Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I am trying to create a mini ecosystem for tree frogs, anoles, and eventually, a rough green snake. I am working with a 20 gallon tall, and I will be putting in a filtered lagoon that will take up 25-33% of the enclosure. I am looking for plants that will provide height, basking spots (over the lagoon would be cool) and some ground cover as well. Any suggestions?

BTW, this is going to be my trial run. If I can successfully maintain this for a while, then I will move my ecosystem into a 75 gallon aquarium that I have in storage. I just want to start an a small scale first, to see if I can handle this type of project. Thank you!
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Diego & Tiffany's Zoo
SNAKES
4.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
0.0.2 Rosy Boas (Mid Baja & Baja)
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.0.0 Western Hognose
0.1.0 Solomon Island Boa
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.0.1 Desert Phase Kingsnake
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
0.0.3 Leopard Geckos
1.1.0 Yellow Niger Uromastyx

are you planning on keeping a snake with frogs and lizards? not a good idea, even though rough green snakes are smaller tree snakes they can still eat a small lizard like a anole and esp. a green tree frog. if you say "they are together in the wild", well, they eat eachother in the wild. NEVER put snakes with any other kind of snake, or esp. another kind of herp. even putting the anoles and green treefrogs in the same cage is risky, but will probally work. and 1st of all a rough green snake needs a 20-40 gallon min. and to put ONLY him/her in a 20 is pushing it, let alone a frog(s) and lizard(s). if you were going to do this, in perspective of tank size you would need at least a 50 gallon just so they don't get stressed, thats not including the space they need so they don't eat eachother. do your reserch next time.

If you have time to get off your high horse, do some research yourself. Rough green snakes are insectivores (that means they eat bugs). Also, did you notice at the bottom of my post that I said I would be moving everything into a 75 gallon tank? Thanks for the reply anyway.
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Diego & Tiffany's Zoo
SNAKES
4.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
0.0.2 Rosy Boas (Mid Baja & Baja)
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.0.0 Western Hognose
0.1.0 Solomon Island Boa
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.0.1 Desert Phase Kingsnake
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
0.0.3 Leopard Geckos
1.1.0 Yellow Niger Uromastyx

The bamboo plants are great you can even plant them in the waters edge or in the water aslong as most above it they grow strong . Anoles-treefrogs love them. You just prune them to keep them small with good lighting real easy plants. The anoles like them but they prefer and need slanted branches,etc the treefrogs will use the bamboo alot.

My friend has 55 gallon with anoles -green treefrogs and the smallish types of house geckos has had it for roughly 3 yrs everyone is doing great . Not sure if all the anoles still alive but the geckos and treefrogs are . A snake though harmless with terrify them all into not eating-treefrogs will barely move .

Anoles will ignore the green treefrogs and vice versa sometimes an anole might show its dewlap to a house gecko but mostly ignore them as they come out at night. She had a tiny snake forgot the type it ate small guppies but the snake would send everyone into terror dont get a snake. She released the snake back in her yard where she caught everything.

Either way bamboos are great and pothos draped over strong twigs is great to.

Thank you for the tips. Are there any little "trees" that I could use?
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Diego & Tiffany's Zoo
SNAKES
4.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
0.0.2 Rosy Boas (Mid Baja & Baja)
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.0.0 Western Hognose
0.1.0 Solomon Island Boa
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.0.1 Desert Phase Kingsnake
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
0.0.3 Leopard Geckos
1.1.0 Yellow Niger Uromastyx

okay I know what you mean. The little tree looking plants dont do well in humid terrariums. As a whole thick branched tree looking plants that stay under 10 feet most way bigger dont do well at all in high humidity terrariums they rot and leaves fall off. Keep in mind a bamboo thats pruned a few times gets thick shoots lots side branches looks great but I know she used ficus to thats a tree used in Bonsaia. Ofcourse you would buy the tiny shoot in a cheap plastic pot in a nursery and just keep it cut yourself as they go for like $6 MAX in a nursery as a tiny shoot.
I will see if she will post a pic as she comes here to kingsnake anyway . I know the ficus died it was a tiny tree but even though in theory okay in humid terrarium after yr it died but I know some use them.
The only thick type branch tree she has are the bamboos they look great and she has pothos,etc cheap high humid plants they sell in nursery.
You will be amazed the plants you find in nursery but tiny tree looking arent easy in high humidity.

Thank you! Very useful stuff. I already have some bamboo with the shoots coming out. I will definitely use those. So it would be best to "make" my own tree? Like you said, a nice branch with pothos on it?
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Diego & Tiffany's Zoo
SNAKES
4.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
0.0.2 Rosy Boas (Mid Baja & Baja)
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.0.0 Western Hognose
0.1.0 Solomon Island Boa
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.0.1 Desert Phase Kingsnake
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
0.0.3 Leopard Geckos
1.1.0 Yellow Niger Uromastyx

The good thing about making your own "tree" is that anoles like different types of branches my friends anoles prefer branches that are thicker than their own body . Branches like that in a terrarium are hard to get from live plants .
So she uses branches from trees and plants pothos that grow great send out fat leaves and wraps them around the branches anoles love this .
Pothos are easy to keep grow fast with good lighting and look great you cut off snipets plant them and they to grow as long as good lighting they do great with high humidity and just keep growing.
Your better off than trying mini tree type plants that will die in high humidity . Anoles do need branches but treefrogs dont care nearly as much . Greentree frogs are great and squirells treefrogs to anoles ignore them .