About to try reptiles, need ideas :)

[Viridis]

I wanted to quote what you said part by part, but I didn't want to take even more of your time so i'll quote only this.

Nobody should ever apologize for helping others, and I have to say, these are precious and helpful informations.

I am not quite set on everything yet, not even the species, or even if I feel like spending 200€ on Xaxim (that thing gets pricy!).

I'm even tempted to convert my 180g channa tank into a terra just because I need something new, and I'm kind of stuck with weight since I live in an appartment, and I know I won't get bigger until it's time to buy my own house.
But dedicating that big tank for a single species might be what keeps me at bay with just the smaller terra. Everyone has to start somewhere, but I find a beautifuly decorated terra to be easier to look at than a fish tank, just because it looks so natural when well done.

I'll keep thinking it through, and again, thank you for all the precious informations.

The Xaxim is definitely worth the price, granted it is a big expense.
moss and ferns will often pop up after a while given enough light and moisture.

I honestly find vivaria easier to look at as well. Plus there's far less algae to worry about

Mixed species tanks are the most interesting to me, and I recommend you research each species individually before doing so,
Many reptile keepers are paranoid about mixed species tanks, its more of a random phobia than anything rational.

And where the heck are you seeing 3 foot mertens? I never see any get over two foot,and most were smaller.

Random phobia? Novel pathogens are a legitimate problem, and seamingly small animals can eat surprisingly large meals. I've seen pictures of Phyllobates terribilis eating geckos. Having a cautious approach (or "phobia") is much better than throwing seamingly similar animals from around the world together because they are colourful.

Including the tail, V.mertensi can easily be ~3 feet. Most papers note them at around 1m (~3.28ft). Granted, their svl is half of that.

Perhaps I should've put "a potentially 3ft lizard"; my mistake. Still not a whole lot of room for a semi-aquatic monitor.

 

[Madou]

The Xaxim is definitely worth the price, granted it is a big expense.
moss and ferns will often pop up after a while given enough light and moisture.

I honestly find vivaria easier to look at as well. Plus there's far less algae to worry about

Do you feel a rainforest setup would be good enough to have those grow from the Xaxim?

I'm thinking a couple grandis would probably make me happy for a while to get used to stuff out of the water... Or perhaps a small group of Neon day geckos? Those look to be small enough to have room for a few more than two? (I'm assuming still no viv mates? xD) Tokays look amazing and pretty fierce, but I feel like my viv might be too small for two.

Would I be alright by simulating 50% daytime of rain? Or more like 30%? And if rain is dropping well enough, do I need to mist still? I'm clueless, so I have no idea whether the rainwould be good enough to put my humidity up to 80%ish.

 

[Viridis]

Do you feel a rainforest setup would be good enough to have those grow from the Xaxim?

I'm thinking a couple grandis would probably make me happy for a while to get used to stuff out of the water... Or perhaps a small group of Neon day geckos? Those look to be small enough to have room for a few more than two? (I'm assuming still no viv mates? xD) Tokays look amazing and pretty fierce, but I feel like my viv might be too small for two.

Would I be alright by simulating 50% daytime of rain? Or more like 30%? And if rain is dropping well enough, do I need to mist still? I'm clueless, so I have no idea whether the rainwould be good enough to put my humidity up to 80%ish.

Define "rainforest setup"

Moss usually needs decent lighting in tanks to take off, and high enough humidity until it has started to establish. If you basically seal up the tank for the first month or two, and spray heavily, it'll likely show up. However, in the conditions P. grandis needs, it will probably be too dry to grow moss on the Xaxim. The basking light especially will cause a decent area to be too dry.

Phelsuma grandis would work wonderfully;I had mine in a 60x45x90 and it was a great size for them. The extra room really helps reduce aggression. They do prefer slightly drier conditions; spraying them a couple times a day is really all that's needed unless your house is particularily dry. I'd recommend a pair personally. You don't have to hatch the eggs if you don't want to (they may hatch in the tank, but the adults will sometimes eat the young, so it shouldn't be a big issue. You can always remove the young if you want to raise them up). Males will rip eachother to shreds if not raised together from birth, and even then, it usually ends in a death match.

Phelsuma klemmeri would also work, and they aren't prone to cannibalism, so you'd probably be able to get a small colony going. These guys have essentially evolved to live on bamboo, often hiding and laying eggs in cracks on the stalk, so plan for lots of bamboo stalks! They can be a little territorial, but with the amount of space in that tank, I don't see why 2 or 3 pairs wouldn't work if there's lots of bamboo. I can't guarantee anything though.

You might get away with a pair of Tokays. It's definitely big enough for a single animal, however they aren't the best display animals, and unless you don't mind getting bit often, they are usually not the most friendly (with that said, I've seen some extremely calm CB tokays).

"Raining" for 50% the day is probably going to be too much. The exact amount would depend on your local humidity, the enclosure design, etc. You may have to play with the settings for a while to narrow it in. Too much and the substrate will get really soggy (though this would depend on what you're using as a substrate. something like peat or coconut coir might compact too quickly), too little and it gets too dry. Don't aim for 100% humidity either. This inhibits the animals from cooling down through evaporative cooling. Even most dart frogs only need ~80% to do well. But you mentioned you were aiming for 80%, so feel free to ignore my tangent haha.

If you see the animals drinking off walls, leaves, branches, &c. during/after the "rain", then misting shouldn't be needed. If only one small area is getting wet though, you may need to spray every day or so to provide more drinking options.

If you don't want to worry about spraying the tank, I'd suggest looking into Mistking Systems (North America here; Europe here). They are a little expensive, but you just set it and forget it, only needing to refill the water reservoir when it's low. This way you never have to worry about missing a misting/spraying. You can also modify it to simulate rain by spraying it through the top screen, or if it's a glass top, pointing the nozzles up at the glass.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Do you feel a rainforest setup would be good enough to have those grow from the Xaxim?

I'm thinking a couple grandis would probably make me happy for a while to get used to stuff out of the water... Or perhaps a small group of Neon day geckos? Those look to be small enough to have room for a few more than two? (I'm assuming still no viv mates? xD) Tokays look amazing and pretty fierce, but I feel like my viv might be too small for two.

Would I be alright by simulating 50% daytime of rain? Or more like 30%? And if rain is dropping well enough, do I need to mist still? I'm clueless, so I have no idea whether the rainwould be good enough to put my humidity up to 80%ish.

A simple few minutes of rain or 15 minutes of misting a day usually suffices, but toy around with it till perameyers are met before adding livestock.

 

[Madou]

Define "rainforest setup"

Moss usually needs decent lighting in tanks to take off, and high enough humidity until it has started to establish. If you basically seal up the tank for the first month or two, and spray heavily, it'll likely show up. However, in the conditions P. grandis needs, it will probably be too dry to grow moss on the Xaxim. The basking light especially will cause a decent area to be too dry.

Phelsuma grandis would work wonderfully;I had mine in a 60x45x90 and it was a great size for them. The extra room really helps reduce aggression. They do prefer slightly drier conditions; spraying them a couple times a day is really all that's needed unless your house is particularily dry. I'd recommend a pair personally. You don't have to hatch the eggs if you don't want to (they may hatch in the tank, but the adults will sometimes eat the young, so it shouldn't be a big issue. You can always remove the young if you want to raise them up). Males will rip eachother to shreds if not raised together from birth, and even then, it usually ends in a death match.

Phelsuma klemmeri would also work, and they aren't prone to cannibalism, so you'd probably be able to get a small colony going. These guys have essentially evolved to live on bamboo, often hiding and laying eggs in cracks on the stalk, so plan for lots of bamboo stalks! They can be a little territorial, but with the amount of space in that tank, I don't see why 2 or 3 pairs wouldn't work if there's lots of bamboo. I can't guarantee anything though.

You might get away with a pair of Tokays. It's definitely big enough for a single animal, however they aren't the best display animals, and unless you don't mind getting bit often, they are usually not the most friendly (with that said, I've seen some extremely calm CB tokays).

"Raining" for 50% the day is probably going to be too much. The exact amount would depend on your local humidity, the enclosure design, etc. You may have to play with the settings for a while to narrow it in. Too much and the substrate will get really soggy (though this would depend on what you're using as a substrate. something like peat or coconut coir might compact too quickly), too little and it gets too dry. Don't aim for 100% humidity either. This inhibits the animals from cooling down through evaporative cooling. Even most dart frogs only need ~80% to do well. But you mentioned you were aiming for 80%, so feel free to ignore my tangent haha.

If you see the animals drinking off walls, leaves, branches, &c. during/after the "rain", then misting shouldn't be needed. If only one small area is getting wet though, you may need to spray every day or so to provide more drinking options.

If you don't want to worry about spraying the tank, I'd suggest looking into Mistking Systems (North America here; Europe here). They are a little expensive, but you just set it and forget it, only needing to refill the water reservoir when it's low. This way you never have to worry about missing a misting/spraying. You can also modify it to simulate rain by spraying it through the top screen, or if it's a glass top, pointing the nozzles up at the glass.

Awww, I want a setup that's visually appealing even without seeing the critters, and since I don't like bamboo, P. Klemmeri are not going to be an option. It's hard to simulate a real bamboo environment since I want my viv to be looking natural (I actually want nothing fake from decor to plants) and bamboo would shatter my glass in less than a year in such small enclosure (and would probably stay too thin to be any good anyway).

So the way I want the rain to work, is with a pump draining the water from the bottom, going through a pipe all the way up, and making an S or spiral shape through the top part, only leaving the very front unaffected by rain (as to avoid as much dripping as possible on the doors, I don't want to mop daily xD). Since I plan to set my plants and decor up in a L shape on the back and left pannels every single plant should be watered and therefore there should be no "dry" spot (though perhaps I should leave the basking point dry? Or would an upside down Xaxim pot work even if it's humid?).

Time of rain will be set up on a timer, so I can really do whatever I want, be it every morning, every night, 3 times a day for an hour or less, etc. I can play with my parameters. I want to avoid misting as much as possible because when I had my Chameleon, I hated my viv because of just how much misting left marks on the glass, making it really complicated to see inside. I am pretty sure rain would do something similar, but I can control that over time by bending my top pipe and making sure my small lake is away from the front.

I need to relearn my basics as to how to set up the substrate, but would Exo Terra Rain Forest substrate be alright to avoid all the moisture from the humidity? Same as for bamboo, I want it looking good even without critters, so I wanted to steer away from coconut flakes and was thinking to cover the bottom in thick moss.

Once I get my Xaxim, I guess things are going to be starting to shape up, it'll be easier to share the actual content, so I can adjust to what's best.

Thanks again for so much good infos, and don't hesitate to tell me if you need me to shut up and dig internet more. ;P

 

[Madou]

A simple few minutes of rain or 15 minutes of misting a day usually suffices, but toy around with it till perameyers are met before adding livestock.

Planning on at least a month for everything to root up so I can make sure no plant rots/dies before adding anything live.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Planning on at least a month for everything to root up so I can make sure no plant rots/dies before adding anything live.

Good, what plants are you going for?
I'm rather fond of tillandsia and micro/dwarf orchids

 

[Madou]

Good, what plants are you going for?
I'm rather fond of tillandsia and micro/dwarf orchids

I'm not sure quite yet, but dwarf bromeliads are probably a must if I want my wife to look at the viv. Probably some kind of carnivorous plants, I especially like the madagascarian pitcher plants. A lot of moss and some ferns.

All I really know is that I need to do a lot of research, as I'm probably leaning towards lygodactylus williamsi and that means having to research tanzania's biotope to find the right plants.

V Viridis Dude at the LFS said I could probably keep up to 10 lygodactylus williamsi in my viv, with a balance of 1 male for 4 females (this being a maximum I won't reach because they're rather pricy, so probably just 5 of them at the same ratio). Would you say that's a solid advice? He's a very knowledgeable guy, so I trust his science, but as all LFS vendors, he has to know about a lot of species, so I can't expect him to be spot on on all of them.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

I'm not sure quite yet, but dwarf bromeliads are probably a must if I want my wife to look at the viv. Probably some kind of carnivorous plants, I especially like the madagascarian pitcher plants. A lot of moss and some ferns.

All I really know is that I need to do a lot of research, as I'm probably leaning towards lygodactylus williamsi and that means having to research tanzania's biotope to find the right plants.

V Viridis Dude at the LFS said I could probably keep up to 10 lygodactylus williamsi in my viv, with a balance of 1 male for 4 females (this being a maximum I won't reach because they're rather pricy, so probably just 5 of them at the same ratio). Would you say that's a solid advice? He's a very knowledgeable guy, so I trust his science, but as all LFS vendors, he has to know about a lot of species, so I can't expect him to be spot on on all of them.

That's actually spot on.

 

[Viridis]

Awww, I want a setup that's visually appealing even without seeing the critters, and since I don't like bamboo, P. Klemmeri are not going to be an option. It's hard to simulate a real bamboo environment since I want my viv to be looking natural (I actually want nothing fake from decor to plants) and bamboo would shatter my glass in less than a year in such small enclosure (and would probably stay too thin to be any good anyway).

You wouldn't need to use live bamboo. Most people buy large stalks of it, cut it to size, and stick it in the tank. There are some species that stay relatively small and would be manageable with routine pruning such as Bambusa multiplex 'Tiny Fern' (~90cm), Pleioblastus distichus (~60cm), Pleioblastus distichus 'Mini' (~30cm), Sasa veitchii 'Minor' (~60cm), and Pleioblastus argenteostriatus (~90cm). How well these would do in vivaria, I do not entirely know. Most bamboo species don't like vivarium conditions, however some seem to do well. As you mentioned, these would be more for aesthetics than function. The biggest issue you'll come across for live bamboo would be lighting. You probably wouldn't want to look at the tank because it would be too bright haha.

So the way I want the rain to work, is with a pump draining the water from the bottom, going through a pipe all the way up, and making an S or spiral shape through the top part, only leaving the very front unaffected by rain (as to avoid as much dripping as possible on the doors, I don't want to mop daily xD). Since I plan to set my plants and decor up in a L shape on the back and left pannels every single plant should be watered and therefore there should be no "dry" spot (though perhaps I should leave the basking point dry? Or would an upside down Xaxim pot work even if it's humid?).

As I mentioned in a previous reply, this will most likely result in a clogged pump fairly quickly. It works in theory, but as the smallest substrate particles make their way into the false bottom, it's going to build up and clog the pump. Same thing is going to happen with plant roots. Once the plants have grown in, accessing this pump is going to be a pain in the a**. Having a pump in a reservior of clean water out side the tank, and pumping it in is going to be far easier. Then just install a drain or siphon it out of the false bottom when it gets too high (you want a decent gap between the water level and the bottom of the soil to prevent wicking and swampy conditions).

Basking lights (assuming you're using halogen) will create a drier area without you having to adjust for it. You may have to make sure the tank doesn't get too dry from the light if anything, though that depends on the wattage.

Time of rain will be set up on a timer, so I can really do whatever I want, be it every morning, every night, 3 times a day for an hour or less, etc. I can play with my parameters. I want to avoid misting as much as possible because when I had my Chameleon, I hated my viv because of just how much misting left marks on the glass, making it really complicated to see inside. I am pretty sure rain would do something similar, but I can control that over time by bending my top pipe and making sure my small lake is away from the front.

If you distilled/RO water, you won't get the stains on the glass.

I need to relearn my basics as to how to set up the substrate, but would Exo Terra Rain Forest substrate be alright to avoid all the moisture from the humidity? Same as for bamboo, I want it looking good even without critters, so I wanted to steer away from coconut flakes and was thinking to cover the bottom in thick moss.

What's in the Exo-Terra rainforest substrate? Since you have access to Xaxim, you can probably get it as loose/shredded. If you can, I'd look into ABG mix (I'll post the mix below). It's designed to prevent compaction of the mix and have great drainage, while still holding moisture for plants. It'll eventually compact through decomposition, but it won't be for a few years. The main thing you want to prevent is compaction leading to anaerobic conditions (like having too deep a substrate in aquaria).

I'd also look into an inert media like Turface (calcine clay fired at a high temp). It takes decades to break down, and won't compact.

ABG Mix:
-1 part milled peat
-1 part milled sphagnum moss
-1 part fine charcoal
-2 parts fine tree fern fiber/Xaxim
-2 parts fine orchid bark

Once I get my Xaxim, I guess things are going to be starting to shape up, it'll be easier to share the actual content, so I can adjust to what's best.

Thanks again for so much good infos, and don't hesitate to tell me if you need me to shut up and dig internet more. ;P

I've got way too much spare time currently, I don't mind typing out really long answers!

All I really know is that I need to do a lot of research, as I'm probably leaning towards lygodactylus williamsi and that means having to research tanzania's biotope to find the right plants.

Speaking from experience, Tanzanian plants are fairly hard to find. There are some commercialized species (Saintpaulia sp., Impatiens walleriana, &c.), maybe a few orchids and Rhipsalis baccifera that are going to be fairly easy to find, the rest is going to be very hard to find.

Being found almost exclusively on Pandanus sp., the bromeliads you mentioned would be a good stand in.

V Viridis Dude at the LFS said I could probably keep up to 10 lygodactylus williamsi in my viv, with a balance of 1 male for 4 females (this being a maximum I won't reach because they're rather pricy, so probably just 5 of them at the same ratio). Would you say that's a solid advice? He's a very knowledgeable guy, so I trust his science, but as all LFS vendors, he has to know about a lot of species, so I can't expect him to be spot on on all of them.

Yeah that should work. They breed fairly easily, so you could even start with a pair or trio, and have more than enough in a year or 2.