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Straight into the terratium.

I have recently gotten myself a nice little N.ampullaria and I was wanting to plant it straight into a terrarium. I can keep the humitidy up with frequent misting. I was going to place expanded clay balls along the bottom and then put the plant straight into LFS, some of which is now growing. I have been testing and no part of the tank or soil seems to become water logged, so I presume things will be alright, so long as I mist frequently in summer and reduce this action in winter. Can I ask if anyone else has any other suggestions. I know planting straight into the soil in these way is not generally recommended for a terrarium. However, I really want to attempt it. Can anyone else share their experience with me?
 
I haven't done this myself, but I know that people have had success with some species. If I recall correctly, N. ampullaria is one of the better ones. My recommendation would be to keep the plant in a pot and create a recess in the terrarium to hide it - that way you get the look of a planted terrarium but can still pull it up easily if something begins to go wrong. Make sure to use a deep layer of gravel at the bottom of the terrarium to allow it to drain. Since Neps don't like being waterlogged, you might also consider getting a short length of pipe and burying it vertically in the terrarium, to allow you to pump excess water out occasionally. If you have access to one of those undergravel aquarium filters, they work decently for that application.
There are plenty more experienced terrarium keepers on here than me, but hopefully this gets you started. Best luck with your project.
~Joe
 
Hey, thank you for the reply. It's nice to see someone wishing me luck, rather than just shooting my idea down in flames. Well, I've set the whole thing up now. I put a layer of large expanded clay at the bottom 2" deep, upon which I then placed a layer of the sharpest, coarsest propagating sand I could find. Upon that I put a layer of cocopeat, mixed with sharp sand and chopped spag (just wanting to see if the roots begin to explore it, then a really, really, really, thick layer of spag on top. At the moment, the little guy seems to be doing alright. It came yesterday. I wanted a spotted, but it turned out to be a green. Can't win em all, I guess.
 
You're welcome. I try not to forget that the reason I'm posting here is to help people succeed with the hobby.
Be careful with the water level if you're using cocopeat - it breaks down easily when wet. Peat moss is much more durable for that application. Also, keep in mind that long-fibered Sphagnum will compress and break down with waterings, so you'll have to repot eventually. Digging a little drainage hole is probably a really good idea. Terraria aren't especially close replications of the conditions Neps face in the wild; most don't like being too close to the water table. Err on the side of underwatering.
~Joe
 
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