Live plants experts please help

[Lester Cheong]

HI- im posting this query here becos most of the best and healthiest live plants seem2 be in the frog vivs!

The exoterra tanks have these hoods which have built in facilities for UV and flourescent lights- in fact u can order those that come with the lighting.

2 questions:

1.Is the UV/ florescent light provided, presumably for reptiles, the same type that plants need? I was told that reptile UV is different 2 what plants require.

2. i have to seal off the mesh top with acrylic to keep the humidity in (its for a green tree python). Does UV light pass thru acrylic? or will have have 2 find some sort of special acrylic that allows UV 2 pass thru for the plants? or is the issue here the same for UV and normal flourescent?

any advice and experience, plus pictures of your set ups would be much appreciated..

Im planning to set the python viv up so that some live plants can thrive as well.

thanks!

Lester

[ASBO_Jag_Man]

try getting intouch with dartfrog.co.uk they are pretty good on frogs and live terrariums etc etc.

[vitticeptus]

Glass and certain types of perspex stop uv rays getting through so the animals and plants under this will gain no benefit.

[jack14]

the rainforest uv bulb from exo-terra benifits plants aswell thats probabl it i think

[AndyJY]

Originally Posted by vitticeptus

Glass and certain types of perspex stop uv rays getting through so the animals and plants under this will gain no benefit.

how does a greenhouse work then surely it just reduces and doesnt totaly stop them :S.

[Dendroman]

All i can say is i know T5 is your best bet for plant growth but using this form of lighting with a GTP you will have to ask someone in the snake section hope that helps

Matt

[vitticeptus]

Originally Posted by AndyJY

how does a greenhouse work then surely it just reduces and doesnt totaly stop them :S.

Good point but I was only passing on what I read in this months PRK it must just reduce the levels.

[kmartin]

Hi, just letting you know that acrylic does let UV through. you have to buy special acrylic which does not permit UV rays to go through which is a lot more expensive and is used for things such as picture framing

[Lester Cheong]

thanks all. very useful.

the T5 bulb is great for growing plants but WAY too bright for a little snake

on the UV and acrylic- that sounds about right. i think normal acrylic will let UV thru..

will be a trial and error job i think, with the plants.

if anyone's got latest pix of their vivs and live plants, please can I see them

thanks again

Lester

[vitticeptus]

Tree frog setup dont know if thats any use.This has a uvb ES lamp installed.