Bridges

A major change is coming to my four giant ecosystem vivariums, affecting all the life living within. The creatures of the ecosystem have begun altering their behaviour, retreating below ground, and even dying off. A natural process? The answer is quite surprising, and Mother Nature left me speechless once again, as I surveyed my four giant ecosystem vivaria for the ominous signs of this 'Great Change'.

It's the return of the controversial beast. Godzilla, my 2 yr old spectacled caiman who had exited our rainforest ecosystem last year to undergo socialization training, is now ready to come back to the ecosystem, but there's a catch.

All four of my giant ecosystem vivariums have become one with the building of a new glass bridge that connects Verdantia, my Grasslands Vivarium, which was formerly a solo tank, to PANTGEA, my superbiome of three other tanks. The glass bridge took months of planning and features a surprise addition to its design. I couldn't wait to watch what animals would migrate to new lands, but funny enough, in the end things didn't quite happen how I thought they might.

I connected my indoor ecosystem vivariums to the outside world, giving full access to wild animals to enter my tanks. I made sure to ensure all precautions were taken to ensure this experiment was ecologically safe, and that my pets could not escape from my home. After naturallistically decorating one of the glass bridges, the hole invited some incredible creatures into the setup.

I added an beehive to my giant ecosystem vivariums, in an experiment to see if I could achieve my dream of integrating pollinators to the ecosystem. The mature stingless beehive, of the native species Tetragonula biroi, was placed into a chamber with access to the outdoors, for local flower foraging, as well as to a network of four giant ecosystem vivariums I care for, each containing a plethora of newly planted flowers. In this experiment I determine if my unorthodox, semi-indoor bee setup was viable for a stingless bee colony. The welcome from the resident species, however, was a bit mixed, but it all brought the brilliance of these unique bees to light.

In an experiment to see if my new bee colony would enter my giant ecosystem vivariums to pollinate flowers I had planted inside them, I go to great lengths to understand how pollination works and how the bees select their preferred flower species to visit. It turns out, bee pollination is a lot more complicated than I ever imagined, which ultimately lead me on an adventure of biological discovery ending with the creation of a coconut tree in one of the tanks to test a theory.

Ever since installing a new bee hole for my bee colony to exit and forage for outdoor flowers, it became a portal for creatures to enter our giant ecosystem vivariums, PANTGEA. I was stunned by the number of new species I spotted this week in the tanks, most especially the last creature which completely threw me off guard! Mother Nature is so chaotic and unpredictable.

When a weak and starving crested lizard wandered into my multi-vivarium setup from the outside, I immediately identified that it needed my help. On the brink of death, I fed the lizard, gave it a grassland habitat and tree in which to rest, provided warmth and UV lighting, humidity, and did everything I could to save this struggling reptile's life. In the end, the emotional rollercoaster left me with a valuable lesson I will never forget.

Tokay geckoes are sometimes called the "Reptilian Pitbull" known for their aggressive nature and powerful bite, which is why when I found an adult tokay gecko in my giant ecosystem vivarium, I freaked out! It had entered through the bee hole to a bee hive portion recently installed in the system. The tokay lizard adventure that ensued, was full of surprises and discovery, truly one of the most insane events to ever happen in this biological experiment!

I'm building my next dream ecosystem vivarium! After having created four incredible vivaria of different biomes, each with its own resident species of plants, fungi, and animals, I now reveal my starting plans for Vivarium 5, a very different, hi-tech, and ultra biodiverse biome, which I am reconstructing in a tank and attaching to the whole vivarium system (Pantgea). I cover what the biome of this vivarium is, the many aspects that make it unique, the different niches is offers its resident organisms, as well as the possible creatures I hope to add in to form a flourishing, multi-faceted ecosystem.

A colossal subterranean bamboo rat has entered Pantgea, bulldozing through the soil to overhaul the entire ecosystem. I was shocked at its integration, but after witnessing its impact on the ecosystem on the grassland organisms, from plants to the ants, I was left with the decision to either let this mammal stay or ultimately evict.

I'm building the ultimate lagoon ecosystem vivarium! The construction of Vivarium 5, a very different, hi-tech, and ultra biodiverse lagoon vivarium, was no easy feat. This brackish biome composed of a jungle, tidepool, estuary, beach, mangrove area, and ocean make it the most unique tank I've ever worked on. Together with Billy from Aquarium Philippines, we begin crafting one of the most challenging habitats we've ever created.

Five ant species and their colonies dominate in my giant indoor ecosystem of connected vivariums. These ants are engaged in a constant war for survival, at odds with each other and their environment. I visit these various ant empires, delve into the habitats and ecological niches they occupy to uncover what has led to their success. But after one ant superpower summoned a swarm which broke out into my home, I knew I needed to execute an Antpocalypse.

I built the impossible tank - a beach lagoon complete with rocky and sandy shore, waves, changing tides, tidepools, mangroves, and more. It's part of a complex project to create the ultimate lagoon ecosystem vivarium, which will house brackish-loving animals like mudskippers, crabs, and bamboo sharks. This sit the moment I realized that we had created a real beach in my home. In the end, I reveal which creature will be the first to be introduced to the lagoon.

Viv V, my new giant Lagoon Ecosystem Vivarium is complete. This giant tank simulates a brackish habitat where a beach meets a mangrove forest, tidepools, jungle, and oceanic lagoon, offering a variety of ecological niches for many animals, macroalgae, and more. But what makes this tank more than just your average saltwater aquarium is the rising and falling of tides, but getting it to work, was the challenge.