# Why is creeping fig bad?



## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I read today, someone saying not to put creeping fig in a viv. I wanted to know what the problem is with it. I have creeping fig potting in the gs bg in one viv. In the other viv it is in the substrate and stapled along the back wall.


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## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

Its not! just make sure to tape your lid down!(it will push it up and your frogs escape!!) I cant get it to grow enough.


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Once it starts to grow, it grows fast. Will take over tanks, but I personally like the look of tanks with it. Can't think of any other reasons besides that.


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## mongo77 (Apr 28, 2008)

frogmanroth said:


> Its not! just make sure to tape your lid down!(it will push it up and your frogs escape!!) I cant get it to grow enough.


True. Happened with me on my standard lamasi tank! I still use it though. Makes a great background.


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## Roots (Mar 7, 2008)

I prune mine weekly - I like to keep it a single "layer" - It likes to grow over itself and the leaves behind the new grow die off. - I am a big fan of the oak leaf.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Its been pretty good to me especially as a noob. How would i go about trimming it without really harming it?


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## Roots (Mar 7, 2008)

B-NICE said:


> Its been pretty good to me especially as a noob. How would i go about trimming it without really harming it?


You can hack it into pieces and it will still grow - but I just trim new growth and and train it to go where I want it in the viv.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

it is good if:

a) you're planting it so that it takes over on purpose (i.e. Ron/skylsdale's Vittatus viv- grown in)

or

b) you're willing to trim it. 

If you don't fit into one of those categories, it will end up choking out many, if not most other plants.


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

B-NICE said:


> Its been pretty good to me especially as a noob. How would i go about trimming it without really harming it?


You can't harm it, that's the whole point...i think the only way i've killed it, is torching it [out of the tank]...drying it out, bleaching, anything, it still grows back...i've had it grow back from a single root!!! so to trim it, just use your fingers, or small scissors, or if you don't mind a charcoal background, torch


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I heard it can't die. Only baby tears have died in my viv. I have a juanita and its growing way too fast for my 10g.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

All I can say is...
I love creeping fig & it loves me!
I think it's the greatest thing in the world! It's in all of my tanks except grow-outs. All I do is cut it and throw the clippings where I want more to grow...and they do! (Maybe I'm weird, but I think it's pretty when you've got it growing around rocks, branches, etc.) It's absolutely a no-hassle plant except for trimming every few weeks. And this is coming from someone with a Black Thumb!

(...but then again...I'm great at growing algea too!)


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

How many of you have had to strip out a tank that was heavily colonized by creeping fig? Once you get tired of scraping all of the hold fasts off of the glass (and out of the silicone seams) you may regret ever using it.. I refuse to use it at all and any pieces that have been sent to me in plant packages were immediately discarded. 

Ed


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## Ross (Feb 10, 2008)

I think OP was referring to a post I made in another thread.
All of these responses have summed it up nicely: creeping fig is both loved and hated because it grows fast and takes over the tank. 

I never use it because it chokes out my more interesting/valuable/difficult to grow plants. It's just too aggressive. I love the way it makes vivariums look lush, but I don't want it anywhere near my tanks.


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## ErikHa (Jun 10, 2010)

Ed said:


> How many of you have had to strip out a tank that was heavily colonized by creeping fig? Once you get tired of scraping all of the hold fasts off of the glass (and out of the silicone seams) you may regret ever using it.. I refuse to use it at all and any pieces that have been sent to me in plant packages were immediately discarded.
> 
> Ed


This is why. I once decided to remove it from my viv background, i tore off whole chunks of treefern.


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## Roots (Mar 7, 2008)

Ed said:


> How many of you have had to strip out a tank that was heavily colonized by creeping fig? Once you get tired of scraping all of the hold fasts off of the glass (and out of the silicone seams) you may regret ever using it.. I refuse to use it at all and any pieces that have been sent to me in plant packages were immediately discarded.
> 
> Ed


It does feel good to hack it back and "clean up" a tank - I have several varieties, I prefer oak leaf - due to its size and it tends to grow a little slower than the pumilia. Also ficus "panama" grows at a much slower pace.


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## swampy459 (Jun 18, 2009)

I think it looks awesome I am using it.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

Once it gets established you simply can't kll it. I really lilke it as well, but it will take over. The oak-leafed variety takes a bit longer to get going and grows more slowly. It does make a nice background cover, but if you want to remove it and you leave any piece of the stem attached, it will come back. I have a clay background that is covered in it and if I tried to pull it out, the whole background would come with it since it has developed an impressive root mat.

Some veterans who didn't have the variety of plants available to them many years ago got tired of it and found it impossible to eradicate without tearing their viv down and, left unchecked, it will overgrow and kill other more delicate (and expensive) plants.

If you like it, though, it's an ideal plant for covering vertical surfaces. It even grows on glass! Just make sure you have good lighting and high humidity. I use two 26-watt daylight cfl bulbs in an Exo or Zoo-Med fixture on my 20 and 29 gallon vivs and this gives plenty of light.

Here's a shot of the oak leaf variety covering a fern panel background:











B-NICE said:


> Its been pretty good to me especially as a noob. How would i go about trimming it without really harming it?


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Its actually good looking, its NICE lush and green. Its hard to get back wall growth from as a rookie. Heres my BG Creepers.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

The key to back wall growth is to keep the background damp. It will grow in all directions but it won't grow well in shade. If you slide the light fixture toward the back so that the background is getting good lighting, it will reach for the light and grow upwards.


B-NICE said:


> Its actually good looking, its NICE lush and green. Its hard to get back wall growth from as a rookie. Heres my BG Creepers.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

you could probably blend it up, dry it out, burn it, eat it, digest it, and i bet it would grow out of your poop. cant kill the stuff! i've learned my lesson. way too invasive. i have about a garbage bag worth i need to clean out of my 20 gallon...


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## arielelf (May 23, 2007)

It pretty much distroyed my old tank. It is fine for the first couple years but after the root system get well established it turns into an absolute monster. If you have a tank that you plan on having for years I would suggest not using it. I was prunign it every couple of weeks, and I mean prunign the hell out of it, and it would still fill up half the tank in less than a couple of weeks. 

I will never use it again.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

LOL at all of the bad reviews of Creeping Fig. It sounds like the Life After People.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Its a love hate relationship. I love seing it in other peoples tanks, but its turned into a pain inside my own lol.

Here is the best viv I have ever seen with creeping fig as the main plant. This is totally planned though. Notice the lack of other plants mounted near it lol


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Hey, Grimm do you still make the Glow in the Dark Mushrooms? I want to buy some off you.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

arielelf said:


> It pretty much distroyed my old tank. It is fine for the first couple years but after the root system get well established it turns into an absolute monster. If you have a tank that you plan on having for years I would suggest not using it. I was prunign it every couple of weeks, and I mean prunign the hell out of it, and it would still fill up half the tank in less than a couple of weeks.
> 
> I will never use it again.


I've seen it pop side panels loose on a greenhouse. 

Ed


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

I really like the F. pumilia 'minima' variant. Looks just like the standard version, just half the size, and half the growth rate. Still grows pretty fast once established, but it's a lot less likely to choke other plants out.


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

Now Ed, don't sugarcoat your opinion. It's not like you. 


Ed said:


> How many of you have had to strip out a tank that was heavily colonized by creeping fig? Once you get tired of scraping all of the hold fasts off of the glass (and out of the silicone seams) you may regret ever using it.. I refuse to use it at all and any pieces that have been sent to me in plant packages were immediately discarded.
> 
> Ed


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

That and roaches...


B-NICE said:


> LOL at all of the bad reviews of Creeping Fig. It sounds like the Life After People.


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

To the OP- ficus "panama" grows almost as fast, is epiphytic so you can mount it away from other plants, and it isn't *quite* as invasive... I've used it in a few vivs with less problems than creeping fig. It's worth a look, the leaves look pretty cool too.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

As was mentioned earlier, I wasn't too concerned with how this tank turned out...just wanted to let it go. Occasionally I go through and rip hand fulls of the stuff out, but overall it's not bad. It's not, however, allowed in any of my other tanks.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

It's the only thing I grow well, besides pothos and philodendron 

Oh, and algae (shout out to Wendy)


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

ROFLMAO!!!

Hey...I'm telling you...it's AMAZING what you can do with creeping fig, pothos, algea, sticks and rocks!!!


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Actually i've done the impossible, well for 1 I can't grow this (hopefully I can grow the cuttings im getting this time) AND I killed it in the wet vivarium. It started turning brown for no reason and I can't revive this! I can grow ANYTHING else like crazy!


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

If you're ever down in Florida, maybe you could come by and lay your hands on the sand spurs that sprout this time every year. They are well named. When I was a kid, virtually every time I crashed on my bike or tripped and fell, I landed in sand spurs. I hate those things and we can't kill them. Perhaps you could do it for me. 


Neontra said:


> Actually i've done the impossible, well for 1 I can't grow this (hopefully I can grow the cuttings im getting this time) AND I killed it in the wet vivarium. It started turning brown for no reason and I can't revive this! I can grow ANYTHING else like crazy!


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