Exo-terra questions
 

Hi all, this is my first post but I have been reading up a lot on the previous terrarium posts so far. I just have a few question about the Exo-terra setup since I plan to buy a 60x45x60 cm Exo-terra this weekend.

I don't know if I need a pump on the bottom of tank or not. I plan to put LECA on the bottom and then maybe some kind of other substrate over it (didn't decide on what yet). If there is no pump, will this water grow algae and/or become stale?

I want to get a mister, the local pet shop sells some kind of Haba Mister but it doesn't look very good and the reviews aren't good either. Habba Mist - Pet Supplies - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price - Review

The other option is to purchase a Mist King misting system. Where does this pump go and is it loud? Do people keep this pump outside the tank on the floor or on a shelving unit?

If you have this misting system, do you need to separately water the plants? I guess the answer might be how much you are misting and etc...but don't you also need to fertilize them as well?

Last but not least, if you buy this misting system, can you put a separate tube under the gravel and hook this up to the same pump for the misting system and run it in reverse whenever you need to remove some of the water at the bottom of the tank?

Thanks and sorry if this is not clear enough!

if you can afford it go with the mist king system. personally i like to use the one with the pressure adjuster. i use LECA and put some sphag on top of it but i don't water enough that the LECA gets soaked. if marty tells you anything about terrariums LISTEN to him! he knows what he is doing. also look at some of the pics of marty's terrariums in his gallery.

I just looked at the misting systems and I can afford to get the advanced system (I need 220V), but when I add the shipping, it is double the price! I end up paying the same amount for the shipping as the unit. Regretfully, I think I have to find some other options.

That happens a lot. I use a MistKing system and yes it was expensive, and yes the shipping was high (maybe not as high as for you) but now more than a year later I really don't remember how much everything cost! All I know is, yes it is very quiet. Marty is the best as for support and help. I bought the best grade pump and am glad I did. I am thinking of adding a second tank to the setup and the pump will handle it. I also got the interval timer and that helps a lot to keep water usage down. The pump and reservoir go outside the tank I use an old Drywall plaster bucket as the reservoir and it works great. A lard bucket, or equivilant would also work fine. If the tank is on a stand, the whole setup (pump, timer, reservoir) could go under stand and a cloth apron hide the setup.

Has anyone tried this one?
 

This is the misting system they had at the local pet shop:
SuperRain Reptile Vivarium Misting System by: Lucky Reptile - Cornish

Has anyone tried this one? The pump was very loud, but they said they've had it running for 6 months now with no problems. They also have a humidity controller that can be hooked up to this which can turn on and off the misting system based on the humidity levels. Does anyone think this is a bad idea? The minimum "on" times for the misting system is 1 minute though, might be too long for a small tank...any comments?

1 minute is very long time. I mist for 5 seconds every 4 hours and it easily maintains 90%+ humidity. 1 minute would use a lot of water and produce a lot of water in bottom of tank. I never have to drain my tank, even though it has a drain.

Is there a way to prevent "gunk" from building up or growing in the bottom if I plan to put LECA and maybe some moss? I've read that people haven't had any problems, but I'm skeptical about this...does anyone have any comments? Thanks again!

I doubt it. The tanks folks are building where the bottom stays permanent are really terrariums or vivariums where animals live. The "gunk" is a good thing there as it fertilizes the substrate. You will most likely end up with lots of algal buildup due to the high amount of light and moisture. Most frog tanks are misted lightly a couple times a day. Your orchid tank will need more frequent misting (just not a minute long.) Hope this helps, somewhat.