Best animal for a "forest" 100g planted vivarium

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jett862

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After making my fair share of mistakes with a 25gal planted tank, and things just finally getting settled, I think I'm ready to make a display tank.

I've decided that I want to use temperate plants almost exclusively using things from around NY (but in all honesty, I'll use any fern etc.), with appropriate lighting, air movement, and a misting system.

However, that's another issue entirely, what I'm more curious about is a good display animal. My first thought was to a salamander species local to NY (I already have red spotteds and would like a change) so I was considering spotted or blue spotted sals. My issue with them is they burrow (and might uproot my plants) and I'm not sure how active or viewable they would be.

Another choice my mind jumped too was five lined skinks, but I'm not entirely sure they could handle the mistings (can someone jump in and let me know?)

So, any ideas and or suggestions?

Thanks.
 
Large planted terrariums are always a tough thing to fill. They create an attractive and comfortable environment for salamanders, but you are correct in assuming that the Ambystomids (spotted and blue spotteds) may get "lost." On the other hand I wouldn't really worry about them uprooting your plants all that much and they can make very rewarding captives. They happen to be my favorite genus of salamander. As for the skinks, I don't know if this would be the right type of enclosure for them. They would need a place to bask, and are often found more in rocky areas, at least where I live. A species I would recommend is the Green Snake (Opheodryas). They are attractive and relatively easy to care for, but they are slightly arboreal so some climbing structures (vines) would be good. Truthfully what you put in there all depends on your setup. There are a myriad of other options if you decide to branch out from just NY herps. That being said, you have to remember that feeding in such a large enclosure can become an issue. You would need to have quite a high density of food animals in the enclosure so that they can easily be found by your animals. Regardless, once you find the right "formula" for your tank it will be an extremely rewarding adventure.

Best of Luck,
Alex
 
I know they're not from NY, but how about fire salamanders?
THAT is a display animal!!!
 
The thing with any salamander species is that you're just not going to see them very often. If you want something more active, I would suggest some of the smaller snakes, such as the brown snake, or the ringneck snake. These guys are pretty easy to keep, and eat slugs, earthworms, and various crawlies, which would probably be present in your setup anyway, but may have to be supplemented.

And while it's pretty, smooth green snakes are a little harder to keep because of their insect-eating nature. Getting them a good balanced diet, and getting them to eat, may prove a little more difficult than worm and slug eaters.
 
I have to agree with Kaysie. Any salamander species will just now be "show" animals. Of course depending on the source, and it is very likely that they will be wild caught, the green snakes may not feed. Depending on your skill and commitment level you may want to consider any number of frogs. If you want to stick with NY animals then you are limited, but you could branch out into tropical frogs and geckos. Although it would require some commitment in terms of monitoring food, humidity, and temperature, these would fit the bill of being "show" animals. Things like day geckos and red-eyed tree frogs, although not characteristically starter pets, are really not that difficult to keep if you are diligent in meeting their needs.

Alex
 
If it were me and I had a 100 gal tank to devote to salamanders, then I would make it mostly aquatic. With a tank that size there is a lot of room for experimenting with species mixing. I have never been a big keeper of native fish (meaning that I do not know what I'm talking about here!) but perhaps there are some small perch species that you may be able to mix with Notopthalmus in a tank that size. I would think that there are some invertebrates that would mix in as well. As the others have mentioned I'm fairly certain that you could get away with mixing terrestrial salamanders and perhaps native treefrogs but again you will rarely ever see the salamanders. Also, if you plan on keeping native plants keep in mind that whatever species that you chooose may very well require a winter dormacy to do well. Just some random thoughts.
Chip
 
Thanks for all the advice; I considered going aquatic (I prefer the ease of feeding), however, I am TERRIBLE when it comes to algae management, so I'm going to go with a terrestrial tank. I'm even considering leaving out a water feature (excluding a misting feature).

I think I'm going to go the route of species mixing as the tank is so large, but I needed some advice on species. I am aware that some species might eat the others so that's why I'm checking first: (and forgive me if I spell the names wrong I'm typing from memory)

Either maculum (spotted, blue spotted) - not sure if they hybridize, I assume they can go into a tank together, want to raise from babies.

baby bufo a americanus (american toad), not really a chance of them eating the sals, not sure about poison/gland issues.

Gray treefrog's (these things really live in NY? I've never seen one, would like to).

and POSSIBLY some redback salamanders, but I think they have serious potential to wind up as food stuffs.

The tank will be densely planted with ferns and cover, and I plan to establish breeding colonies of many different food things (sowbugs, springtails etc.)


SOOOO once again, advice appreciated, and sorry for the way I type, I have some wacky train of thought issues I need to work out.
 
That sounds like a pretty good plan. Keep in mind though that a large toad will eat whatever it wants, or at least attempt to. As for the blue spotted and yellow spotted salamanders, they will not hybridize. Grays are a fantastic species to keep and can be quite good pets. The red-backs should be fine, but there is always the chance that they will end up as a meal.

Best of Luck,
Alex
 
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