# Terrarium?



## Richard Dowling (24 Mar 2014)

Hi All,

Just found this in my facebook feed and it looks interesting (All Apart from the plastic sheep that is). I wondered if anyone knows any more about them? Unfortunately the text is spanish so I can only loosely translate...something about three substrates all with their own function.

Ive always wanted something low tech like this that sits in a windowsil not requiring artificial light. Is this an option for me?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...66.1073741830.1293038797502861&type=1&theater


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## Dominic (24 Mar 2014)

I don't see why you couldn't mate. I've always wanted stuff like this too.


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## KeyboardWarrior (24 Mar 2014)

Bottom one will be a drainage later so the soil doesn't get saturated and the middle one separates the drainage and the soil


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## Richard Dowling (24 Mar 2014)

Ive found a few videos on it and it looks like your right, with the stones its for drainage, most people then have that dead moss stuff then charcoal which kills odours and bacteria, then potting soil then the moss and plants. Just need to find a nicely shaped vase.


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## tim (24 Mar 2014)

It's a cookie jar by the looks of it Richard tescos sell them cheap, I'm using one to house a sort of wabi kusa bottle garden at the moment works well due to the lid I only have to spray it once a week.


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## Aron_Dip (24 Mar 2014)

Richard Dowling said:


> most people then have that dead moss stuff


You can use the stuff to line hanging baskets or a layer of sphagnum moss


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## Richard Dowling (1 Apr 2014)

Put a terrarium together tonight, stones and charcoal at the bottom, then some sawdust because I didn't find any sphagnum, then soil then woodland moss.


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## ghostsword (1 Apr 2014)

Not spanish, portuguese.

Basically you can setup a terrarium with potting soil, rocks and moss. 

A terrarium is just a fancy word for emersed, same thing.


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## Mr. Teapot (2 Apr 2014)

Very nice - better for leaving more height in the glass container compared to the initial inspiration pictures - are you going to put any other plants in there?


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## Richard Dowling (2 Apr 2014)

Mr. Teapot said:


> are you going to put any other plants in there?



Yes id like to add some height with another plant at some point

Sent from my XT890 using Tapatalk


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## Sacha (9 Apr 2014)

I have an old empty baby biorb. I want to do exactly this with it. I've never done a low- tech planted tank before. It will have to be low light, no Co2, and small plants/ mosses. 

Is there any chance anyone could give me some advice on how to recreate the look of the two beautiful bowls in the pictures above? 

Thanks.


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

The bowls above have no water sacha, plants are grown emersed, are you looking to set up a low tech tank or a terrarium ?


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## Sacha (10 Apr 2014)

I thought Emersed meant a small layer of water at the bottom  or is that submersed...? I always get the two mixed up...


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

Emersed plants grown above water submersed plants grown below water, I only asked because you said low tech tank no co2 etc etc. Google wabi kussa I think it may be more what your after.


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## Sacha (10 Apr 2014)

Thanks Tim, I know about wabi kusa, but I thought this kind of thing might be easier? I would love a wabi kusa bowl, I just have no idea how to get started.


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

Your bio orb would be perfect mate, I like to use a layer of hydrolecea capped with Colombo florabase ( nice and fertile ) add hardscape if you wish for aesthetics and plant it up, you can use cuttings from your tanks or buy fresh plants spray with ro water once a day, keep covered to keep humidity up, nice sunny windowsill and watch it grow.


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## Sacha (10 Apr 2014)

Are you still talking about wabi kusa? As you are implying that it wouldn't be filled with water- just sprayed with RO. Would fully aquatic plants be ok with that?


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

Yes mate here's a bad pic of one of mine



Excuse the big gap I took some staurogyne out of it yesterday for a new scape, currently has rotala, hydro japan, ludwigia sp, anchor moss, hygro pinatidifida, I often chuck a few cuttings in see what bounces back, there a very few truly aquatic plants, humidity is key to them growing.
I read foxfish thread last year and it got me interested.
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/join-the-club.18071/


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## Sacha (10 Apr 2014)

Great, thanks for the advice. 

I'm going to make my own thread and stop hijacking this one.


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## Dominic (10 Apr 2014)

Is there a reason that you are using R.O? Are you using R.O water purely to help with humidity?


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

Dominic said:


> Is there a reason that you are using R.O? Are you using R.O water purely to help with humidity?


No mate, Ro doesn't contain any minerals so the plants and glass stay nice and clean.


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## Dominic (10 Apr 2014)

Thats what i was thinking haha, I was thinking- wouldnt you lose nutrients? But then you have the nutrients coming from the substrate. So i was thinking either glass or humidity. The limescale buildup from misting is horrible!


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## tim (10 Apr 2014)

Dominic said:


> Thats what i was thinking haha, I was thinking- wouldnt you lose nutrients? But then you have the nutrients coming from the substrate. So i was thinking either glass or humidity. The limescale buildup from misting is horrible!


Always used to use tap but you can see the build up on the plants over time, plus not having to clean the glass is always a bonus


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