# Baby tears



## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Gr.. first time when my viv was new i put in this plant in and it got full of webs, so i took it out. Now i tried again and now the same thing is happening.. stringy web like stuff over the plant.. not only that it looks like its way to wet aswell ill try to take a picture tonight..im only misting for a minute a day - 15 secs - 4 times and my humidity never goes above 90%. I also have a 1/1/2" vent at the top front now. I see some people with such nice baby tears growing and am wondering how?!


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)




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## skronkykong (Jan 1, 2007)

I've attempted this plant about three times. The first two I killed it off. But the third attempt was successful. I put it in sphagnum moss that is constantly wet in very strong light and it took off. Its also growing half way submerged in a waterfall. For the trick was constant moisture and lots of light. Good luck.


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## roxrgneiss (Sep 30, 2007)

I would just give it some time, unless the plant truly looks like it's rotting or in decline.

I think the web-like growth on your substrate looks like mold, which is fairly common and will probably run it's course over a few months or so.

Take care,
Mike


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks! Well the first time i never really gave it a chance so i think I will leave this one for now hopefully it comes around.

Humidity = 80-90%
Temp - 70-80F
Misting 4 times a day - total 1 minutes - 15 secs ea time.

Another thing my white spotted polka dot plant is doing well and my pink dotted one is slowly rotting away.. :?.


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## whatever111 (Nov 16, 2006)

> Another thing my white spotted polka dot plant is doing well and my pink dotted one is slowly rotting away. :?


Hi, do you have them in two different locations of the viv? Like one nearer the lights and one more in the shade? Do you have a water feature in your viv? If one of them is too close to the water it might be rotting, but I don't know that much about plants :roll:


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I think the pink polka dot plant gets less light so this is probably the problem.. i have no water future other than a small pond but they are about the same length away from it. 

As for the baby tears its looking much worse today..  looks like its a gonner. I will try to take another pic of it.


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

i have no idea what the web stuff is, but most tanks get that when you first set them up, it goes away within a few weeks usually. babytear moss can not get enough light, but as far as watering they don't need to be watered every day. i have tons of it in my greenhouse, with a humid tank i water it once a month and it does great, the humidity is 70-90ish?, but the key is great drainage, it will rot if it isn't allowed to dry out between waterings. so if you are misting 4x a day that is way too much and it will not be able to dry out. outside a greenhouse it does well too with a low humidity, and i water those every 4-5 days. i just soak it in water for about 5 minutes and they grow like crazy. i've found in a greenhouse/tank type sety up they will grow up, but outside they will remain flatter and grow out rather than higher. good luck!


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

i got some baby tears a month ago or so. and i did more research on them afterwards...i found in my research that most people who have success with baby tears have air circulation..rather than ventilation. 

this was the thread..


[url="http://www.dendroboard.com/p...w.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... highlight=[/url]

i hope that can help. 

-Nate


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## MonopolyBag (Jun 3, 2007)

I think I figured this plant out...

Does fine in vivs, if acclimated first.

Do not just take out of a pot, rinse roots and shove into a hole.

Separate little parts, keep it spread out, and place small thinned clumps around viv, it will grow in later, and the parts that grow in in the viv will be more acclimated to the moisture. I killed this plant two times form rotting, looked just like yours, remove yours now, and replace soil there. And do what i said, this is how Sokretys planted his and it looks to be growing in nicely last time I was over his place.


This is the same technique I had to do with Salaginella and it grows in fine now, and is easy for me to place in. Never just shove a plant in, thin it out.

Good luck, and read Sokretys post.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

thanks, i think the web stuff is mold i am pretty sure it is. As for lighting i have 65 watts over my tank. I think the soil is too wet and does not drain enough im not sure..my soil thickness is about 2-3" and i just used Ground coconut fiber bricks as my bedding. My tank has been setup for id say about 2-3 months and the mold ONLY starts when i put in this plant and when i take it out it stops :?. I have a 1-1/4" vent in the front and back on my viv and my humidity still stays above 80%. Should i try a computer fan? i have a spare maybe im lacking air movement? I think this is the key thing that im missing..it kind of makes sense after reading that thread.. so now i guess the question is what do i use to run this fan off? ill take pictures in a couple minutes. As for the baby tears i think it may be better to buy a new one and try..again *sigh*.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)




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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Heres a picture of the fan i have its about 3-4" 0.13 amp 12v ?


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

Ive got 3 iquitos on reserve..how do you like them? or rather...how much do you love them? haha.

im assuming that the baby tears are in your 44...keeping that in mind any air movement will at least get the CO2 out of crevices and other places its heavy body can get trapped. you can get a power supply which some people refer to as a "wall wart" at any radio shack or walmart. i would get the power supply from wal mart. i got one there for $10 and it can do 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5, 9, and 12. it comes with many different adapters to pretty much be able to charge anything you need to. from walkmans to a self phone hub. these adapters attach themselved to the power supply through this 2 prong connector. id buy the wart first so that you know what to look for next.

you can get an adapter for the wart at radioshack that will convert it simply into black/red wires.

you could snip the connector off your fan and be on your way. or you could probly spend a few extra bucks if you dont feel like damaging it. and buy an adpter for the adapter. i know this may sound complicated..but it really is quite simple.

the hard part is safely mounting you fan into your viv. very few cooling fans are waterproof. i could only find one brand that made them. i got it for a cooling system that hangs on the back of my exo terra and comes in through the hood. 

think of the fan like a powerhead in a fish tank. when you first start thje powerhead on you wont see too much water movement. because the water it is sucking up is stagnant. but once alll of the water in the tank is going it is much more efficient. take this into consideration when placing your fan. since air is much easier to move than water..it will probly do what you need it to wherever you put it. if you have it facing yourfront glass it will get rid of condensation. assuming that it is powerful enoug anyways...

i started a thread on how loud of a fan would be too loud. i didnt get much for replies other than..thats a good question. but obviously the quiter the better. if your fan sounds like a gently breeze. than it should be fine. if it sounds like this loud black box in the corner. it will most l;ikely stress your frogs. 

i would also at the very least attach some fiberglass meshing to both sides of your fan so that none of your iquitos lose any limbs. 

one last thing...your fan is most likely 12 volts. and if you would like to turn the fan speed down turn the power supply down to a lower voltage. i hope this helps..and goodluck.

-Nate


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

as far as drainage..do you have a false bottom? or is your substrate on the tank floor?


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I love them! they are great frogs i hear them calling every once and awhile. The can be bold at sometimes and shy somedays..it really depends. Yes the baby tears is in my 44g. I will go to radioshack tommorow and look for a power supply and adapter. I have heard this fan running before and it is quiet . I have a false bottom which i drain out every once and a while before water level gets too high. Thanks nate


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Okay, well i forgot i had many old power supplys still lol i have a 145w EVER. 
Heres a picture of it..I have no idea on what to do next so some help would be appreciated .


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

i just bought a power supply the other day..am still waiting for my speed controller to come. 

this link helped me out solving the same questions.

[url="http://www.dendroboard.com/p...w.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... highlight=[/url]

u are definetly better off buying a speed controller rather than cutting a few wires and attaching them that way. you figure you would have spent almost 20 going to radioshack if not more. and the same or less for a controller. a controller will allow you to use 3-4 fans. the one im getting is like 20 with shipping off ebay. the first one "came to me defective"..i really put the 12v wire on the 5v input and fried it. they are sending me a new one anyways...dishonest. but im a poor college student so soo what. haha. 

that being said..many of the cheaper ones dont allow you to stop the fans. or they go from like...10, 20, 30, 40%..etc. rather than..1, 2, 3, 4%..etc. 

so make sure the one you get is a decent one. so once you get all the hardware and wiring set up..its mounting the fan..which may/ may not be tricky. good luck.

-Nate


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

well i decided to go just with a ac adapter and fan mainly because i had everything i needed..simple enough took me about 5 mins..at 3 am lol. Now how do i mount this thing is the next questions. Oh and the fan is extremely quiet i actually cant hear it .


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Also i plan on only using just this 1 fan for my viv just so its not so stagnant if i were to go with 3-4 fans which i actually may be doing anyways this summer for my reef tank because my metal halide lights are extremely hot so i will most likely having to get a controller like you and hooking up 4 fans on my tank. I may or may not need it yet though because i turn on A/C during day so room temp is fairly cool but well see..


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

oh i forgot to mention..my top is just eggcrate cut to fit with mesh netting used for false bottoms and plastic wrap - ghetto! haha..i was wondering if i should cut out a square in the eggcrate to fit the fan and put mesh netting on both sides of the fan so no froggies get chopped up. I cant remember who but ive seen this done on someone viv where they just cut out a piece of eggcrate to fit the fan..

and would it be better to put it at the front or back? im guessing the front because this way i could prevent condensation on the front glass too ?


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

however you mount it. i wouldnt allow the fan to bring in fresh air from outside the tank. ive actually had better results having the fan in the rear middle of the tank pointed at the middle of the fan. rather than the fan directly on top of the doors.


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

Juts heard from Oz and my Iquitos are doing really well he said! im putting springtails in on tuesday...what the update on the mounting?

-N


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I am thinking my fan is too large for my viv? i think its 80mm about 3.5" would this be too larger should i use a smaller 1? if so how smaller? thanks


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

i searched FOREVER for the right fan for my viv...

from my research size and even amperage/wattage doesnt have much to do with how much air it can move. as far as "size"..if it fits and you dont mind the look than its fine. i would look up how many cubic feet per minute (cfp) it can move. that is the deciding factor. i felt like a 5 cfm was too small for my 10 vert but a 6.67 cfm was sufficient...as far as what too much? id say for your 44..that anything above 35ish would be too much. maybe even less. try and find your fans specs and go from there.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

90 x 90 x 25mm, 1800rpm, 19dBA thats my fan i had to look at what computer case i bought lol it was the fan used for the top exhaust which would not fit..reason why this fan is now a spare . It does not say what the cfm is ?


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Okay i found out its 56CFM.. a bit too much im guessing..but what if i only ran 
it 2-3 times a day or somethin like a hour after misting for 30 minutes or something.


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Okay well now im totally confused nothing matches my fan. There is a thermaltake fan 

Thermaltake 92mm Fan A1099/ TT9025A-2B
# Speed: 2850pm +/-
# Size: 92 x 92 x 25mm
# Air flow: 56cfm
# Noise: 35dBa
# Type: 2 ball bearing
# Life time: 50,000 hours
# Connector: 3 Pin (has 4pin adapter build-in)
# Power input: 2.64w
# Rated current: 0.22A (max) 

but mine is 90mm and only 1800rpm.. i cant find anything that matches mine its a thermaltake TT-9025A 1800rpm


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Okay so i replaced the fan now with a 80mm fan about 20-30 CFM hoping this will be okay now. Still seems like too much maybe..


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

yo, i just did a little searching. i found a thermaltake..

its 80mmx80x25....that being said. its runs at 2000 rpm at 21dba and pushes 27.8 cfm.

higher rpm will add to the sound...but your larger blades will push more air at 1800 than the 80. but not much. so id say that your fan would be very similar to the one i saw. id say go for it man. 

heres the link i found it at in case you want to check it out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Thermaltake-UV-Seri ... W_W0QQitem


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

the fan you have is actually quite ideal if you can find a nice spot for it. usually using a large fan at a slow speed will be strong enough and yet quiet. or so i have been told on dendro. if i were you..and if you felt like a fun little project. id mount it externally some how. only cuz its safer and looks nicer. its only getting humid air when its outside the viv whereas inside..it will get misted. no matter how hard you try and avoid it. hope this helps ya.

PS. Tom Brady let me down..

-Nate


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

thanks for the replies! One this is for sure..i cant let the fan run 24/7 i let it run for maybe an hour and my humidity was down to 60 and would continue to drop probably.. and that was after misting for 1 minute. I have it mounted externally..well it is raised above the top a bit so its not inside the viv at all pretty much even with my top..pushing air from outside the viv to the inside and i have mesh netting covering the fan. I have no vents currently other than the vents that come with the exo terra. I am confused now what to do and what would be the best way. Running it 24/7 would definitely be a bad idea because my humidity would be 50-60% and my moss starts to dry..and when its off it stays around 80-90. I mainly just want the fan there for air circ so its not so stagnant because the plants do a lot better than. So what would be great is if i could some how put the fan on a timer so it only turns on after misting for a short while to circulate the air a bit. Would a regular timer work? or is there something better i could possibly use? this way there would be some air circ in the viv once and a while bringing fresh air to keep it from being stagnant and would not drop my humidity down to 50-60% hopefully keeping it at 70-90% since i am misting for 45s - 1 minute 4 times a day now.


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

yeah i had never really considered having a fan on a timer. definetly try it and let me know how it goes. thats an interesting idea. i wonder what the differences would be in turning the fan on prior to misting vs. after. i would start a new thread and propose that question. im sure you would get some good replies. i just finished my air circulation system...it is what some may call...overkill. haha. muah ha ha ha. it really is quite badass. although it should be for about 30 hrs of work i put into it. im gonna start a new thread for it in a few minutes once i mount it. ill reply again with the feed.

-N


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks Sokrety's i appreciated your help. I was wondering the same thing if i should turn it on before or after misting not sure whats better. I'll definitely be looking at your thread.


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

Dude i was just gonna sk you how it was going and i got an email saying you posted..weird. Here is the link to my thread. How is the going? Can you see plants billowing in the breeze? a little? a lot? im gonna look for a link to a picture that may sprout some ideas.

[url="http://www.dendroboard.com/p...w.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... highlight=[/url]


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... r&start=15

that will tell you everything youd like to know..look mid page 2. where the guy boxes it in..maybe try that?


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

I was told i should have the fan sucking air out rather than blowing air into the viv? true/false? :?


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

i have no idea. i have no expereicen with using fans that bring new air in or taqke humid air out. ive only had a fan in the viv. or a recirculating system. which seems to be the best route. i was advise trying it. some ways of doing can be very simple and cheap. while others...very complicated. haha


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

This whole time i thought the idea was to bring fresh air from outside the viv to the inside of the viv or out..trying both ways i realized both ways well..suck. What we really are trying to do is move the air inside the viv so its not stagnant and not wet but humid. Okay so now i understand. This way the tank does not lose humidity and keeps temperature better but still moves air around in the viv which is really the goal here. I think the recirculating way is the best way like what sokretys has done..because how else am i going to hide a 3" fan in my viv? any ideas? lol. So now i guess what i have to do is roll up my sleeves and get busy!


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## Sokretys (Dec 16, 2007)

yeah make sure u check out that link from up top..tthere are a bunch of different people examples..


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## Mikee (Oct 23, 2007)

thanks! i will.


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