Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a big (like 5x2X2) aquaria that'll be empty when I'm done with my turtle pond. I want to set up something naturalistic in it, but I don't know what yet.
Options I have so far:
Kingsnake (Floridia or Speckled, I have these)
large garter snake
Nerodia (I'd catch a young of the year for this)
Rat snake

I've done small tanks for lizards and amphibians before, and I've done one naturalistic tank for a California king some time ago,but I'm looking for ideas particuarly on hardy plants. In the past I've used mostly succulents (for leopard geckos, pictus geckos and the like) or vines (with the amphibians) and jade and sansevria with the cal king, but I don't think succulents are appropriate for a higher moisture tank. Any ideas?
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

Most of my tanks are natural. One thing I do is use plastic egg crate and screen to create a shelf 6 or 7 inches from the bottom. This shelf becomes the new bottom add an access panel for a fountain pump, with tubbing to create a water fall.Also add lava rocks or bio beads to the lower level. Let the water level be just below the bottom shelf Put soil and plants on the new bottom and they will sense the water below and grow roots down into it. The benefit is that with all the water the humidity is perfect without being wet, the soil or substrate that you use will be moist but well ventalated so no harmful anearobic bacteria will grow. Also you have a perfect mini wetland filter system to clean water and waste, add worms pill bugs slugs etc and the only maintanence is adding water occasionally to top off the level. You can paint the bottom of the outside of the tank with a latex paint, which you can easily remove if you change the purpose of the tank, to hide the filtering part. Me I like to leave open and throw some blind cave fish down there, when the roots grow, it creates a sureal under world. Also I would recommend an aboreal snake that is going to be out more. An asian vine snake comes to mind.

I would go with the ratsnake and utilize the two foot height of the tank to put some climbing/basking limbs in the cage. You can use cypress mulch on the bottom, which is inexpensive, easy to spot clean, and not heavy like gravel or sand. Looks natural as well. You can use a variety of limbs and half logs as hides. I bet some trailing plants like ivies would look nice, and maybe some ferns. These plants would provide good ground cover for hiding spots as well. You can also train the Ivy to grow over and up the basking limbs towards a light source at the top of the cage. I think the ratsnake would be more visible and apt to bask on the limbs if the lights/heat source were postitioned on top the cage as well. Kings and garters may want to hide and never come out as much.