New Terranium setup.. dont know what to put in there..??

[Infinite ink]

I just finished a new setup.. dont know what to put in there..??
I had this exo terra tank lying around in my garage and decided to get creative with it. Its my first custom setup.
i have a taller one that i will do a "how to" post on in the future..
Originally had pygies in mind but a friend has some nice crested geckos available.. any votes on which to put in there?
i wana let the cage grow in a bit anyway, and i will be adding more foliage and twigs if i get some pygs..

 

[ChameleonRave]

Pygmy's! :d

 

[Syn]

What kind of substrate is that? Also, what kind of plants, etc?

 

[Infinite ink]

i think i am leaning on pygmys..
substrate is, well a few layers .
leca stones
charcoal,
coconut, most of the coconut is siliconed in place,
and very top is organic soil..
i have some live moss coming in the mail and also a few stones to cover more of the soil..
the plants are ivy ptothos and i dont remember the name of the last..
its my first live terranium so i want to let it settle in before i move any tenants in
if i do get some pygs, i will probably be adding more twigs and leaf litter..
if i get the geckos il get some more vertical surface..

 

[sgvreptiles]

brookesia and mantellas. Thats what that tank is telling me.
What are the dimensions?

 

[Infinite ink]

So i caved and ordered some crested geckos from lll reptile ... Theyr going to be some lucky geckos.... I have some live moss and more climbing are now.. Il take some new pics once i have the new roomates..

 

[FFSTRescue]

I'd say Electric Blue Geckos for that tank. They are my new favorite gecko. They actually run to the doors and look at me straight on with both eyes and they let me hand feed them baby roaches. These geckos are only like 2" full size! The babies are so tiny you can't even touch them! They are beautiful and have so much personality

 

[ladysilkworm]

wow, that is a gorgeous set up!

can I ask you what it costs??

and also, I thought you can't keep chameleons in a glass tank?

 

[Infinite ink]

Pygmy chameleons are pretty well off in live terraniums ..
Theyr pretty tiny and do well in groups (give enough females)
I think i spent maybe $60 including all the plants .. I already had the tank.
The background is part great stuff foam and an old foam background i had.. Once the foam is cured it was covered in brown outdoor silicone and coconut husk. The bottom layers are leca stones,coconut husk/activated charcoal, and the top layer is organic soil..

The cresteds are going to be my first geckos.. So i want to get familiar with them first before i expand the collection..haha..
I actually really want a nosy be or a nosy faly but i need to do a hostile takeover of our computer room to gain more space..
I have to settle for a more compact species for now, but my chameleons will win in the end

 

[Killjoy]

dude!! or chick !!! that is the best terraium i have seen !! i love it . i have always thought of doing one and in my mind i have invisioned your creation. the whole "fung shway" appeal is perfect. I need one. you are the reason that i am starting mine this week. thanks for the inspiration. I would love if you could pm me with some photos of your other enclosures as i am sure that they are great!! definately go with pygmys! lucky bastard!!

 

[Infinite ink]

So this is what my setup ended up as.. i know this is a chameleon forum but you cant deny how awesome these lil guys are..
they are too tiny to be able to tell the sex, hopefully i will get lucky and get 1male and 2 females, otherwise im going to have to set up another cage sooner than i thought..
the first 2 are videos...click on them and enjoy..

 

[Syn]

Yay crested geckos! Just letting you know, housing little ones together may not be a good idea if one seems like it is hogging the food.
At one point in time I had a sibling eat the tail of the other sibling! It was a little traumatizing...

Good luck, and good choice of pets!

 

[Infinite ink]

Really !! So far they seem OK around each other, although there is one that is bigger than the other 2. I haven't seen any bulling as of yet, but then again its only been little under 2 days .. I have a couple cricket keepers that are not used for crickets so hopefully they get along and no one has to get kicked out of the cage..

 

[Syn]

I've noticed because they are so active at night.. you may not see the act of bullying at all.

Just keep an eye on the food. Monitoring who eats what will be hard. Purchase a gram scale and make sure the weight gains are similar.
If someone is heavily gaining weight and the other two aren't (or any variation thereof) it may be time to set up separate enclosures.

 

[Infinite ink]

cool, thanx for the tip syn, i stay up pretty late so i can keep an eye on them.
Im going to get working on a new setup so il be ready..
Im trying to get info on the pangea forums , but theyr forum is a bit dif to navigate, so im trying to get used to it..

 

[Syn]

If you ever need help feel free to PM me. I don't have years upon years of experience with cresteds, but I can help you with the more simple things.


Good luck and welcome to the world of cresteds! You won't get out easily.

 

[dreamforthedead]

Crested gecko's, they are really sweet. I have one and he's so lovely, really friendly. Only hard to find in his viv

 

[summoner12]

He looks very happy in his new home! Does he need a misting system?

 

[Infinite ink]

Yeah theyr growin on me already,
I had to set up my a.c to accommodate their temperatures better! i went almost all summer without it, til NOW!!

i have a misting system for my veiled s, but i hand mist the geckos, im afraid to flood the terranium, i still dont know how much water it can handle safely. humidity is very good staying above 70% and even higher now with cooler temps..

im setting up another exo terra tall terranium. im going crazy with this build and im going to take my time on this one. il have plenty of progress pics ..

Just a clue of what its going to look like: The floating mountains in the movie Avatar..

 

[bradleymarky]

Yeah theyr growin on me already,
I had to set up my a.c to accommodate their temperatures better! i went almost all summer without it, til NOW!!

i have a misting system for my veiled s, but i hand mist the geckos, im afraid to flood the terranium, i still dont know how much water it can handle safely. humidity is very good staying above 70% and even higher now with cooler temps..

im setting up another exo terra tall terranium. im going crazy with this build and im going to take my time on this one. il have plenty of progress pics ..

Just a clue of what its going to look like: The floating mountains in the movie Avatar..

if your worried about flooding the bottom try hydroleca (clay balls) and then a sheet of weed guard or membrane and then put your plantation soil, coco coir, bark chips even spaghnum moss over it and it will be fine