Modular Octagonal Terrarium

Disclaimer, please read:
This terrarium is sized to fit on an i3 sized bed, this means its not large enough to house many animals. It is not large enough for any fish and the only amphibians that are suitable are very young frogs or newts as a temp growout.

This terrarium is designed with insects in mind, like small beetles, isopods, small mantids, jumping spiders etc. 

A bit about bioactive terratiums:

Insect keeping used to be very different, enclosures would need to be cleaned frequently and they were often full of fake plants and other decor.

These days a more natural option is preffered with a bioactive terrarium, which mimics the natural habbitat and ecosystem of the wild, where different creatures would help to keep the environment clean, and plants would use up the nutrients created.

This can be done by first having a false bottom, which this terrarium has built in, so water can drain away from the soil when watered and act as a resovoir when its needed. You will need to cover your false bottom with weed control fabric or similar to allow water to pass through but  keeps the soil in place. If you prefer to use gravel or expanded clay pellets, you dont need to print the false bottom, but I decided to design it in as part of the model so you have one less thing to have to buy/find.

Next is the substrate. This depends somewhat on the creature/s you wish to keep, but for most insects, a tropical mix works well. There are a few recipes online that people find success with, most contain sand, coco coir, chopped up sphagnum moss, orcid bark chips and charcaol all mixed together. This combo allows for drainage as well as water holding properties, allowing live plants to thrive and prevent compaction.

Once you have a substrate, you can add plants into it, the terrarium is designed with a deep base to allow for small plant roots, there is an extra deep option if you prefer. You can also add whatever botanicals and hardscape you like, wood, rocks, leaves, bark, pinecones, etc, which you can either buy online or in petshops, or collect from outside, just make sure to wash anything you collect. Moss makes for great cover and it will grow on various surfaces.

Now you need your cleanup crew. These are found in the form of tiny little insects called springtails, traditionaly these are white, but there are other colours coming onto the market now as well. These tiny little bouncy critters will eat mold and left over food and help keep everything clean.

This terrarium was inspired by isopods, also known as pill bugs, chucky pigs, wood lice and many other names. You can catch some from the wild, but there are also a huge variety you can buy online, in different colours, patterns and sizes. From “dairy cow" to ”rubber ducky" to “giant orange” your choice is huge!

Live plants need light, so make sure to put your terrarium in a place where natural light can find its way in, or place an LED light over it.

What you need:

For the basic model you will need to print one of each model in the 'standard' set, as well as 2 of the Connecting_Rings. The rings are best printed in PETG as the slightly more flexible fillament makes it easier to put together. The false bottom grid is optional, but I highly recomend some form of false bottom to allow water to drain away.

I printed mine with .8 nozzle to speed things up, but a .4 or .6 will work too. 

Make sure you clean up the parts, removing any strings or lumps, before putting together, the rings are supposed to be a very tight fit. You also need one each of the 3 frame parts, which fit over the opening for the front pannel. I designed the terrarium to use a 2L drink bottle for the window, however most bottles these days have some sort of pattern molded into them and theyre hard to work with. Any similar clear plastic should work. Print one of everything else marked ‘Standard’ and you will have all the parts for the basic version of the terrarium.

The base set lid has small holes in for air flow, I will be adding more options soon with more or less holes depending on how humid the terrarium needs to be. Its best printed in a clear fillament to allow light to pass through. Alternatively you can cut a piece of acrylic to act as the lid. 

You will also need:

Weed control fabric that allows water through.

Decor like wood, plants, moss, rocks, leaves etc.

Clear plastic for the front window.

Aquarium safe silicone if you want to glue everything together, however this isnt required.

Future ideas.

I plan to model different backgrounds to achieve different looks. Including the adition of a small water pump for the creation of water falls and moss walls etc.

I apreciate feedback as this project is a work in progress as I test it out and work out what aditions I can make to it.