Plants For A Terrarium With Frogs
In the wonderful world of dart frogs, one of the key ingredients to a successful and long lived dart frog vivarium is a well put together Bioactive vivarium. As part 3 of a 3 part bioactive series, this blog will share with you how to introduce and maintain plants to your bioactive vivarium.
plants for a terrarium with frogs
I have a question I am sure that you could help me with. Once upon a time I used Pothos in a terrarium and I found that I was getting a lot of gnats at one point for the soil. Do you know what causes this? Is it to much water? Could it have been do to not cleaning off the roots prior to planting. I am just really curious because I would like to try this again.
It seems that I had all of the necessary things but the bugs where an added piece that I could really do without. My thoughts are that maybe they came because I had the terrarium too wet. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time your great videos on YouTube and your awesome site. Because of you I am now thinking of getting in the the posion dart frogs.
Chances are good some larvae or eggs came in with the pothos. But if you have other plants in the house, they may have come in with those, and flying adults looking for a suitable place to lay eggs found your terrarium. Either way, it is a good idea to clean as much soil off the roots of new plants as possible.
Tadpoles need plenty of oxygen in their water, something many people struggle with. You can have an aerator running gently, especially if the water is very still, but this could stress and disrupt plants.
Greenhouses and retailers often spray plants with pesticides, fertilizers and other substances that may harm your pet. Therefore, it is always a good idea to wash off newly purchased plants (gently) before installing them in the habitat. It is also wise to remove any soil, perlite or other materials in which the plant is grown.
A beautiful and boldly colored bromeliad, Neoregelia species are quite popular among herpetoculturists. Try to provide these plants with as much light as you can and keep their urns about full and they will usually thrive.
Ferns are members of an ancient plant lineage, which has been around since before the first dinosaurs walked the planet. They are vascular plants, but unlike many other, more advanced lineages, ferns produce via spores rather than seeds. There are more than 10,000 described species within the fern lineage, and they are found in a variety of habitats. However, most of the species used as vivarium plants inhabit forests.
Many orchids are somewhat delicate, and they must be provided with very specific conditions to thrive as vivarium plants. However, there are a few species that are relatively easy to maintain in the terrarium.
Founded in 2012, Glass Box Tropicals initially specialized in terrarium and vivarium plants suited to accompany poison dart frogs. Since then, we have grown to provide one of the largest selections of terrarium-specific plants available online. We also offer house plants, terrariums, and supplies for animal husbandry and terrarium construction.
One of the joys of keeping dart frogs is setting up a beautiful terrarium filled with tropical plants. After all, these plants will be there for you to look at all the time, even when the frogs are not visible. Here we will examine appropriate plants for the thumbnail dart frog terrarium.
The tropical plants section at any nursery will offer a variety of 4-inch pots with assorted tropical plants. Most of them will grow and thrive in your terrarium, but the problem with many of them is that they simply grow too fast and get too large for the relatively small terrariums most keepers house their frogs in. You can use these plants and attempt to keep them pruned back, or you can select plants that will remain smaller and not grow as fast. Regardless, as time goes by, you will need to get the scissors out and do some cutting, if only to keep one plant from dominating the tank.
Calathea species: These plants typically have leaves with bright markings. Often the leaf underside is red. Many species grow too large for the terrarium, but they grow fairly slowly, and can be cut back easily if they grow too large.
Ficus vines: The Ficus genus is a large one, with many different types of plants encompassed under that name. A common vine in the terrarium hobby is Ficus pumilia, which will eventually grow to cover all that comes before it. It grows slowly, though, and can easily be pruned to keep it in check. The leaves are around the size of a dime, and they are a lovely dark green. Another even smaller Ficus vine is the oak leaf ficus (Ficus quercifolia), which has tiny leaves the size of a pea and will also grow to cover almost any surface.
Tropical gingers: This is a large family of plants, most of which grow too large for the terrarium. However, there are quite a few species that stay smaller. Several Asian forms stay small and occasionally produce unusual-looking purple flowers.
Bromeliads: One kind of plant you should strongly consider for your thumbnail frog tank is the bromeliad. Like dart frogs, bromeliads are native to the Americas. Bromeliads are typically a rosette of strappy leaves with water pools around the center of the plant. While bromeliads are sometimes seen planted in pots, in nature, most are epiphytic and grow on tree limbs high above the forest floor. An epiphyte is a plant that grows on things other than soil. They use their roots to hold to tree limbs or rocks, and they take in water and nutrients from the water and debris collected by the plant.
Calathea genus: Many forms of the genus Calathea carry small flowers, but the colorful leaves generally outshine the small blooms. This is sometimes the case with the Begonia genus as well. Many Begonia species do well in the terrarium, but the flowers of most are smaller and not as attractive as the multicolored and interestingly textured leaves.
There is a large family of orchids from Central and South America called Pleurothallids, which contains several good terrarium candidates. Another choice is the common orchid species, Phalaenopsis, also called moth orchids. These species typically have several long, flat leaves and large flower spikes when in bloom. These plants usually bloom readily, and if the blooms are kept from getting wet, the bloom spike will last quite a while. The challenge may be finding a plant with a bloom spike that will fit in your terrarium. Some miniature Phalaenopsis are offered, but to find these, you will likely have to search online.
Jon - I just purchased some dart frogs which need to live in high humidity conditions. In order to attain this we basically sealed off the terrariums. The question is whether a really sealed terrarium could provide enough oxygen for the frogs through plant photosynthesis. Who would win: the frogs or the plants?
Phil - Both the plants and frogs would be using oxygen for respiration, but the plant would also be producing extra oxygen from photosynthesis. Leaving aside the question of frog food, we want to know - in the words of listener Jon "who would win, the frogs or the plants?"
Setting up a tree frog enclosure consists of creating climbing areas in a vertically oriented terrarium. Through the usage of branches or sticks, vines, and plants, a person can create the ideal habitat for any arboreal species.
Which type of terrarium wood you choose is entirely up to you. High humidity enclosures would benefit from a hardwood, something that can be waterlogged without becoming moldy or breaking apart.
Thanks for the tips. Can you give direction to feeding a green tree frog? Is there an easy way to do it. Should we drop the crickets in the terrarium with the frog? Is it normal for the frog to stay hidden all day and or stay in one place all day?
Porous skins allow frogs and toads to absorb ammonia (released with their waste products) and other harmful chemicals. Ammonia is extremely lethal; an aquarium test kit should be used to monitor its levels.
This bright violet vine is a hardy plant that thrives in tropical terrarium conditions. You can use it as a hanging plant, or with its angular growth pattern, it can even form a dense undergrowth (full of great hiding spots).
A selection of live plants chosen by ourselves for Dart Frog Vivariums. All of these plants are safe to use with the specified animals and includes a nice variety of species perfect for any live planted dart frog enclosure. Available in 2 different sizes; Small and Large. Can also be used in enclosures for other frog species; not just Darts!
This Species of Fern has an antler-like foliage and a flat basal leaf. Staghorn Fern's are a very easy plant to care for, it thrives in medium light and moderate moisture. This plant is usually grown mounted on a piece of wood or in a basket. If your looking for a plant with a unique look to grow in your terrarium this a great choice!
Peperomia Rosso is best known for the gorgeous red underbelly of its leaves. The upper surface of the pointed leaves is dark green, sometimes with a blush of red, and dark green veins.Peperomia's make fantastic ground coverage in tropical terrariums. They love humid environments are quite light tolerant but they prefer high indirect light. This is the perfect plant for dart frog, tree frog and mourning gecko terrariums.
Gynura Aurantiaco, commonly called the 'Purple Passion Plant" likes bright to moderate filtered light. Brighter light will intensify the purple color of this plant. This is a delicate plant, for terrarium use it should be housed with small animals such as dart frogs, mourning geckos and day geckos.
Dracaena Compacta is made up of tufty foliage. The center of this plant makes a nice cup making it ideal for small frogs and geckos. It is very sturdy and hardy making it an excellent choice for a terrarium. This plant thrives under medium to bright indirect light however it can tolerate moderate to low light conditions.