What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Making a bioactive, sarracenia bog vivarium with small fish pond?

  • Thread starter KPB
  • Start date
Hey everybody, looking for insight or advice about turning 30 gallon tank into a low water level bioactive setup with bog and pond. I have several small sarracenia hybrids and VFY starters that I think would do well. But want to add springtails, isopods and some mollies in the pond. Hopefully my rendering is legible enough. The plan would be to use current filter in tank to create a waterfall to feed and filter the the pond in front center so you can see fish. Slight elevation gain in back for fung shui. Maybe try some Kyoto moss for ground cover. Anyone ever attempt/do anything like this? Any advice is appreciated.16853639470787709436065749234332.jpg
 
An ambitious project. There are some potential issues to consider...
1) Space. Keep in mind that water features -- while very cool when well executed -- take up a lot of space. A 30gal tank may not have a ton of room leftover after a waterfeature is installed. (I have never done a water feature in my terrs for this very reason, though I have seen a lot of very well designed ones.) Not saying "don't do it!", but rather be mindful of this as you design your tank.

2) Lighting: The plants you have in mind are full sun plants. Providing that intensity without overheating the tank is something that will likely prove challenging.

3) The sarrs will need a chilly winter rest. How will you provide that?

4) A vft would need to be planted on a "hill" as I think the media would be too wet for them. Also, it is usually recommended that vfts be given a chilly winter rest, though you might be able to skip that providing you can give it intense light year round.

I'll be interested to see how your project turns out. Please keep us posted!
 
Adding to issues: you're going to need some way to constantly remove the nutrients created by fish waste from the water system, because especially in a small space, even one fish can produce a lot of nutrient-rich compounds that the carnivores will not appreciate building up.
And it's not all lighting that Dionaea need to avoid dormancy: it's a heavy feeding regime, and not via the roots.
 
An ambitious project. There are some potential issues to consider...
1) Space. Keep in mind that water features -- while very cool when well executed -- take up a lot of space. A 30gal tank may not have a ton of room leftover after a waterfeature is installed. (I have never done a water feature in my terrs for this very reason, though I have seen a lot of very well designed ones.) Not saying "don't do it!", but rather be mindful of this as you design your tank.

2) Lighting: The plants you have in mind are full sun plants. Providing that intensity without overheating the tank is something that will likely prove challenging.

3) The sarrs will need a chilly winter rest. How will you provide that?

4) A vft would need to be planted on a "hill" as I think the media would be too wet for them. Also, it is usually recommended that vfts be given a chilly winter rest, though you might be able to skip that providing you can give it intense light year round.

I'll be interested to see how your project turns out. Please keep us posted!
Thanks for the reply, since then I got access to 50 gallon, but either way I should he considerate if I do water feature. Maybe I can just do something smaller with illusion of fish.

I have some really nice LED's for my other CP's that works well for me.
As far as wintering sars and VFT I was thinking I could just stage them individually potted in terrarium and fill space in with SM or other media. That could also help with leeching nutrients from fish waste if I go that direction.

Are isopods and other cleanup crews safe for CP terrerium?
 
They should be. Springtails, especially, are quite harmless. Be interested to see what you come up with. :)
 
Mollies wouldn't be the best choice for the water conditions you'll want to maintain for Sarracenia. They prefer hard freshwater, brackish, marine and even euryhaline environments which are saltier that seawater. A fish which prefers soft, acidic water would be a wiser choice.
 
Mollies wouldn't be the best choice for the water conditions you'll want to maintain for Sarracenia. They prefer hard freshwater, brackish, marine and even euryhaline environments which are saltier that seawater. A fish which prefers soft, acidic water would be a wiser choice.
Good to know. I realize now fish are going to make this process much more complicated, for now ill stick to the bioactive and maybe just a small water feature.
 
I am quite ignorant on the care of aquarium fish, but would something like a betta be a viable choice? (Assuming it had enough room and "cover" to hide behind should it feel stressed.)
 
Full disclosure: I've never tried it but recommend starting with a simple system and taking the time to recognize and resolve the inevitable kinks the in the system before complicating it with something like fish. Fully disclosing that I haven't tried this either, I get the impression that amphibians are easier than fish in that kind of set-up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KPB
  • #10
Full disclosure: I've never tried it but recommend starting with a simple system and taking the time to recognize and resolve the inevitable kinks the in the system before complicating it with something like fish. Fully disclosing that I haven't tried this either, I get the impression that amphibians are easier than fish in that kind of set-up.
Yeah it has dawned on me I was a bit over ambitious. I think I'm going to try to have a separate system and dividers for a "river area" and experiment with freshwater shrimp, hopefully I'll start soon and have some pictures. Thanks for advice.
 
Back
Top