Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok i should have most all of my plants for my tank later this week and i just want to ask some last minute questions before i get them.

as long as i keep a steady high humidity i wont have to water them right?

does the temp effect the plants (just for debate say mid 80s)?

right now i am misting i have nothing in my tank except soil (mainly to get the soil moist before i plant). i misted a few times before i got my repti-glo lights. once i got my lights the humidty was a constant 95% for two days. now it seems the lights are drying out the top 1/4" layer of soil.

when i mist the humidity goes back up to 95% (of course) then withen a hlaf hour it falls to around 75%. i now have set to mist 2 minutes every half hour since the humidity level has started to drop. i can understand this since i have no plants cover to cast shadows. but once i get my plants my humidity level should level out, right?

and is there any other care tips you have for the plants?

thanks!
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.5.03 Tank Is Almost Complete

The answers to your questions all depend on the species of plants you are getting.

David

i was looking for just general info, but ill have a few visra broms a neogaralia brom, some air plants and some spike moss as well as tropical pillow moss.
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.5.03 Tank Is Almost Complete

Selaginellas are almost all great, as are the tropical Adiatum ferns, the "heart ferns" and some others. Avoid Blechnum gibbum--advertised as a "Juriasic" tree fern suitable for terrariums. It has a huge root system and will not do well in your set up. Get the most dwarf species of anything you can find. Look in the photo gallery for some of the ones I've put in my vivariums that have done well. Go to cages and terrariums and search on slaytonp. This doesn't include tillandsias and other bromeliads, nor many of the pileas and first plants I tried. On the other hand, it does include some epiphytic cacti, the rhipsalis that are charming and adapt well on a background of cork, cocos fiber and sphagnum. I have a couple of dwarf begonias in the paludarium that do well without overcoming everything else.

Just think "small." They will be hefty enough in time. You don't want to be pruning out a humongous pothos or philodendron meant for a living area pot plant to trail down the stairwell or reach the ceiling. You are creating a minitature rain forest, so stay as minitature as possible.

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

thanks for that info, but i really need some answers to the humidity question and just general care of the plants? does misting sufficantly water them? do you have to do any thing else to keep em healthy?
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.5.03 Tank Is Almost Complete

Misting and the high humidity keep the soil adequately damp. Other than trimming off dead leaves, removing any rotted or diseased plants, spent bromeliads, which may die off after blooming and producing pups, and keeping water in the bromeliad axils, which misting will usually do adequately, the system is relatively self sustaining. Frog wastes are recycled by the plants. If your soil layer breaks down too much after a year or so, you can add another thin top layer occasionally. As you no doubt already know, you don't want to use fertilizers or incorporate them into your substrate. With a good natural jungle mix soil, leaf mold breaking down, you have adequate plant nourishment for a long time. I'm experimenting now with adding a thin layer of cocoanut pith and fiber to the surface of an older terrarium. This breaks down very slowly and should help aerate the soil where it has beome compacted.

With your well-thought-out tank with its good drainage system, I doubt you will have any problems growing whatever is suitable to the temperature and humidity.

I experience more undesirable overgrowth than malnourishment of plants, which is why I encourage thinking small. Because my drainage systems are layers of charcoal and gravel under the soil mixes, with only turkey baster sumping from one end of the drainage layer, the soil tends more to become overly damp than otherwise. With your false bottom and excess water removal system, you should have a perfect balance.

I can hardly wait to see your final viviarium complete with frogs.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

ok that answered about all my questions. The main reason i asked about the humidity is right now i got my fans, mister, and lights on. i misted a few times before i turned my lights on and the humidity was high and i had condensation on the glass now after a few days the light has dried out the top 1/4"-1/2" of soil. im assuming thats becuase i have no plants or any kind of shade in their at the moment. and becuase of the my humidity is around 70% even though im misting 2 minutes every 1 1/2 hours. i changed it to three minutes today and see what effect it would have for the time being.
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.5.03 Tank Is Almost Complete

Yes, that's probably the reason it's drying out. When you get your plants and moss in there, they will hold some mist and add to the humdity as well.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho