Pachytriton tank

[william]

this tank is around 60G. it contains my male Pachytriton labiatus called Bob. the plants are a papyrus reed, spiderplant and java moss. there are also a hand full of fish and snails i hope you like the DIY lid!

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/27906.jpg

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/27907.jpg

[david]

Hi William,
this is a very great tank, I like especially the top. What are the white sides made of and how do you fixed them with the plastic?
Greets David!

[william]

it's just whitewashed wood. the plastic is screwed into place all along the sides. glad you like it

[jesper]

Very nice! Do you build these things yourself?

[mark]

Nice, I like it, Do you row that one plant in the water?

[william]

yeah i built it myself with some help from my dad. the tank was custom made for him so it came with out a top.

[jesper]

Ah,wish I had a house....and tools...and the ability to build thingshttp://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/lol.gif

Nice crafting Will http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif

[william]

glad you like it, i will get some pics of the newt in the tank, all the ones so far have been to blurred.

sorry mike i missed your post, what do you meen do i row the plant?

(Message edited by will_j on December 16, 2004)

[jennifer]

Your Pachytriton is very lucky to have such a tank! Is this some sort of greenhouse room? Looks like a great room to have to work with.

I have questions about the papyrus plant. Is it a dwarf variety? How long has it been in this tank? Does it do OK without a lot of light? I was thinking about this kind of plant for my pond, but it would get almost no direct light (http://www.caudata.org/people/JM/pond.html).

[garrison]

Papyrus do really well in full sunlight and will seed readily on a continuously moist soil. In a greenhouse setting they can get pretty invasive and need to be trimmed every few months.

In your setup Jenn, as long as those large windows aren't blocked out too much, I think you could get enough light for them. I would also suggest some Napenthes(pitcher plants) in hanging pots over your pond for something a little more exotic as they would be perfect for that lighting setup, and they're just funhttp://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/frog.gif.

(Message edited by gar4016 on December 16, 2004)

[mark]

Hi, it's okay, and my name is mark, ha ha. Anyways, what I meant was " Do you grow that one spider-looking plant in the water?" and "does it root and grow good?" Thanks

[mike_g]

Garrison-
Jen's room gets too cold for pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. I believe I suggested Sarracenia purpurea for her greenhouse, since it is native to northern climates and tolerates freezing conditions. It might be too cold for the dwarf papyrus as well.
~Mike

[garrison]

I agree with you Mike. I had a chance to see some Sarracenia in it's natural environment this summer and it would be a good addition to this setup if you kept it in some sphagnum, actually there are quite a few carnivorous plants that can tolerate these temps. One of the big problems people have keeping carnivorous plants alive is omitting the overwintering period, that's why we couldn't keep a lot in the greenhouse I worked at.

Back to the subject, there are a quite few species of temperate species of Cyperus that look just like the traditional papyrus, we even have some nataive to Iowahttp://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif If still interested, I'd have to do some research but I could probably get the specific epithets of some.

As for the spider plant, I assume its Chlorophytum, to my experience are easy to propagate and grow nicely when rooted in water as long as the foliage is above. They can take some abuse too.

[mike_g]

I've got a site in southern Michigan where there is literally a meadow of S. purpurea with mixed Drosera rotundifolia (the drosera is so thick that it even grows on old stumps). There are many carnivorous plants that can tolerate near freezing temps. Ones I would recommend off the top of my head are S. purpurea, Drosera rotundifolia(roundleaf sundew), some bladderworts (Utricularia vulgaris). Some trumpet pitchers may also be able to survive it as well.
~Mike

[jennifer]

Thanks for the plant advice, Garrison and Mike.

[william]

i'm not sure if it is a papyrus it just has a papyrus like shape i'll post a pic later for better identification, the plant hardy since it is a seedling from my outdoor pond.

the spider plant is in a terracotta pot and is sitting in water. as Mike says they are very resistant to abuse.

the room is not a greenhouse room. I live at a School and my dad is the head of Biology, we have recently moved to a new house on the site and all of our plants have been put in the lab for now. the newts however stay there because my dad likes them there because they are a big hit for the pupils. the big tank gets the morning sun through the door window.

[william]

Hey William what are the measurements of the tank?

[william]

Also is there any thing in the tank next to it?

[william]

measurements: 6 x 2 X1.5 foot, the tank next to it was going to contain some triturus helveticus and vulgaris, look up my post triturus tank for some not very good closeups http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/biggrin.gif

[william]

Thanks.