u/No-Tank-1123

I thought my dairy cows were goners and hadn't seen them in so long. 🥹🥰 hi babiesss

Technically, this is my kids' toy shelf. Also technically, every surface in the house is their "toy shelf" 😅

So my thought was 20g long on bottom, move the isopods in the globe terrarium there. Globe turns into a shrimp tank. Leave middle shelf for toys (only a few toys come out at a time on rotation anyway) ...or?

My husband built this shelf then reinforced it when the 10g was a betta tank so its pretty solid.

What would you do?

Took the picture because the egg was very round but then I said wait a minuteee... idk thought these were cool ♡

Everyone is starting to get along ♡ Oswald is still unsure of me but that's ok, we'll take it slow. He's been staying with the girls and they have a solid recall so I'm confident letting him out. He and rooster were totally cool with each other all day. Welcome home buddy ♡

These were one plant given to me for my first Mother's day in 2021 (last pic is when I got it). I think they liked it out here this summer ♡

Cute little thing. I had to take the lid off, the babies were getting scrunched 😅

We have several varieties around the house and this is the only one I let do its thing. Love when they attach to the wall like that. Idc about the paint, we aren't going anywhere any time soon 😅

My husband brought this disaster home and was so proud of himself 😑😅🫠

This morning my husband said, "A lady in the next town is giving away juvenile drakes because she has too many."

I said, "Okie doke where's the carrier and when are we going." 😅

We're going to keep Oswald (the woman said it was a batman reference bc he looked like a penguin) separated for introductions and to get used to us before letting him free range. We got some of his feed to transition him over to the mazuri we have our girls on. He'll stay in a covered crate at night before transitioning into the coop.

What are thoughts on proper quarentine vs stressing him by keeping him solo?

Welcome home, sweet boy ♡

I understand this is less than ideal. My husband and I built this terrarium one year ago from our property. The plants, other than mosses, are recently added props out of the 10g paludarium.

I did NOT buy and intentionally add isopods in here. These are wild isos who I noticed shortly after the build. Other than occasional watering/misting, dropping in leaf/bark litter when it seems low, scraps and kats aquatics calcium & protein wafers once a week I've admittedly not paid attention to this globe or done any "maintenance".

Tonight after dropping a strawberry top in I thought I'd try to peek at them. Omg.

Sooo, is the 20g long with a slightly cracked bottom currently sitting in my basement fair? It can go on the shelf below this but is the minor crack ok? Is the mesh lid that came with the tank ok for ventilation purposes?

Tips for getting them out safely? I don't mind breaking down the globe a bit to get them, just want to do it without hurting anyone. Food "traps" a few nights in a row?

Anyone have a 20 long setup to show off for scaping ideas? I'm understanding the wet to dry gradient, I think lol. I have seachem flourite and/or leca for a false bottom as well as screening. I have 11 acres of substrate, all kinds of moss and lichen, and endless leaves/branches/bark (oak in particular.)

Send help, the poor dears.

I intend to put these babes on a cedar plank that I have waiting. (There's a 55g open top fish tank in this room so it stays about 70% humidity. The crispies are from getting stuck with USPS for 3 days. They're recovering quite well ♡)

My question is when do I put them on the cedar? Obviously the tissue culture babies (Spiritus sancti and billie dark form) are going to be a while. The Melanochrysum and El Choco are consistently pushing new leaves but certainly not ready for a repot. Wait for a 6in pot up? Bigger? TYIA ♡

I think I've resigned to waiting for vampire crabs and leaving the lid off this baby. We'll see how wild the plants get out of the top 😅 I'm running out of room for the props and I'll be damned if I throw those away!

I just discovered this shop WHERE I LIVE. Dangerous stuff, mini haul (bc I won't stop if I'm not careful) in the comments ♡

Tell me they're ready without telling me...

Most of the army is temporarily back in the greenhouse in my basement until they are claimed but I had to "steal" one to put on display ♡ Didn't have my phone on me the day of the wedding but if the photographer got a pic I'll share it!

Pests used to scare me but after 6years and nearly 200 plants I've come to accept them as a part of the hobby.

Every plant that comes home gets an intake spray and quarentine. Let's talk about spraying them though.

The mix: I fill the bottle pictured here 3/4 of the way with warm water, give a healthy squeeze of organic neem oil, smaller squeeze of scent free dish soap, and a *splash* of everclear. Fill the rest with water if needed and shake.

The method: spray, and I mean *spuhhhrayyyy* , front and back of leaves, stems, soil, errthang. Wipe the whole thing down very well, quarentine, repeat as needed.

Anyone saying neem is snake oil isn't using it properly or doesn't understand how it works. Does it work like a pesticide with instant death to a large infestation? No. Is it effective when emulsified, heavily sprayed, and then wiped off? Yes, yes it is. Are there pests that can escape its wrath? Certainly. And then I say, predatory bugs babe.

So kids, while I have absolutely lost plants to pests and sure I'll inevitably lose more, it isn't an immediate death sentence. We've got this!

See you soon!