Vivarium Basics: An Overview of 10 Essential vivarium components
Vivariums come in various shapes and sizes, but they all have common components. A typical tropical vivarium includes an enclosure with a soil base for plants, usually on top of a drainage layer to avoid water saturation and stagnation. The enclosure will have lights, and it may include a misting system and a background if desired.
However, some vivariums are much more complex than others, and it's essential to start small and build gradually to avoid costly mistakes and wasted time. Starting with a solid foundation and learning the components and systems required to maintain a thriving vivarium is crucial.
Basic Components of a Vivarium
Let's start with a brief overview of the key components you’ll want to research when building a vivarium. We'll then explore the array of options available in more depth to help guide you through the construction process.
If you already have a basic understanding of vivarium construction, you can skip ahead to a specific section that piques your interest.
Enclosures
Enclosures are obviously critical when designing a vivarium. Size and materials are essential factors to consider, such as glass, acrylic, and wood. For tropical vivariums, glass enclosures with front-opening doors are most common, but you can be creative with any enclosure with four walls, a top, and bottom, as long as it has ventilation on top and preferably a strip along the front.
Backgrounds
Creating backgrounds is another way to make vivariums visually stunning. You can choose from pre-made inserts or fully customized sculpted and painted ones, but they're not necessary. We'll provide some simple yet stunning methods along with more complex techniques that require dedicated resources.
Drainage
Proper drainage is essential to achieve a thriving vivarium. Methods like pouring a layer of clay pellets, adding a layer of sponges, or creating an elevated platform with egg crate are all acceptable. It helps to decide on how you will remove excess water beforehand. You can pre-install a pipe to syphon out water or drill drainage holes with valves.
Drainage →
Substrates
Substrates can appear complicated, but many options work. You can purchase premade mixes or make your own. If you're starting with one enclosure, buying a premade mix is the easiest option. We'll provide a list of mixes that have worked, along with some that haven't.
Hardscape
Hardscape refers to the "hard" decorative materials, such as rocks, wood, and sand. You can go all out or keep it simple, depending on your preference. We'll discuss how to sterilize the wood and recommend some woods and rocks while advising against others.
Plants
Plants are where your vivarium comes to life! We'll provide a list of recommended beginner plants that are affordable, accessible, and easy to grow. Depending on the look you're going for, you'll use a mix of vines, mosses, ferns, and epiphytic plants like bromeliads. Don't forget leaf litter and other botanicals like seed pods for that extra touch of realism.
Plants →
Lighting
There are various types of lighting available, such as tube lights, LEDs, and more, each with different PAR values, color indexes, and other fancy metrics. Additionally, depending on the animals you're housing, UVB lighting may be necessary. For those starting out with beginner plants, it doesn’t need to be overly complicated, as many recommended plants can grow with minimal light. As you learn and begin to care for more expensive plants, you may want to invest in high-quality lighting, but it's not necessary to begin with.
Lighting →
Heating
The heating requirements for vivariums can vary significantly depending on the type of animals housed within. For instance, most poison dart frogs will thrive at room temperature. However, if you're housing lizards or snakes, an additional heat source may be necessary. Most of my 3ft tall vivariums have a natural heat gradient of 6 to 8 degrees thanks to the LED lights.
Heating →
Misting
When it comes to misting, you have two main options: hand misting and using a misting system. While I always recommend setting up a misting system, I understand that it can add to the cost. Alternatively, you can add a misting system later on. Having hand misted for years, I still do additional misting by hand to reach areas that the misting system can't. However, the fact that you can set up a misting system and forget about it makes it a real life-saver.
Misting →
Cleanup Crew
A good cleanup crew is essential in a vivarium to help break down waste and control various molds. While springtails and isopods are a must-have, you can also consider introducing other creatures such as millipedes, mealworms, and various beetles. If you're creating temperate and arid setups, you'll need to select organisms that thrive in those environments.
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Now that you have a basic understanding of what's involved in a vivarium, let's explore the different options available for each element.
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