Indoor enclosure

NDevon

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Off the shelf misting system or making something yourself? They done seem to get great reviews all the sets I can find online, same with foggers. I like the idea (in a large room like yours) of using a garden irrigation system, they last for years and are so easy to customise.
 

Anyfoot

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Off the shelf misting system or making something yourself? They done seem to get great reviews all the sets I can find online, same with foggers. I like the idea (in a large room like yours) of using a garden irrigation system, they last for years and are so easy to customise.
Not 100% which way I'm going with that yet. I looked at MistKing. I've also seen in our local butterfly house they use a standard irrigation system. I wanted originally to have a holding tank with overflow on it going outside. But with rain coming in off the roof, and also piped to mains on a buoy for dry periods. Trouble is apparently rain water can block up the nozzles over time. So I think mist King with mains only. Our water is not hard water either.
 

Anyfoot

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Not 100% which way I'm going with that yet. I looked at MistKing. I've also seen in our local butterfly house they use a standard irrigation system. I wanted originally to have a holding tank with overflow on it going outside. But with rain coming in off the roof, and also piped to mains on a buoy for dry periods. Trouble is apparently rain water can block up the nozzles over time. So I think mist King with mains only. Our water is not hard water either.
Nearly forgot, also I don't want to be spraying cold water.(just to make the maths simple). If I had a 200ltr tank and sprayed 20ltr in the enclosure daily. 90% of the water would be at room temp in the tank with a 10% top up mixed in of cold fresh water.
This way I won't be spraying cold water but also replacing with fresh water constantly. Well that's the theory.
If I did use the rain water idea, the temperature would be out of my control, unless you get more complicated with heating elements. Not worth it.
 

Anyfoot

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Finally got my adults in the new enclosure,Still some minor things to complete in here, I'm going to put a double set of vinyl curtains on each of those doors so they can go in and out as they please without loosing to much heat from indoors. Getting things to grow is proving hard, but I think its irrelevant anyway, they've only been in there 2 hrs and eaten or demolished all weeds. Think I'll have to go to plan B for food plants, grow stuff out of reach. I could have squash growing out of window boxes trailing down for example. The grape vines,fig tree and hibiscus just need to develop more, that hibiscus does keep blooming from time to time. Flowers look almost to good to feed.
Sprinklers are on a timer.

Anyway, here's a few photos

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jorg

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How did you made that pond? Do you have pictures from the build-off?
 

Anyfoot

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How did you made that pond? Do you have pictures from the build-off?
I thought I had put it in this thread. I'll have to dig out some photos when I get a minute. Ha that's a laugh, 'when I get a minute'. :D
I'll have a look later @jorg.
 

Anyfoot

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How did you made that pond? Do you have pictures from the build-off?
The latest photo is not that up to date but here you go. It's a constant battle getting them not to eat the foliage, so I'm now in the process of finding out which plants they don't like so I can put them in there. Yes you heard me correctly, I'm looking for plants they have no interest in. Lol. Up to now I found one they won't eat. They just trampled on it instead. :D. Funny animals these redfoots, make me laugh. They ain't as daft as we think.
IMG_20161003_185603.jpg IMG_20161003_185016.jpg IMG_20160828_161348.jpg IMG_20161209_183259.jpg IMG_20161027_144234.jpg
 

Slow and steady

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I just happened across this thread. Absolutely spectacular. It's warming to know there are people out there who pour their souls into these simple little creatures we love.
 

Lyn W

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It really is incredible Craig.
Only one thing missing I think - a nice comfy bench so that you can spend hours just sitting in there watching them!
 

Anyfoot

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As far as plants go, the reasons I have problems are, they eat them and trample on them, lighting, humidity, and plant feed. I can stop the eating,trampling and I've sorted out the lighting a bit better, although I am still better growing plants that don't require full sun and like humidity, for example that money tree is growing very very well for now which is native to SA I believe.
If the plants survive tortoise stampedes they grow to certain size then stop, this has to be because they have used up all the nutrients out of the original compost they were in. I've noticed my fig plant has stopped at about 5ft and leaves are falling off. I'm guessing eventually my money tree will stop growing too.
So it's down to feed, over time, feces,urine,leaf litter and the rotting of orchid bark and Cyprus mulch will all add to the natural cycle of nutrients going back into the soil, not to forget the bugs/insects in their.
What I'm thinking is to stick a tube down to the root ball of each plant, so I can feed down the tube. But what would be safe to feed? Do I just put a mix of nutrients in the tube and keep watering them, over time they should drink the nutrients with the water I periodically add to the tube.
 

Yvonne G

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It might be ok to dig some fish emulsion into the soil??????
 

Anyfoot

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WOW, just looked at this thread. Tortoise poop water can be a good fertilizer. WOW.
Cheers Will, this was on my list of thoughts, and will definitely be the best and most convenient answer to my problem.
 

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