# Favorite vivarium plants



## Nanook (Feb 16, 2018)

Do you have any favorite viv plants. If so let me know why?
Looking to add a few miniature orchids to my newest viv.


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## CJ's Exotics (Mar 8, 2018)

I personally like _Pilea glauca_ 'Red Stem Tears' for their nice look, and ease in propagation!


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## Nanook (Feb 16, 2018)

Yeah! I have some in one viv, its a cool plant.


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## Roscoe09 (Dec 30, 2017)

I like Ficus pumilia and Creeping Charlie. They both grow fast and look nice. My all time favorite is Cryptanthus “thriller” is looks amazing.


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

I'm awful with names. Pilea "moon valley" is about my favorite. I really like the look and texture of the leaves.

Pilea aluminum plant - low maintenance and like the color

Fittonia nerve plant- just the right amount of color when done right and great low growing cover for the frogs.

Satin potho- I like the color and growth habit. Very nice stepping stool type leaves for bigger frogs.

English ivy - I like the manageable growth habits and the shape of the leaves.

Rabbit fern - easy to grow and I love the look. Best fern around imo

Neo broms - there's so many but I like fireball, mo peppa please, tigrina, and a lot of others. They provide a nice refuge for your frogs and have a unique look


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## JPU (Mar 9, 2018)

Some plants I'm having success with from recent builds are:

Pilea Involucrata, Really like the foliage and ease of propagation from cuttings. 

Polystichum tsus simense, I've had failures with a couple of other ferns in previous builds but this one seems to be doing very well in moist humid conditions. 

Pepperomia prostrata, rotundifolia and albovittata, The first two are doing great as epiphyttes/creepers and I like the delicate look of the leaves as they grow between the other plants. The albovittata is doing well planted in the substrate and has beautifully marked foliage. All of these seem to propagate easily from cuttings.

I've just started out looking into miniature orchids and currently have an Aerangis fastuosa mounted on a cork branch which is growing new leaves and sending out a flower spike. I hope to aquire more orchids as time moves on and I'm sure I'll have some questions for the more experienced growers.

Just a note to add that I use euro-style vivariums with good passive air circulation, the humidity is usually around 70-75 %, spiking at 85-90% after hand misting once a day to two days.

Kind regards,​


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## Nanook (Feb 16, 2018)

Awesome info folks! Ive had my eye on Peperomia for a while, I think you've convinced me. I have a couple cuttings of Dinema Polybulbon growing in a few of my vivs, i'm still waiting for it to flower.... Is anyone growing Biophytum??


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## aussieJJDude (May 13, 2017)

All time fav is pothos, seem super hard to kill IMO.

(Mostly subbing here for a simple list of easy to grow plants!)

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## cap7 (Dec 4, 2016)

Here’s my current list so far:
I love them all!

Tank #1- Masdevallia floribunda
Bulbophyllum corolliferum 
Pleurothallis eumecocaulon-blooming non stop
Pleurothallis schweinfurtii
Pleurothallis dolichopis
Marcgravia rectiflora
Pellionia repens 
Cissus amazonica- my fav vine 
Pleurothallis grobyi
Amesiella monticola 
Ornithocephalus gladiatus
Bulbophyllum lasiochilum
Masdevallia minuta
Lepanthes calodictyon- just added


Tank #2
Marcgravia rectiflora 
Marcgravia Suriname
Heart fern Hemionitis
Korean rock fern
Ficus pumila Quercifolia
Bulbophyllum maxilariae
Pellionia repens 
Pleurothallis gracillima
Pleurothallis endotrachys
Stelis adrianae-
Masdevallia Angel Heart
Barbosella handroi 
Masdevallia tuerkemiae


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## Nanook (Feb 16, 2018)

How well do the Masdevallias flower for you? The foliage looks great by its self regardless.


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## cap7 (Dec 4, 2016)

The Masde. minuta hasn’t bloomed yet for me, it’s fairly new. But the floribunda is non stop. The other two put out a bloom here and there and I may move them for more light. It is a bit of trial and error to get enough light but not too much.










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## Nanook (Feb 16, 2018)

Those look fantastic. Ill have to look in to getting some.


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## jilsao (Jan 21, 2018)

Pilea Depressa 'tiny tears'. It spreads out all over the bottom and even climbs the sides. Does it slowly enough that it just makes a nice 'filler'.
I'm also a sucker for a nice orchid and various tilandsia. 
I have the good fortune of having a nursery nearby with a good selection of both as well as shelves of assorted terrarium plants.
I would say my current favorite is the ficus bonsai in my P. terribilis viv. 
I had my doubts about it, but it worked out very nice.
Shape it how I like, provides a nice canopy, the tribs hang out on top of it after feeding time (and occasionally fall off, as they're not graceful...)
Had mixed results with ferns, I have a korean rock fern that's looked terrible for months, but it keeps not dying, so we'll see.
Otherwise... Oh, an african violet type thing that the gal at the nursery recomended as a better substitute for african violet. It's gorgeous, but frankly getting a bit too big...


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## Ibn (Aug 3, 2016)

Dryadella zebrina, a miniature orchid, since it's currently in bloom. Under high light it gets the beautiful purple leaves which highlights the flowers.


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## Fitzmke (Jan 24, 2018)

Might sound strange but I love mosses as much as my plants


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## beau_frog (Apr 4, 2018)

I also enjoy my Peperomia, it's has nice 'clean' growth and doesn't take over the tank. (I'm looking at you, Pothos)


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## Deltagraphic (Sep 29, 2017)

Glad to hear someone else mention the ficus trees. I designed my leuc viv around two ficus microcarpa one larger (~16 inches in the back left corner) and one smaller (~8 in in the front right) and I cant imagine ever doing another build over 24” without them. The shear amount of surface area the canopy adds for the frogs is reason enough but they look great too. They certainly don’t look natural in terms of recreating a realistic slice of the forest floor, but they give the viv a sense of being a complete rainforest biome shrunken to fit in a glass box. I have wanted to incorporate ficus like these into a viv since I started but i had been discouraged by other more experienced froggers for a number of reasons ranging from the trees not doing well to the trees doing too well etc.
I’m happy to report that they are healthy and growing but dont appear to be outcompeting the other plants. The larger of the two has sent out a canopy that partially shades around 1/2 of the tank but Not so much that its killed off any of the undergrowth. Most of this additional spreading growth is within a couple inches of the lid and only a few inches thick meaning it frames the tank without adding much visual clutter. I will be pruning it (just leaves not the branches) for the first time in a few days and will be planting some broms on the pruned branches. 

On the other hand, the Schefflera which was reccomended to me over ficus if I wanted a ‘tree’ hasn’t formed a tree-like growth habit and has sent roots everywhere. Its not a bad looking plant by any means but if you want a canopy forming tree that has a classic rainforest feel to it a bonsai ficus microcarpa is the way to go. The pair only set me back around 70 bucks from a local ikea.


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## Chtorr280 (Jun 28, 2018)

I really like the "nerve plants". Some of them have amazing colors, with various shades of red, pink and white.


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## Piper (Jun 15, 2018)

Peperomia bc it comes in a variety of colors


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## Betta132 (May 12, 2012)

Lepanthes gargoyla. Happy anywhere with relatively low light and constant moisture to the roots. Cute little monkey-faced flowers.


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