Before addressing your stated concerns I think you need to identify the problems you have had with your prior attempts at constructing a terrarium. Dealing with these issues may be the resolution you need! Secondly, I would not recommend scorpions in a terrarium designed for jewel orchids. Tree frogs would work. Scorpions really need a much drier habitat. Charcoal is really an unnecessary additive to a terrarium. Its primary use, such as in aquarium filters, is in "sweeting" water passing over it. In a terrarium housing Jewel Orchids you do not want a soggy substrate though you do need a high humidity (70%-80%). As far as a substrate there are some very interesting and workable ones sold for frog habitats at pet shops. Most are wood base. I think most of those would prove effective. Mixing in rotting leaf litter is ok but recommend hard leaf litter from trees such as oaks, no aromatic plants leaves. Planting of Jewel Orchids is probably best with enough spacing to see each plant. These are all sprawlers and will spread across the surface of the substrate if they are happy. Having a rotten log is ok but let the plants grow on their own over it by planting nearby. Here is a link that might be useful: excellent info on setting up terrarium

Hi, do you still have the recent two issues of the Orchid Mags? Too bad I can't trade orchids with you since I am in Canada but I have a lot of gardening books and mags for trade. Please email me so we can see if we can strike a deal somehow. :)

"Thanks for the kind words! I thought it was water sprite, and still think it might be, but it has rhizome like extentions close to the roots? just like rabbits foot fern? Do water sprites have that feature?" I'm not sure. But whatever you have seems like it will work well. "also, its funny, he does have two dry ledges on the same level" Good - I just couldn;t tell from the pic. "I say goes back becuase I noticed that he will go over to the spots that have running water (passing the dry ledges) and "relieve" himself there and only there!? Its like a "flushing" toilet for him! LOL! Is that normal behavior for whites?" Yup that's what mine does. Mine stay in a dry spot right under my light all day and then at night his sits in his water bowl and poops (alot). "if I see any signs of problems (like "red leg" I think its called) I will remove him quickly and start on a new set up, even though, as mentioned above, he does favor that ledge over the dry ones for whatever reason? =)" I don't think you'll have any problems. Maybe you could run your humidity and temp stats (upper and lower portions of the tank) by the forum and I tell you what I think. The only reason I mentioned the whole "dry ledge" thing is that it looks like you are leaning toward more of a rainforest style setup (with your drip wall and the big waterfall). Whites live in areas of Australia and Indonesia that are sometimes a tiny bit drier (that's why I reccomended giving him a choice of dry and wet). They have sticky/waxy skin to help maintain their moisture. Also that shiny outer coating makes whites very resistant to diseases which is why they are such a good frog to keep (besides that fact that they're fat and loveable - mine eats out of my hand). "The crickets that fall in the water when he is fed have all managed to swim, (very quickly I might add)over to the "wall" covered with coco that surround all but the front of the pool and climb right up (where Nishiki waits silently!)" I wish I had your luck. My crickets seem intent drowning themselves in whatever water they can find. Maybe they prefer suicide ofer being eaten...i don't know. BTW Nishiki is a cool name it kinda reminds me of some Japanese bubba fet if you know what I mean. Well good luck with everything.

AArg! I had typed a whole response and then my 6 month old boy hit some key and erased the whole thing! here goes again. . . I've been thinking about this a lot too, and I think that I would create a large false bottom and fill it with ice. that is, I would freeze water in milk jugs and put those in there, then fill the gaps with distilled water, and use that water to mist the terrarium. my theory is that the ice would cool the water a lot, and misting with such cold water would cool the terrarium nicely. You would have to be able to access the false bottom, to remove the milk jugs as they thawed and add new frozen ones while the old ones refroze. Does anyone else think this would work? I think it would be high-maintenance, but I wouldn't mind doing it, personally. the only other thing I can think of is an air-conditionned room, like Mr. B said, but I think my idea is cheaper. What say you?