Converting fish tank to terrarium
Scott (Long Island, NY--7b)
last year
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearScott (Long Island, NY--7b)
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Newbie-40 gallon fish tank terrarium
Comments (5)What are the wattages of your lights? What is the spectrum/colour temperature (in degrees K, eg. 6500K)? Exactly how tall is your tank? How old are the bulbs? A 40 gallon tall sounds like a very nice tank to make into a terrarium! I asked the questions above because we need to find out if you have enough light or not. Would you be able to add more light if you need it? I mean, is there space in the light hood, or do you know how to make your own light fixture? As for plants, think about what you like best about a woodland scene. Is it the lush greenery? The peace and calm atmosphere? Some obvious suggestions would be a fern or two and lots of moss. Interesting bits of driftwood are also quite nice, as are interesting rocks. Would you want a little stream or pool? Think about the nicest spot of forest floor you have ever seen, and make that the vision for your terrarium. BTW, I would go with a mini fern. This doesn't mean a fern in a small pot, it means one that is genetically predisposed to staying small. Even these 'small' ferns can grow to be 12" in height and spread. Nephrolepis 'Fluffy Ruffles' is one of these minis. You might have to order it on the Internet, so I've linked one place that sells it below. Do you like orchids at all? Not all of them look tropical. Paphiopedilums are low-light (for orchids), and are native to woodland areas. Do you have any other supplies so far? I would recommend a bark chip/mulch substrate. It's more open and airy than potting soil, and smells nicer, and Paph. orchids love it, as do ferns. It's important to have an open substrate to avoid root rot, which can occur when it is constantly moist, as it is in a terrarium. Other than that, read some old posts on this forum, check out the FAQ, and brainstorm! =) Here is a link that might be useful: Rob's mini plants...See Moremy 'Fish Bowl' Terrarium
Comments (8)i just gently pour water down in there until i get about an inch of water pooled down into the gravel drainage part...the water will work its way up into the soil as the plants need it....See MoreFree 200 Gal. Acrylic Tank for Terrarium
Comments (3)Cherie Would sure like to have it but have no idea where I'd put it lol.. What are the dimensions.?? ,Maybe I could squeeze it into the fish room.. I'm in gardens. gary...See MoreSalt Water Fish Tank converted to Terrarium?
Comments (9)First of all, to the best of my knowledge the everglades are a protected area, and any collection of wild plants is generally considered to be illegal (at least here in Canada it is). You also would be running a high risk of introducing molds or other fungi or parasites of some kind or worse, snails and slugs, into your terrarium, so it's really not worth the 'free' material! Most terrariums, even the most beautiful ones, are largely composed of common houseplants, which are really quite cheap. You can buy the little pots for $1, and they will grow very quickly into large plants in a terrarium because they just love the humidity so much! (If you have enough light). BTW, what kind of light did you have on your salt tank? And take your time planning this, because it was a lot of work for me to re-do my 85 gallon terr to make the waterfeature work and the landscape more interesting, and it would be 3 times that amount of work if you ended up re-doing your tank because you rushed through it the first time! One thing you could do now, besides reading, is visit a good greenhouse or nursery, or even a Home Depot with a good plant department near you, and look at all the plants and write down which ones you like. Then research them on the 'net to see how big they get, if they can take being constantly moist, etc. Good terrarium plants: stay small or are easily trimmed back without ruining the appearance of the plant, love high humidity, are not invasive (unless you don't mind trimming them back frequently), have interesting leaf shapes or patterns or colour (though you also need some 'plain' stuff, or the terrarium becomes too 'busy' and you don't appreciate the unique plants), like a constant moisture level (no drying out between waterings, except for plants mounted up high, close to the lights), and do not require extremely high light levels. Anything that needs full sun in nature is a bad choice for a terrarium unless you have a metal halide bulb, but that can cause problems with overheating if you're not careful. Since you're in Florida, humidity isn't exactly a problem, so you should listen to everything gary says about needing fans, not needing a cover for your tank, and how to cool your tank in the very hot summers (fans)....See Moretapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearJodiK
last yearScott (Long Island, NY--7b)
last yearmarmiegard_z7b
last yearJohn (Zone 5b/6a, IN)
last yearlast modified: last yearEric Christensen
last year
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