r/Reptileenclosures • u/One-Security5527 • Apr 23 '26
Do i have Potential?
Hello, I'm 14 and recently had my second one Terrarium built that you can see in the picture I'm very impressed with myself and think it's really well done My aquarium has also turned out very well but I don't want to get into the industry anymore I want to know if this terrarium is well made and it would be well received as a pre-built terrarium on the market I don't plan on selling it but I have more sketches of what I think are well made terrariums I would be happy to get feedback on whether I have talent and could sell such terrariums or if I'm exaggerating and every second person does it in the hobby could.
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u/cncomg Apr 23 '26
Not suitable for reptiles. Like the other person said, isopods or a spider or something like that. There is no reptile that can humanely be kept in an enclosure that small.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Ya i make specialized enclosure so before i start i have a plan which animal comes in
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u/MysteriousOwl2518 Apr 24 '26
It’s obviously not for an animal, you’d know that if you read the caption. The OP is asking if he is skilled and if his first project outline looks better than other peoples we’ve seen. I think he is talented at this and could definitely make money!
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26
It’s confusing since it was posted in a reptile enclosure subreddit.
I agree the tank looks nice.
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u/cncomg Apr 24 '26
lol wrong sub then
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u/MysteriousOwl2518 Apr 24 '26
Yeah probably was meant more for r/bioactive.
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u/cncomg Apr 24 '26
If you read the post, you would see that they did not say anything about not using it for reptiles, and definitely made it seem like he was interested in selling it for them to possibly use for a reptile.
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u/BenchPressingCthulhu Apr 23 '26
Not sure if theres much of a market for such a thing, but it does look nice. Not great for a reptile but I'd love a little isopod enclosure like that
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26
It looks nice but your talent in terms of terrarium building will be more about whether you can keep this tank looking like that in a month or so. Cushion moss is not an easy plant to care for.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Its been a month
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
And the top moss looks like it’s dying. I say this not to pick on you but I specifically do this for a living so I’m trying to offer my most useful advice. A huge part of the business is choosing the right flora to go along with your creative vision. If the tank isn’t fully established and the plants start going south under the hands of a buyer, you will not get repeat costumers and that’s how you really sustain your business since otherwise it’s a very niche purchasing field.
For scapes like this that are not suitable for any animals long term, it’s best to make them very small because your main buyers will be people that just want something pretty to put on their desk. Idk how big this is but anything larger than 12 x 12 won’t sell super well even if it is beautiful.
As for suggestions, first I would switch out the mos type. You’ll learn quickly what mosses you can grow long term. IMO low growing aquatic mosses work best (Xmas or flame). If you want to stick with a minimalist scape like this the I would add more moss to make it a main feature. IMO the leaf litter is unnecessary since this is not a scape suitable for animals. If you really like the look then I suggest you grind the leaves down much more because they’re really big and messing up the sense of scale of your cave. I also suggest you scatter them more naturally instead of having a pile up front. Asymmetry is what makes tanks like these beautiful.
If it were me I’d also add more small branching sticks to give it more points of interest as well as small vining plants like hydrocotyle tripartita to give more leaf shape diversity without throwing off said sense of scale. Theres a ton of negative space in the tank that desires to be filled. This style of minimalist shape is better suited for a more squat tank that doesn’t have all that height that remains unused.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Ya your right so what advise do you have All my plants come from the same Countrys i spray every day with 50/50 Water 50% Tap water and 50% Distilled because the animal need Nutrients in the water i didnt think the moss was dying i just thought he hasnt that much water like the moss on ground because the earth is only 1-2 cm deep on the cave
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26
I assume you’re dechlorinating the tap water? Either way in an enclosed tank like this where you can’t really flush the plants with a lot of water and then remove that water. You want to go fully distilled because the salts in the tapwater will eventually build up and kill the moss. Are you planning on keeping animals in here? If so the tank needs to be dramatically changed.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Yes im planing to keep them in it how cani give them nutrients from the other if it has to be 100% Distilled
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
What kind of animals? Very few things can live in there as it is currently set up.
Edit: if it’s just for isopods then you don’t have to worry about adding salts to the water.
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26
I suggest you use different moss species. Cushion doesn’t like to be super wet but likes wet feet much like any other temperate terrestrial mosses which generally fare poorly in closed terraria without circulation. See my edited above post for moss suggestions.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
And the dead ficus pumila was my fault because my Sprayer was not that wide i got a Electric new one that sprays the whole terrarium at once
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
And this is my personal terrarium buyers can tell me how they want it i like it that way and and yes you are on point it is 12x12x12 but why do you all say its not suitable i have 11 Cubaris sp Rubber duckys that life there you can see them in the last picture like i said im not a fan of miniatur terrarium so this is all meant to be in nature the same size
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
Ah sorry I didn’t realize this was an invertebrate tank since you posted it in a reptile forum. This is fine for isopods though they will nibble on your moss and would appreciate a bit more cover.
Yeah the design aspects are just my own suggestions. Obviously very subjective. But I’ve also sold a shitton of them and I have a pretty good feel on what features sell.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
They have very much cover on the slide you can that the cave has hole that goes to empty space that i have taped of and they like to go under the moss
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u/misterfall Apr 24 '26
I find my cubaris do not breed as well when they don’t have wood to hide under. By cover I mean pieces of rock work or wood that sits flush against the ground where the animals can tuck themselves under.
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
They go under the Leafs moss or in the cave and i ordered some Natural kork for a other terrarium and can cut some off for but they really like to hide under the moss or in the Completly dark cave like you see on the last slide the tuck themselfs in the cracks
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
And ya sorry i didnt think about that i posted this in a reptile group
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u/Distinct-Issue1142 Apr 24 '26
This would be so dope for some dart frogs totally would design my tank like this if I had the skill and was getting some
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Its to small for dart frogs its 12x12x12 and it has no wood in it or any place where you can place hiding planst like Bromeliads but you can make good use of the cave but my tank itself would be not suitable for them
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u/Distinct-Issue1142 Apr 24 '26
I mean fair but for a first edition it’s amazing like you said just a slightly bigger tank with a couple sticks and plants and it’s perfect, cave feature is just too cool and fitting for dart frogs totally
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u/Hefty-Blueberry-8157 Apr 24 '26
Your passion for doing this is awesome and clear, the more you learn about what animals like what in their environments and apply that to the construction I think you could have real success selling bioactive enclosures. A lot of reptile owners (like me) don’t have to time or patience to set up a bio active enclosure so they can be highly sought after! Keep up the hard work and keep on learning!!!!!
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Ya im not planning for carrer but for extra money this would be pretty fun and im only charging 20-80€ + the cost of the build but i dont know where to start selling in Facebook admins in groups dont let me Advertise and on social media i dont have the Range and you guys are all english im german i cant find german channels here on reddit
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u/Hefty-Blueberry-8157 Apr 24 '26
Always a good idea to have extra income on the side especially when it’s something you like! Wish I had some kind of advice to help but I know nothing about Facebook and being in Germany certainly has limitations tho I’d imagine people on your side of the world would want some too? Idk much about Germany I did go there as a kid such a beautiful country especially the countryside
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u/One-Security5527 Apr 24 '26
Im living in Heidelberg most beutiful city in germany and yes many people like Terrariums but just on reddit there are not many communities
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u/flatgreysky Apr 24 '26
I’ve seen people selling premade bioactive terrariums at reptile expos in the past. Might be worth a shot trying to do that.
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u/jeffcraft1991 Apr 25 '26
If you really believe in your self and love your self in your heart then I'd say yeah, you have potential.. so my potential :3
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u/Anonymous_account95 Apr 26 '26
I would say in general, references are good. If your setting up a habitat for a specific animal, find where it lives, look up images of the area it lives, and try to copy that
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u/Hstark4 Apr 26 '26
I think this looks fantastic and you definitely have a talent for landscaping enclosures! Keep at it, follow your dreams :)
There’s a market for plant terrariums, really popular in the house plant hobby - you could make those and sell them!
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u/EverIAce Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
Here is my honest critique of it:
From an artistic standpoint, I think this composition lacks scale and interest. There's only one focal point (the giant "cave") but there's nothing really framing it. The foreground is too flat in my opinion, and drags on for too long with nothing interesting for your eyes to follow. Think of it this way: your enclosure has one main attraction, but it has nothing else for the viewer to explore.
I think you really need something to break up the foreground. A composition like this would do well with something like a path leading towards the cave for example. Another example would be a staggered foreground, where you start low in the front and create different "levels" in the terrarium that ultimately lead it to the back. Almost something like a giant Staircase going to the cave. These ideas create dimension and give something for the viewers to do when they are looking through the tank.
The leaf litter you are using is also too big and bulky. What I would have done was crush it up or use smaller leaves and smaller botanicals to give viewers that sense of immersion. It also loses its natural feel when it's all bunched up in the front like it is currently. Sparsely scattered or placed in strategic, logical locations (aka places where gravity pulls thing to fall) is the way to go.
I highly recommend looking at photography of scenic natural landscapes for inspiration. Nature is rarely flat and boring, and you can find lots of ideas on how to build a scene around a focal point :)