Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm relatively new to herps. I have been constructing a small paludarium in a ten-gal tank, with a land area and a water area, and cork bark above the land area. The idea is to house a Chinese fire-bellied newt, and have plants both on the land and in the water. I finished with the hard furnishings last week, and put cocoa peat (I know, a mistake) in the land area and plants a parlor palm, polka-dot plant and some creeping fig. They all died within two days. For test purposes, I planted something else in the cocoa peat and it seems fine, but I removed all the peat anyway today. I am wondering if the silicone fumes could have had something to do with the plants' deaths. Has anyone else had a problem with this? I did use a lot of silicone, and the fumes were pretty strong. I'm not planning to replant or (heaven forbid) get the newt until the fumes are completely gone.
Thanks!

Usually it will say on the tube (if it's made specifically for tanks) how long you should leave it set before doing anything. 24-48 hours is typically the minimum. I would recommend 72 before doing anything just to be on the safe side. It could be what killed the plants if it was sooner then that, but if it was later then that I don't think it would have been the fumes.

>>Hi, I'm relatively new to herps. I have been constructing a small paludarium in a ten-gal tank, with a land area and a water area, and cork bark above the land area. The idea is to house a Chinese fire-bellied newt, and have plants both on the land and in the water. I finished with the hard furnishings last week, and put cocoa peat (I know, a mistake) in the land area and plants a parlor palm, polka-dot plant and some creeping fig. They all died within two days. For test purposes, I planted something else in the cocoa peat and it seems fine, but I removed all the peat anyway today. I am wondering if the silicone fumes could have had something to do with the plants' deaths. Has anyone else had a problem with this? I did use a lot of silicone, and the fumes were pretty strong. I'm not planning to replant or (heaven forbid) get the newt until the fumes are completely gone.
>>Thanks!
-----
Hope my opinions help,
Rob

Rob,

Thanks for replying! It certainly was sooner than 48 hours; I'll try again today (about 5 days later) and see what happens. Would you think a screen top would work better than glass? It might allow more ventilation...

Thanks!

Jan

Hi Jan,

No problem on the response.

You had no top on while letting it set, right? If so, the choice of lid is yours, but I would strongly recommend the screen top. This will keep the tank cooler, a little bit drier, and allow the air to be fresh and circulating. If you had the glass lid on while it was setting, I would give it a few more days open to the air.

Make sure whatever lid you choose is a tight fit though, as newts and salamanders are great escape artists.

I also recommend regular black earth. Nothing added, just regular dirt. Most places will sell it, or you can collect some from outside. If you're worried about bugs from outside though, there are many ways to steralize the soil. Using an oven or microwave seem to be the most common ways.

>>Rob,
>>
>>Thanks for replying! It certainly was sooner than 48 hours; I'll try again today (about 5 days later) and see what happens. Would you think a screen top would work better than glass? It might allow more ventilation...
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Jan
-----
Hope my opinions help,
Rob

Rob,

Thanks again! I found some potting soil with no perlite and put that in yesterday. I planted more polka-dot plant, more creeping fig, a button fern and another fern. I also glued the tillandsias onto the cork bark. I went ahead and put in a thin layer of gravel in the water part, put in conditioned water and set up the Duetto filter with a possible (may be changed) waterfall. This morning everything looks fine....except the tank is fogged up! I had an old hood on it with a flourescent gro-light....I think you're right about the screen top. Only thing I'm worried about is how to get the cord from the filter out of the tank without making a hole big enough for the newt.....I'm debating whether to put native moss on top of the soil, or bed-a-beast. Any suggestions, anyone?

Thanks again!

Hey Jan,

Be extra careful with anything labelled potting soil. I have found that every brand that was labelled potting soil had something in it that was not wanted. That's why I still recommend black earth.

As for the screen top you can buy screen tops at the pet store that are perfect fit for most normal sized tanks. This will allow the cord out through a corner, and the newt won't be able to escape with it. Or you can make your own and drill a hole in the frame just large enough for the wire and nothing else.

As for putting something on top of the soil, some moss may be nice but make sure it is only in a small area. Sometimes moss can bother some salamanders due to being acidic, so without knowing which kind of moss you would be collecting it's hard to say. Better to put it in a small area so the animals can choose to go on it or not. You could also place whiteworms into the moss, and from what I have read they will multiple in it, leading to food in the tank as well as something that will help break down organic waste. I do something similar with springtails in the soil of my tanks. The bed-a-beast coconut fibre I have used, but many people think it should be avoided since it is not a natural substrate that you would find them on. If you wish to use it though I have used it with great success, and others that I know mix it in with soil so that the water is retained better. I no longer use it though and use strictly black earth in all my terrestrial tanks.

If you're setting up this elaborate of a tank for CFBNs it seems a pity to keep them, as adult CFBNs are usually completely aquatic. There are other species that could make use of a beautiful land and water area though. Those may make more use of your tank.

>>Rob,
>>
>>Thanks again! I found some potting soil with no perlite and put that in yesterday. I planted more polka-dot plant, more creeping fig, a button fern and another fern. I also glued the tillandsias onto the cork bark. I went ahead and put in a thin layer of gravel in the water part, put in conditioned water and set up the Duetto filter with a possible (may be changed) waterfall. This morning everything looks fine....except the tank is fogged up! I had an old hood on it with a flourescent gro-light....I think you're right about the screen top. Only thing I'm worried about is how to get the cord from the filter out of the tank without making a hole big enough for the newt.....I'm debating whether to put native moss on top of the soil, or bed-a-beast. Any suggestions, anyone?
>>
>>Thanks again!
-----
Hope my opinions help,
Rob

Rob,

I love your comment about the CFBN not taking full advantage of the tank....and I was thinking the same thing! I'm not sure what else I could put in with him though; it's not a very big tank. The newt is (supposedly) my seven-year-old son's. I've always wanted to do this, though, so it's been fun for me.

As far as the black soil thing....the soil here is red! I live in East Tennessee, and we have acidic red clay..so the soil in my yard is not acceptable.

I acclimated the newt this afternoon. He is very small, and so far hasn't come out of the water at all. Oh well, at least I appreciate the land portion of the tank!

Thanks again for the advice!
Jan