Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi
I am setting up a 40 gallon which is same dimensions as 30 gallon long but higher for a pair of green anoles.

I wanted plants directly planted in terrarium bottom using soil. Plants such as ivy and other fast growing plants. .

Problem is this prevents me from removing the substrate to replace it .
Has anyone done this ?

I thought maybe the plants would "eat" the waste as will have good lighting for them to grow fast but not sure if better just to plant them in pots though would look nicer in substrate.

Thank you

I'd recommend googling vivarium techniques for false bottoms. You can definitely have a living viv for your anoles, but you'll have better luck with a false bottom to provide for some drainage. I have a smaller one for a single anole that's done well for a few years now. I have some button fern, creeping fig, and pepperomia gone wild. There are springtails and pillbugs in there, too, to eat up dead vegetation, etc., then I toss in crickets, phoenix worms, and so on for the anole. It's misted on an automatic timer twice a day.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.2 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, and Hitch)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.3 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin)
1.0 Green Anoles (Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Okay thank you I will look up false bottoms for terrariums because would like to do it once and do it right.

I know it's been a while since this was posted, but I've never had any luck with soil in any planted tank (I also have some where there are just plants), or even pots for that matter. It becomes a compacted swamp every time. I use the standard recipe for ABG mix you can find on Google, order the stuff and mix it up yourself, it's much cheaper in the long run. Also, for false bottom, I just use expanded clay balls and weedblock for the barrier. I tried river rock once but seems you get more space in the drainage layer by using something with a more uniform shape, hence expanded clay balls.I even use this in my pots for my plants and it works wonders if you also keep a variety of plants around the house. Just don't dump them into your tank all at once, the weight can crack the glass, I broke a 40g breeder once that way.