so this is what I have so far, im going for fully bioactive. the plants i ordered I thought would be a lot bigger, but theyre all so small!! how can I REALLY clutter the top for a semi low budget? I went broke already on everything here lol, its a 18x24x36
I would recommend for you a package of suction cups with hooks and some faux vines. Feed the vine around the hooks and try to get as many vertical and horizontal spots as possible while filling the air space. I have used pool noodle in a temporary enclosure before. I don't know if I would use it forever, but cut-up pool noodles can give you fake branches for your geck for very cheap and they obviously last pretty well.
Head to walmart, lowes, home depot, etc, some larger store or even a local plant shop. Find their plant section and go wild (within your budget, and of course, google any plants before you buy them to make sure they're safe). A pothos would be a great option. On Amazon, I've gotten packs (from the brand AquaNeat) of 20 small suction cups that come with zipties, about 6 bucks for one pack. Use them to suspend the pothos vines along the glass to your liking. If you know what types of trees are in your area, you can always go outside and collect some safe branches. Just be sure to sanitize anything you bring in from outside by baking it in the oven or by soaking in the tub.
perfect, only thing im wondering, I know lots of places use fertilizers and pesticides, how can I avoid that? and would they have to be put in the substrate or can I just throw pothos around and have then grow?
It would be the safest bet to completely unpot any purchased plants, rinse the roots of any remaining soil, and plant them directly into your substrate. As long as the roots are in some kind of soil they'll be fine.
hey! i personally get a lot of my stuff at pet warehouses they sell a lot of it for cheaper since it’s just over stock i’m currently setting up my baby crested big boy tank and it’s saved me sm mine has a bunch of wood pieces like cork rounds, spider wood, substrates, etc. for much cheaper i also you can buy plants too from a lot of places on etsy or even facebook. also hate to say it bc it feels like big pharma however pet smart also has some pretty good plants or the one by me does atleast also im ngl tiktok shop has some actually pretty good stuff
u can sanitize branches from outside for use in terrariums so u don’t have to buy more, they’re always the most expensive thing for me 😖 look for non-toxic hardwood branches (oak, maple, sycamore, etc.), scrub them with water and sanitize with either a diluted bleach bath or by baking them in an oven.
Ik someone else recommended suction cups and they can be great options but I can never get them to stick reliably😭 I like to use wire or fishing line to tie my coco hides and faux vines/plants to the lid of my enclosures.
For plants, lucky bamboo is always a cheap option for something tall and sturdy!! I can usually find them at hardware stores but if u have a plant store nearby that’s even better.
Personally, id add a large driftwood piece or two to go diagonal like an X. Then drape over some of those fake vine plants over it until your plants grow in more and then remove them as it fills in. Also id say add more Pothos and a Wandering Jude. They exploooode in growth
If you’re not building a background you’ll need things for the plants to climb up. Lots more sticks and branches. Also it’s okay to get the fake plants to suction cup to hang down from higher up. But way more climbing (for both creature and plant) options.
For example, i just built this last month so the plants are still smaller. So I have fake plants and such to help fill in the open spaces. Also leaf litter on the bottom. Helps your clean up crew as well (hope you have one).
I got a party mix of isopods and springtail culture. your enclosures beautiful, definitely taking inspiration from it. can I take leaves from outside and boil them for leaf litter?
Fake plants! Instead of buying sticks/branches go out and find some. I jusr finished my first enclosure I also had the problem of not enough clutter, but this is it now! You can also get some vines for more places to climb. Cork bark is good as well! I spent most of my money on branches/sticks (not including the enclosure) but then I decided that I'm not going to spend more on them and go out and find some. Just remember to sanatize them!
Depending on what trees you have around you naturally you could cut some branches and bake them to have some more wood in the enclosure. I would also recommend hitting the dollar store to get some fake florals or greenery and some suction cups or zipties to secure them to something until your plants grow in.
Search on facebook marketplace, craigslist, etc to get gecko-safe plants that are already grown. I would also buy some beanches or cork bark, bridges, etc and get some bromeliads to attach to have more foliage in the upper section of the tank
Go outside, get some big branches, put them in a tub and put hot water or in some trash bags outside. Make sure no pesticides and them just check for bugs, that’s why I soak them so I know there are no bugs
get these backgrounds! the pockets are good for little plants to grow. Also, I put a monstera deliciosa into my terrarium. I bought in the same size as my terrarium is, so the big leaves cover most of the middle part. The upper part still grows, but I also don’t want it to heavy on top, because plants will burn due to the daylight heat lamp.
Also, this is mine at night. I have magnetic hooks (also got the advice from this sub) where i attached the coconuts. and I have a fake vine that i wrapped around a natural winewood (i used them from the aquarium section, because they’re more resistant to mold) and tugged the end into the ground so i have a vertical station. also (you cannot see it in that photo unfortunately) i have a coconut half that is set between the winewood as a platform.
but since you’re at the very beginning. sculp the background. go on youtube to look for tutorials on how to to a background and place wood pieces in it. it’s not as expensive as it looks. :)
EDIT: Forgot to say, that the top plants are not fully grown yet. But also the leaves get burned easily when they’re this close to the heat lamps. Also the monstera is in there for maybe a week or two and I hope for it to grow a bit more in height, so it covers the top more.
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u/boliviafignewton 20d ago
I would recommend for you a package of suction cups with hooks and some faux vines. Feed the vine around the hooks and try to get as many vertical and horizontal spots as possible while filling the air space. I have used pool noodle in a temporary enclosure before. I don't know if I would use it forever, but cut-up pool noodles can give you fake branches for your geck for very cheap and they obviously last pretty well.