First Vivarium!
- Thread starter RazzleFish
- Start date
I'd be worried about the temps, to be quite honest. I can't speak about any animals but N. ventricosa is a highland nepenthes and they do best when there is a nighttime drop in temperature and day temps are cooler to being with. Lowlands might be better for your setup but I'm not certain as they are not a group I am familiar with at all. The VFTs probably would appreciate cooler temps at some point in the growing season since they are a North American species. And as JB said you absolutely should provide them with dormancy. I know that most Drosera, even the tropicals, would hate living in that type of environment 24/7 since I see mine losing most of their dew when the temps get close to 90F. You might want to invest in a type of fan (computer fan?) to get some air movement. Either that or replace what you have with cooler fluorescent lighting, which would also give you a wider spectrum most likely.
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That is exatly how I was thinking of dividing it! How do you think it would work if I siliconed some of the aquatic substrate to the plexiglass to make it look more natural?
He's so cool!
Would raising them up away from the tank help keep it cooler?
Should I be using the red light at night or not at all?
How do you reccomend getting the the VFTs ready for a dormant period?
Is there a problem that you see with my lighting as far as the spectrum goes?
It should be fine. Just make sure you get everything on and make sure they will stay one. It'll save you from future pain when there is an eyesore.
Yes it would...by how much I do not know. Also consider that less light is going to be reaching the plants so you wont want to raise it too much.
As for the red light, I'm not familiar with keeping herps so I don't know whether or not you'll need the basking or heat lamp. If you don't, might as well not run them. They'll be too focused in a certain spectrum to do much good plant wise and they only add unnecessary heat. I also am not sure what the grow light you have does in terms of the spectrum. I just know that the exo terra bulbs (as per their website) say they are designed to put out heat which is why they are high wattage. They just say they are "full spectrum" but that doesn't necessarily translate to light most beneficial to plants.
Most people seriously growing VFTs do so outside in pots and trays so it is as simple as just moving them indoors or unplanting them depending on how they do dormancy. Since mine is in a pot in a terrarium for the moment I'll likely place them on a windowsill that will stay relatively cold, or in the basement, or I may put them in the fridge. I'm still not sure yet. This is only my first year with them.
Here's some links on providing dormancy that I've found useful...
http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html
http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-dormancy/fridge-dormancy-tutorial.html
Just found this searching for mercury vapor bulbs on wikipedia.
It's generalized but not exactly the best spectrum for plant growing.
What are the other fixtures you have?
It's generalized but not exactly the best spectrum for plant growing.
What are the other fixtures you have?
The two other fixtures are just small laps.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753959
They are basicly the same as what I have on the tank now. They were used for skinks awhile back and I just never got rid of them.
Plant's need a lot of red and blue lighting, right? Since the mercury vapor bulbs are more on the blue/ purple end, would the red light balance things out? Also, does it make that much of a difference if the light is violet rather than blue?
While I want this all to work, my budget is limited so the CPs will come last just to make sure the other (less expencive) plants will grow.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753959
They are basicly the same as what I have on the tank now. They were used for skinks awhile back and I just never got rid of them.
Plant's need a lot of red and blue lighting, right? Since the mercury vapor bulbs are more on the blue/ purple end, would the red light balance things out? Also, does it make that much of a difference if the light is violet rather than blue?
While I want this all to work, my budget is limited so the CPs will come last just to make sure the other (less expencive) plants will grow.
I'd see if you can just use daylight CFLs in the fixtures. More efficient as well since you'd be using less wattage.
Plants do use mainly red and blue light but it is not just limited to that. There are many pigments that make use of light throughout the entire spectrum.
Plants do use mainly red and blue light but it is not just limited to that. There are many pigments that make use of light throughout the entire spectrum.
I agree with Pappy-dew totally about the daylight CFLs. Look for something in the 5000k-6500k range. They'll provide the best spectrum for CPs. Preparation as far as I know for VFT dormancy is usually recommended to let them go through a couple light frosts before putting them in the fridge. Those who grow them indoors I think try to provide a steady drop in temp and photoperiod over a few weeks then put them in a baggie and fridge them. They tend to grow lower lying leaves/traps when temps are mild and the photo period is short. The taller, more upright leaves seem to be a reaction to higher temps and more intense light.
It is true that most people say to grow VFTs "well" you need to grow them outside. I say that's hogwash. If you provide them with enough light, the right substrate and water, I belive they can do just fine indoors. It just takes a little more care with the specifics.
As for the ventricosa... I might have skimmed over it if you mentioned temps in the original post, but one of the reasons ventricosa is so popular is because it is so robust. The night time drop in temp is arguably helpful, but from all my research and my still limited experience, not strictly necessary. Mine gets about a 5 degree drop at night and is absolutely thriving. Again, I think the main things here are enough light, the right substrate and pure water. A few bugs now and again don't hurt either. =) For this one, I would recommend keeping the temperature around 80ish. They can adjust to a wide range of humidity levels, but remember that the higher the humidity, the more air circulation is needed. I would try to keep it at 50% or higher as a rule, but I think your froggies would want it higher than that anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.
If your temps are going to be consistently 85ish or higher, I would look into low land neps as Pappy suggested. The thing to keep in mind with this group is that they like high temps and humidity all the time.
HTH
It is true that most people say to grow VFTs "well" you need to grow them outside. I say that's hogwash. If you provide them with enough light, the right substrate and water, I belive they can do just fine indoors. It just takes a little more care with the specifics.
As for the ventricosa... I might have skimmed over it if you mentioned temps in the original post, but one of the reasons ventricosa is so popular is because it is so robust. The night time drop in temp is arguably helpful, but from all my research and my still limited experience, not strictly necessary. Mine gets about a 5 degree drop at night and is absolutely thriving. Again, I think the main things here are enough light, the right substrate and pure water. A few bugs now and again don't hurt either. =) For this one, I would recommend keeping the temperature around 80ish. They can adjust to a wide range of humidity levels, but remember that the higher the humidity, the more air circulation is needed. I would try to keep it at 50% or higher as a rule, but I think your froggies would want it higher than that anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.
If your temps are going to be consistently 85ish or higher, I would look into low land neps as Pappy suggested. The thing to keep in mind with this group is that they like high temps and humidity all the time.
HTH
