[happy dart]

I was curious if it is possible to keep tropical plants (bromelaids, etc.) in lower humidity. I am setting up a vivarium for crested geckos, however I am told I must use a screen top, not a glass top like you would use for dart frogs. Will tropical plants be able to root and grow in this lower humidity environment?

Thanks!

 

[frogmanchu]

a brom should still hold up in that viv, with the screen top. I had 2 big broms in a tank with firebellies that had a screen top on it. They ar still alive now and are just sitting in a box in my bug closet.

 

[epiphytes etc.]

Many bromeliads can be kept at lower humidity (I use many for ladscaping here in Tucson). Lots of Aechmea, Hohenbergia (though these are mostly bigger), Billbergia, and some Neoregelia. Other tropical plants that would do well for you are Philodendrons (many), Hoyas (most), smaller gingers, Begonias (quite a few, think "Rex"), I'm sure there are many more, but it's early for me. Good luck.


EDIT: I just noticed the 50-80%, You should be fine with most standard Terrarium plants.

 

[happy dart]

Cool! Thats good to know. Also, I will be misting the viv 1-2x a day so hopefully everyone does all right. Do you think I should wrap some spagnum around the brom bases so they don'y dry out when attached to the wood in the viv?

Thanks!

 

[epiphytes etc.]

Certainly couldn't hurt.

 

[frogmanchu]

i didn't see the humidity either you should be good. Just watch out for the plants that like to be drier then others on you should do just fine.

 

[happy dart]

Thanks for the help guys. Yeah the humidity is a ball park estimate, as the vivarium is not finished yet. It will have a full screen top, but I plan on misting 1-2x a day so I'm guessing it will spike to ~80% then gradually fall to about ~50% until I mist again. Anyway, first vivarium so I was planning on keeping mainly hardy plants anyway.

Thanks

 

[RarePlantBroker]

I keep Scindapsus pictus as a ground cover with my Crested--and it holds up quite well (and he likes sleeping under the big leaves). I also have a couple of medium sized Bulbophyllum orchids and a Hoya polyneura 'Fishtail' in his vivarium.

The vivarium I use for my Crested is a 18x18x24 ZooMed. The lid is 3/4 glass, and the rest screen with two 60mm PC fans exhausting over the screen. I mist his enclosure on the same timer with my darts. The humidity in the vivarium runs about 65% during the day (when the fans run) and about 75%-80% at night depending on the temperature.