mudboots

This started out as a Wisconsin biotope from various mosses and a couple unknowns I collected in Wisconsin, but is now an experiment I'm having some fun with. It's a 20 gallon with Organic Choice saturated and the top is covered in plastic wrap for what I'm guessing is 100% humidity. I figured most of the non-aqautics would perish, but they are doing well. This tank has been set up just about 3 weeks now. I had to open it and dry it out a bit to take pics, as the humidity keeps the glass wet and fogged. I had thrown in a few "dead" roots from some plants that seemed to have died when the 20 npt was mysteriously poisoned (no telling with kids always checking things out). To my surprise there are some Marsilea plants growing and some Crypt.wendtii (green). Also inside are some tiny off-shoots of java fern (needle leaf), an unknown fern, and some W.aereolata (netted chain fern) that is coming up from a piece of "root". Lighting is the same 48 watts of T5-HO that was on the tank when it was an npt.

First FTS about 3 weeks ago:


September 12, 2009:


Center 3 weeks ago (forgot to take a comparison shot; will get one in a couple months):


Misc. pic:

mudboots

Marsilea peeking up:


Fronds of netted chain fern behind a club moss:


Unknown club moss:


Crypt.wedtii sprouting up:


Unknowns:

mudboots

Forgot this pic of some more cool-looking unknowns:

Tex Gal

Pretty. Neat project!

davemonkey

That's looking GREAT!! Please keep us updated on the Marsilea (if it gets reproductive structures and can be ID'd). The Crypt looks like it is doing very well, as do all the mosses.

-Dave

mudboots

A simple update - After returning from 5 days in the field the terrestrial mosses are struggling a little bit with the wetness. I'm going to take a rag and soak some of the excess moisture up so it's not so wet. The ferns (Marsilea, woodwardia, java et cetera) and Crypt.sp. (and the other mystery plants that hitch-hiked in the moss) are doing great and loving the wetness, but they were doing just as well before I accidentally added the extra water, so removing the excess won't be an issue I don't think.

mudboots

New additions. Pics were tough to get through the moisture so I'll probably clear it up in a couple months to get some better ones for next update.

davemonkey

Neat. Do you happen to know anyone (a bryologist) who might be able to ID the pelia-like plant? It's a great looking specimen. I tried some awhile back (collected from the same forest) and it did not grow submerged for me. But, there were a couple factors that may have affected that. Maybe once I decide what to do with my tank I'll try it again.

-Dave

Tex Gal

I'm really enjoying this. I could see this on the top of a tank with a waterfall going into the tank. Love all the different plants you have there.

mudboots

Thanks for the posts davemonkey and texgal. Regarding the pelia, my hope is that kevin from NASH will send some to Cavan for id. We collected some specimens mixed with a moss and could not tell which was putting up the reproductive structures. I really should have taken some pics before closing the tank back up, but that's the way it goes. Whatever it is, I like it. I also hope the ressurection fern does well, but I've not had good luck with it in the past when not kept at high humidity, so this terrarium may be the only place I ever have it.

Regarding the waterfall, I am actually working on plans for my son's 10 gallon betta tank. At the moment it has water and a betta, along with plastic "stuff". I think in 2 or 3 months I'm going to set him up using somewhat of an El Natural concept mixed with a tiny bit of paludarium. I want to give the specimens in the humid terrarium time to either flourish or fail to decide what I'll use for the filter (waterfall) flow. I'm still not sure how to go about it with only a 10 gallon tank, but I'll figure something out eventually. With the shallow water, I'll mostly be using E.tenellus with one nice Stauro.low grow as a focal, backdropped by something like a pink-red rotala. Too many options out there have fried my brain, so I'm taking my time and changing my mind BEFORE I set it up (poor 125 npt).