@Missy King
I agree with you. I have a hard time seeing how a tank can be to big for a well established young adult. A juvenile or new addition, yes (I have experience with that) but not an established adult. Plus, I got it for a good price ($75).

As far as the compost leaves go it would only be a thin layer (1/2" to 1/4") and would be about 4" down. I'm not sure about the smell, but in theory health problems shouldn't be a problem. In theory, beneficial bacteria and fungus will form on the decomposing leaves and around the roots of the plants contained in the terrarium. These beneficial bacteria and fungi will break down the bad bacteria and biological material from the cleaning crew turning it into beneficial food for the plants.


@Kitedemon
Ya, I've been researching this for about 6 months now. The only problem is that I've been doing it with the intention of housing crested geckos and not a snake, so now I'm having to change gears a little bit. As far as plants go I've been growing half of the plants I plan on using in a 10 gal. "test tank" that I originally planned to use as a starter tank for cresties. As far as water according to what I've read the setup I'm doing with the plants I'm using only requires watering about 2 to 3 times a week and maybe an occasional misting. As far as the clean up crew goes like I said when I read about this it was with the intention of keeping cresties who both eat more often and therefore dedicate more often. If I could get away with not using one that would be great, my only concern would be the breaking down of the compost layer and lack of nutrients being released into the soil and the soil eventually growing stagnant. Like I said though, if I could get away with one that'd be great. If you could guide me toward some information on this I'd be very grateful.

I havent read the book you mentioned, but definetly will look into it. I have however read a book called "Natural Terrariums" (go figure) cover to cover more than once. It is a great beginner book, and does a great job of breaking down the different types of habitats such as: desert, savanah, woodland, swamp/ partial water, the requirements for each one and which animals are suited for each one. If you are interested though you should definitely look into it. I'm kinda OCD myself when it comes to growing plants and getting things in the right place. I've been surprised though at how resilient the plants are that I'm growing now.