My new shanjing aqua-terrarium

E

ester

Guest
After having kept the animals separate for a while I've now created this large (120x40x50 cm) aqua-terrarium for them. I plan to add a fogger to the setup to create mist once a day for about an hour (in the right hind corner).
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A little closeup of one of the inhabitants:
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Nice setup you got there ester! It looks like he/she is having a hard time deciding whether to go into that pool. (just its expression)

(Message edited by mike615 on October 22, 2005)
 
Hello ester!

Now THAT is what I call a lovely setup. Esthetic and functional all in one! Very nice showroom/exhibit-type setup! Really brings a warm fuzzy feeling!

Now I know what you mean by ferns with leathery leaves. I have a smaller verion of that fern in my forest vivarium. The fern you might have is called Phyllitis scolopendrium or Hart's Tongue fern.
 
Hi Ester,
Becareful with some of the ultrasonic foggers as some of them can really raise the temperature of the enclosure.
I would suggest using an external ultrasonic humidifier and piping it into the tank.

Ed
 
Thanks everyone!

Terry: Maybe the fern's related, with this one the leaves don't spring as obviously from one point as with the heart's tongue fern

Ed: I'll be sure to measure temperature the first few times. The ultrasonic device will be in a cylindrical vase which is dug into the back of the terrarium (where the brown lid is). The vase will have a tight bug screen lid to keep newts from getting in. I also don't plan to run it for more than 1 - 2 hours per 24 hours.
 
I would strongly echo Ed's advice about keeping the fogger outside the tank. In fact, I wouldn't bother with it at all - save your money and just spray the tank once a day. The newts will soon learn to associate spraying with feeding if you keep a strict routine and this is helpful.
 
Ester:
LOL Well I had to work with a tip of the leaf in your picture. My guesses were Polypodium, Phillitis or Asplenium nidus ( Bird nest fern).

Glad you found what type of fern it is. I bought one fern from intratuin but i lost the species tag. Its a very impressive looking fern and very leathery. Also accomodates many juvenile newts. I'll let you know what it is called.
 
fantastic set up Ester, you'll have one bunch of very happy shanjing!
 
The fogger arrived.. and I've tried it out. After half an hour it looked like this:
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I will keep checking the temperature, but for now I don't think it's causing a problem. The water in the cylinder warms up some, but not much (25C perhaps). However, this is not a body of water the newts can enter and it's dug into soil and gravel. I don't plan to run the fogger for more than 1 hour at a time.
 
Ester:

Hi. Just was admiring this tank. Very nice.Love the size. A couple questions...how wet do you keep this tank? Is it moist to the touch? Do the newts ever get into the water? Are you still using the fogger? I'm trying to get the humidity in my new tank right.I'm pretty sure my last tank was too wet and made my newts sick. I want my new tank to be not super wet but not bone dry. I think it's better on the dry side. What do you think?

Thanks,

Gord
 
You are really talented in designing tanks, and making macro photos Esther!!
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Very nice setup Ester! Has a neat feel to it. The fogger is a nice touch too. I think that if you are going for looks it would be good to find a way to make the water area blend into the land area(or better yet, be a more natural shape). I don't think the newts mind though
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Yup that really is a stunning tank. What substrate are you using?
 
Hello Ester !
Great work on the terrarium,i wonder about the water dish,do you take it out to wash or to replace the water ?
 
Ester, firt of all I must say, lovely tank!(and animals) I have never seen one bordered in steel grey before, and it's very nice. Perhaps you can direct me a little on the fogger. I have one, I used it for m white's treefrogs a few years back, I had it I had placed it in a fountain with a special compartment for the fogger. I let it go, and 20 minutes later, the fountain was running dry, no water left! The floor of the enclosure was saturated. (Thank god I was using astro turf as a substrate at the time or it could have been quite messy) There is no setting on the fogger, I had a hard time with it, if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! I would love to use it again in a new terrestrial set up in the spring.
 
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