Yellow terribilis success

[bshmerlie]

Very nice John. You need to enter that tank photo into the next contest ...its beautiful.

What kind of moss are you using on the ground and what kind of lighting are you using on the tank? Do you have any internal fans for air circulation? Its obviously a great display tank....what are you doing to keep the condensation off the glass? How long has this tank been growing in at this point?

[DonLisk]

Very nice John.
Love the viv.... what are the tiny leaves from in the water? I saw them in Black Jungles big display tank too and never thought to ask.

[BG]

well worth the wait John nice viv im steeling some ideas from your pics lol hope you don't mind

[MikeM670]

Should be duck weed. I was going to gather some last year from the drainage ditch behind my house and grow a bunch out. All it takes is water and light. The frog poop should do for any fertilizer needs.

[Lacibeth]

Should be duck weed. I was going to gather some last year from the drainage ditch behind my house and grow a bunch out. All it takes is water and light. The frog poop should do for any fertilizer needs.

Definitely duckweed. Huge help with nitrogen remediation.

[John]

Very nice John. You need to enter that tank photo into the next contest ...its beautiful.

Thanks! I entered it yesterday .

What kind of moss are you using on the ground

That's not moss, it's Riccia fluitans, both the Japanese Dwarf variety and the normal one. It grows well due to the misting system and the good lighting.

and what kind of lighting are you using on the tank?

It's a dual strip T5 HO fixture in the "freshwater" configuration - it has a Daylight bulb and a roseatte bulb which I think it's around 600 nm. It's barely warmer than room temperature to the touch.

Do you have any internal fans for air circulation?

No, but I considered it in the design phase, and I have holes in the glass lid for it should I decide to try it. More on that in a second.

Its obviously a great display tank....

Thank you! That's the only type my wife would tolerate.

what are you doing to keep the condensation off the glass?

The tank has a wide vent running the full length of the lid at the front. Outside of the winter, it stays condensation free 98% of the time, and only develops condensation when one of the Aroids starts getting close to the front glass. Basically there is a decent amount of air circulation in that tank because of the light and the vent. I was originally going to put a fan in there to keep the condensation away but I decided to try the terrarium without it and it was the right decision. I've been thinking about a fan lately only because air circulation often increases the rate of plant growth.

I left out winter because when the room temperature is colder than the terrarium, it can get somewhat foggy, particularly on cold winter mornings. This is largely due to the heat cable that's buried in the substrate to keep the tank from getting too cold in the winter - it's set on 68 °F (20 °C). Once the lights have been on for a couple of hours in the morning during the winter, the fog virtually all goes from the front glass.

How long has this tank been growing in at this point?

About 7-8 months. I've had to cut back all of the plants many times, and that pink bromeliad (Donger) in the middle has produced 2 adult sized pups and it's working on 2 more right now. Mind you, a lovely Ariel bromeliad I had in the corner died from lack of light, so you have to plant smart with regard to location.

Love the viv.... what are the tiny leaves from in the water? I saw them in Black Jungles big display tank too and never thought to ask.

It's a species of Duckweed, the genus Lemna. I think it's Lemna minor. I hate the stuff and I wish I had never let it get established in the terrarium. It's on _everything_ thanks to the fact that terribilis like to go swimming a lot, and then they drag it all over the tank when they get out of the water.

well worth the wait John nice viv im steeling some ideas from your pics lol hope you don't mind

Steal away. There's virtually nothing original in that terrarium!

Congratulations, it must be exciting for you. They are utterly beautiful animals aren't they? I love their set up too, it's stunning.

Thank you! They are definitely great display animals. Funny thing though, a friend of ours was looking after the house when we were on holiday a few months ago, and he thought the frogs were model frogs, not real, because they virtually never move. They just sit there out in the open. The only time they move is when they're eating or in the mood for love.

[MikeM670]

John,

I saw you hate the duckweed in your tank. I think it adds great character to the tank and after reading Lemna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the Duckweed Farming Section, it seems really useful in the reduction of organic waste in the water features. Just my observations and in no way reflect the actual feelings of said previous duckweed owner!