Hi I grow mine in a shallow outdoor pool in heavy shade . have never grown them in regular soil.lol There are several types ranging from a light green to very dark as well as white and yellow variagated forms They are a very good choice for a shady pool as most water plants require direct sun to do well . Only complaint about them is they seldom branch on their own so need periodic pruning or they flop over lol The cuttings easily root again though. gary

I think most likely he jumped. I've had various fish jump right out of my aquarium, even with the hood on it! They got out in the small opening where the tubing was inserted. Sometimes they jump because there are parasites, sometimes because of an ammonia build-up, sometimes because they're startled by something -- or sometimes just for the sheer joy of jumping. Plants do well at filtering out toxins, especially when you're not overstocked, but if you're curious, the easy way to check the water quality would be to get a testing kit.

Ich is, from my experience, very easy to control once the tank is established. You were correct in raising temperature, but after the ich has cleared keep it at a steady level. Adding salt is also a wonderful idea. To clear the tank I would do a 20-25% water change, using distilled water bought at a grocery store or Wal Mart. Try adding a touch of Stress Zyme to the water as well as a touch of a good ich cure. I usually keep my filters running. You may also want to add a little bit of water conditioner and definately salt. This should cure the tank. Once the filter has algea developing on it your tank should be on its way. Be sure to not overclean your filter as the bacteria growing on the overflow helps purify the water. But, make sure it is creating a great deal of circulation. To keep the tank healthy add only a small amount of chemical and salt for every water change. I also always add a few drops of ich cure with every water change. I have noticed this keeps ich out of my tanks. Be sure to use a gravel vaccuum with each change. Also make sure your lights are not overpowering the tank and that the tank is not by a window. This will help keep it cleaner. And make sure the fish you are purchasing are healthy and are in healthy tanks.

First of all, to the best of my knowledge the everglades are a protected area, and any collection of wild plants is generally considered to be illegal (at least here in Canada it is). You also would be running a high risk of introducing molds or other fungi or parasites of some kind or worse, snails and slugs, into your terrarium, so it's really not worth the 'free' material! Most terrariums, even the most beautiful ones, are largely composed of common houseplants, which are really quite cheap. You can buy the little pots for $1, and they will grow very quickly into large plants in a terrarium because they just love the humidity so much! (If you have enough light). BTW, what kind of light did you have on your salt tank? And take your time planning this, because it was a lot of work for me to re-do my 85 gallon terr to make the waterfeature work and the landscape more interesting, and it would be 3 times that amount of work if you ended up re-doing your tank because you rushed through it the first time! One thing you could do now, besides reading, is visit a good greenhouse or nursery, or even a Home Depot with a good plant department near you, and look at all the plants and write down which ones you like. Then research them on the 'net to see how big they get, if they can take being constantly moist, etc. Good terrarium plants: stay small or are easily trimmed back without ruining the appearance of the plant, love high humidity, are not invasive (unless you don't mind trimming them back frequently), have interesting leaf shapes or patterns or colour (though you also need some 'plain' stuff, or the terrarium becomes too 'busy' and you don't appreciate the unique plants), like a constant moisture level (no drying out between waterings, except for plants mounted up high, close to the lights), and do not require extremely high light levels. Anything that needs full sun in nature is a bad choice for a terrarium unless you have a metal halide bulb, but that can cause problems with overheating if you're not careful. Since you're in Florida, humidity isn't exactly a problem, so you should listen to everything gary says about needing fans, not needing a cover for your tank, and how to cool your tank in the very hot summers (fans).