# Bromeliad Reccomendation



## baileyjames6 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hello,

I am re-landscaping my terrarium and was looking to put a bromeliad on the floor that would act as a bit of a center piece. It could be planted or mounted to cork bark but still end up on the floor depending on the type that I go with. I mist three times a day and have a glass top so the humidity is high and I recently added a jungle dawn LED so it is nice and bright. I am looking for something medium sized that will stay between 8 to 11 inches wide, height isn't a concern as I have 20 inches of height room. Can anyone recommend somthing that would go well with these conditions? Also if you have something that fits the description send me a PM.

Kind Regards,

James


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

That is kind of a personal decision as there are a lot of broms that fit that category in lots of color and shapes.
Has you looked at Tropical Plantz. The link is to the Neoregelia page, but he has other species as well.
Jason has some really nice stuff and if you click on the plant it will tell you the expected height and spread of the plant.


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## baileyjames6 (Jul 16, 2008)

Thanks. Ill take a look at that. If anyone else has thoughts please share.


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Michael's Bromeliads and tropiflora both have a huge selection of broms


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Hmnn... Bear in mind that many epiphytes do not like very moist substrates. Personally, I cannot recommend growing a neoregelia as a "floor" plant. So--

Mounted:
_Guzmania cerrohoyaensis
Tillandsia biflora_
Any small vriesea hybrid (e.g., June, Julie)
_Aechmea corymbosa_
_Portea nana_

If the plant does not have to hold water--

In substrate:
_Cryptanthus beuckeri_ or its hybrid 'Chickadee'
_Pitcairnia flammea_

See any of these at Bromeliad Encyclopedia - Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies

...Were it my tank, I'd go with the guzmania or the cryptanthus...


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Your recommendations are good as well.

He said that he would mount it on cork bark and put it on the ground. I have done that before with neoregelia and it works fine.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

phender said:


> Your recommendations are good as well.
> 
> He said that he would mount it on cork bark and put it on the ground. I have done that before with neoregelia and it works fine.


My problem with neoregelias as "floor" plants is that--they are not floor plants! As epiphytes, neos look better and grow better mounted up higher, closer to the lights--tighter conformation, better color. My fear is that if the OP grows one as a floor plant, it will stretch and lose color. I suggest there are better choices to be grown lower in the tank. (Besides--think how good it will look if he mounts a neo above one of these, maybe a bit off to the side? _Au natural_, no?)


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## Tomoko Schum (Jan 14, 2012)

> I recently added a jungle dawn LED so it is nice and bright.


Jungle dawn LED's are nice and bright but not bright enough to keep a bright red bromeliads to stay vividly red unless you place your bromeliad very close to the light. I have two Jungle Dawn LED's over my Exo Terra 18 x 18 x 24 and many plants grow very well with them. However, my bromelias, which are mounted on driftwood around the mid to upper level in the viv, have faded quite a bit. 

Something to keep in mind... 

You can see the changes in the colors over time here in my album (vivarium 003 vs vivarium 006):
Flickr: Tomoko Schum's Photostream


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Groundhog said:


> My problem with neoregelias as "floor" plants is that--they are not floor plants! As epiphytes, neos look better and grow better mounted up higher, closer to the lights--tighter conformation, better color. My fear is that if the OP grows one as a floor plant, it will stretch and lose color. I suggest there are better choices to be grown lower in the tank. (Besides--think how good it will look if he mounts a neo above one of these, maybe a bit off to the side? _Au natural_, no?)


You are right. In my mind I was thinking small tank (because he wanted a smaller brom). Neos do better closer to the light. FWIW, I don't put anything in the "middle" of my tanks. It just doesn't look right.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Hey Phil:

You don't like centerpieces? Do you prefer to plant up the sides, leaving a "forest clearing" in the middle? Interesting...

I think the OP's concept will work if he thinks in terms of stratifying the tank. 

Who needs art/design/landscaping classes, when ya gots *Dendroboard*?


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

No what phil is saying is that anything dead center actually throws perception off. Same goes with things like interior design or architecture. If you have a door directly dead center it ALWAYS looks wrong, same with plants.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

VenomR00 said:


> No what phil is saying is that anything dead center actually throws perception off. Same goes with things like interior design or architecture. If you have a door directly dead center it ALWAYS looks wrong, same with plants.


Oh, I get the "rule of thirds"--one never centers the subject in a photo. I did not get the impression that the OP was intending to make the bromeliad the exact "center point"--I assume "middle" always means at least a bit off-center.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Sorry guys, for some reason I was reading into things more than I should have this morning. The OP said "a bit like a center piece". For whatever reason I took that a meaning like the centerpiece of a table. I do have things in the middle of my tanks, but they tend not to be the main focus.

A couple of examples.


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## baileyjames6 (Jul 16, 2008)

Thank you everyone for the feedback. I'm going to review groundhogs recommendations. Ill let you know what I go with. As for a centerpiece it will really be more toward the left side of the tank but I was considering it a centerpiece from a visual perspective, outside of the frogs of course.


James


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

phender said:


> Sorry guys, for some reason I was reading into things more than I should have this morning. The OP said "a bit like a center piece". For whatever reason I took that a meaning like the centerpiece of a table. I do have things in the middle of my tanks, but they tend not to be the main focus.
> 
> A couple of examples.


Phil: You know what my problem is with you?!? Your tanks are too $#@!# beautiful... Seriously, dude, both set ups are very cool--the first one looks like you literally teleported a piece of Brazil into into your home

How does the _Vriesea racinae_ do for you? I have given up on it, as I cannot get it through summer heat waves. (I go with _V. erythrodactylon_ or _V. lubbersii_.)


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

Groundhog said:


> Phil: You know what my problem is with you?!? Your tanks are too $#@!# beautiful... Seriously, dude, both set ups are very cool--the first one looks like you literally teleported a piece of Brazil into into your home
> 
> How does the _Vriesea racinae_ do for you? I have given up on it, as I cannot get it through summer heat waves. (I go with _V. erythrodactylon_ or _V. lubbersii_.)


Thanks, I think I enjoy setting up tanks more than actually keeping the frogs sometimes.

I have only had the group of three V. racinae in the 2nd tank for about 3 months, but I have had one in another tank for about a year and a half. It has become a little less compact than when I got it, but is doing OK once I got in anchored securely. It is not getting great light. Its at the bottom of a 24" high tank with 2 T5 bulbs over it. The group of 3 has 4 T5s over them so I am hoping they will stay a little more compact. I hand mist once a day and my frog room is about 70 degrees at night and gets up to 80 year around.

What do you think the problem is with your V. racinae?


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

My V. racinae problem is simple: I cannot get it cool enough at night in the Summer. Nor do I want to--the tank is for arboreal lizards and tree frogs, and they simply do not mind the heat. Interesting, because the late Harry Luther told me that V. racinae grows in the sun, so should be able to tolerate heat, whereas lubbersii grows moister and shadier. In my experience, erythrodactylon and lubbersii are just tougher plants.

Then again, I find neoregelias to be quite temperature tolerant; in high heat they may lose some color, but they rebound as soon as the nights start to cool a bit.


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