Guidance to making an all natural enclosure!

[Prometheus777]

Hello all day gecko fanatics!

So lately I've been really amazed by how some owners keep their reptiles/amphibians in really nice naturally looking rain forest enclosures. I've seen lots on youtube, pinterest and other websites. However, most use the great stuff method to build their enclosure's background. I read an article on how Great stuff actually has chemicals that can be harmful to the inhabitants of the vivarium. Does anyone know for sure if this is true?

At this point I've decided to go with either fern tree panels by exo terra, cork/forest background tile by zoomed, or use great stuff silicone and make it myself. What are your opinions on which would be better for my "goldies".


Additionally, I've wanted to know from y'all how y'all set up your geckos' enclosures. I would love to see any setups for ideas.

Thanks!

 

[pooky125]

I don't keep day geckos, but I do have a crested, and a tank setup for mournings. I prefer the cork bark mosaic background, personally. I've tried a great stuff background, and while I didn't notice any issues with the inhabitants, it wasn't fabulous for plant growth, and it looked sort of terrible. It's fairly challenging to get a good cover of peat moss over the great stuff, and mine ended up looking quite patchy.

Here's a how to on cork mosaics. I used silicone instead of Great stuff, although either will work. The cracked cork mosaic/living drip wall/pond method...How to - Dendroboard

Froggers have been using great stuff for many, many years without any ill effects on their inhabitants. As frogs tend to be more fragile, and absorb more chemicals through their skin then geckos, I suspect if there were an issue with using great stuff, it would be apparent by now. With that said, some type of foam ARE dangerous to use in a live vivarium. Dendroboard has a couple of threads about that, if you want to dig them up.

With that said, here are a few pictures of my current setups, all with cork mosaics.

24x18x24 Crested Gecko Exo Terra - This was setup in October, so, still fairly fresh.


27 Gallon Hex, soon to be Mourning Gecko tank. Finished planting this about 5 weeks ago. It's still pretty rough, the plants came in in pretty terrible shape, but are bouncing back nicely.




12x12x18 Exo Plant Only - Also finished up about 5 weeks ago. Lots of new growth in here, but will take a while to really settle in and look polished.

 

[Prometheus777]

Thanks for the reply Pooky! I appreciate your advice and tips. Your vivariums are very nice. I'm sure your crested geckos are very well off and satisfied in their enclosures.

If you do not mind doing me a favor, would you name the plants you used in your enclosures. I really liked foliage such as the ones similar to the vines and the pothos-like plant as well. Thanks again!

 

[pooky125]

Uhh, I can try and name some of them. About 20 of the species came in as a huge unlabeled variety pack. I haven't ID'ed a lot of them yet.

In the 24x18x24, there's fittonia albivenis, purple waffle plant, friendship pilea, aluminum pilea, hoya carnosa variegata, mahogany fern, cryptanthus cafe au lait, cryptanthus bivittatus, wandering jew, Peperomia magnoliifolia 'Variegata', java moss, NEHerp's live moss, a couple of tillandsia species, a dwarf prayer plant, watermellon pilea, and a random bromeliad.

The Hex tank has the fittonia, cryptanthus bivittatus, java moss, neherp moss, pilea 'baby tears', ficus 'oak leaf', a couple tillandsia species, pilea 'moon valley' a couple of begonias, korean rock fern, Peperomia Clusifolia and about a dozen other species I haven't ID'ed yet.

The 12x12x18 has Fittonia argyroneura 'Frankie', pilea tiny tears, crypt 'cafe au lait', a begonia species (probably a rex variety), java moss, NEHerp Moss, and a couple more I can't ID. I think the front purple/pink/green/white plant is a form of purple waffle, but which form I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Jiggly]

I don't keep day geckos, but I do have a crested, and a tank setup for mournings. I prefer the cork bark mosaic background, personally. I've tried a great stuff background, and while I didn't notice any issues with the inhabitants, it wasn't fabulous for plant growth, and it looked sort of terrible. It's fairly challenging to get a good cover of peat moss over the great stuff, and mine ended up looking quite patchy.

Here's a how to on cork mosaics. I used silicone instead of Great stuff, although either will work. The cracked cork mosaic/living drip wall/pond method...How to - Dendroboard

Froggers have been using great stuff for many, many years without any ill effects on their inhabitants. As frogs tend to be more fragile, and absorb more chemicals through their skin then geckos, I suspect if there were an issue with using great stuff, it would be apparent by now. With that said, some type of foam ARE dangerous to use in a live vivarium. Dendroboard has a couple of threads about that, if you want to dig them up.

With that said, here are a few pictures of my current setups, all with cork mosaics.

24x18x24 Crested Gecko Exo Terra - This was setup in October, so, still fairly fresh.


27 Gallon Hex, soon to be Mourning Gecko tank. Finished planting this about 5 weeks ago. It's still pretty rough, the plants came in in pretty terrible shape, but are bouncing back nicely.




12x12x18 Exo Plant Only - Also finished up about 5 weeks ago. Lots of new growth in here, but will take a while to really settle in and look polished.

That's some awesome work you got there! I just jump in here with my question I'm planning to put a viv with water pond just like you have one of yours. I mean that with water on the bottom with hydroballs/falsebottom ect. I'm just worried about the water change, how often you need to change it? Do you just change part of it or all? Do you have a filter or pump in there? Do you use aquarium bacteria and test the water? How those kind of ponds work in the long term? I see a lot of those but I haven't got any information about how take care of it.
I'm thinking about getting a croc skink and I don't want to put just water bowl in there...

 

[Hypancistrus]

This is my first day gecko viv. It houses a pair of wild caught Phelsuma laticauda who have given me 11 nice babies this year.



This is one of my crested gecko vivs.



All of my vivs except the baby vivs are planted.



I use schleffera (umbrella plants), parlor palms, ficus, pothos, philodendron and peace lillies (don't survive well for some reason). I still typically use hanging plants on the sides of the viv.