u/al3xmena

I don't know why my begonia is dying, a lot of light? Water? Pls help, she was too expensive hahahaha

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the story of my dart frog terrarium. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and maybe get some inspiration from the rebuild.

About five months ago, I built my first serious dart frog terrarium. I spent countless hours researching, planning, building, and planting it. The first photos show what the original terrarium looked like.

After finishing it, I purchased a pair of dart frogs. Unfortunately, they arrived carrying parasites, and my biggest mistake was not quarantining them before introducing them to the enclosure.

At first, my frogs started losing weight even though they were eating. I couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, after having fecal tests done, the results confirmed parasites.

Of course, my first concern was getting the frogs healthy again. Thankfully, parasites can be treated with proper medication. The difficult part was realizing that I would have to completely tear down the entire terrarium, disinfect everything, and start over from scratch.

The next photos show the dismantling process.

Honestly, when I first got the news, it was pretty devastating. I was incredibly proud of that terrarium. But after the initial frustration, I started thinking about all the things I would have changed if I had the opportunity. Suddenly, this disaster became a chance to improve everything.

I removed absolutely everything.

Every piece of wood, every coconut hide, every hardscape element that I wanted to reuse had to be boiled. Every plant was removed individually, treated, disinfected, and quarantined separately. It was a massive amount of work. Tearing everything apart was hard, but rebuilding it took even more time.

As I rebuilt, I focused on correcting the things that had always bothered me.

One of the biggest issues was the large trunk structure in the center. The upper level and lower level felt too separated visually. To fix that, I removed roughly 30% of the trunk by cutting it down and reshaping it.

Another thing I wanted to change was the waterfall. In the original build, the waterfall was on the left side, and I felt like it wasted a lot of usable ground space. During the rebuild, I moved the waterfall completely to the right side and added a large branch that acts as a natural pathway to the second level.

Now the frogs can use the entire lower area much more effectively. There are multiple hides, coconut huts, and a lot more usable territory underneath the structure.

Basically, I took everything I didn't like about the original terrarium and replaced it with something better.

The final photos show the result.

Today is literally Day 1 of the new parasite-free terrarium.

My frogs are currently still in quarantine, and I won't introduce them until they have tested negative multiple times. I want at least three or four clean fecal exams before they go back into the enclosure.

The terrarium isn't completely finished yet. I still want to add more climbing vines and several patches of different moss species.

Interestingly, while the silicone was curing, I took a trip to Costa Rica and spent time hiking through the rainforest. I took hundreds of photos and paid close attention to how plants, vines, roots, and epiphytes naturally grew in the jungle. When I came back, I used that experience as inspiration for the rebuild.

A lot of the vine placement and plant arrangement in this terrarium was directly inspired by what I saw in Costa Rican rainforests.

I honestly love the result. If I liked the original version, I think this one is a million times better.

Now I'm just excited for the day my frogs can finally move in.

For now, this is Day 1, and we'll see how the terrarium matures over time. Right now it looks very full, but as most terrarium keepers know, not every plant will thrive. Some will die, others will take over, and eventually the plants and microclimate will find their own balance.

You could say this is only the second terrarium I've ever built, and I'm extremely proud of it.

In about a year, I'm planning to start a giant paludarium project, and I honestly can't wait for that challenge. But until then, I'm going to enjoy watching this terrarium grow and evolve.

And if there's one lesson I learned from all of this:

Always quarantine new frogs. It can save you—and your terrarium—a lot of heartbreak.

Thanks for reading!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the story of my dart frog terrarium. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and maybe get some inspiration from the rebuild.

About five months ago, I built my first serious dart frog terrarium. I spent countless hours researching, planning, building, and planting it. The first photos show what the original terrarium looked like.

After finishing it, I purchased a pair of dart frogs. Unfortunately, they arrived carrying parasites, and my biggest mistake was not quarantining them before introducing them to the enclosure.

At first, my frogs started losing weight even though they were eating. I couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, after having fecal tests done, the results confirmed parasites.

Of course, my first concern was getting the frogs healthy again. Thankfully, parasites can be treated with proper medication. The difficult part was realizing that I would have to completely tear down the entire terrarium, disinfect everything, and start over from scratch.

The next photos show the dismantling process.

Honestly, when I first got the news, it was pretty devastating. I was incredibly proud of that terrarium. But after the initial frustration, I started thinking about all the things I would have changed if I had the opportunity. Suddenly, this disaster became a chance to improve everything.

I removed absolutely everything.

Every piece of wood, every coconut hide, every hardscape element that I wanted to reuse had to be boiled. Every plant was removed individually, treated, disinfected, and quarantined separately. It was a massive amount of work. Tearing everything apart was hard, but rebuilding it took even more time.

As I rebuilt, I focused on correcting the things that had always bothered me.

One of the biggest issues was the large trunk structure in the center. The upper level and lower level felt too separated visually. To fix that, I removed roughly 30% of the trunk by cutting it down and reshaping it.

Another thing I wanted to change was the waterfall. In the original build, the waterfall was on the left side, and I felt like it wasted a lot of usable ground space. During the rebuild, I moved the waterfall completely to the right side and added a large branch that acts as a natural pathway to the second level.

Now the frogs can use the entire lower area much more effectively. There are multiple hides, coconut huts, and a lot more usable territory underneath the structure.

Basically, I took everything I didn't like about the original terrarium and replaced it with something better.

The final photos show the result.

Today is literally Day 1 of the new parasite-free terrarium.

My frogs are currently still in quarantine, and I won't introduce them until they have tested negative multiple times. I want at least three or four clean fecal exams before they go back into the enclosure.

The terrarium isn't completely finished yet. I still want to add more climbing vines and several patches of different moss species.

Interestingly, while the silicone was curing, I took a trip to Costa Rica and spent time hiking through the rainforest. I took hundreds of photos and paid close attention to how plants, vines, roots, and epiphytes naturally grew in the jungle. When I came back, I used that experience as inspiration for the rebuild.

A lot of the vine placement and plant arrangement in this terrarium was directly inspired by what I saw in Costa Rican rainforests.

I honestly love the result. If I liked the original version, I think this one is a million times better.

Now I'm just excited for the day my frogs can finally move in.

For now, this is Day 1, and we'll see how the terrarium matures over time. Right now it looks very full, but as most terrarium keepers know, not every plant will thrive. Some will die, others will take over, and eventually the plants and microclimate will find their own balance.

You could say this is only the second terrarium I've ever built, and I'm extremely proud of it.

In about a year, I'm planning to start a giant paludarium project, and I honestly can't wait for that challenge. But until then, I'm going to enjoy watching this terrarium grow and evolve.

And if there's one lesson I learned from all of this:

Always quarantine new frogs. It can save you—and your terrarium—a lot of heartbreak.

Thanks for reading!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the story of my dart frog terrarium. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and maybe get some inspiration from the rebuild.

About five months ago, I built my first serious dart frog terrarium. I spent countless hours researching, planning, building, and planting it. The first photos show what the original terrarium looked like.

After finishing it, I purchased a pair of dart frogs. Unfortunately, they arrived carrying parasites, and my biggest mistake was not quarantining them before introducing them to the enclosure.

At first, my frogs started losing weight even though they were eating. I couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, after having fecal tests done, the results confirmed parasites.

Of course, my first concern was getting the frogs healthy again. Thankfully, parasites can be treated with proper medication. The difficult part was realizing that I would have to completely tear down the entire terrarium, disinfect everything, and start over from scratch.

The next photos show the dismantling process.

Honestly, when I first got the news, it was pretty devastating. I was incredibly proud of that terrarium. But after the initial frustration, I started thinking about all the things I would have changed if I had the opportunity. Suddenly, this disaster became a chance to improve everything.

I removed absolutely everything.

Every piece of wood, every coconut hide, every hardscape element that I wanted to reuse had to be boiled. Every plant was removed individually, treated, disinfected, and quarantined separately. It was a massive amount of work. Tearing everything apart was hard, but rebuilding it took even more time.

As I rebuilt, I focused on correcting the things that had always bothered me.

One of the biggest issues was the large trunk structure in the center. The upper level and lower level felt too separated visually. To fix that, I removed roughly 30% of the trunk by cutting it down and reshaping it.

Another thing I wanted to change was the waterfall. In the original build, the waterfall was on the left side, and I felt like it wasted a lot of usable ground space. During the rebuild, I moved the waterfall completely to the right side and added a large branch that acts as a natural pathway to the second level.

Now the frogs can use the entire lower area much more effectively. There are multiple hides, coconut huts, and a lot more usable territory underneath the structure.

Basically, I took everything I didn't like about the original terrarium and replaced it with something better.

The final photos show the result.

Today is literally Day 1 of the new parasite-free terrarium.

My frogs are currently still in quarantine, and I won't introduce them until they have tested negative multiple times. I want at least three or four clean fecal exams before they go back into the enclosure.

The terrarium isn't completely finished yet. I still want to add more climbing vines and several patches of different moss species.

Interestingly, while the silicone was curing, I took a trip to Costa Rica and spent time hiking through the rainforest. I took hundreds of photos and paid close attention to how plants, vines, roots, and epiphytes naturally grew in the jungle. When I came back, I used that experience as inspiration for the rebuild.

A lot of the vine placement and plant arrangement in this terrarium was directly inspired by what I saw in Costa Rican rainforests.

I honestly love the result. If I liked the original version, I think this one is a million times better.

Now I'm just excited for the day my frogs can finally move in.

For now, this is Day 1, and we'll see how the terrarium matures over time. Right now it looks very full, but as most terrarium keepers know, not every plant will thrive. Some will die, others will take over, and eventually the plants and microclimate will find their own balance.

You could say this is only the second terrarium I've ever built, and I'm extremely proud of it.

In about a year, I'm planning to start a giant paludarium project, and I honestly can't wait for that challenge. But until then, I'm going to enjoy watching this terrarium grow and evolve.

And if there's one lesson I learned from all of this:

Always quarantine new frogs. It can save you—and your terrarium—a lot of heartbreak.

Thanks for reading!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the story of my dart frog terrarium. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and maybe get some inspiration from the rebuild.

About five months ago, I built my first serious dart frog terrarium. I spent countless hours researching, planning, building, and planting it. The first photos show what the original terrarium looked like.

After finishing it, I purchased a pair of dart frogs. Unfortunately, they arrived carrying parasites, and my biggest mistake was not quarantining them before introducing them to the enclosure.

At first, my frogs started losing weight even though they were eating. I couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, after having fecal tests done, the results confirmed parasites.

Of course, my first concern was getting the frogs healthy again. Thankfully, parasites can be treated with proper medication. The difficult part was realizing that I would have to completely tear down the entire terrarium, disinfect everything, and start over from scratch.

The next photos show the dismantling process.

Honestly, when I first got the news, it was pretty devastating. I was incredibly proud of that terrarium. But after the initial frustration, I started thinking about all the things I would have changed if I had the opportunity. Suddenly, this disaster became a chance to improve everything.

I removed absolutely everything.

Every piece of wood, every coconut hide, every hardscape element that I wanted to reuse had to be boiled. Every plant was removed individually, treated, disinfected, and quarantined separately. It was a massive amount of work. Tearing everything apart was hard, but rebuilding it took even more time.

As I rebuilt, I focused on correcting the things that had always bothered me.

One of the biggest issues was the large trunk structure in the center. The upper level and lower level felt too separated visually. To fix that, I removed roughly 30% of the trunk by cutting it down and reshaping it.

Another thing I wanted to change was the waterfall. In the original build, the waterfall was on the left side, and I felt like it wasted a lot of usable ground space. During the rebuild, I moved the waterfall completely to the right side and added a large branch that acts as a natural pathway to the second level.

Now the frogs can use the entire lower area much more effectively. There are multiple hides, coconut huts, and a lot more usable territory underneath the structure.

Basically, I took everything I didn't like about the original terrarium and replaced it with something better.

The final photos show the result.

Today is literally Day 1 of the new parasite-free terrarium.

My frogs are currently still in quarantine, and I won't introduce them until they have tested negative multiple times. I want at least three or four clean fecal exams before they go back into the enclosure.

The terrarium isn't completely finished yet. I still want to add more climbing vines and several patches of different moss species.

Interestingly, while the silicone was curing, I took a trip to Costa Rica and spent time hiking through the rainforest. I took hundreds of photos and paid close attention to how plants, vines, roots, and epiphytes naturally grew in the jungle. When I came back, I used that experience as inspiration for the rebuild.

A lot of the vine placement and plant arrangement in this terrarium was directly inspired by what I saw in Costa Rican rainforests.

I honestly love the result. If I liked the original version, I think this one is a million times better.

Now I'm just excited for the day my frogs can finally move in.

For now, this is Day 1, and we'll see how the terrarium matures over time. Right now it looks very full, but as most terrarium keepers know, not every plant will thrive. Some will die, others will take over, and eventually the plants and microclimate will find their own balance.

You could say this is only the second terrarium I've ever built, and I'm extremely proud of it.

In about a year, I'm planning to start a giant paludarium project, and I honestly can't wait for that challenge. But until then, I'm going to enjoy watching this terrarium grow and evolve.

And if there's one lesson I learned from all of this:

Always quarantine new frogs. It can save you—and your terrarium—a lot of heartbreak.

Thanks for reading!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the story of my dart frog terrarium. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and maybe get some inspiration from the rebuild.

About five months ago, I built my first serious dart frog terrarium. I spent countless hours researching, planning, building, and planting it. The first photos show what the original terrarium looked like.

After finishing it, I purchased a pair of dart frogs. Unfortunately, they arrived carrying parasites, and my biggest mistake was not quarantining them before introducing them to the enclosure.

At first, my frogs started losing weight even though they were eating. I couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, after having fecal tests done, the results confirmed parasites.

Of course, my first concern was getting the frogs healthy again. Thankfully, parasites can be treated with proper medication. The difficult part was realizing that I would have to completely tear down the entire terrarium, disinfect everything, and start over from scratch.

The next photos show the dismantling process.

Honestly, when I first got the news, it was pretty devastating. I was incredibly proud of that terrarium. But after the initial frustration, I started thinking about all the things I would have changed if I had the opportunity. Suddenly, this disaster became a chance to improve everything.

I removed absolutely everything.

Every piece of wood, every coconut hide, every hardscape element that I wanted to reuse had to be boiled. Every plant was removed individually, treated, disinfected, and quarantined separately. It was a massive amount of work. Tearing everything apart was hard, but rebuilding it took even more time.

As I rebuilt, I focused on correcting the things that had always bothered me.

One of the biggest issues was the large trunk structure in the center. The upper level and lower level felt too separated visually. To fix that, I removed roughly 30% of the trunk by cutting it down and reshaping it.

Another thing I wanted to change was the waterfall. In the original build, the waterfall was on the left side, and I felt like it wasted a lot of usable ground space. During the rebuild, I moved the waterfall completely to the right side and added a large branch that acts as a natural pathway to the second level.

Now the frogs can use the entire lower area much more effectively. There are multiple hides, coconut huts, and a lot more usable territory underneath the structure.

Basically, I took everything I didn't like about the original terrarium and replaced it with something better.

The final photos show the result.

Today is literally Day 1 of the new parasite-free terrarium.

My frogs are currently still in quarantine, and I won't introduce them until they have tested negative multiple times. I want at least three or four clean fecal exams before they go back into the enclosure.

The terrarium isn't completely finished yet. I still want to add more climbing vines and several patches of different moss species.

Interestingly, while the silicone was curing, I took a trip to Costa Rica and spent time hiking through the rainforest. I took hundreds of photos and paid close attention to how plants, vines, roots, and epiphytes naturally grew in the jungle. When I came back, I used that experience as inspiration for the rebuild.

A lot of the vine placement and plant arrangement in this terrarium was directly inspired by what I saw in Costa Rican rainforests.

I honestly love the result. If I liked the original version, I think this one is a million times better.

Now I'm just excited for the day my frogs can finally move in.

For now, this is Day 1, and we'll see how the terrarium matures over time. Right now it looks very full, but as most terrarium keepers know, not every plant will thrive. Some will die, others will take over, and eventually the plants and microclimate will find their own balance.

You could say this is only the second terrarium I've ever built, and I'm extremely proud of it.

In about a year, I'm planning to start a giant paludarium project, and I honestly can't wait for that challenge. But until then, I'm going to enjoy watching this terrarium grow and evolve.

And if there's one lesson I learned from all of this:

Always quarantine new frogs. It can save you—and your terrarium—a lot of heartbreak.

Thanks for reading!

What do you think of this morph? In my opinion is the most beautifull of al Tinctorius.

Ps. Yes hes sister is called Komugi

What do you think about this morph? In my opinion is the most beautifull of all Tinctorius.

I wanted to share the entire process of building my very first vivarium from scratch.

As a bit of context, before this project I had never kept a single plant alive, and I had definitely never built a terrarium or vivarium before. I knew absolutely nothing about plant care, hardscaping, or creating a living ecosystem

Everything I learned came from researching, making mistakes, and improving along the way.

My goal wasn't just to build a vivarium-it was to create a small piece of nature that I could bring into my room. A place where'l could sit down after a long day, disconnect for a while, and be reminded of how incredibly beautiful nature can be, even in a small glass box.

The idea from the beginning was to create two different levels inside the enclosure. Since I keep dart frogs, I wanted them to have both an upper and lower level with slightly different humidity and temperature conditions, instead of just one flat floor.

Everything started with finding the right piece of driftwood. I spent quite a while looking for one that would naturally create that second level and become the centerpiece of the whole build.

After that I installed the drainage layer and started attaching the wood using aquarium-safe silicone (make sure it's aquarium safe) together with expanding foam.

On the back right side I left a hidden compartment for the water pump. That way the pump stays completely out of sight while still being easy to access for maintenance,

The next step was shaping the entire hardscape. I used coarse filter foam to build the basic structure, then covered everything with expanding foam to create the final shapes.

I also wanted a small waterfall running down the left side. Behind it there's a hidden pathway so the frogs can actually climb from the lower level to the upper level.

Once everything cured, I carved the foam until I liked the shape, covered it with coconut fiber, and finally started planting.

Theres a picture that show how it looked on day one after planting everything.

Since then it's been a huge learning experience. Some plants have absolutely thrived, While others didn't make it, but that's part of building a living ecosystem.

The whole vivarium is automated:

Automatic misting three times a day.

Fans controlled automatically to help regulate humidity and temperature.

Hidden filtration and water circulation for the waterfall.

As time went on, I kept adding more plants whenever 1 found interesting species, including some mosses from local forests. Of course, everything gets disinfected before going into the vivarium. My method is a 5% unscented bleach solution for about 2-3 minutes, followed by a very thorough rinse with clean water.

The driftwood originally looked a little empty, so I collected several different moss species and made my own moss mix. It's been establishing itself really wel and completely changed the look of the wood.

One thing that really helped was planning everything beforehand. I even made a few simple renders before I started building so I could visualize the final layout.

If was able to build this as my very first terrarium, then I s genuinely believe anyone can do it with enough research and patience.

If 1 could recommend one hobby to anyone, it would definitely be building a vivarium. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. For a while, I completely disconnected from the world just to create a small piece of nature.

The amazing part is that now even I don't fully know what's happening inside it anymore. Every now and then I find tiny plants that I had no idea were there, new moss growth, or something else that has naturally appeared. Watching the ecosystem evolve on its own has been incredible.

My biggest piece of advice is to do plenty of research before you start. There are a lot of important steps that make all the difference, like properly boiling any driftwood you collect, disinfecting plants, and making sure you don't introduce pests into the enclosure. It's much easier to prevent problems than to deal with them once the vivarium is established.

If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help if I can!

wanted to share the entire process of building my very first vivarium from scratch.

As a bit of context, before this project I had never kept a single plant alive, and I had definitely never built a terrarium or vivarium before. I knew absolutely nothing about plant care, hardscaping, or creating a living ecosystem

Everything I learned came from researching, making mistakes, and improving along the way.

My goal wasn't just to build a vivarium-it was to create a small piece of nature that I could bring into my room. A place where'l could sit down after a long day, disconnect for a while, and be reminded of how incredibly beautiful nature can be, even in a small glass box.

The idea from the beginning was to create two different levels inside the enclosure. Since I keep dart frogs, I wanted them to have both an upper and lower level with slightly different humidity and temperature conditions, instead of just one flat floor.

Everything started with finding the right piece of driftwood. I spent quite a while looking for one that would naturally create that second level and become the centerpiece of the whole build.

After that I installed the drainage layer and started attaching the wood using aquarium-safe silicone (make sure it's aquarium safe) together with expanding foam.

On the back right side I left a hidden compartment for the water pump. That way the pump stays completely out of sight while still being easy to access for maintenance,

The next step was shaping the entire hardscape. I used coarse filter foam to build the basic structure, then covered everything with expanding foam to create the final shapes.

I also wanted a small waterfall running down the left side. Behind it there's a hidden pathway so the frogs can actually climb from the lower level to the upper level.

Once everything cured, I carved the foam until I liked the shape, covered it with coconut fiber, and finally started planting.

Theres a picture that show how it looked on day one after planting everything.

Since then it's been a huge learning experience. Some plants have absolutely thrived, While others didn't make it, but that's part of building a living ecosystem.

The whole vivarium is automated:

Automatic misting three times a day.

Fans controlled automatically to help regulate humidity and temperature.

Hidden filtration and water circulation for the waterfall.

As time went on, I kept adding more plants whenever 1 found interesting species, including some mosses from local forests. Of course, everything gets disinfected before going into the vivarium. My method is a 5% unscented bleach solution for about 2-3 minutes, followed by a very thorough rinse with clean water.

The driftwood originally looked a little empty, so I collected several different moss species and made my own moss mix. It's been establishing itself really wel and completely changed the look of the wood.

One thing that really helped was planning everything beforehand. I even made a few simple renders before I started building so I could visualize the final layout.

If was able to build this as my very first terrarium, then I s genuinely believe anyone can do it with enough research and patience.

If 1 could recommend one hobby to anyone, it would definitely be building a vivarium. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. For a while, I completely disconnected from the world just to create a small piece of nature.

The amazing part is that now even I don't fully know what's happening inside it anymore. Every now and then I find tiny plants that I had no idea were there, new moss growth, or something else that has naturally appeared. Watching the ecosystem evolve on its own has been incredible.

My biggest piece of advice is to do plenty of research before you start. There are a lot of important steps that make all the difference, like properly boiling any driftwood you collect, disinfecting plants, and making sure you don't introduce pests into the enclosure. It's much easier to prevent problems than to deal with them once the vivarium is established.

If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help if I can!

I wanted to share the entire process of building my very first vivarium from scratch.

As a bit of context, before this project I had never kept a single plant alive, and I had definitely never built a terrarium or vivarium before. I knew absolutely nothing about plant care, hardscaping, or creating a living ecosystem

Everything I learned came from researching, making mistakes, and improving along the way.

My goal wasn't just to build a vivarium-it was to create a small piece of nature that I could bring into my room. A place where'l could sit down after a long day, disconnect for a while, and be reminded of how incredibly beautiful nature can be, even in a small glass box.

The idea from the beginning was to create two different levels inside the enclosure. Since I keep dart frogs, I wanted them to have both an upper and lower level with slightly different humidity and temperature conditions, instead of just one flat floor.

Everything started with finding the right piece of driftwood. I spent quite a while looking for one that would naturally create that second level and become the centerpiece of the whole build.

After that I installed the drainage layer and started attaching the wood using aquarium-safe silicone (make sure it's aquarium safe) together with expanding foam.

On the back right side I left a hidden compartment for the water pump. That way the pump stays completely out of sight while still being easy to access for maintenance,

The next step was shaping the entire hardscape. I used coarse filter foam to build the basic structure, then covered everything with expanding foam to create the final shapes.

I also wanted a small waterfall running down the left side. Behind it there's a hidden pathway so the frogs can actually climb from the lower level to the upper level.

Once everything cured, I carved the foam until I liked the shape, covered it with coconut fiber, and finally started planting.

Theres a picture that show how it looked on day one after planting everything.

Since then it's been a huge learning experience. Some plants have absolutely thrived, While others didn't make it, but that's part of building a living ecosystem.

The whole vivarium is automated:

Automatic misting three times a day.

Fans controlled automatically to help regulate humidity and temperature.

Hidden filtration and water circulation for the waterfall.

As time went on, I kept adding more plants whenever 1 found interesting species, including some mosses from local forests. Of course, everything gets disinfected before going into the vivarium. My method is a 5% unscented bleach solution for about 2-3 minutes, followed by a very thorough rinse with clean water.

The driftwood originally looked a little empty, so I collected several different moss species and made my own moss mix. It's been establishing itself really wel and completely changed the look of the wood.

One thing that really helped was planning everything beforehand. I even made a few simple renders before I started building so I could visualize the final layout.

If was able to build this as my very first terrarium, then I s genuinely believe anyone can do it with enough research and patience.

If 1 could recommend one hobby to anyone, it would definitely be building a vivarium. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. For a while, I completely disconnected from the world just to create a small piece of nature.

The amazing part is that now even I don't fully know what's happening inside it anymore. Every now and then I find tiny plants that I had no idea were there, new moss growth, or something else that has naturally appeared. Watching the ecosystem evolve on its own has been incredible.

My biggest piece of advice is to do plenty of research before you start. There are a lot of important steps that make all the difference, like properly boiling any driftwood you collect, disinfecting plants, and making sure you don't introduce pests into the enclosure. It's much easier to prevent problems than to deal with them once the vivarium is established.

If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help if I can!

I wanted to share the entire process of building my very first vivarium from scratch.

As a bit of context, before this project I had never kept a single plant alive, and I had definitely never built a terrarium or vivarium before. I knew absolutely nothing about plant care, hardscaping, or creating a living ecosystem.

Everything I learned came from researching, making mistakes, and improving along the way.

My goal wasn't just to build a vivarium—it was to create a small piece of nature that I could bring into my room. A place where I could sit down after a long day, disconnect for a while, and be reminded of how incredibly beautiful nature can be, even in a small glass box.

The idea from the beginning was to create two different levels inside the enclosure. Since I keep dart frogs, I wanted them to have both an upper and lower level with slightly different humidity and temperature conditions, instead of just one flat floor.

Everything started with finding the right piece of driftwood. I spent quite a while looking for one that would naturally create that second level and become the centerpiece of the whole build.

After that I installed the drainage layer and started attaching the wood using aquarium-safe silicone (make sure it's aquarium safe) together with expanding foam.

On the back right side I left a hidden compartment for the water pump. That way the pump stays completely out of sight while still being easy to access for maintenance.

The next step was shaping the entire hardscape. I used coarse filter foam to build the basic structure, then covered everything with expanding foam to create the final shapes.

I also wanted a small waterfall running down the left side. Behind it there's a hidden pathway so the frogs can actually climb from the lower level to the upper level.

Once everything cured, I carved the foam until I liked the shape, covered it with coconut fiber, and finally started planting.

The last pictures show how it looked on day one after planting everything.

Since then it's been a huge learning experience. Some plants have absolutely thrived, while others didn't make it, but that's part of building a living ecosystem.

The whole vivarium is automated:

Automatic misting three times a day.

Fans controlled automatically to help regulate humidity and temperature.

Hidden filtration and water circulation for the waterfall.

As time went on, I kept adding more plants whenever I found interesting species, including some mosses from local forests. Of course, everything gets disinfected before going into the vivarium. My method is a 5% unscented bleach solution for about 2–3 minutes, followed by a very thorough rinse with clean water.

The driftwood originally looked a little empty, so I collected several different moss species and made my own moss mix. It's been establishing itself really well and completely changed the look of the wood.

One thing that really helped was planning everything beforehand. I even made a few simple renders before I started building so I could visualize the final layout.

If I was able to build this as my very first terrarium, then I genuinely believe anyone can do it with enough research and patience.

If I could recommend one hobby to anyone, it would definitely be building a vivarium. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. For a while, I completely disconnected from the world just to create a small piece of nature.

The amazing part is that now even I don't fully know what's happening inside it anymore. Every now and then I find tiny plants that I had no idea were there, new moss growth, or something else that has naturally appeared. Watching the ecosystem evolve on its own has been incredible.

My biggest piece of advice is to do plenty of research before you start. There are a lot of important steps that make all the difference, like properly boiling any driftwood you collect, disinfecting plants, and making sure you don't introduce pests into the enclosure. It's much easier to prevent problems than to deal with them once the vivarium is established.

If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help if I can!