# Planted vivarium help



## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

I'd like to turn my rankins dragon viv into a planted vivarium. Not too many plants as they'll destroy them, but if anyone has any ideas of robust plants that might not get ruined straight away please let me know! 
Next question - the base of the viv is not deep enough to have hydroleca with a layer of substrate on top. Does this mean i cant really do it, or is it perfectly okay to just have substrate only?

What do you suggest i use as the substrate? Can i get away with just using eco earth type stuff, or do i need compost? How easy is it to find compost without additives?


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi mate, 

You want a sandy type substrate for your rankins, I use hogging mixed with clay and sand in my beardie viv, you can use either the hogging clay mix, or hogging on it's own, or sand, or a combination of some or all, this is how I made my mix,



















This is it going in.










How it looks dry.










As for the plants, go for Carex Buchananii grass, plant it in small pots, I have fixed my pots to thin 6"x6" peaces of hard board burried under the substrate so my beardie can't tip them over.










Hope this gives you some ideas.

Jay


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Pogona Vitticeps ('Bearded Dragons'/'Inland Bearded Dragons') require a sandy substrate, however Pogona Henrilawsoni ('Rankins Dragons'/'Dwarf Beardies'/'Black Earth Beardies'/Lawsons Dragons') inhabit a different biotype to Pogona Vitticeps. I'm not going to argue, but if you take a look at maps etc of the distribution of the different beardie species, you will notice that P. Henrilawsoni live in an area that has a rainforest edge kind of thing going on. The aussies call them 'black earth beardies' because the earth is mixed with all kinds of rotting vegitaion - wood, leaves etc. 

Thanks for your insight, but i want a live vivarium, not a vivarium with plant pots in. Ben


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Mujician said:


> Pogona Vitticeps ('Bearded Dragons'/'Inland Bearded Dragons') require a sandy substrate, however Pogona Henrilawsoni ('Rankins Dragons'/'Dwarf Beardies'/'Black Earth Beardies'/Lawsons Dragons') inhabit a different biotype to Pogona Vitticeps. I'm not going to argue, but if you take a look at maps etc of the distribution of the different beardie species, you will notice that P. Henrilawsoni live in an area that has a rainforest edge kind of thing going on. The aussies call them 'black earth beardies' because the earth is mixed with all kinds of rotting vegitaion - wood, leaves etc.
> 
> Thanks for your insight, but i want a live vivarium, not a vivarium with plant pots in. Ben


:lol2:

Jay


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

jabba1967 said:


> :lol2:
> 
> Jay


? Whats so funny ?


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Mujician said:


> ? Whats so funny ?


You, I didn't realize you were going to be so anal :lol2:

But hey, you don't have to go with my advice, go with someone else's... Oh wait, no one else has posted :hmm:

I know, while we wait for the posts to come flooding in, why don't we play a game, I will post some pics of the "black soil" habitat, and then some pics of pogona, all you have to do is tell me which pogona belongs in central Australia, and which ones belong to the black soil regions





































Now the lizards





































It seems I can Google too.

Good luck with the build

Jay


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Bump. 

Hey Ben, I've just bumped you're thread, it was starting to slide a little, but hey, not long now, I'm sure the answers are on their way...just a little longer hey : victory:

Jay


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## cordylidae (Nov 2, 2008)

:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:

the carex buchanni was a good idea you could try potted orchids submerged into the sutrate they dont need particaurly high rh even ficus can surviv at abot 50% rh for subtarte use a mixute of sand soil and eco earth and then you be able to put plants in but the more plant you have the higher the humiditys going to be


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Mujician said:


> Pogona Vitticeps ('Bearded Dragons'/'Inland Bearded Dragons') require a sandy substrate, however Pogona Henrilawsoni ('Rankins Dragons'/'Dwarf Beardies'/'Black Earth Beardies'/Lawsons Dragons') inhabit a different biotype to Pogona Vitticeps. I'm not going to argue, but if you take a look at maps etc of the distribution of the different beardie species, you will notice that P. Henrilawsoni live in an area that has a rainforest edge kind of thing going on. The aussies call them 'black earth beardies' because the earth is mixed with all kinds of rotting vegitaion - wood, leaves etc.
> 
> Thanks for your insight, but i want a live vivarium, not a vivarium with plant pots in. Ben





rase0121 said:


> :lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:
> 
> the carex buchanni was a good idea you could try potted orchids submerged into the sutrate they dont need particaurly high rh even ficus can surviv at abot 50% rh for subtarte use a mixute of sand soil and eco earth and then you be able to put plants in but the more plant you have the higher the humiditys going to be


:lol2: No no no, our friend Ben doesn't want "potted plants" now you're in trouble, prepair for a tongue lashing

Jay


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