[mark c]

After much thinking and reading, but not much action, I have finally started putting something together. The tank is 18 x 18 x 18. I have oak leaves to add, and have yet get any springtails.

I need some more ideas for plants. There are small ledges behind the cork tubes that could hold something. Would a moon valley pilea get too large for the foreground? -Mark C.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

I have that same size. My moon valley pilea is in the front left corner and is about 6-8" tall and you can trim it back aggressively to keep it small. I'd recommend against it at all though as it tends to shoot out hairy roots and look kinda nasty... Really cool plant with cool leaves and shoots pollen like a gun, but the roots have made me not like it so much.

What's behind the cork?

 

[Dartfrogfreak]

I think you are off to a great start!!!!
Id add a nice log in there somewhere tho. and maybe adjust your terrestrial layer to have more niches such as some dips and valleys and such.
Personally Im going to say that Pilea would get too big for the foreground.
How about trying Pilea glauca. Its got a great creeping habit. And wonderful colors blue/silver leaves with red stem... awesome.
Heres a shot of mine in my D. tinctorius 'Bakhuis' viv. it tends to grow upward first then a few months passed and it seemed to settle down and grow a little more compact (Not as compact as youd see in the greenhouse but still fairly low. 3 inches max?)

Its growing intertwined with Begonia 'Red Planet' in the lower right hand corner.

Another great filler plant that would stay lower and cover the ground is Selaginella

Great plants. Although they can be slightly tricky to get started... once they establish the fill in quickly

And another great plant which Id consider a slow filler/accent plant are Begonias.
Choose these wisely as some dont like dart frog viv conditions and some get really big!
I think some good proven types would be.
Begonia 'Red Planet'
Begonia bowerae var nigramarga tiny little Begonia (Stay away from the standard Begonia bowerae as this gets big)
Begonia 'Buttercup' tiny little thing.
There are many others.. typically when choosing I go for the miniature hybrids as they are smaller and more tolerant of wider range of conditions as opposed to most species which are adapted for more specialized conditions.

I wouldnt add more than 1 of each of these Genus to the terrestrial layer.

As far as your background. Id need to know the lighting specifics.
But great background plants that would cover and look good with the broms would include
Higher and more intense lighting
Dischidia, Hoya, Creeping fig
Choose these wisely as they could become out of balance with the broms if you choose a species with too big leaves.
Lower to moderate lighting
Peperomia, Marcgravia
On the note of the Peperomias. Choose smaller species that creep trail or ramble as opposed to the broad leaved upright growing species.
I might add specifically Peperomia prostrata looks much better with some air movement and slightly lower humidity.


Todd

 

[dartdevil1]

I like it i think its a great start maybe a bit of leaf litter and it will be perfect

 

[varanoid]

The 18" cubes are a great size to work with. Not too big, and not too small. You are on the right track. Like you said, add more leaf litter. Dartfrogfreak had some excellent plants he recommended. Some other plants that are absolutely bullet proof are pothos and wandering jew.

 

[mark c]

Too bad about the moon valley. I bought one because it looked small and cool. Thanks for the warning.

Yes, the red planet begonias, selaginella and especially the Pilea glauca look great. Thank you! I will take your list to the plant store and see what I can find. It looks like you have moss growing on your background, just peeking through. Is that selaginella as well?

The cork shells are filled with black landscape touch & foam sealant for ponds. Once dry, I sawed them flat and bonded them to the cork tile on the back with brown silicone. They are sealed all around to prevent anyone from getting behind them, I do hope. I left cavities at the tops of the cork tubes to fill with substrate for plants high up. The cork tube in the middle is hanging on small nails that go into the back cork tile, and then sealed all around with more brown silicone. The nails are sealed over. There is a floor-to-ceiling siphoning pipe in the tall cork piece on the left.

I have dried oak leaves and sea grape leaves. Should put them in now, or wait until just before the frogs go in? I hope to get some variabilis soon.

 

[mark c]

There are more plants in here now. Some really cool climbing vines came from Npaull, and the other new plants came from the Indoor Sun Shoppe in Fremont.

There is variegated creeping fig in the front.
The neoregelia bromeliads, from what I have been told, are:
-Punctatissima v. rubra (top left)
-Miniskirt (top center)
-Ampullacea Purpurea (left)
-Ruby (center)

I did not get any pilea because no one could tell me exactly what kind I was looking at. Some species are better for terrariums than others, but I don't know the difference.

There is one 1/2-inch variabilis froglet living here now. Its favorite spots are in the Ampullacea leaves or in the pink cryptanthus leaves at the top right. I have another froglet that is about 3/8-inch, living in a 5-gallon tank until it is big enough to go in this one. I really want to add more variabilis for this tank.