Vampire Tank Pictures

[sunkenmetal]

i would be interested in hearing that. hydroton would be better for plants if you add those. i have hydroton -> windowscreen -> coarse coconut fiber -> construction sand / milled coconut fiber / oyster shell mix for hermit crabs and they seem to do well

do you have those little painted shells for them

[troy tucker]

I think I am going to do the false bottom. the way it is now works but the moss stays to wet. So I need to ad more rock to raise the moss or go with the false bottom.

Jeff you know a lot about plant? Can you tell me what are the one in my tank? if you need a better pic I will take one.

[Warlock]

i don't think it is.. BUT this red devil breeder, mellowvision, told me to stay away from hydroton and go falsebottom.. still waiting on reason WHY?!

reasons mellowvision don't like hydroton..

1. hydroton shifts around easily and can cause burrows to collapse.
2. hydroton will collect a lot of detritus which will affect your water chemistry.
3. the crabs will burrow into the hydroton and you'll see them far less.
4. hydroton does not create as stable ground as a false bottom to support wood and stones.

[Totenkampf]

reasons mellowvision don't like hydroton..

interesting, not to be arguementative but 1) i havent noticed the sand burrows collapsing unless i let the sand dry too much 2) wont detritus collect under a false bottom as well? 3) yes they will burrow into any substrate that is deep enough and you will see them less, those are called happy crabs 4) good point if you intend to decorate with heavy items...i am using cork rounds so its pretty stable

[Totenkampf]

do you have those little painted shells for them

i despise those idiot painted shells! i bought some cool natural ones form the hermit crab patch online

[Totenkampf]

Can you tell me what are the one in my tank? if you need a better pic I will take one.

i cant really tell from the pic but one appears to be arrowhead plant: http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/...ead-plant.html

[troy tucker]

So thats what that is... Cool thanks.I don't know much about plants at all. I took thim out of the flowerbed. the arrowhead looks like only one will live. the other plant is a flytrap. I think the vampire is eating it.

[Totenkampf]

lol, i actually thought one was flytrap looking but that would have been an odd guess! i had flytraps in a terrarium once and they had to have really high humidity to live. i would guess that the crab can detect the same scent that lures the flies in...only hes big enough to win!

[troy tucker]

the humidity is so high you can't see though the glass.

You maybe right about the lure of the scent. It was a bad choice of plant but better it die then the crab. I can get another plant.

[mnemenoi]

Use a hand squeegee to remove the condensate from the front pane. We have done a couple of vivarium builds and can help if anyone is interested.

[Totenkampf]

the hardest things to balance in terrariums are air flow and humidity. moist, stagnant air is as bad as dry air. they didnt have the lower priced misting systems that are available now when i was into herps so maybe it isnt such a big deal now a days. jacob seems to have this down on his dart frog tanks, they all looked good. plenty of fresh air and still moist.

[armthehomeless]

Is there an effective way to un-stagnate the air without adding fans?

[Totenkampf]

Is there an effective way to un-stagnate the air without adding fans?

you can use natural convection if you want to mod your tanks. for instance jacobs thumbnail setup, you can add adjustable louvers to the lower front panel or door and then one on the upper front panel or tank top. there should be enough heat from the lights to pull some air through. the louvers that i used to buy were circular and you could twist them like the top of an adjustable fish food container so that the airflow could be regulated

[Totenkampf]

Is there an effective way to un-stagnate the air without adding fans?

since i answered this i ahve found that euros tend to use airstones to pump air in under the substrate layer. i will be trying this on my next vivarium

[Warlock]

my false bottom floor terrarium from HYDROPHYTE>. has an small air hose to bottom to move air.. i use $6 pump from walmart