Reptile & Amphibian Forums

and i have some questions, i'm 14 so i don't have an abundances of money, i have had a crestie a few years back right now i have a leo, but for my birthday in may i'm getting another crested and hoping things will work out so i can have a much better terrarium, so i was wondering about what the ups and downs of live plants are, for instance, how hard is it to keep it clean and sanitary for the gecko, and how much bigger is the threat of parasites, and my room is in the basement so would that make it hard to keep live plants alive or will it get to cold for him/her?, also id like to try getting two but i'm not ready to breed them and i've heard mixed things about getting two girls that get along well and if i get baby's i can't be sure if there both female and if there not id have to get Another cage that can be permanent or give it away and i don't think i would be able to part with it, wow this is getting to be a long message! sorry! i get careered away with this stuff!
but any help would be a lot of help! i'm an open mind when it comes to this!

let me first say welcome, and as for the live plants, it will certainly add a new dimention to your tank, however, it does slightly complicate things. If you are going to go with live plants keep in mind that they will need a drainage layer underneath you substrate. In addition to that you will want to go with a biologically active substrate, I prefer Eco-Earth and it has given me good results with plants in the past. You can get low light type plants such as Fittonia (Not sure if I spelled that right). Hardy ferns seem to keep well also. You can ask the nursery about which ones will work well. Avoid fertilizers and keep in mind that cresties will take advantage of the fake stuff just as much as the real and it actually looks very good. I keep some live planted tanks and others all fake and people can't tell the difference in most cases.

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1.2 Crested Geckos
2 ringneck snakes
1 packman frog
1.2 Box Turtles

Thank you for the reply! i was also wondering whats the smallest terrarium i can get and still have two "if i get two" happy healthy geckos that aren't mauling each other for territory?

and will a real plant setup with the drainage layer and every thing work in one of these?

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=100&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=1

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/glass_terrarium.php

and how do you clean a live plant tank?
thank you again for helping! i've obsessively been reading every thing i can find on this stuff for the last month not to mention the two years of obsessing over cresties!

so i thought it would more beneficial to ask some one who actually has experience with the hole trial and error to find out what Actually works and not what "should" work because its a life at steak not "some lizard"
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1. Leopard Gecko: Larry
3. Cats: Midnight, Tiger & Fluffy
rip. Crestie: Tuki

yes those tanks will work, you can go with a 25 to 30 gal tank for two and they would be happy. you probably already know this but don't mix two males. you can clean the leaves on the plants with a spray bottle and a soft cloth, and then spot clean the substrate. in a living system there will be a bacteria cycle so the substrate will take on a strong earthy smell but it shouldnt smell rotten if that happens then you will have to replace the substrate. you can use smooth river stones or large size aquarium gravel for the drainage layer, seperate the drainage layer from the substrate a lot of people use an air conditioner filter for this. give yourself about four inches for substrate and then about two inches for drainage layer. if you do a living system then you have to take into consideration many factors like plant species and compatability as well as safety for your animal (ie poisonous plants ext.) do your research first a good book to read would be natural terrariums by philip purser you can probably find it at a local reptile store (I got my copy at pet co). anyway sorry for the long post.
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1.2 Crested Geckos
2 ringneck snakes
1 packman frog
1.2 Box Turtles