Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking about building a terrarium with a diy misting system. I was going to wrap a small pond pump in batting, and put this into an old butter tub with holes ounched in it. Then I was going to run a tube from this up a corner and across the top of the backwall. From here I would attach some misting nozzels. Do youu think that this will work? The terrarium would have a thick layer of aggregate for drainage, and the water from the terrarium would be what is used in the misting system.

Also would the misting nozzels used in auto watering systems for gardens work in a terrarium?

I don't think you'll have enough pressure for misting from a small pump, and even so, the misters would clog unless you used distilled or spring water. Also, a constant mist is not desirable, as the plants may rot. Why not just do a drip wall using the same principles you mentioned? (don't wrap the pump in batting.) You could use either some regular tubing punched full of holes and sealed with silicon on the end, or use an adaptor to hook the tubing from the pump to the garden soaker type tubing. Run this across the top of a background of cork bark, a tree fern fiber slab, or a piece of CocoTek grow slab, and let the water trickle down through this. (You can also plant these drip backgrounds with moss, vines, etc.) This will cut down on hand misting a great deal, if not entirely. The tub with holes in it would need to be in a false bottom, of course, so there is complete circulation.

What I've been doing for a false bottom recently, is using the Coco-Tek grow slabs to support the substrate, with a layer of weed cloth on top to filter out the fine particles. Then I just cut out a section for the pump, hide it with a pile of aquarium rock or gravel, and cut out any ponds I want. The Coco-Tek slabs are about 3" thick and come in sections of 6"X3"X36", but they can be easily split lengthwise for thinner sections, or to layer up for a deeper false bottom. One nice feature, is the frogs cannot possible get into a pond and inadvertently get trapped in the false bottom. The slabs are loosely woven cocoanut fiber, which is sturdied up I believe with latex so they don't deteriorate.

Black Jungle carries the tree fern panels, and the "Cork Store" has cork bark either in bulk or individual pieces. The above two are easy to look up, but I'm adding a link to the Coco-slabs, because they are hard to find on a search.

I've become a big fan of drip walls, and have used all three media for them that I mentioned above. Most all of the tanks I have these in rarely if ever require misting, and the frogs love it.

I just use 1 gallon pump mixers available at any nursery with spring water, which is really no trouble, especially if you don't have to use them very often.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

I was going to hook the pump to a timer to mist 2 times a day for 5 min. But I may try the drip wall instead. A drip wall was my original plan, but I heard that a cork background will breakdown quickly if kept moist. Do you know if this is true?

If so I guess I'll have to do the great stuff thing.

Cork bark does NOT break down-- at least not for years. It also supports all kinds of mosses and if you don't sterilize it, some delightful surprises in the form of small ferns and such, even mushrooms that grow apparently "spontaneously." These don't show up right away, of course. You could use a combination of cork bark and Great Stuff. The cork bark is always somewhat curved, so you need to fill in behind it with something else when you use it as a background. Otherwise, your frogs can get behind it. The Great Stuff, where it oozes out beyond the cork bark will give you an easy support for epiphytic bromeliads, such as the Neoregalias and some Vresias. It's easy to just punch a hole in the dried Great Stuff, and shove in the supporting root or stolon of the bromeliad, perhaps support it with a couple of tooth picks or bamboo skewers if you have to. It will go on to anchor itself and prosper from there.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
5 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

I'm going to go ahead and make 2 practice tanks first. I have 2 empty 10 gallons that are just taking up space. I'll do one horizontal and one vertical. I'll try the great stuff and cork bark in one tank and see how I like it.

Thank you.