# Need 1 or 2 more showpiece plants



## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

I'm an ole saltwater reef guy, in the day I played around with reef tanks. My goal was to simulate the great barrier reef as you gazed in amazement you just never knew what you might see in there, it always attracted attention. I only had 1 or 2 varieties of fish as it was a small tank, but there were feather duster worms, copods, small shrimp, small crabs, one day a very small starfish showed up on the rocks. 

But......... The highlight of the tanks were the corals, a lot of people thought they were plants but coral is not, the beautiful purple / pink coraline alge is a plant, but all the various corals are not. 

I'm trying to get the same effect out of my dart frog tanks & am struggling, obviously you cannot mix frogs (but I never had more than 1 or 2 saltwater fish either in my 29 gallon tank) I do have some other life in there besides the frogs, isopods & springtails can be seen if you look close & that is cool. The chunks of cork bark & branches do nicely to give the same effect as coral rock would in a saltwater tank. 

But.............. What I'm mssing is small exotic plants, I have grown nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants) in the past but I think they would get too big in my tank. I used to have a small orchard on a stick from Andy's but that was years ago & I lost it from neglect. I do have some dwarf bromeliads from Bonnie Lorraine & they are cool & doing good but I need a few more minature plants, moss is starting to grow & I have a mature tank to harvest some from but I would like 1 or 2 more exotic small eye catching plants. A lot of our posts here are for boring pothos type plants, I get it as not everyone can grow exotics. But I want to try and am looking for suggestions. I might cruise the auction site looking for a smaller nepenthes.

Any suggestions ?
Thanks, 
Dan


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

Boring Pothos type plants? I think you need to start looking at begonias or some of the plant packages.I know there were a few that I saw that would work perfectly for that amazing show piece.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/sponsor-classifieds/125817-huge-closeout-sale.html

there is one for ya.


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## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

I probably should of used the word exotic rather than showpiece plants. I have some begonias in my other tanks, their nice, but not unusual. Nothing you wouldn't see at any flower shop buying the girlfriend flowers. I don't want that effect, I will save the begonias for the cemetery displays. 

I'm looking for nepenthes, exotic bromeliads, unusual small orchids or even some wild looking mosses, not Selaginella Kraussiana, did it done it, bored of it. 

Dan


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## tgoff0112 (Apr 28, 2013)

I've recently gotten some episcia. They are a beautiful plant that does very well in our viv conditions. They also come in an array of different color patterns.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

If you ever want some orchid advice PM me. There's so many good ones!
Another plant type that I really love is miniature ferns from the genus Davallia (Humata) or Elaphoglossum. They really add that little something special to any tank, big or small.


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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

dan d said:


> I probably should of used the word exotic rather than showpiece plants. I have some begonias in my other tanks, their nice, but not unusual. Nothing you wouldn't see at any flower shop buying the girlfriend flowers. I don't want that effect, I will save the begonias for the cemetery displays.
> 
> I'm looking for nepenthes, exotic bromeliads, unusual small orchids or even some wild looking mosses, not Selaginella Kraussiana, did it done it, bored of it.
> 
> Dan


Are you talking about Rex Begonias? I'll admit that they are pretty common and look bland. 

Begonia species on the other hand cAn be extremely exotic and rare. These aren't the rarest, but give a general idea for what you can find:

















There's a reason why most of the advanced plant guys/gals like begonias. They can also be challenging to grow, as some will melt immediately if not properly acclimated.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Racinaea crispa is a bromeliad that looks like it belongs underwater. Makes an amazing viv plant
If youre looking for that reef effect, you can look at bromeliads like Aechmea recurvata, Vriesea racinaea, etc to achieve a myriad of texture, pattern and color without taking up too much room


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## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

Frogparty, I do like a couple of the bromeliads you mentioned, I will keep them in mind.
I used to grow Haraella / odorata from Andys orchids on a stick, they did OK in the humid stagnant air of my dart frog tank, most orchids like some air movement which is hard to provide in a dart frog setup. I speak from experience as I have had orchid tanks setup with misters & small computer fans on timers for some air flow. I used to mist them with composted worm tea & they did quite well. 

I'm not sure what I'm looking for (that's why I asked Lol) but I like the suggestions. I'm not looking for pretty, I'm looking for exotic, mysterious, kinda like the sense of wonderment you get when looking at a properly setup reef tank. I want the feeling that your peering into the jungle. 

Thanks for all the recommendations,
Dan


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

A lot of us use ventilated tanks with computer fans for our frog tanks! Don't be scared! I'm not hesitant to put any orchid in a tank with good ventilation


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

You should check out the ebay auctions by biotopicdesign.

That seller is a friendly member here, too.

From time to time he offers really stunning, rare selections and many of them are new to the hobby in the US.


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## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> You should check out the ebay auctions by biotopicdesign.
> 
> That seller is a friendly member here, too.
> 
> From time to time he offers really stunning, rare selections and many of them are new to the hobby in the US.



Thanks ! I will keep an eye on his auctions.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Post some pics of your viv. How the heck anyone can suggest anything without seeing your viv is beyond me.  Haha!

Seriously though, please post some full viv shots and I'll throw my $.02 in.


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## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

Frogtofall said:


> Post some pics of your viv. How the heck anyone can suggest anything without seeing your viv is beyond me.  Haha!


My tank setup is new & rather blah right now, I am still moving cork bark pieces around, all that's in there is a couple of Bonnie Lorraine's mini broom cuttings. It's a bare canvas, that's why I'm asking what to paint ? Imagine a 29 gallon tank with sliding glass doors, some ABG substrate & a couple of mini brooms fastened to cork pieces. Not worth digging out the camera, downloading to my iPad, then to photobucket, then post. 

Hydrophyte & frogparty & others have given me good advice without a pic,
Thanks,
Dan


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

And with that attitude, i will gladly keep my advice to myself.


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## TerraFerma (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm a big fan of Marcgravia (sintensii is my current favorite), select Peperomias, Microgramma, and Davallia. They look very exotic and they grow slow enough that they are easy to keep under control. Its probably because I'm too lazy but all the begonias, Syngoniums, etc grow in way more than I want them too (reminds me of Montipora when I had my reef tanks). And I'm now mixed on Rhaphidophoras - they look awesome growing up the background/on branches - but they also send out tons of runners towards the front of the tank that must be looked after. 

So in conclusion - I like small leafed climbing things that grow at a moderate rate. And also moss.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Yeah I love Marcgravia. I too am mixed minded on Rhaphidiophora. They look great, then they send crazy amounts of runners out EVERYWHERE! Then they hit the top of the background, and try to climb the lid, or they flop over and make a big tangly mess. I much prefer stuff I don't have to prune


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## dan d (Aug 9, 2008)

TerraFerma said:


> I'm a big fan of Marcgravia (sintensii is my current favorite), select Peperomias, Microgramma, and Davallia. They look very exotic and they grow slow enough that they are easy to keep under control. Its probably because I'm too lazy but all the begonias, Syngoniums, etc grow in way more than I want them too (reminds me of Montipora when I had my reef tanks). And I'm now mixed on Rhaphidophoras - they look awesome growing up the background/on branches - but they also send out tons of runners towards the front of the tank that must be looked after.
> 
> So in conclusion - I like small leafed climbing things that grow at a moderate rate. And also moss.


I just googled the Marcgravia sintensii, very cool !

I too like the various moss & smaller leafed plants, good suggestion on the Marcgravia sintensii
Thanks,
Dan


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## theroc1217 (Jun 5, 2012)

If you're willing to drop some cash on an orchid, Bulbophyllum plumatum and Bulbophyllum thiurum both make excellent showcase plants while in bloom.


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