Ok would these plants work, ive been looking around and i found these, do u think they would work w/ my plan for my terrarium?.

1 Nepenthes bellii
1 Macodes petola
1 Fern - Humata tyermanii "White Rabbits Foot"
1 Fern - Nephrolepis cordifolia 'duffii' (Lemon Button Fern) 1 Geogenanthus undatus
1 Anthurium clarinervium

It looks like they will fit at the least. Only problem I see is that the anthurium will want low light, but the nepenthes will want high light. One of them isn't going to be happy.

-DH

just put the nepenthes in a place where it will receive the most light, and put the anthurium over to the side or somewhere not directly under the light source. You can even construct a back and have you nepenthes growing off of it in a pot or something like that so it will be closer to the light, and place the other one under it so that it is not getting the light directly. Nepenthes don't really like straight sunlight so I would never take it and place it in my yard in direct sun, they like indirect or filtered light, but thats kind of what they are getting in a terrarium anyway.

ok thanx u guys, i appricate all the advice from u all..u guys have mentioned about using some foam on the background...where do u find the foam stuff?..i have an idea for my background..i could get the foam stuff and silicone it to the back of my terrarium and then silicone cork bark panels to it..would that work so that i could put some pots in my background?..how do u attact the pots to the background also?

You can get it at home depot, and you don't have to silicone it to anything, it's extremely sticky and will stick to wood, glass plastic etc on its own. You just arrange the wood how you want, fill in the gaps with foam, then go over it with silicone and some kind of substrate. The foam is called Great Stuff. Pots can just be stuck down in the foam when you spray it, the foam will harden around them.

-DH

ohh ok..how does the wood stay on the back if the foam isn't on it yet?..whats the purpose of using the silicone if its not to hold something?.why do u use substrate on the background?..so the foam is sprayable? hmm ok, sorry for all the questions but im a newbie, what can i say lol

Im sorry, but I think your just playing games with us here at the forum, I say this due to that fact that most of your questions were answered in your other post!? I gave you the blackjungle.com site the other day so you could see for yourself, step by step, the whole expanding foam process...with pictures! and here you are asking questions about the expanding foam background!? "ohh ok..how does the wood stay on the back if the foam isn't on it yet?..whats the purpose of using the silicone if its not to hold something?.why do u use substrate on the background?..so the foam is sprayable?" look, if Im wrong Im sorry, but when you dont listen to the answers to your questions...well...I just dont know what to tell you.

No im not, i already have looked at that site and have seen the pics but im still not 100% clear on how to set it up...i just dont see how the wood would stay up if u just fill in the gaps of it..ok i think i get part of it, but im just making sure.ok the silicone is to cover the foam and then u put the substrate on it so it looks natural...im gonna be using cork panels for the wood in my background btw.

You would lay the tank on its back, place the driftwood in the tank where ever you wanted them, position the pots where you want them, then spray the foam around the drift wood and pots and let it dry, then stand the tank back up and thats how they stay in place, but, if your going to use cork panel instead, just glue them directly on the glass with silicone, as it will be almost impossible (not to mention defeating the purpose) to glue coco panels to expanding foam?

hmm ok thanx, that really clears it up..what do u reccomend that i use?..like what do u think would look better?..i kno that cork panel is easier but what do u think looks better..

Under the pics on the blackjungle site there are detailed descriptions on the whole process? Including the one I just discribed? Im sorry, but I have to ask, are you a younger person? I just assumed you were an adult, if you are younger I will be more than happy to answer some questions but you will have to research, read what you research, and listen to the answers to your questions, I dont know about anyone else but I will no longer answer questions you have already asked, so if your REALLY interested in this project you have in mind please do a lot of research and pay a little attention to the answers you recieve, if your an adult...your on your own!

ya i saw the site and im not asking the same questions on my last post..i was just asking what do u think personally looks better, the cork panels or the driftwood w/ the foam?..and no i am an adult, im 19.

What looks better just depends on your situation. Both can look great, and both can look awful. I for one don't do either, as my viv is 8 sided and doesn't have a back side. Do whatever you think you can make look good. It's only 6 dollars a can, go buy some and mess around with it. It's unlikely you will get it right the first time you use it anyway.

-DH

well i think im gonna try the driftwood background and the driftwood that im gonna use for it, is $60 for all of it..so i'll try to get it as close to perfect as i can...im gonna use Maylasian driftwood..and pretty much style it around the one on blackjungle.com..i'll post some pics when i get it all set up..my terrarium and supplies should be here next week..i still have to order the driftwood tho.

im following the background set up on blackjungle.come and so far ive used the black silicone on the wall and ive used the foam, now all i need to do is use more black silicone on top of the foam and then put the bedding on top of it..then i'll be done :)..i can't wait to get it all set up.

Maybe you could take a picture?

i'll post some pics when im finished..i have put the bedding on but im not sure what blackjungle.com means by gentely vaccum off the excess bedding...i mean like what kind of vaccum are they talking about becuase a big one would suck it all off?..

They just mean remove any bedding that isn't attached to the silicon I would imagine. I wouldn't worry about it. Just blow on it to knock off any loose substrate.

-DH

You can use any vaccum you want,if you let the vaccum grab the wall just pull it off or shut off the vaccum,you shouldnt loose any coco fiber as long as youve followed the directions completely, if you didnt well....thats what happens when you dont follow directions =) I have done this many times and the vaccum has "grabbed" the coco covered wall many times and I never lost any of the fiber, as long as youve done a good job and let everything dry, you wont have a problem, you do know that you do this with just the hose? No attachments? right?

ya i kno i would use the hose..what if i didnt silicone it that good and the vaccum does rip it off.that would sux...ok i'll follow ur advice iliketerrariums, thanx for ur input too deadhamster

today i tipped my terrarium over after letting the silicone sit for 24 hrs..and there were still some spots on it..this was the second patch up and its like they didnt stick...when i tipped it over i rubbed the bedding w/ my finger to get all the loose bedding off, it shouldt have came off from just that...so i repatched for a 3rd time today but instead of putting the silicone on the spot and rubbing it around on it, i just put a dab of the silicone on the spot and put the bedding on tip and packed it down on the silicone dab..so i hope that works

Im really sorry if I sound like Im being mean, Im truly not trying to be, I just wanted to let you guys know that I have used this "great stuff" process on four different set ups and never had a single problem with it, and remember,I AM NOT IN ANY WAY A PROFESSIONAL! =) I did this for the first time maybe two years ago and the whole thing went smooth, all I did was follow directions, just like you guys, and it came out just fine, no problems whatsoever, so please be sure that you use "Great Stuff" foam only! GE II brown or black silicone ONLY! make sure that everything dries COMPLETELY before you go on to the next step, and please, TAKE YOUR TIME! also, only do a 10" by 10" section of silicone at a time, as the silicone will skin over very quickly, Im talking a matter of minutes! so put down your silicone, add the cocofiber on top at least 2" thick, then carefully pat it down, be carefull not to smear the silicone under the coco fiber, then let it dry! at least an hour, repeat, if you dont use your hands/fingers to smear the silicone you will not get good adhesion and if you use brown or black silicone you will not notice the missed spots of coco fiber as the silicone that shows is brown or black and will look like soil, if you use clear silicone its going to show! I just relpied to a post with this same subject, I asked if certain things were done and wasnt surprised to hear that they werent, that doesnt make me any better than anyone, it just tells you that I followed directions, you can build an airplane if you have everything you need to do it, but the person that takes time and has the patiences will end up flying in thiers =) I made the mistake of using a "no name" silicone on another project (not a terrarium) and the crap never dried! So what do you think it would do to the coco fiber set up? Please feel free to ask more questions or ask for advise as Im sure myself or another member will be more than happy to help! =)

oh i dont think u sounded mean...i did use "great stuff", im using GE II clear silicone tho cuz i couldnt find any black or brown..ya i do a lil section at a time too...well i was smearing the silicone but it wasn't working so i just tried putting blobs on the spots and patting it down...i hope it works...if it doesn't stick this time then i'll try and find black or brown silicone...well i follow directions really well and im a really patient guy, i mean my terrarium does look really good and it looks pretty much just like the picture..but i just need a lil nudge in the right direction...

clear is not a good choice as it will turn yellow over time, but putting blobs on the spots and patting it down is what I do to repair the "spots", since you used clear make sure you cover everything very well, also with time and moisture the coco will deteriorate in some spots and you will see the yellow silicone, thats why it is important to follow all direction even the color of the silicone, if you use brown and this happens it will look like soil =) I couldnt find brown so I went to Jersey! but I found it =) Theres a reason and a purpose for most all things! =)

Hottie, are you making sure that the coco bedding is completely dry before you put it on the silicone?

ok thanx u guys..i'll see if the clear works this time but if it doesn't then i'll get some brown...but if it does work then i'll just wait until it deteriroates and then i'll use brown to repair it...ok but in a sense i am repairing the spots that wouldnt stick so hopefully it'll work...ya its really dry, i think its completely dry..

I had exactly the same problem. By the way, go to a LLoew's or Home Depot and look for the brown, black, or bronze. And make sure that it does not have a bio seal on it. That would mean that it includes a mold inhibitor which will harm your animals. They are starting to put it in the II now, so you may have to buy GE I. MAke sure it is GE silicone window and door treatment, and that it doesn't have bio seal, and you will be fine. (learned that from people who have been setting up tanks for dart frogs for years). My silicone didn't even want to stick to the great stuff. And then when I put the bedding on it, it didn't want to stick either. So what I would up with is what looks like brown turds with patches of yellow (the great stuff) showing through. I used 6 large tubes of the silicone! Thats 5 bucks each, so that was a lot of money down the drain. I just bought 6 more to try it again. I may use peat moss this time, as the coco bedding was too much of a pain in the butt. Once I get the background and the waterfall figured out, I'll be ready to start planting. I will start my own thread with pictures and a construction journal as I go.

Im sorry, but you guys that are having problems with the foam background are definitly doing something wrong, Ive done this type of background three times and never had a problem with any part of the process, I wanted to make sure that people who havnt tried it are not discoraged to do so as it seems (although I know its not intentional) that people are knocking it, it is really an easy process, it just takes time and patience, I dried my coco fiber in the oven! sounds nuts but it wasnt even slightly moist (as some of you have already told me your coco fiber was indeed moist) and thats just one "mistake" in the process that a couple of you have made, it no big deal, mistakes are just that...mistakes, some of you rushed it, some of you used the wrong color silicone, which does change the process, and some of you covered the whole background with silicone then tried to add the coco fiber, and now know that silicone skins over in a matter of minutes so the coco didnt stick, please look back at your process and look for what you did different from the blackjugle.com process, Im sure you will find your mistake,and its no big deal, just go back and do it the right way, or just buy some coco panels and glue them to the wall of your set up and be done with the great stuff process all together, its easier and doesnt take a lot of time. =) Good luck!

ok well ive gotten the background just about perfect, theres only like 2 spots but i'll just cover those up w/ my waterfall...should i put the spahgnum moss on top of my co co bedding or under it? ive heard both being used but i just wanted to kno what u guys think..

heres a pic of my background

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1268496}}

you're talking about on your bottom for a substrate? What are you using for a drainage layer? Are you going to make a false bottom or use gravel? You really need to do a drainage layer. Then on top of that you can just put one or the other. If you want to use both for some reason, but the spaghnum moss on top. It may even grow back, and then you'll have a nice mossy ground cover.

Any reason why you chose not to do the sides? No big deal, just wondering? It looks good! youll find the more you use this type background the better you get at it =) moss on top of coco sound good to me, if you keep you humidity high at the bottom of the tank and give it very good light, the moss will stay slightly moist and grow nicely, I set up a mini CP tank and the dry moss I used came to life within a week! and is growing great! I also found some small "roots" in with the moss, turns out it is some kind of moss also and has started to sprout bright green growth! post more pics as you go! =)

ya im using terra lite from blackjungle as my drainage layer...thanx i liketerrariums, ya this is my first one so in the future i'll get better at it...well i didnt think u were supposd to do the sides..i coped the procedure from blackjungle, they didnt do the sides, so i didnt either..i didnt really even think about it...well i have some dry long hair spahnum moss that i got from blackjungle..could that come back alive?..isn't it dead tho? last night when i set it up, i planted my english ivy and polka dot plant in the baskets on my wall. I kept my fern in the pot for now cuz im decideding where to put it..im gonna order 2 neps and a jewel orchid from blackjungle and put the neps in the top baskets and the jewel orchid on the bottom.

Well, I bought my spahgnum moss from some arts and crafts store! LOL! It was the dry stuff that they sell, I placed it in one gallon zip bags with RO water for about a day and a half, it absorbs the water very well that way, then used it to line the botton of my mini CP tank, and as mentioned, it came to life within a week! and is growing great! I also found some small "roots" in with the moss, turns out it is some kind of moss also and has started to sprout bright green growth! Remember, your set up is your set up, blackjungles is just an idea on how to make the foam background, you make YOUR tank the way YOU want it! Thats the beauty of this hobby, you can make a thousand tanks and no two will be the same, thats why I decided to do the side walls in my set up, never copy, or think your supposed to do just what someones telling you to do, as long as you follow the "technical" directions your imagination is the limit! just be different and unique and youll be OK! =)

ok..how can it come to life if its dead?...ok well my next one i'll do more customization....

ok i have another question, do u have to mist a terrarium daily that already has a fogger in it and a waterfall?..my humidity is about 58-60% during the day and at night 70-80%, i dont think its high enough, do u guys/girls think so?

It depends on what you are keeping in it. Different animals have different needs. As for the sphagnum moss, I always have mine come back to life. It just does with good water and light.

I figure some of it might be dormant instead of "dead" as it is growing just fine =) I agree with back2eight, it all depends on the needs of your little critters and plants =)

ok well i have a bosten fern, a polka dot plant, and english ivy right now but i ordered 2 neps and a jewel orchid from blackjungle...they should be here on fri..its about 58-63% humidity during the day and about 70-80% at night, and the temp is about 70-71 during the day and about 66-68 at night.are those parameters good for those plants?

Im like you, Im just learning about plants so Im just going to tell you to try to keep plants that do well together and you should know the plants likes and dislikes as in humidity and light before you get them (just like animals) so after you get advice from the members do a google search for "care sheets on" you types of plants =)

well i have dont a care sheet on every plant that i have gotten...but im just wondering if thats a good average range

i was thinking of getting a second dig. thermometer/hygrometer for the bottom part of my terrarium..so i can compare the top and bottom levels..would that be a good idea to do?

You can do that, hottielover, or just move the ones around that you have. give it 30 minutes to adjust. I do that with mine. Saves money. About the plants humidity and things, anything from black jungle is going to be compatible with dart frog terrariums, which means humidity from 80-95 percent, but I also know that those neps can do well on a lot less humidity than that. I have some in my house and I know my house is not as humid as a dart tank! So your humidity is fine for your plants. You need to be more worried about getting it where you need it for whatever animal you are putting in there. You still haven't said what you are getting, have you decided yet?

I understand that you dont have a care sheet with all the plants you have, I wouldnt follow any instuctions that did come with the plants as most tropicals come with basic/generic tropical plant care instruction, but thats just me, thats why I mentioned this phrase in my post,"so after you get advice from the members do a google search for "care sheets on" your types of plants =)" I know you dont have care sheets!? thats why your asking! =) if you do this you will find care sheets on most, if not all of your plants, =) also, there is no "good average range" for all plants, like every other living thing in this world, plants need different care, like temps,humidity, and light, to try to keep plants/animals in a "good average range" might not be a good idea for some of your plant/animals, if you dont want to do a google search (for whatever reason)you can try and see what plants do well for you, if you see one going the way of the dino, remove it, and replace it, but it would be much easier to just look it up =)

sorry i liketerrariums, i mean i do have a care sheet for them but its hard to tell if there really accurate or not...back2eight, im getting 2 neps and a jewel orchid from black jungle but right now i have a boston fern, eng. ivy, and polka dot plant right now im my terrarium..

what would be the best way to raise humidity?, i already have a fogger and waterfall but the humidity wont go above 65 during the day..i have the fogger set to go off for an 1 hr. three times a day..to kind of keep the moisture up in there..

im gonna get a red eyed tree frog eventually too back2eight

What kind of top do you have? If it is screen, cover it up with plastic wrap. That will keep the humidity in. I don't think those frogs need as high of humidity as dart frogs do, but I really don't know. It would be easy to find the information, though. I know hwat you mean about not trusting the care sheets, some of them can't be trusted.

ya i do have a screen...i have like a fourth of it covered but maybe i'll cover half of it...thanx

ok i covered 3/4 of my screen top w/ plastic wrap and now the humidity is steady at 90% and the temp is steady at 69%...so that should be perfect for my plants and frogs...i have noticed that my plants have lots of new growth from being in my terrarium...plants must grow faster in higher humidity...i got my 2 neps and jewel orchid from blackjungle and they looked really good...