Tiger Sal Tank - Revamp Time!

[Cam]

Originally Posted by Lamb

Word to the wise about Equisetum - they can spread like wildfire under the right conditions

That's what I'm hoping for :P

Originally Posted by Molch

those look like Equisetum fluviatile, the water horsetail... ... If you could get them to grow that dense it would look really cool...however, I think they like to be in very wet ground, so they may or may not make it in your tank...

Well my tank IS very wet, so I hope they'll do fine.

Originally Posted by Molch

as for drainage, you could also set the blue plastic divider at an angle, sloping toward the water, by putting more hydroton or a bigger tupperware underneath in the far corner, and then drilling a couple drainage holes at the lower lip of the lid where moisture would pool. That way, moisture in the soil will drain off toward the water side and you'll get more of a moisture gradient...

That's actually what I just did a couple of day ago. Except I didn't have any more hyrdoton so I used some stryrofoam packing peanuts. It looked really tacky, so I used some black tape to conceal the layers of substrate on the front of the tank. Now the eye is drawn straight towards the plants & moss instead of the orange hydroton with white packing peanuts XD

Originally Posted by ByrdRausch

I love this set up you have. Could you list the plants you have here?

Thanks! I'll do my best to ID these plants for you, but I "collected" them from friends and family who were kind enough to give me cuttings of their house plants. So these ID's may or may not be accurate:

The big plants in the back are: Arrowhead Philodendron | Syngonium podophyllum (Nephthytis)

The "cane" looking plants are: Water Horsetail | Equisetum fluviatile

The plants furthest from the water with blade leaves are: Variegated Spider Plant | Chlorophytum comosum

The vines with the heart shaped leaves closest to the water are: Pothos | Epipremnum aureum

I have also recently added three 4" Lucky Bamboo plants and some native plants I collected from the muddy banks of a local creek. I'll add some new photos soon so you can see how it looks. There's also a cutting of Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium) I'm trying to root in their water area. It basically looks like a bigger prettier version of pothos vine.

Originally Posted by nwmnnaturalist

Older folks called the Horsetail "Indian Tinker Toys" since you could pop them off and put them back together to a degree. They also make wonderful noise in a fire, and are great for cleaning pots and other stuff at a camp site. A good substrate for Horsetails is a mix of organic compost w/ manure, wet and decayed leafmold (dead leaves chopped into smaller bits, then allowed to decompose) and a bit of perlite for drainage. They can tolerate dryer conditions, but really thrive in moist soils.

Good info, interesting facts. Thanks for that :)

[Cassie]

Leafmold is something I swear by, not just for habitats but also in my gardens. You can have a indoor 'generator' to supply easy nutrition to plants in a viviarium without risking exposure to chemicals and fertilizers to your animals.

All you do is take dead, dried leaves (preferably from hardwood trees, and not exposed to chemicals. going into the woods somewhere is a nice place to start). I've just used my mulch-mower, but you can do it by hand or put the dried leaves in a food processor. I then pile them into a plastic container, add some organic soil (usually just a handful will do it) and cover. The leaves will decompose and most troublesome critters will be overwhelmed by beneficial microbes and invertebrates. Adding more organic soils or organic compost/manure blend can help increase the speed of the decomposition. You can tell it's 'ripe' when it has that wonderful, rich earthy smell.

[Cam]

Originally Posted by nwmnnaturalist

Leafmold is something I swear by, not just for habitats but also in my gardens. You can have a indoor 'generator' to supply easy nutrition to plants in a viviarium without risking exposure to chemicals and fertilizers to your animals.

All you do is take dead, dried leaves (preferably from hardwood trees, and not exposed to chemicals. going into the woods somewhere is a nice place to start). I've just used my mulch-mower, but you can do it by hand or put the dried leaves in a food processor. I then pile them into a plastic container, add some organic soil (usually just a handful will do it) and cover. The leaves will decompose and most troublesome critters will be overwhelmed by beneficial microbes and invertebrates. Adding more organic soils or organic compost/manure blend can help increase the speed of the decomposition. You can tell it's 'ripe' when it has that wonderful, rich earthy smell.

That's fantastic! (and something I wish I'd known or thought about before putting together this tank!) I'm getting ready to put another tank together for a chorus frog environment. I'll definitely be adding a thick layer of hardwood leaf mulch under my soil layer.

[Cam]

Okay, here's a couple of photos showing the new plants I added.

[Cassie]

My Pseudacris maculata LOVE the leafmold substrate I put into their tank. It's light enough for them to crawl and burrow around, and it seems to hold moisture well and distribute it. If you can get some Springtails to live in that leaf mold, the little Pseudacris will eat them. If you can get some Wood Lice in there as well, they can help keep fungus and mold down.

[Cam]

Originally Posted by nwmnnaturalist

My Pseudacris maculata LOVE the leafmold substrate I put into their tank. It's light enough for them to crawl and burrow around, and it seems to hold moisture well and distribute it. If you can get some Springtails to live in that leaf mold, the little Pseudacris will eat them. If you can get some Wood Lice in there as well, they can help keep fungus and mold down.

I'd very much like to hear more about your Pseudacris setup. Specifically details on substrate and water areas.

I have a thriving colony of springtails and have plans to start a pillbug colony this spring.

I am hoping to collect some chorus frog eggs or tadpoles to raise this spring, if you have any advice I'm all ears!

I have received lots of valuable information from other members of the community, and I feel pretty well prepared. However, one can never gather enough advice, am I right?

[lmii1874]

Does the water have any filtration system? How do you keep condensation off glass? I've been looking at designing one using a 29 gallon breeder aquarium before i buy a tiger sal, not trying to reinvent wheel but don't wanna waste time & money!

[BIGMerle]

great looking tank!!

[Cam]

Originally Posted by lmii1874

Does the water have any filtration system? How do you keep condensation off glass? I've been looking at designing one using a 29 gallon breeder aquarium before i buy a tiger sal, not trying to reinvent wheel but don't wanna waste time & money!

I apologize for the late reply, I never saw this comment! There is no filtration system, just an air stone to keep the water moving oxygenated. I siphon the water off and re-fill it with spring water every week. It's only about 3 gallons of water. The whole top of my encolsure is screen, I think there is too much circulation for condensation to build up, because I've never had a problem with it. Even when I mist the tank multiple times a day, the droplets of water on the sides are usually evaporated within an hour. Also, I mist with distilled water to prevent unsightly water marks from forming all over the glass.

Originally Posted by BIGMerle

great looking tank!!

Thank you

[shelby]

i think your doing just great with that

[Cam]

Originally Posted by Shelby

i think your doing just great with that

Thank you!

I have added some flat rocks & packing peanuts under the blue plastic tray to raise it a little further above the water line. (I would have used more hydroton, but I don't have any, and I don't have the extra cash laying around to buy another bag right now.) I've added a LOT of plants since the last photo I shared. Maybe when I go on lunch today I'll take a few pictures :)

[Cam]

Here are some updated photos of my tiger tank :) The plants are growing nicely. Some of the moss has died from tiger salamander abuse :P

[Katniss]

I love it! Nice job!

[Cam]

Originally Posted by Katniss

I love it! Nice job!

Thank you :) :)

[Gail]

I'm going to do a build for 2 salamanders in a 29L. I've noticed that you have a air hose going in but didn't see any kind of filter system. I love the idea of having the water feature, but curious how you keep the water clean? Or do you just pump it out every week and just put in fresh water. I'm not new to amphibians or reptiles, plus I've been researching and reading on the care of the ETS. I hope to find some at the Columbia Repticon in March.

[maisy]

It is a lovely set-up...very lush. I like the hides and the generous amounts of moss.
Thanks for sharing.

[Cam]

Originally Posted by kueluck

I'm going to do a build for 2 salamanders in a 29L. I've noticed that you have a air hose going in but didn't see any kind of filter system. I love the idea of having the water feature, but curious how you keep the water clean? Or do you just pump it out every week and just put in fresh water. I'm not new to amphibians or reptiles, plus I've been researching and reading on the care of the ETS. I hope to find some at the Columbia Repticon in March.

Sorry for the late response! I just clean it when it gets fouled. Sometimes it can go two weeks, sometimes it only lasts 4 days before I have to change the water. Just depends on how messy my tigers are feeling at the time :P Good luck with your ETS! They are a joy

Originally Posted by maisy

It is a lovely set-up...very lush. I like the hides and the generous amounts of moss.
Thanks for sharing.

Thank you :)

[Geckogirl88]

Wow, nice set up :)
Can't wait to get my firebellied newts!
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