First vivarium. What do you think?

[NewNewtGuy]

Pictures of my new terrarium. It houses 2 Fire Bellied Newts, Issac and Jimmy. Its a 20g long with a plexiglass wall dividing the land an water sides. My newts are still juveniles 1 1/2" to 2" so i think this is fairly good at until they get older. What do you think? Any hints from all you veterans out there?

[DazzleDiscus]

looks good to me- personally I would prefer a few short-growing live plants around the driftwood and a background of some sort to hide the wires behind the tank. I love the look of the driftwood. great job on the setup!

[claymore]

I second the idea of some low growing plants.... Some Pothos, maybe some vine Philodendron, maybe some creeping fig, And some Moss would really make the land section pop!

And if you don't want to make a back ground... You could always get a back cover from the pet store, or just black it out with black construction paper.

[DazzleDiscus]

I second creeping fig, though I've never grown it. It looks as if it would set well along the edge of a woodland. Pothos may look to big for that tank and demand emphasis of its size alone. I have some in a 10gal temporary tank and the leaves are too big for a balanced look.

You could also use black or darkgreen paint to cover the back glass (paint the outside glass, not inside the tank lol) I prefer to paint my backgrounds as there arn't air pockets to be annoyed with :P

[NewNewtGuy]

Thanks for the advice, I've been wanting to go with some real plants anyway. I do have a few questions though. Do i need to change my bulb from florescent to a special kind of plant bulb? And also what kind of plant do you guys suggest for the water portion of the tank.(I was thinking some kind of lily pad so the newt that likes to chill on the water portion would have something more suitable to lay out on)

[beckdg]

anubias bartieri, pothos, aponogetons (for shade)

lily pads that would support it's weight would not fit in there.

brighter light will always help plants but careful selection could lend you leeway. you can't go wrong usually with bulbs rated around 6500k.

[NewNewtGuy]

Is there a way i can tell if the bulb i have is around 6500k? All the bulb says is 17W aquarium lamp(its the standard that came with the hood for my tank). I'm just cheap and I'd rather not buy a new bulb if i don't have to. I also don't want to buy plants until i know i have the right bulb so i don't kill them lol. Also another question on the whole plant thing. I am using some kind of amphibian soil substrate, will plants take root and grow in that? And isn't it going to much more difficult to change the substrate with plants planted in it?(is there a trick to it?) Thanks for the help guys, I've wanted to put real plants in but wasn't sure enough in myself yet lol.

[beckdg]

your substrate looks fine for some plants.
your bulb might be a different story but choosing plants that can grow in a dark closet will remedy that. otherwise you may be looking at a different fixture or retrofitting it to accept cfl's.
changing substrates is a bad thing once the tank is planted.

[NewNewtGuy]

Alright So i went to the Garden center near my house and found a water plant i liked called Peacocks feather i figured for $3.59 i could just try this plant out to test my light and if it lives then it lives and if it dies then o well lol. I couldn't decide on a land plant yet so i used some temporary fake ones on the land side. I also bought a tadpole but i have know idea what kind of frog it will turn into can anyone help. I'd assume its something fairly common i was just curios to watch the cycle of a tadpole to a frog. I added some new pics of the new additions and a pic of one of my FBNs.