# Is this plant terrarium safe?



## Mer_ (Sep 11, 2011)

Is this safe to put in my terrarium? My friend gave it to me today and I think it looks really nice, but I am unsure as to what it is exactly and whether it would survive. Any ideas?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I think I've seen that in a few viv pics.


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## Mer_ (Sep 11, 2011)

frogface said:


> I think I've seen that in a few viv pics.


Oh, okay awesome! I am going to do some minor changes to the vivarium tonight


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Be sure to wash it off, good, so you don't get snails or slugs in your tank. I take all the dirt off of new plants and let them soak in a 10% bleach and water solution for a few minutes. Then rinse very well! Then just plant into the substrate. Well, that's how I do it, anyway.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Look up poka-dot plant.....I can't think of the species name off the top of my head.....I have some in my viv, it does get leggy though which can take away from the pretty foliage. Pinch it back and it will stay a bit more bushy....


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

You may want to bare-root it and grow it out of a viv for a few months to prevent tank contamination from fertilizers. Better safe than sorry. Great looking plant though.


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## Mer_ (Sep 11, 2011)

Azurel said:


> Look up poka-dot plant.....I can't think of the species name off the top of my head.....I have some in my viv, it does get leggy though which can take away from the pretty foliage. Pinch it back and it will stay a bit more bushy....



Okay I will be adding it to my viv at some point. I decided to replace the pothos and dumb cane in my tank.


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## Mer_ (Sep 11, 2011)

Also has anyone had success with creeping mazus and would anyone happen to know anyone who sells it?


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Not 100% sure, but those look like caladiums. I've tried them in my greenhouse and some got to 2+ feet tall.
Or even a pothos hybrid.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It is not a caladium or pothos hybrid..... 

Ed


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## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Just what i thought. The plant in the back of the picture looks like a pothos in the way of it's stems and the way it's growing, but all of them have caladium colour.


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## BonnieLorraine (Jan 23, 2011)

Hypoestes, aka Polka Dot Plant


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Bonnie is correct. Hypoestes is a member of the Acanthaceae, same family as Fittonia, Ruellia, Aphelandra and Crossandra. Two points:

1) It tends to grow much taller than Fittonia w delicate stems;

2) Needs bright light to maintain good color.

(Poy-ser-nal-ly, I prefer Fittonia)


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## Mer_ (Sep 11, 2011)

Groundhog said:


> Bonnie is correct. Hypoestes is a member of the Acanthaceae, same family as Fittonia, Ruellia, Aphelandra and Crossandra. Two points:
> 
> 1) It tends to grow much taller than Fittonia w delicate stems;
> 
> ...


The stems are extremely delicate. I was worried I would break them


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## dubloco (Sep 18, 2011)

frogface said:


> Be sure to wash it off, good, so you don't get snails or slugs in your tank. I take all the dirt off of new plants and let them soak in a 10% bleach and water solution for a few minutes. Then rinse very well! Then just plant into the substrate. Well, that's how I do it, anyway.


Any issues with the bleach solution killing your plants?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Definitely Hypoestes, aka Polka Dot Plant. I wouldn't worry about the stems snapping (they will just bend), but they won't hold the weight of the frog. Usually why I recommend fittonia instead is because they provide the same colors, have stronger stems (the larger leaved forms can easily hold the weight of a tinc), and they don't grow to the top of the tank every time you look away! Fittonias respond well to pinching to keep bushy and grow more slowly, but I've never gotten these guys to play nice. After seeing it growing wild in Costa Rica (where it is not native - I assume it was seed blow from a garden) and having it come up to my shoulder in a long stringy stem, I vowed never to let it near a tank since it was likely a loosing battle.

The thinner and more delicate the leaves, the less well a plant responds to bleaching, but usually a mild 10% bleach bath (measure it instead of eyeballing it) for 5 minutes won't hurt it (I usually shake them under the water and add a drop of dish soap to break the water tension so the bleach will get into all the nooks and crannies!). I usually soak it in plain water after, and swap the water out a couple of times. Toss the plants on top of moist long fiber sphagnum (squeeze like a sponge in a water bucket until it is full of water, then wring most of the water out and it will be just right!) and let it transition. With a plant like this you can probably just cut the stems above the soil line and root them after they are cleaned, and completely avoid the root transition issues. This will not wash off all the fertilizer thought, so you'll probably need to let it grow out a bit. I usually just mark the leaves that were there when I bought it wight a marker, and take a cutting off the new growth when there is enough, but I rarely buy from places that fertilize like that anymore.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I agree with Ed...and mazus might not be the best choice because it is an outdoor plant. That plant shown is, as someone wrote, commonly called a polka dot plant...


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