Set this vivarium up a year ago this week using an unused Fluval Edge 5 gallon aquarium. It was my very first attempt at this and I learned some things.
Drainage layer is lava rock. I should have used leca but I was impatient.
Plants are dragons tongue, a baby rubber plant and a wandering dude.
I would not do the wandering dude again, I have to trim this sucker often and I feel like I need to replenish the soil in spots because of this plant.
Livestock: some dubia roaches that I had after a tarantula elsewhere didn’t want them. I had 5 or 6 but now I’m down to 2 or 3 adults.
Isopods I collected from my yard.
Springtails.
And one wolf spider I found in my cats litter box while scooping poop. This is actually my second wolf spider from the same litter box. The first one lasted until December or January and then right after she died, I found this one.
I occasionally feed the clean up crew and dubias a scrap of an apple when I’m done with it. Occasionally the wolf spider will come have a drink off of it.
Today I caught her on the apple and then a moment later in her tunnel eating an isopod. I was happy to see it eating an isopod to keep their numbers a bit in check without me having to always supply crickets (which I do).
Other than the two things listed that I’d do differently next time: maybe build the soil deeper in some spots. Maybe not this specific aquarium because of the attached lid which makes maintenance trims tricky.
by livefast_dieawesome