Construction of My Aquaterrarium

Ed Pollak

Stage 1. Plastic egg crating sits over 4" tall PVC tubing. Fiberglass mats (from air conditioning filters) sit atop the egg crate. Clay gravel sits atop the fiberglass.  Tree fern panels are silicone-sealed to the walls. 

Stage 1. Close up of PVC tubing & egg crate. Barely visible is the submersible pump under the egg-crating and the plastic tube that will run from the pump o the top of the stream. One thing I would have done differently is to increase the height of the 4" PVC tubing upon which the egg crate rests. This is because the only one of my pumps that fits in the 4" space is a little less powerful than I would have liked. 

Stage 2.  Peat moss has been added over the gravel.  Cork bark gives the impression of tree trunks and forms the stream bed.

Stage 3. Peat moss has been added atop the gravel.  Fern tree panels hide the PVC tubing under the base and egg-crating. All panel are silicone-sealed in place EXCEPT for the one in front of the pump. That piece was left loose so I could reach the filter for maintenance. A little later, that piece was replaced by a long flat rock because the tree fern panel tended to float out of position.  Moss, moss-covered rocks and moss-covered tree limbs were collected from a local park. The sand in the foreground was a bit too fine. I have added white gravel to it in the final pictures (below).

Stage 4. The finished product.  Note the PVC tubing across the back that connects to an ultrasonic humidifier sitting under the tank. I may decide to obscure the tubing from view with Spanish moss but from most viewing positions you don't  really notice it. 

Another view of the finished product. I have a wooden cap for the tank that matches the stand but I've not yet put it on because I'm still trying to resolve a lighting issue. At the moment I have approx. 350 watts of light from 6 compact fluorescent bulbs.  I also have a small basking light (a standard 60 watt incandescent household bulb) in the upper right hand corner. The top of the tank is covered with 1/4" Plexiglas into which I have cut (with a Dremel tool) two doors for easier access. I also have one section out of which I have cut a window. The window is covered with screening. This will permit the transmission of UVB once I decide on what sort of bulb I'll be using.  It also allows for the basking light to heat the tank without melting the Plexiglas.

This is the aquaterrarium about a month after completion. There has been some minor additions and rearrngements of plants. It also shows the  This picture was taken while the ultrasonic humidifier/fogger was on. I am still exprimenting with the frequency and duration of the fogging. Currently it runs for approximately 90 minutes at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

Two years later........................................

It's now two years since I built my vivarium.  I had to remove the Boston ferns which were growing far too fast and aggressively. I added some bramble & hibiscus to feed the young stick bugs (Phasmidae) sharing the vivarium with the dart frogs. The bramble is also growing too fast and may have to be cut back. The orchid, a gift from my brother, is blooming fabulously. The aquatic plants all turned out to be semi-aquatic and are constantly being trimmed. Here are some pictures.

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