# How green does xaxim/tree fern panel get?



## onoki (Jan 6, 2016)

I have been building my first vivarium for half a year now. The plants have been growing really well and I haven't had problems. However I have been thinking of replacing the styrofoam wall with something greener and more alive.

Many reptile shops have xaxim (=tree fern?) panels available, and the description says: "Contains seeds/spores which may start growing in optimal conditions".

*I wonder, how green do xaxim panels become under regular dart frog vivarium conditions? And is the growth similar to moss or like "regular" leafy plants?*

I have tried to search for pictures with Google and forums (even this forum), but only pictures on the Internet are from people who just installed their panels. If someone has had xaxim/tree fern panels for 6+ months, I would be interested in seeing a photo of that. Or even just hearing experiences from people who have had the panels for a while.


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

If exposed to enough light it will become very green. I mostly get mosses but also some ferns here and there.
The same goes for the commonly used PU-foam-silicone-peat method, it's just a bit harder since it doesn't keep moisture the same way that tree fern does.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

I have some that are very green, no pictures of those, others that are not. It really depends on your misting and humidity. Here is a picture of a tank I have that sits between 65%-85% humidity, most of the day it is in the lower end of that range. The panels are starting to get some nice moss growth in a few areas, see zoomed picture with frog. I have had a fern pop out of the panels and it appears I have another in the way but for the most part my experience is that the growth is compact consisting mostly of moss/algae/liverwort. Overtime they turn very green, viv conditions will dictate how long that takes. This tank has been up for around 4 months I think but I would have to double check lol. I checked...6 months, just as requested 




























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## onoki (Jan 6, 2016)

Thanks to both of you. That's the kind of information I was looking for.

It seems to me that I'm best off with attaching some additional plants to the panels to get it greener faster. And especially if the "included seeds/spores" are mostly moss, adding leafy plants might make it more interesting.


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