Hey all, it's been rather dead here lately, so I'll try to 'liven things up'. =) I have been changing things in my terrarium around lately as I realize that some things don't work, due mostly to the rampant growth habits of a few plants and some problems with others. Oh, gary, get this: my Neanthe Bella DID have spider mites! Simply incredible, what with the 80% humidity and all, but it just has not done well since I put it in there, and it always did look like spider mite damage, so the other day I took a VERY close look, and sure enough, I see the tell-tale webs. Unbelievable! So I took that sucker right out and potted it up, and we'll see if it does any better outside on the balcony this summer. Someone on the houseplant forum surmised that it may have been lack of air circulation.
Anyways, so here's my tank as it originally was:
{{gwi:1270287}}
Now picture this: I have taken out the small pond on the left side of the tank because it seemed rather pointless (I don't intend on getting any frogs until I move and can put in a false bottom) and a T. cyanea is not occupying the right portion of that space. My fittonia (the green plant with white veins on the far right) decided to take up that entire side, so I hacked it back drastically so that it is now only allowed to occupy the back right corner. I removed and potted up the fern that was in part of that corner, as well as the phal orchid on the lower part of the branch that sticks up (the top phal is still there). I didn't know those ferns got so huge when i bought it and stuck it in that tiny space, and since I would like it to grow large, it is now in its own pot and will summer outside (with the rest of my houseplants). The orchid I took out is not really a mini, it's roots were starting to grow down into the soil (bad news for an epiphyte), and the fittonia kept on growing over it and blocking out the light. The fittonia does look good when it's nice and big and full, so I opted to remove the orchid rather than the fittonia. For clarification, the orchid I removed is NOT the one that is blooming in the photo. That one stays. There is also more moss now on the wood, the dead moss is all gone (it never did come back to life), there is a mini African Violet with white flowers in the front left corner, and a small guzmania on top of the driftwood at the back of the tank near the waterfall (above the other phal orchid). The wandering jew (silver and purple-green vine) is also taking up some more room now, and would have taken over the tank, but i regularly hack it back. Now for the question: what should I put in the remainder of the space left by the removed pond and palm on the left and the cut back fittonia on the right? I will be getting some plants soon from Mike on this forum (thanks, Mike!) that include a rabbit's foot fern, a nep, some satin pothos, a braided orchid, and I think something else that I can't remember. I want to put the fern where the phal orchid used to be because I think it will do better in the lower light rather than the higher, and it should be able to raise itself above the fittonia, and it is an epiphytic fern and i want to show that off. =) The orchid and the nep I will most likely be putting in pots in order to control the growth, so those will be up higher in the driftwood on the left side of the waterfall. I am undecided about the satin pothos. I will likely propagate it some more first in a seperate terrarium that I use for exclusively that purpose.
So none of these new plants will really be taking up any ground space, so I still need ideas! I think i would like another brom in there, so if someone could suggest one (terrestrial), that would be great. I will also be getting some streptocarpus (hopefully) soon, but am buying leaf cuttings, so they will probably not be actual plants until next year. Oh yeah, i also added some cuttings of golden creeping jenny to see how they do, but they also take up very little room, and are more of a groundcover like selaginella than a feature plant. I'm looking to add more height because i realized how flat my terr. was and that I wasn't maximizing the space, so I'll be terracing the left corner. This shouldn't alter my choice of plants at all. I'm looking for something with some height, but not TOO tall, since my tank is, after all, just a converted fish tank.
Suggestions, anyone? Sorry for the long post! =)
mrbreeze
sahoyarefOriginal Author
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