Living vivarium for montane chameleons

[TCMontium]

Hi all,

I am going to have T. montium and T. cristatus in a few weeks.
I am having a hard time deciding on a terrarium design.
I am probably going to have a 60x45x60h cm Exo Terra glass terrarium for each montane chams. I don't think I wan't to put a hole under these terrariums. And I don't really have space, resources and time for draining buckets. So, can I just go Chris Anderson style (or just pygmy cham style or dart frog style etc.) and build living vivarium with 15 cm tall drainage material+soil, moss, leaves, plants and springtails?
Isopods could be a bad idea since chams might attack them but eat soil accidentaly.

Also do you know what material or product exactly are the drainage balls that are used by Chris Anderson and many other dart frog, pygmy cham etc. keepers? Are they just "clay balls"?

 

[jamest0o0]

Hydroballs, yeah they are just clay balls. Lava rock can also be used, I usually just use whatever is lightest weight. You should use isopods, they are a great addition to the CuC. If your soil is correct there should be no worry with the Cham ingesting some from time to time.

 

[TCMontium]

Hydroballs, yeah they are just clay balls. Lava rock can also be used, I usually just use whatever is lightest weight. You should use isopods, they are a great addition to the CuC. If your soil is correct there should be no worry with the Cham ingesting some from time to time.

Thanks! Clay is a lot lighther then lava rocks, I hope I can find clay balls in Germany (I came here like 4 days ago, I don't really know what is available in Germany).
Are springtails and isopods resistant to temp drops? Montanes might need 16 C (60 F) at night while it is around 24 C (75 F) at day time.
Also what exactly defines "correct soil"? Most soil bags I have seen doesn't say which materials the soil includes. Any soil "without chemicals" might contain dead matter, mushroom spores, parasite eggs or feces/fertiliser as far as I know.
Should I not buy the soil, but just dig the forest ground and bring home?

 

[jamest0o0]

There are different kinds of springtails/isopods. Some do well in cooler temperatures while others warm. In your situation, you might be best off just finding some isopods outside. They'd likely do well In a Montanes environment.

The correct soil would be an organic type, that suits the heavy waterings, and is free of choking/impaction risks(think chunks of bark, rocks, etc).

Mushroom spores are nothing to worry about. I love mushrooms, they are free CuC food! Organic fertilizers are great, many people use worm castings mixed in. Parasites aren't likely, but if it makes you feel better, you can bake the soil. I personally don't like sterilizing stuff in most cases. The idea is to have a booming population of beneficial soil bacteria and fauna. It creates a most self sustaining ecosystem and breaks down waste. The beneficial bacteria outcompetes the dangerous types you see in sterile environments. It's why we can walk outside and play in the dirt without usually having to worry about anything.