Wetlands

I've built my next giant ecosystem vivarium, and it is the biggest, most complex vivarium structure I've ever built. It will house a plethora of different species of animals, plants, and fungi, creating a habitat for plenty of life. But the construction of this highly unique tank came with its own set of challenges.

I'm creating the ultimate tropical wetlands vivarium, starting with the hardscape! These wetlands will host an ecosystem of tropical plants and animals. Failing a water leak test did not stop me from proceeding with the aquascaping process within the tank. Using driftwood, rocks, soil, and lots of glue, we created an epic hardscape, the skeleton to our giant wetlands vivarium.

I've finally completed my dream Tropical Wetlands Vivarium! After months of planning, tank construction, and hardscaping, it was time to add in our vast collection of terrestrial and aquatic plants. From Bromeliads to Bucephilandras, mosses to vines, Korean ferns to java ferns, the collection of plants in this paludarium aquascape was a total dream. It required me and my team to apply principles of aquascape, as pioneered by the godfather of modern aquascaping, the late Takashi Amano. Once completed, our beautiful wetlands were ready for the addition of animals (GAIA 3) to complete the wetlands ecosystem.

I released a set of new creatures into my new Giant Tropical Wetlands Vivarium! My new tank was ready now to accept its first set of aquatic creatures. In the aquarium hobby, it's rule that animals and fish need to be added slowly into a tank so it can cycle. However, it seems Mother Nature was way ahead of me, having introduced a set of creatures of her own, introduced via the plants and decor, including a hidden dragon for me to discover.

I can't believe I found a flying dragon (Draco sp.) living in my Giant Tropical Wetlands Vivarium! As crazy at it sounds, I suspect it snuck into the tank via the driftwood. This incredible reptile was a dream lizard. It also eats ants and was perfect for my canopy vivarium. But in trying to catch it, it eventually showed me something that made me change my mind regarding my future plans for it. Meanwhile, below the waters, a 'Green War' was taking place, for which I had to ensure the right team won. New aquatic creatures were sent into battle!

A disastrous leak ended the Bermuda Rectangle, my Giant Tropical Wetlands Vivarium. The glass of the tank separated at one section and caused all water and gravel to spill out onto the floor. The leak had to be repaired but not without the challenge of having to keep the vast array of aquatic plants and animals alive during the process.

I released many schools of fish into my Giant Tropical Wetlands Vivarium and the result was stunning! Various fish of differing species, from catfish to tetras, newly occupied the waters and brought new life and vibrancy to the tank. It was an aquarium lover's dream! But my dream tank, quickly turned into a nightmare with the discovery of an invasion by creatures that I least expected!

A swarm of aggressive fire ants have broken into and invaded my Giant Tropical Wetlands Vivarium, named Hydromeda. This fire ant invasion posed a crisis for all life living within the tank, as well as the future of my biological ecosystem project. But despite my attempts to problem-solve, things weren't quite what they seemed, and in the end, the vivarium suffered a tragic loss.

I had a major snail problem in my giant tropical wetlands vivarium, and so I sent Mother Nature's best snail-eaters to deal with the outbreak within the tank. The dwarf pea pufferfish explored their home and immediately began to hunt for snails. The result was quite a sight!

My giant cloud rainforest vivarium is about to undergo a major change. After a year and a half since its creation, this massive rainforest ecosystem tank, named Pantdora, has developed into something truly biologically spectacular. It contains a complex foodweb of various organisms, including animals, plants, and fungi that have established an ecological balance. But even still, this once dynamic ecosystem has reached a standstill, and I realized a change had to be made in order to solve the issue.

I removed my growing baby crocodilian, Godzilla, a spectacled caiman from my giant rainforest vivarium, the only home he's ever known. It was terrifying, but the story began as soon as he was rehomed. It was all part of a major renovation project my tropical vivarium and all its animals, plants, and fungi have needed for a long time. Check out how moving the apex predator out of the rainforest, led to the complete transformation of the entire ecosystem.

It's the Age of the Frogs in my Giant Rainforest Vivaria. Frogs are keystone animals, vital to healthy ecosystems, and I felt my three tropical, rainforest vivariums, Pantdora, Orchadia, and Hydromeda needed more frogs. So I added them, and in the process, witnessed something truly new and mind-blowing that I didn't know about frogs.

I released mammals into my Giant Rainforest Canopy Vivarium and observed the result. Orchadia, home to an ecosystem of plants, fungi, and animals was ready for the introduction of mammals, and so I added in three microsquirrels (a.k.a African Dormice), arboreal rodents that eat insects. I was worried they might eat everything in sight and cause an ecosystem collapse. This experiment proved to reveal some unexpected results.

I created the ultimate cockroach cave tunnel as a connection to my giant vivariums. My three giant vivaria have been longing for a connection, where the plethora of life within could have free access to all three living spaces, each of which offer differing habitats. After months of planning, I built the ultimate cave tunnel which would house a colony of cockroaches, acting as a refugium for the highly important creatures in the forest.

I finally connected my three giant ecosystem vivariums together, and the result was unbelievable. My long term plan had come to completion when my rainforest floor vivarium, canopy vivarium, and tropical wetlands vivarium became a single space, with shared animals freely able to cross over to the different habitats. I was shocked at what animals crossed over through the new cave tunnel bridge. Our rainforest ecosystem within glass has been forever changed.