Zath
Enthusiastic Enthusiast
I decided to re-purpose one of my many empty aquariums (I'm actually an old hand at Terrarium building) into my first ever plant terrarium.
I read about other people's projects and thought about many different opinions, while also trying to stay with the KISS method. This is what I came up with:
Cleaned all the glass and plastic with vinegar & water (a corn snake had been the previous tenant), and wrapped it with a single piece of aluminum foil. Even the bottom of the tank is reflective. I plan on adding a front-flap of foil as well, as soon as the first plants are in there.
The lighting is two T8 32-watt bulbs. I wasn't 100% on what kind to buy, and heard of people getting good results with both 5000K and 2700K, so I compromised and did one of each. If that proves not to be enough, I'll consider building a custom hood frame that will accommodate two 2-foot flor. lights, totaling 4 bulbs.
The plastic container on left will be used in an attempt to culture some live sphagnum to use as top dressing, and maybe eventually as media. The pots are in anticipation of new arrivals, which I'm thinking of slack-potting. There's still some room in front for seedling-sized pots for leaf-pullings, babies, etc.
I have also ordered a glass-top for the aquarium. It should arrive well ahead of any plants.
Speaking of slack-potting...can someone please tell me if a clay pot should be "prepared" in any way before putting a cp in it? Do I need to soak it or something?
I read about other people's projects and thought about many different opinions, while also trying to stay with the KISS method. This is what I came up with:
Cleaned all the glass and plastic with vinegar & water (a corn snake had been the previous tenant), and wrapped it with a single piece of aluminum foil. Even the bottom of the tank is reflective. I plan on adding a front-flap of foil as well, as soon as the first plants are in there.
The lighting is two T8 32-watt bulbs. I wasn't 100% on what kind to buy, and heard of people getting good results with both 5000K and 2700K, so I compromised and did one of each. If that proves not to be enough, I'll consider building a custom hood frame that will accommodate two 2-foot flor. lights, totaling 4 bulbs.
The plastic container on left will be used in an attempt to culture some live sphagnum to use as top dressing, and maybe eventually as media. The pots are in anticipation of new arrivals, which I'm thinking of slack-potting. There's still some room in front for seedling-sized pots for leaf-pullings, babies, etc.
I have also ordered a glass-top for the aquarium. It should arrive well ahead of any plants.
Speaking of slack-potting...can someone please tell me if a clay pot should be "prepared" in any way before putting a cp in it? Do I need to soak it or something?
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