A 10 gallon aquarium tank
An artificial light system
Soil mix
Plants
Setting up the Bog or Swamp Terrarium
The addition of animals makes this a vivarium.
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1. Light: Semi-shade, no direct sunlight on the glass. Keep it 2-3’ from the window with a northern exposure.
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2. Air: Partially closed terrarium, a complete ecosystem.
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3. Soil: Place a layer of 1/2” sized gravel covered with plastic screen. Cover with 1/2 to 1” mix of fine aquarium gravel and crushed, activated carbon. Cover all with matting of sphagnum moss 1-2” thick. Moss is odor free and manageable in a closed container. Use humus soil instead of moss in some areas for variety. All of these materials are available in a garden or aquarium supply store.
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4. Water: Soil must be moist before closing the terrarium.
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5. Temperature: Cool, 60 degrees at night—65 degrees in daytime.
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6. Housekeeping: A well designed ecosystem requires none.
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7. Fertilizer: none
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8. Container: Bog Gardens need to be large, use a 10 gallon aquarium tank at least.
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9. Props: In this damp environment, wood will rot. Use glass or plastic. Attractive stones add color and a sculptural effect.
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10. Animals: Snails, water dogs, African frogs, and red newts are amphibians, a Greek word for “both life” meaning water and land. They love dampness. The latter two are recommended as the most manageable for beginners. They eat shrimp pellets, briny shrimp and crickets. They must be fed daily. Foods are available at pet stores.
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11. Plants: The plants most appropriate are also the most ancient of plants. They predate the age of flowering plants- ferns, club mosses, mosses and selaginellas. Others are Sundew, bladderwort, cottongrass, rushes and certain lichens.
Arrangements
The wide variety of plants allow for a highly artistic terrarium. Place a thermometer where it can be seen easily. Make hills of cliffs and places for the animals to hide. Use a shallow dish filled with water in here too.
The Natural Rain Cycle
Water evaporates from the earth, oceans and smaller bodies of water, becoming water vapor in the atmosphere. When air becomes saturated, water condenses and returns to earth as rain or snow. In this terrarium, water vapor will evaporate from the damp, cool mosses. Condensation will form on the inside of the cover. When the drops are big enough it will rain in the terrarium, returning the water to the earth. The Bog or Swamp Terrarium we created is partially closed rather than closed so we can feed the animals. For this reason, there will be some loss of humidity. It’s important to minimize the time that the cover is off so the rain cycle continues to function in an uninterrupted circular motion.