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hops' tank is a small x-tall exoterra paludarium! it's 45x45x90cm, heated with a heat cord through the substrate for winter, and a ceramic heater at the top year-round. it's built to mimic the high heat, high humidity conditions of his natural habitat (the kimberley rainforest, north australia), which means it's very damp and very hot! there's two bulbs in there - one a UVB bulb, the other a specific plant growth bulb, both on a 12hr timer cycle. it's bioactive, containing springtails and isopods, and cycles through a number of live plants depending on the weather - some don't fare well with the extra heat in summer. generally, i keep bromeliads, monsteras, pothos, and parlour palms in there quite easily. substrate is a thick layer of coconut husk, dirt, and leaf litter, with activated charcoal at the very bottom for the plants. decoration is all natural rocks and wood from the garden, and one little hammock that he loves a lot and i can't bring myself to get rid of it for the aesthetics.
since it's tall, it's difficult to maintain humidity in there! i have a fogger that goes off every few hours through the day to prevent the substrate from drying out, but my most impressive system is the automatic rain machine! using smart plugs, a little bit of coding, and an irrigation system, i have the tank set up to rain whenever it rains in my area! you can see it in action here :) i'm very proud of it. there is of course also a water dish for hops to soak in whenever he desires.
i put a lot of work into this tank setup, particularly after a numbber of failed first attempts. though it sounds like a lot, it has been totally worth the effort to get to this point! it's basically self sufficient - the only thing i have to do is turn over the soil once a month to keep it fresh and aerated, and top up the water tanks for the rainmaker & fogger when they run low. the springtails take care of waste and plant matter, and hops takes care of the springtail population when it becomes overcrowded. it's perfect! |
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