Plant question

[chris]

DOes anyone have plants in a pot in there tank acting as an island for there newts? I was thinking about doing this. i want to know what kind of plant would do good in a n enviroment like this? Will a CFBN eat plants? ANy help appreciated!

 

[s1ren]

Pothos Ivy (aka Devil's Ivy) is really good for that kind of thing. It thrives in any type of soil, as well as in just plain water, and doesn't really care what environment it's in, as long as it gets water and some light. It's a vine, and it grows fairly quickly, but is easy to trim back and won't take any damage from the trimming. You can get these anywhere that has plants (even the grocery store!); or, if you know someone who has one, ask if they can give you a few cuttings - Pothos roots itself from as little as ONE leaf in no time at all. Some are green or green/yellow variegated, and the patterning depends on how intense its light source is - the more light, the more yellow and mottled it gets.

Curly-Leaf Boston Ivy also does really well in a tank - it loooooves the humidity inside a tank. Just make sure to trim it back so that it doesn't burn itself by getting too close to the overhead light. The CFBs I had in a terrestrial tank for a while really enjoyed climbing around in the shiny leaves.

 

[samuel]

Chris, i posted u the ans to ur second question b4, NEWTS DO NOT EAT PLANTS!! Hope the capital letters helped

.

 

[jennifer]

Chris, here is a page with pictures of islands with pothos and another ivy planted on them:
http://members.cox.net/jpmacke/design.htm

Sam is right: newts are strictly carnivores.

 

[elisabeth]

I know someone on the forum actually has a small dog dish with soil and plants. The rim of the dish is just above the water line so the soil doesn't get swamped.

 

[juraj]

Sam is right: but some newts have their little vices.

 

[TJ]

Very cool pic, Juraj. Good timing. Is that a Triturus spp.? I see you have a very nice setup there too. Any water area provided? I'm on the lookout for things to emulate

 

[juraj]

Hi Tim,

It`s T. cristatus. In the moment there is no water area, they are wintering on land, in 8°C still quite active.

 

[mark]

Hi Juraj,
great pic,how do you keep your temps so low?

 

[juraj]

Well, keep windows opened. Low temperatures are also good for many sorts of ferns.

 

[chris]

Thanks s1ren, and eveyone else! After looking at the link from Jennifer Macke I noticed I have that very plant, So I think I will add it into the tank from my own trimming of the plant. Not to sound repetitive or annoying but will my newts eat this plant? Kidding! No seriously though, I can just trim off a stem with a few leaves on it and place the cut end into the water and it will start to root itself? Or does it need to be potted?

 

[s1ren]

Yup - just stick it in the water, and it'll root by itself.

 

[chris]

Jorge what is that green plant in the bottom left corner of that pic?

 

[juraj]

I don`t know

. It`s a kind of "long-lived" moss taken from field.

 

[chris]

Did you just uproot it from the soil then lay it back over some soil in your aquarium? I would like to have a land area with a grass like covering as well.

 

[juraj]

Yes, I did it that way. This one grows well on the soil, but many sorts of mosses is better flatten over wood or stone.

 

[chris]

That is a great idea you have there, I was always wondering how many people set their tanks up like that....to bad its winter now and I wont find any for another 6 months!