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Good basic book recommendation?

Posted by chaznsc 7 (My Page) on
Tue, Apr 11, 06 at 21:01

I am looking for a "bible" of sorts on terrarium culture. Any recommendations? I am not interested in snakes, etc, maybe frogs, but mostly plants.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

Well youve found it! All you have to do is read through the post, or use the "search" button on the bottom of the page, there you will find answers to just about any question you might have! I started on terrariums about three years ago and have found this site to be a wealth of info! It might take a bit for most members to answer due to the fact that most work and have families but they will answer! =) Im here almost every day but Im not half as knowledgable as most of the others on this site, so, ask away, and as mentioned, someone will answer =)If you really feel the need for a book just wait a bit and you will recieve an answer to that question too =)


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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

Hi
Have never found a good general book on Terrariums as you would on Aquariums.I suppose the reason is that there are just too many kinds.They can range from desert to high altitude tropical to temperate not to mention Biospheres ,bottle gardens ,paludariums and on and on.
The easiest by far are the lowland tropical types with plants and animals that compliment the temp ranges.
What kind did you have in mind??
gary


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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

I started out with a library book titled "Newts and salamanders : everything about selection, care, nutrition, diseases, breeding, and behavior" by Frank Indiviglio. It has good information on planting a terrarium. Also cut and paste into your browser http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/hort/g06520.htm


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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

I do old books searches (such as the time life series excellent by the way) now at amazon (used to be biblio find but amazon bought them out) and have a nice collection of older books on the subject. Some on ferns, terrariums, light gardening (indoor - part of time life series) rock gardening (time life series) they are much better then what I can find currently for the most part.

(I just went to Amazon, and tried to do a search, didn't do so well, they have changed much. I know also that my nyc local garden club or horticultural society also had a library of these older books.)

Here are links I've compiled over the years. (not edited)

many wonderful sites. Best Sherry

Number one Dutch Vivarium site:
http://www.vivaria.nl/home/intro.html
Special projects from above:
http://www.vivaria.nl/photogallery/photoprojects/photoprojects.html
Great site:
http://www.victri.net/tanks/vivarium_2005-06-20.html
Amazing vivarium site, and how to, nicely videotaped?
http://imageevent.com/audiomaster/tincvivarium
His first project (from above):
http://imageevent.com/audiomaster/40gallonhexagon/

Fantastic driftwood (and I thought the wood I found at Cresent city CA and in redwoods was fantastic)
http://www.amazonmoosey.com/swampwood1.htm

other wood source (moss on as well) and other products
http://www.blackjungle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BJTS&Category_Code=WFWH

Amazing strange and highly unusual woods - twisted, viney so on... extremely unusual from around the world:
http://ecoterrariumsupply.com/index.php
Garden Web Forums (small membership fee but well worth it)
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/
http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0412a.php#2
http://www.greenchapter.com/view.php?pg=0&tp=0&id=28&vp=pic_100.jpg&vs=11
http://home.att.net/~a.j.calisi/moss.html
http://www.kingsnake.com/
http://www.museumrock.com/sculptural_fountains.htm
Backgrounds:
http://shell.world-net.co.nz/~jenniefield/

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_other_netmax_styro.htm
http://www.back-to-nature.de/aquaristik.htm
http://www.chamberlain.dk/?eid=2&seid=&overskr=Background
http://www.rockandwater.com/

http://p088.ezboard.com/fboroniaaquariuminteractivepagesfrm14.showMessage?topicID=3.topic
http://www.geocities.com/~amazingaquaria/fiftyp.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~Tropic_Cove/aquariums/totgb.html
http://www.urdls.com/
http://www.blackjungle.com/

Orchidarium
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/terrarium/msg010323113138.html

Vivarium:
http://imageevent.com/audiomaster/40gallonhexagon
Very very large vivarium:
http://www.poison-frogs.nl/e0302.html
Collection of vivariums from various members from around the world:
http://www.wildsky.net/vivarium/evivariu.htm

How to make from same sourse above:
http://www2a.biglobe.ne.jp/~wild-sky/vivarium/nfrraz050127.htm
A variety of vivariuns and other things, parts work some out of date, but useful:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kenuy/pVIVARIA.htm
Great site, many photos.... how to:
http://www.poison-frogs.nl/e03.html

Loads of information of all types:
http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/articles/tropicalterrarium.html
http://www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html
Rubber 'lining' for use to safely seal wood so on:

http://www.sanitred.com/WaterFountain.htm
Source for bowls so on and other products from UK, but have ready made vivariums, so as to get ideas from (unusual shapes as well):
http://www.paraquatics.co.uk/paraquatics online.html?target=dept_30.html&lang=en-gb

Planted driftwood/rocks:
http://www.poison-frogs.nl/e0302.html
http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

Plants (bog so on) and many other things ie substrate material:
http://www.azgardens.com/newterra2.php
Moss:
http://www.mossacres.com/acc_retention_gel.asp

Interesting use of 'laterite' for backgound:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Kumar_Imagination.html
http://www.mistking.com/

Misters:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=8&pCatId=9738

Reptile page/wood so on:

http://reptilecity.econgo.com/?BODY=cat/c17274.1.esl&SID=334bf4a308b0
Ferns:
http://www.glasshouseworks.com/fernpage.html

Misc: Aquarium and many other types (bio) entered in competition:
http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2000.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=2&id=36

Heating pads for reptiles, misters misc:
http://www.pro-products.com/
Lights:
http://www.arcadia-uk.com/en/230compactlampreflectors.html

Misc products hydroponics you never know what you'll find - fine site:
http://www.growhere.com/insectcontrol/wettablesulphur.htm
Mosses, algaies and many other things re to aquariums:
http://groups.msn.com/LyreTailsAquarium/plantsandalgae1.msnw
Amazing and some strange plants:
http://home.att.net/~a.j.calisi/plants.html

Think I posted before (getting late) huge aquarium/terrarium and many others:
http://www.greenchapter.com/view.php?pg=0&tp=0&id=28&vp=pic_100.jpg&vs=11
Links to many other links:
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/aquarium_all_links.html


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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

  • Posted by shireen Baltimore, MD/7 (My Page) on
    Sat, Oct 21, 06 at 19:54

Hi ...
couple of months ago, I had the same question so I did a search, and came up with these 3 books:
Bottle Gardens by Roger Grounds
Terraria and Bottle Gardens by William Davidson
House Plants and Bottle Gardens: Step By Step to Growing Success by I. Murray

They were all available at used bookstores via alibris.com.
I've received the first book by Grounds. It covers the basics, very valuable for a newbie like me. But experienced terrarium growers may find it too simple. The other 2 books haven't arrived yet.


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RE: Good basic book recommendation?

There is actually a new e-book available on this subject. It also covers care of all the various frogs you can keep in terrariums, but you can always skip those parts. It is very thorough, and has some good photos. Here's the URL: http://www.pet-frog-secrets.com/prelaunch.htm
I don't know how much it costs, because I got a free copy, because I got a photo of my tank published in the book, but I was quite impressed when I read the book. I haven't come across a wealth of information on terrariums in any other book. And you might say I'm biased, because they published one of my photos, but it's actually not a great photo, in my opinion, and I'm not sure why they picked it instead of some of my other ones, so I'm really not trying to toot my own horn. I also won't get anything if you do buy the book. However, if you never intend to keep a frog in your terrarium, then a book on bottle gardens is probably just fine, as well as all of the info. on this site and the others mentioned above. Good luck!


 
 

 

 


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