Floats/ramps/docks

[TJ]

So few threads in this new section! I'll try to get the ball rolling by introducing some products I like, like this one for instance:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18093.jpg

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18094.jpg

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18095.jpg

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18096.jpg

The automatic adjustment feature is great. Also, there seems to be much less chance of newts being trapped between the float and the glass compared with some other suction-type platforms I've tried in the past.

[alan]

Nice. Look like hard plastic - can you get moss to grow on it successfully?
Also, do you have problems with the suckers falling off the glass?

[jennifer]

I got one of these on eBay, and the suction cups don't work at all. Maybe it was on eBay due to this defect.

Tim, is the second photo the dock covered in live moss? That's absolutely beautiful!!!

[hayden]

Some Petshops sell Replaceable suction cups...For hanging garden plants or turtle docks

[TJ]

Yes, Jen, that's live moss that I brought back from by trip up north to Fukushima Prefecture. Nice, huh?http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/biggrin.gif

Alan, the moss has been doing pretty well for the month since I got it as one huge slab of moss growing on part of a tree that protruded from a pond, seemingly self-sufficient insofar as there was not much soil underneath it. Who knows what the future holds though. I'd sure like to know what kind of moss it is and what its requirements are. The problem now is the summer heat in Tokyo, which causes me to crank up the air-conditioner, which in turn dries out the moss if I'm not careful to keep it moist.

The only problem I had with the suckers falling of the glass was at the beginning, when they wouldn't stick well because, as I eventually discovered, the glass itself was not clean and algae-free. But yes, suction cups often pose problems!

Hayden, good point, and I'll be on the lookout for suction cup replacements.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18387.jpg

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18388.jpg

[TJ]

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/18391.jpg

[ashriel]

Oh! Your newts are beautiful! They look so happy on that platform too http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/angel.gif

[alan]

Dendrobate lore has it that temperate mosses require a cool dormant period for part of the year, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes long term Tim.

[jameswei]

Tim, what type of plants do you have in your tank? What are those little types plantsyou have?

[heather]

Your tank is beautiful Tim!! and your newts look so happy too, maybe I will pick up one of these turtle docks!

And I would like to know what kinds of plants are on there too!