Question

[Padfoot]

Hi!

I'm new here and new to live plants. I'm setting up a newt vivarium and wanted to know if the light I have is right. Yesterday I bought a light strip and it came with a bulb. It's an Eclipse Natural Daylight F30T8. The tank is a 30g talk with around 15 gal. of water or maybe a bit less (since it's a vivarium). So far I don't have any plant purchased nor know what I'll put in there... but I surely want some java moss if I can get my hand on it, to cover a rock cave, some pieces of driftwood and maybe some floor. The substrate is river sand. I got a CO2 "thingy" (natural plant system by nutrafin). I don't know what type of fertilization I need beside that, but the CO2 stuff came with an aquatic fertilizer called "plant gro, iron enriched".

 

[greendeltatke]

Welcome Padfoot! I keep newts in a 30 gallon as well. Choosing plants is a little tricky since they have to be good with cold water and low light. I've had success with water lettuce and anacharis- both floating plants. There is a newt-oriented site called www.caudata.org that can surely help you with more suggestions. They're not too friendly but they really know their newts.

I'm not sure about the CO2 set up. I don't think its necessary with the low light and small tank you have. By the way, what is the wattage on your bulb?

 

[midiamin]

Assuming that you will have some areas in the tank with dry substrate, there are a number of plants, semi-aquatic and terrestrial, that you can use. Are you going to be keeping the tank near sunlight? What will your temp be? Will the tank be covered? Answer the Q's and I will supply you a list of suggestions of plants (aqua and terr).

thePlantMan cometh........

 

[miguelitro]

I have two tanks very similar to what you are doing and want a newt for one of them as well. i have had good luck with anacaris, and anubias. i also have some spider plant and that real common hanging house plant growing in the tank.
i have had good luck with guppies to provide fertilizer for the plants.
good luck

 

[Padfoot]

Thanks
Yeah, I belong to caudata too. I'm pretty goodwith animals, I think fish is the less I know about... but plants? I'm completely useless... and I can't figure them out even if I read info about them... lol... that's why I decided to post here.
I already have water lettuce, and duckweed (I think). We have a small outside fountain with these plants and some fish (guppies, zebra danios and rosey reds).
The tank will have a "floating platform" which is supported by rock pillars, and it's like a shallow pot in which I'll plant land plants. It has a slope covered in sand (the same sand as the tank, so the newts can climb up). Under it, there will be water, but I guess that not enough light will reach there to plant something under it... so I'll try ti give it the aspect of a cave (with some driftwood and rocks). To fertilize the land part I'll just the cuttings from those same plants when I "mow" and I have a legume plant (Arachis glabrata), which will add organic nitrogen to the soil, and I'll water it with the aquarium water. Most of the plants I'll be using for land are small weeds anyway, so not too many requirements for them.
The tank won't recieve direct sunlight, but the room it is in recieves sunlight. I have windows in my room, and there's direct sunlight comming in through them every morning. I'm not sure if the mirror on the opposite wall reflects some sunlight onto the tank, but there's indirect sunlight comming into the room.
My temp will be around 75. It's not optimal for newts, but it's the best I can do on a tropical island with no A/C and it's an ok temp for newts (on the top level for them)
The tank will be covered with a wire mesh lid, since newts can stick to the glass and climb up and escape, I can't use a normal aquarium cover.

Hmmm... I think I answered all the questions and wrote a long post... lol