DIY Terrarium Design Ideas

The feature of waterfalls or drip wall gives a visual presentation that increases the esthetic look of a terrarium. Essentially, it aids in maintaining increased humidity levels that are required for tending most tropical species of amphibians. Some owners observe that water elements even encourage breeding in particular species. The next paragraphs will touch on tips for making drip walls or small-scale waterfalls on your terrarium taking into account future expansion.

Before building the waterfall, make a plan of what you will do first. You can sketch the idea of your drip wall just to concretize it a little. Mull over where you want the water to flow, of course, water always seeks its own level. The elevation of the boundaries has to be considered. Drip walls are indicated for terrariums that are basically eighteen inches high. Anything below that will make it hard to do, even unrealistic.

Consider the submersible pumps that you are going to use. These can be bought in fountain pump dealers online. The specifications of your pump depend on the height of your drip wall. The unit of measure in the US being used for rating pumps is gallons per hour or GPH. The higher the GPH the more powerful is the pump.

There are ready-made water installations that can be purchased at pet shops or companies that specialize in containment supply. But they are only good for terrariums that are not permanent such as during trade shows. These look very artificial and are not advisable if your set up is not temporary.

By placing a submerged pump inside the environment under the drainage substrate (dirt, sand, rocks, or gravel), the water element could be created. This method is the easy way, no drilling, no hiding. But the disadvantage is when the pump needs fixing, you have to take out everything, gravel, rocks, animals, and all. Remember to place a filter fiber over the pump intake so that clogging won't occur. An alternate method to the above set up is to place a false bottom directly above the pump.

Another design is constructing a sump below or beside the terrarium to house the pump. With this set up, accessing the pump is trouble-free but you have to drill two holes for the pump tubes to go through. You have this done at glass shops for just a minimal cost. Just make sure the glass used for the terrarium is not made of tempered glass, otherwise, it will shatter when drilled upon.

The last design concept is to use a canister filter. This is also located outside for easy access and removes waste particles from the water.

If you are a busy or lazy plant lover, terrarium is a perfect way of keeping some live plants in your home. Miniature garden in glass container or bowl looks very decorative and requires no fuss the regular plants in potting soil do. Just remember to water every once in a while and take care of flowers that grow too big or die.

The lowest maintenance kinds of mini garden are the tall, lidless ones. Plant growth is slower in them. Another choice is the glass container with a lid which makes a stylish centerpiece on your coffee table. Just remember to clean the algae buildup from the glass when it appears.

The most decorous terrariums are the ones designed on a certain theme: bottom of the ocean, ancient civilization, mini landscape etc. If you decide to create one by yourself, don't forget to put some pebbles or aquarium charcoal on the bottom first or your plants might start rotting in standing water. Small orchids, begonias and air plants are excellent choice of species for glass environment.

If not, the comfortable, easy way is to purchase terraria in a specialized store. Then, all you need to do is -- to pick a perfect spot and enjoy watching this wondrous mini nature for months... until some rearranging is needed.