wohoo! finally a question I can answer. http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1350714,1350714&key=2007 is my boring viv. and my biggest problem with my viv was mold, I finally learned that the trick is a combination of thin soil layer and a fan constantly running on low. oh and you gotta leave it for a little while (after you build it and before you put your snake in) I believe the time is a month, it lets whatever mold lands in there cycle out before you need to use it. and I got all my best info from dendroboard.com dart frog owners know how to make these work. and these are a few quotes I thought were useful that I have posted about my vivarium. and here is the main thread about my big vivarium. http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1332960,1332961&key=2007
nad here's some quotes form it:
"as for the long term build-up of toxins, I water the plants a lot and the water goes through the soil and I siphon it out of my drainage layer, so the soil is being cleaned in a way. as the water flushes out much of it. and coco bark seems to inhibit mold growth. as for the water I have a filter in there, and I clean it out when she poops in it. (which is about every 5-7 days) I imagine I will have to change the soil out every 6 months, but I was planning on that, because i have my plants in pots with potting soil submersed deep in the cocobark, because they have a hard time growing in coco bark. So I have to change the soil often anyway, because my plants are going to become rootbound in there.
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"funny you should mention it, because I just bought a springtail culture last month, they are thriving in my boyfriend's tank, but I can never see them in mine. maybe it's just because my tank is so big, and he only has a little 20gal one. An you guys are so right about the water cleaning being a pain! "
Thanks! it is a 125gal, the pond area is just tow slabs of glass siliconed in at an angle to make it more realistic. I then covered the whole water area with black slate by siliconing the slate to the glass. the bottom of the pool is just a bunch of black slate i didn't silicone that down for easy cleaning. There is a simple fountain pump in the pond that goes up the back and spills onto my driftwood background to make a water fall. (see my gallery in the photos section) the background is expanding foam and cypress driftwood(so it doesn't rot) covered in black silicone and coco bark. the land areas are a little trickier. the passion vines are actually in unglazed terra-cotta pots submersed deep in the rest of the substrate. the rest of the substrate is cocobark cuz it doesn't mold. inside the submerged pots there is regular(unfertalized, just to be safe)(this is what the orchid mix arrow is refering to in my picture) potting soil.(do not use potting soil for the whole substrate or it will mold) this is covered in tropical moss(no other kind any other kind will die off in these conditions.) the moss prevents burrowing to protect the snake from any potential mold in the submersed flower pots. there is also a turtle filter outside the tank, with tubes running to the pool. below the substrate there is a drainage layer made of hydoton, this allows the water to leach toxins out of the soil(the water has to siphoned out) and it keeps the plant roots from rotting. I made kajika a hide hut out of black slate to match the pool. and the vines are wired to the background and the top. The lights are grow lights, and I think that's it. I suggest going to blackjungle.com they will give you a step by step on how to make the background. And if you email me: atheris_squamigera@yahoo.com then I will send you my step by step photos, cuz I took some along the way. If you want more info you can email me or go to dendroboard.com and look at the vivarium forum.
"mold in substrate. I have been experimenting with different substrates, trying to see which ones don't mold and i haven't found any yet. my straight cocobark substrate didn't mold for months, so I thought it wouldn't, but i was expecting to have to change the substrate anyway cuz of the set up i had for my plants. anyway the cocobark did end up molding pretty badly when i didn't drain it for a few days (out of town). and i suspect it would have molded soon anyways because cocobark holds water so well, and if it being slightly more soggy caused so much mold, than with the standard amount of wetness in the substrate it wouldn't have been long till it would have molded regardless of draining. I have been using fans but that doesn't make a difference when the problem starts in the substrate. my next experiment will be Rex Lee Searcey's mix from the most recent issue of reptiles I don't think it will work, because leaf litter and orchid bark mold like crazy. but there was a snake in there so that's the only reason i'm trying it. i am starting to feel like it can't be done. at first i just thought i would change the substrate for the plants and for any mold growth every few months. but its such a pain and that's not how vivariums work, and i know it can be done, cuz it's done in zoos. and i am about to give up and just keep my snakes in ugly racks, cuz i don't want to change the entire cage out every few months. below is the substrate formula i will try next that i don't think will work. i'm keeping kajika in a temporary cage for the time being.
(2 parts partially composted leaves. (Partially composted leaves consist of the dead leaf litter in various states of decomposition found around the base of trees and scrubs. The best kinds of leaves for this are live [scrub] oak, alder, elm, birch, aspen, poplar, beech, apple, ash, holly and privet.)
2 parts medium grade orchid bark, Xerimulch or similar bark product
1 part ground coconut husk fiber (coir), or ˝ part coconut husk fiber and ˝ part ground palm)"
and here's a couple of pictures. I took it all down a couple of months ago cuz kajika got out and got mites, and it was just about impossible to get them out of there. But the only problem I ever had was mold, but I found out how to fix that, and of course money and time. took forever, and cost an arm and a leg.
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-Jasmine
6.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
1.1 Peruvian Rainbow Boa
