Vivarium Care & Maintenance Guide

Everything you need to keep your vivarium thriving — from daily checks to seasonal adjustments.

Maintenance Schedule

📅 Daily (2-3 minutes)

System Check: Verify the misting system ran its cycle. Check humidity is 60-80%.
Visual Check: Scan animals (frogs/geckos) for activity, bright colors, and proper positioning.
Temperature: Ensure ambient temp is 72-80°F. Critical for dart frogs: never exceed 80°F.
Reservoir: Top off the misting system water reservoir if low.
Admire: Take a moment to enjoy the ecosystem. Stress reduction goes both ways!

📅 Weekly (20-30 minutes)

Glass Cleaning: Clean interior and exterior glass. Use plain water—no chemicals.
Plant Health: Inspect for yellowing leaves. Trim dead growth to prevent mold.
Leaf Litter: Add a layer if it's getting thin. Isopods need it to survive.
Drainage Check: Ensure water isn't pooling above the substrate. It should drain into the false bottom.
Crew Check: Lift a piece of cork or bark. You should see isopods or springtails scurrying.

📅 Monthly (45-60 minutes)

Deep Clean: Scrub glass tracks and door hinges where algae builds up.
Pruning: Aggressive growers like Pothos or Creeping Fig can choke out lights. Prune hard.
Nozzle Maintenance: Check misting nozzles for clogs. Soak in vinegar if needed.
Supplements: Add calcium sources (cuttlebone) for isopods if your animals are high-calcium consumers.
Hardscape Check: Inspect silicone on wood/rock attachments to ensure nothing is loose.

📅 Seasonal / Quarterly

Winter: Home heating dries air. Increase misting frequency or duration. Adjust timers for shorter days (10-11 hours light).
Summer: High heat risk. Keep tanks away from windows. If room temp hits 78°F+, add a small computer fan for air circulation.
Springtail Boost: If the population dips, seed with a new culture to keep waste breakdown efficient.

"Is This Normal?" Troubleshooting

"There's mold growing on the wood/substrate"

YES. Totally normal in the first 1-3 months of setup. This is the food source for your cleanup crew. White or yellow fuzzy mold will disappear as isopods and springtails establish.

When to actually worry: If the mold is black or green slime and spreading aggressively after the 3-month mark. This usually indicates poor airflow or dead organic matter.

"I can't see my isopods anymore"

They are nocturnal and shy. During the day, they bury deep. Check at night with a red light, or lift a piece of wood.

When to actually worry: If you check at night and see absolutely zero movement. Causes: Too dry (add water), no food (add leaf litter), or predators (ants/centipedes).

"My plants are dying"

Acclimation shock is real. Some die-back is expected. However, browning Pothos usually means roots are too wet. Browning ferns usually mean air is too dry.

When to actually worry: If plants melt into slime quickly. Check your drainage layer—if it's full, the substrate is waterlogged.

"Humidity won't stay above 60%"

Vivariums are humid, but they aren't sealed greenhouses. Some fluctuation is natural.

When to actually worry: If it stays below 50% constantly. Check your misting nozzles (clogged?). Cover part of the screen top with acrylic or glass to trap moisture.

"My dart frog is sitting in the water dish"

They enjoy a soak. However, they also sit in water to cool down if they are overheating.

When to actually worry: If the ambient temperature is above 80°F. This is a medical emergency for dart frogs. Cool the tank immediately with frozen water bottles (outside) or a fan.

"There are tiny white bugs everywhere"

Springtails! They are the good guys. They eat mold and waste. Seeing them on the glass means the population is healthy and doing its job.

When to actually worry: Never. Unless they are mites (which move slower and are red/dots). Springtails jump; mites crawl.

When to Wait vs. When to Act

A quick framework to help you make decisions without panic.

🟢 Wait & Watch

Mold growth in the first 3 months (part of cycling).
Plants drooping slightly after planting/transplanting.
Isopods hiding during daylight hours.
Slight humidity fluctuations (55% one hour, 75% the next).

🔴 Act Now

Temperature reading above 80°F (heat stress).
Animal lethargic or not eating for 2+ weeks.
Foul "rotten egg" smell from substrate (anaerobic bacteria).
Standing water visible on top of the substrate (drainage failure).

Winter Care

Forced air heating is the enemy of humidity. Your misting system may need to run 1-2 extra cycles per day. Shorter daylight hours mean you should reduce your photoperiod to 10 hours to mimic the natural cycle and help plants rest.

Summer Care

Heat kills. Dart frogs and crested geckos can suffer organ failure at sustained 82°F+ temperatures. If your house gets warm, move the vivarium to the coolest room (basement). Do not rely on AC to cool a tank next to a sunny window.