankfully my new viv is a special one, someone on here hooked me up with the guy who makes the vivariums/enclosures for chester zoo and other zoos and reptile centres across the Uk. This viv comes with a special bottom designed to be a drainage layer without the need for lecca balls or anything also great to know these umbrella plants like little water and no build up definitely helps to know this

 

[MissSkittles]

Oh no! I hope your dog will be okay.

 

[jack_wardayyyy]

Oh no! I hope your dog will be okay.

Thank you she’s hurt her leg and can’t seem to walk on it, it’s so sad