Grasslands

I've created the largest vivarium I've ever made, an over 2000 gallon tank which will house an entire biome and ecosystem of flora and fauna. My plan for this massive enclosure is to create a habitat that will connect to my three other vivariums, forming a massive biological space that will help me study how wild ecosystems work - the beginning of a new chapter! But what biome will this new vivarium be?

The grasslands biome is the second largest land biome on Earth, and so for my fourth giant vivarium, I wanted to create the ultimate grassland ecosystem vivarium to attach to my other ecosystem vivaria. I had all my creatures and plants prepared and landscaped the grassland terrarium with my team. The result was a beautiful slice of nature that was ready to house its new menagerie of animals. Little did I know, Mother Nature had a surprise waiting for me in the grass.

The creatures living in my new Giant Grasslands Vivarium are unreal. Surveying my new giant ecosystem vivarium, I was surprised to find that a whole menagerie of fauna had been imported into the tank by way of the decor. I also noticed many ant species and set off to lay baits to lure them out of the grass. I also added to the fauna by introducing detritivores.

I'm attempting to do something scientists haven't been able to figure out how to do: grow Termite mushrooms indoors. Using the natural habitat provided by my new giant grassland vivarium, Verdantia, I set off to extract a wild termite colony of fungus-farming termites and move them into the setup. Meanwhile, another colony of termites in my other vivaria were on their own ambitious mission.

I have been on a multi-year quest to grow termite mushrooms and this week I finally did it! Termitomyces is a species of medically and agriculturally significant mushroom that is cultivated by a symbiotic species of termite underground. The termites farm combs of the fungus and eat parts of it, and the fungus sprouts its mushrooms from the top of these termites' nests. My dream was to try to grow these termite mushrooms in an indoor setup, so that we could learn how to mass grow them indoors, instead of foraging for them in the wild from termite nests during rainy season. When mushrooms began to grow from a new termite colony I transplanted into my giant grasslands vivarium, Verdantia, I was thrilled, but a later discovery cut my celebration for short.

I added Rhino Beetles into my giant grasslands vivarium, Verdantia, and the insane drama that ensured was one of the most memorable experiences of my life as an pet insect owner and entomology enthusiast. It has always been a scientific dream of mine to breed rhino beetles, as well as watch the males joust over food and territory. This is the story of a rhino beetle love triangle of rhinoceros proportions!

Added herbivores to my Giant Grasslands Vivarium to further complete the ecosystem was an adventure. Collecting the various creatures in the field was dangerous and scary but the creatures I was able to find were truly spectacular. Placing them into our ever diversifying grasslands was a dream, except for one shocking surprise from Mother Nature.

An Ant War broke out in my new Giant Grasslands Vivarium. A ravenous supercolony of black crazy ants has invaded my new Grasslands Vivarium, Verdanita. Their presence proved life-threatening to the entire grasslands ecosystem, as they ran havoc within the grassland ecosystem tank I constructed. My solution was a plan to deploy a colony of native marauder ants to retaliate against their invasion. The ant war that ensued after adding them in, was one I will never forget

This is my second attempt at eliminating an invasion of black crazy ants, named the Sagittarius Army, who broke into my giant grasslands ecosystem vivarium. The black crazy ants have been busy killing isopods and stealing resources from the native fauna and so I knew they had to be stopped. My method of extermination was something new I hadn't tried before, but what shocked me most was the sheer number of them living inside the great tree of the grasslands.

Arachnophobes, don't look away! The arachnids within my giant vivaria are thriving, and I was stunned checking out some of the new and old spiders living their lives, webbing up prey, feeding on insects, and breeding within my vivariums. Spiders are important predators in the ecosystem, so for this Episode 10, Season 6, we delve into the incredible and biodiverse world of spiders in my ecosystem vivaria. I'll also be adding in a giant forest scorpion named Thorn, but not before doing something important first.

An overgrowth of an invasive species of killer basil threatened the plant biodiversity of Verdantia, my giant grassland ecosystem vivarium, so I decided to use two select herbivores, namely a goat and a family of guinea pigs, to alter the grasslands and restore natural order back to the chaotic landscape. The result of the introduction of these grazers to the grasslands was drastic and quite surprising!

I released a small flock of society finches into my Giant Grasslands Vivarium (Verdantia) and the result and impact on the ecosystem within left me stunned. An emergency situation in my Giant Home Aviary required me to rehome some birds that were caring for babies in a nest. Adding birds into my vivarium was a long time plan since the start of Verdantia. In this episode, we also welcome back some old bird friends to the grasslands.

Laying down the plans for how my Giant Grasslands Vivarium will connect to my other three giant vivaria, each ecosystem tank biodiverse and bursting with life, with a plethora of plant, fungi, and animal species, is no easy task. I therefore cover all my options so you, the AC Family, can weigh in on your favourite and preferred way of connection. Some of the options are easy and straight forward, while others are complex and will require multiple phases to construct. But speaking of biodiversity, I have an exciting surprise to reveal at the end of the video.

I ventured into a real cloud rainforest in search of creatures to add to my giant ecosystem vivariums. While exploring the wildlife, Mother Nature had many surprises for me. The animals, plants, and fungi I found living in the most unique tropical habitat were out of this world! I also got to the bottom of some ecological mysteries I've been wondering about, and went home with a precious biological collection!

For over two years, I've been building a network of Giant Ecosystem Vivariums in my home complete with a menagerie of animals, plants, and fungi, on a quest to better understand how ecosystems work in the wild. The life within the tanks have developed into a complex ecosystem involving many species, as well as a fresh new batch of critters and biologics, scheduled to be added in. This is a full tour of all four my Giant Ecosystem Vivaria: Pantdora, the cloud rainforest floor; Orchadia, the tree top canopy; Hydromeda, the wetlands; and Verdantia, the grasslands.