[JGall]

Could anyone please guide me in the right direction. I want to set up a 18" x 18" x 24" exo terra terrarium with corkpanel background and side/sides but I am having difficulty coming up with answers for what is best (most natural) to plant it with and use as wood for climbing. I want to be able to make the most use out of the heighth of the terrarium as possible. I am hoping to house a pair of Uroplatus Sikorae.

[BonnieLorraine]

I would recommend sturdier plants such as some of the smaller Anthuriums or Monsteras, along with smaller Alocasias. Scindapsis, and Philodendron scandens 'Micans', would also look good. You can do smaller vines along the sides as well to cling to the walls. Smaller species of Ficus pumila work well (Panama, minima, 'Quercifolia') along with smaller species of Rhaphidophora (cryptantha, pachyphylla, hayi), I also have a Marcgrevia species growing in mine. The branches are pesticide free lichen covered branches, baked an hour to kill any insects. The plants are still filling in, but you get the idea.

Here's how I planted our 24"x18"x24" Exo Terra.







And our 12"x12"x18" hatchling tank

[JGall]

Where did you get the lichen covered branches? Also who makes the mushroom ledges that you are using?

[Viridovipera]

@Bonnie: You still need to put in a lot more branches. Put in several vertical ones about the same thickness as your lower arm and many thinner branches. They will climb on them almost like chameleos.

[BonnieLorraine]

The lichen branches are from a vendor on ebay named Sugarmagnolia184, I just tell her what size I'm looking for and she tromps through the woods searching for me. Just make sure to bake whatever you get, lichens only grow on dead branches, and those are usually loaded with termites. The mushroom ledges are from ZooMed. To fasten them securely to the panels I drew an outline of the base of the shroom on the bark, chiseled out the top layer of bark with a chisel and hammer, and siliconed the shroom to the lower layer of compressed bark on the forest tile (if you just siliconed it to the bark, the weight would pull the top layer of bark off eventually). The one thing I found from these is don't put them under uv lights, it causes the foam to degrade. The very front of that large one is under my uv light, and the top of the foam there about an inch back from the edge is gone, all the other foam is fine, which makes me think it must be the light.

Jan, I have the branches spaced out so I can access the plants, kind of hard to plant when they're very close together. I have to use tongs to move some of the plants in that smaller tank seeing as I can't actually get my hand in the back. My adult pair don't seem to really like the smaller branches anyway, and my female has been using the open spots on the floor for egg laying, everything seems to be working fine so far.

[JGall]

Thanks BonnieLoraine,

I am going to try her, didn't know where else to turn to get something like that, and you didn't let me down. : )