My Madagascar Inspired Mantella Paludarium

[Fishies_in_Philly]

Ok, sk you guys are suggesting that i, to paraphrase don's post in another forum, go jurassic on this tank's butt and raise co2 levels to the point of prehistoric times when staghorn ferns grew bigger than most people's houses....lol i can do that. In fact, i'll set it up tonight.

That's why i love this forum. Not only sound opinions/advice, but data!! I once heard an expression and i use it to this day...."in God we trust, all others must show me the data!"

Thanks again guys!!

[lbacha]

You may want to check you plant list before you go this route, many of the tropicals people put in tanks get huge under ideal conditions and you may actually be quickening the invitable. My tank is full of small aroids from Borneo and let me tell you some arn't staying so small in this tank. I have considered CO2 but my reason is to get it into the water column. I have a lot of moving water and struggle to grow plants quickly in the water section.


Len

[Fishies_in_Philly]

you bring up an excellent point Len. the only aroid i have is a pink nephthytis. i know these CAN grow huge, but i am hoping that with proper trimming, i can keep it smallish the plants i have in there are all true terrarium plants, according to my plant gurus, but what do they know, they never built anything like this before....lol i am still learning about tropical terrestrials, so i'm thinking i may go with the 14 hour light cycle, but skip on the co2. i was actually concerned about the length of my light cycle and algae due to there being very little flow in this setup.

if you can recommend any plants, i would truly appreciate it. the plants i chose were to be temporary so that i could start cycling the system. springtails and isopods are going in in a few weeks after the next local reptile show.

[Fishies_in_Philly]

ok, so Len posted something in his thread that struck a chord. no more talk of accelerated growth. back to the 12 hour photo period. it is what it is. it will take however long it takes to grow this tank in. Thanks for the perspective Len

ok, a different matter. when i designed this tank, it was to sort of fulfill a nagging urge to have a crypt tank that featured as many ways to grow crypts as possible. yes, you can say i have a crypt fetish. now, i have a spot that i planned for a crypt, but i'm still not sure what species to put in that spot. i stuck the a. angustfolia in there to fill space. here is the location:



i am already housing in this tank, c. nurii, c. nurii 'pahang', c. zukalii, c. wendtii 'mi oya', c. cordata 'thailand', and one or two more commons i bought long ago and forgot which was which was which after they went to brown. in my 75 i have a c. hudoroi and c. x purpurea and c. affinis in another tank. question is, what species do you guys think will look good in that spot. i was growing out the c. hudoroi for it, but i think it will be too large. any suggestions? it doesn't have to be something i have, i'm good with adding to the collection. i was actually thinking a c. cordata 'rosanervig". (is it a cordata? i forget)
maybe a c. nurii 'rompin'?

anyways, here a fts i took tonight, i guess you can see i have been tweaking things around a bit.

[crazydaz]

Oh sure, when LENNY says something, you instantaneously change your mind! I see how it is!

Not bad points, by any means. I was simply answering your questions as to how to go about getting an accelerated growth rate. I never said that you "should" though. jk!

Looks great. May become as good looking as Len's set up, to be honest. Get that damned thermometer out of my viewing area!!!

[lbacha]

+1 on the thermometer, lol.. It's looking good and only just planted, I'm glad someone else is going this route as well most people with tanks like this focus on frogs and such so plants are secondary it will be nice to see how someone who is focused on the plant side like me deals with some of the issues that come up (black fungus, aphids, etc.), I do like your water area and it's making think mine is a little plain, I have to decide if I continue to let the C keei fill in or add some other species for a mixed bag, I have 4 or 5 C bullosa that may find a nice home in there. Keep up the pics and make sure you ventilate the tank as you will have issues with some of the plants.

Len


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[Fishies_in_Philly]

For Don:

Hey!! i got yer termomater right hea pally!!!



is this gooder???



and thanks guys, i appreciate it. and Don, if i was looking for accelerated growth, doesn't it show you got me thinking as well??LOL

so what about that spot guys? i'm now thinking maybe an emergent plant like a hygro? maybe a persicaria?

[Fishies_in_Philly]

Originally Posted by lbacha

+1 on the thermometer, lol.. It's looking good and only just planted, I'm glad someone else is going this route as well most people with tanks like this focus on frogs and such so plants are secondary it will be nice to see how someone who is focused on the plant side like me deals with some of the issues that come up (black fungus, aphids, etc.), I do like your water area and it's making think mine is a little plain, I have to decide if I continue to let the C keei fill in or add some other species for a mixed bag, I have 4 or 5 C bullosa that may find a nice home in there. Keep up the pics and make sure you ventilate the tank as you will have issues with some of the plants.

Len


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oh, i learned a lot about ventilation in my 125. i also learned a lot about how plants acclimate to the humidity. i learned that, at least in my tanks, my ferns die off and grow back after a few weeks. i also learned not to freak out this time when white fungus appears....lol

i have a plan for aphids and mites, but that's for after the new year.

i love the plants just as much as i love the frogs. probably more, truth be told..lol it's a shame more froggers don't at least try to make the most out of their tanks.

as far as my water section. i know i want the crypts to grow out and multiply freely, just like they would in the wild, but i also didn't think anyone would want to look at a water section of stems, runners and emergent roots. that's the real reason i added the extras. deep inside i think it would look cool, but i don't think i want to let it go like that, yet.

[crazydaz]

You are ridiculous. I have to admit that gave me a bit of a wheezing belly-larf for a minute. Heh heh!

Not sure I would go with Persicaria. They get large and grow the crap out of you. Lancea would be good. Some Ammania latifolia would be nice! If you could only find someone who has it, though......I do, but after that earlier demonstration of artwork, you can forget it.

[lbacha]

It would have been really funny if he accidentally grabbed the permanent marker, lol..

Len


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[Fishies_in_Philly]

Don, as soon as the idea popped in my head, i couldn't resist. sorry, man.....LOL

Len, it's permanent marker. Scrapes right off with a razor blade and a bit of water. i use them to draw on my tanks all the time. i determine water levels, sketch up backgrounds, heck, i even write the dates of when i start tanks on them....lol

[lbacha]

So I just checked out your 125 (not sure how I missed it before) it looks great, as for the white fungus like you said no big deal, I do like how you kept your foam down quite a simple method compared to what I did with my tank although I was hoping to keep the weight down so I guess lead weights would have negated that (I did consider hollowing out the foam rocks and adding bricks into them) it is amazing how well foam floats, lol.

Len


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[Fishies_in_Philly]

Originally Posted by lbacha

So I just checked out your 125 (not sure how I missed it before) it looks great, as for the white fungus like you said no big deal, I do like how you kept your foam down quite a simple method compared to what I did with my tank although I was hoping to keep the weight down so I guess lead weights would have negated that (I did consider hollowing out the foam rocks and adding bricks into them) it is amazing how well foam floats, lol.

Len


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ummm......i had to silicone the foam down too. and the left side STILL lifted. i tried one repair and it didn't hold. i'm actually considering re-doing the tank in the summer. that stupid great stuff is ridiculously buoyant. i'm thinking abut carving a kayak out of the stuff.....lol

[lbacha]

Ok so I don't feel so bad about my over engineered solution of cutting squares of glass and drilling holes in them so I could insert threaded nylon studs into them. I then siliconed the glass squares to the bottom of the tank which allowed me to screw the rocks down to the bottom of the tank with nylon nuts and washers.


Len

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[Fishies_in_Philly]

Originally Posted by lbacha

Ok so I don't feel so bad about my over engineered solution of cutting squares of glass and drilling holes in them so I could insert threaded nylon studs into them. I then siliconed the glass squares to the bottom of the tank which allowed me to screw the rocks down to the bottom of the tank with nylon nuts and washers.


Len

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no, don't. that idea is genius by the way!! but, in all fairness, had i not decided to build that out of the tank, the foam probably would have held it to the glass on it's own. i had to basically rip it off the bottom glass to get it out so i could cover it.