The Highland Tank Setup

 Highland Tank Setup

After months of planning, the highland tank is officially setup and running. There were definitely a few set-backs, but everything has settled in nicely and seems to be enjoying the tank.

The highland setup shell is a 4 ft. x 2 ft. reptile tank. A few modifications were made to convert it into a suitable highland environment. The bottom of the tank is lined with LECA to help increase humidity and provide space for water to pool without flooding the plants.

Above the LECA is a layer of plastic egg crate, which is then covered by a layer of grow mesh that is fantastic at retaining a small amount of water (perfect for the live sphagnum sitting on top of it).

If you have never used plastic egg crate, I highly recommend giving it a try. It is extremely easy to work with, although tedious, you can achieve molding your environment to your liking. 

Above the tank, two panels of thin plexiglass were cut to replace the mesh panels to help regulate the temperature and increase the tank humidity. Once the plexiglass was installed, I decided to use a mounting stand for the LED lights, which allowed me to suspend the lights a few inches above the plexiglass. A few cuts were made into the plexiglass to allow the stand to mount to the side panels of the tank. Although the cuts were not perfect and a bit unsightly, it got the job done.

The temperature in the setup is controlled by a water-cooled loop. The loop consists of 4 computer fans, a computer radiator, an aquarium chiller and a computer water pump. The fans push ambient air through the chilled radiator fins, allowing the tank to achieve and hold the desired temps. Even with the lack of insulation of the glass tank, the day temps do not exceed 74 degrees and the night temps can drop into the low 50's. 

Humidity is controlled via an external reptile humidifier (attached to an inkbird humidity controller) that is hosed into the top right of the tank. An ultrasonic humidifier placed in the bottom layer or LECA kicks on when the water level reaches a desired height. With both of these running, a humidity of above 90% is attained.

A mistking system is setup to match the light schedule of the plants. Every hour, the system is programmed to spray for 45 seconds. Nothing too crazy here, but I wanted to keep the moss and plants hydrated. 

The plan is to allow the heliamphora and highland nepenthes to grow in their individual pots alongside live sphagnum. While the plants grow, slowly, the live sphag will fill in around the pots and pumice stone which I believe will be very aesthetically pleasing.  I have also placed a few pings around the heliamphora and they have quickly rooted and flowered (more of an experiment than anything).

Lastly, I water the heliamphora about every other day, never allowing them to go dry. A MaxSea foliar spray is used in the pitchers monthly, along with a monthly dose of Great White mycorrhizae to promote healthy root development.

As always, happy growing!