# Alocasia and Anthuriums for vivs?



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Are there any good Alocasia and Anthuriums for vivs or do they all get to big?


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

what size vivarium are you considering?


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

i can do up to a 120g, but am putting together a 65 now (36x18x25)


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2008)

I have a regular _Anthurium_ hybrid, the kind you get at the box stores, doing very well in my 55 gallon standard tank. Grows to the very top though. But stops right there. Always in bloom.
Also am trying out an_ A. luxurians_. Seems to like the viv environment, hasn't grown much yet though.


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## Frognut (Jan 31, 2005)

Alocasia Nebula "Elaine" is a great one for vivs. I have it in most of mine. It only gets 12"


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

are there any others?


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

Here are some small-medium sized Anthurium species I would look into:
A. scandens
A. gracile
A. clarinervium
A. crystallinum 
A. papillilaminum
The last three are on the larger side of things, but generally they are slow growing and won't get as large when grown in a viv.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Thanks for the info.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Check out Alocasia rugosa too.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

There are a fair number of small to fairly small Anthuriums. But a certain amount of those are higher elevation species (and require cooler temps than the average vivarium) or species just not common in the trade. A few others that you might try looking for (and should be available) are A. radicans, A. amnicola, A. polyschistum and maybe even the slightly larger A. dressleri. 

Here's one that is fairly modest in size. The leaves are 6" to 8", but since they are narrow the plant seems quite dainty for an anthurium. I have not been watching over it as well as I should, so it is holding fewer leaves than normal. It can regularly have 3 or 4 times the amount shown. 








It flowers regularly, but the blooms are small.








I think it is actually neat that the flowers are so small.
The species is named A. rupicola because it was found growing on rocks near streams.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2008)

That is such a cool little Anthurium! Thanks for posting it.

I have_ A. gracile, A. scandens, A. clarinervium, A. luxurians, A. scherzerianum_ and two A. hybrids 'Pink Lady'(Home Depot type)
Currently, I was adventurous enough to put_ A. gracile_ in a viv, its not doing the best, even though it flowered and fruited a few times in the viv. I have some seedling growing in there. I took half the plant out of the tank and am now growing it out side the viv. Can't put all my eggs in one basket, especially if it looks unhappy. Don't know why its not doing well in the tank.
_A. scandens_, I tried growing seedlings and a cutting in my tank, all rotted away. I have a ton of seedlings growing very well in sphagnum moss outside the viv. Doing very well. Don't know how to successfully introduce them to the tank, I want to though.
_A. luxurians_, was not doing well outside the tank, so I put it in soil in the tank on the background. It is doing very well with a nice healthy looking leaf and new roots.
_A. clariverium_ is doing very well in soil outside the tank. I'd rather not move it inside a tank unless you guys can assure me it will love me for the move.
_A. scherzerianum_ is growing very slowly in a pot outside the viv. Any idea how this would do in a viv? 
I have one A. 'Pink Lady' in a pot, doing ehhh ok, and the other in a 55 gallon viv, always growing always in bloom!


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

I received this plant several years ago from a well known grower and it was labelled as A. rupicola. In all those years it hasn't grown any taller than it is right now. And I've always assumed the person tagged it right. In stature it is quite different than all of the pictures of A. gracile that I have seen. Most sites list A. gracile as growing to 18 inches tall. But, A. gracile is widespread and I just stumbled across a picture of a plant that originated in Ecuador that looks like mine. I don't know the size of the plant in the picture, but it looks like my plant. Much more so than the forms of A. gracile in the general trade. I'm going to have to look into this more, but just thought I should point this out so that I don't confuse anyone. So for now, I'm not sure if it is A. rupicola or A. gracile. I am leaning toward A. gracile though.
What ever it is, it's small size is still nice for terrariums.
Hey Khamul, does your gracile look like mine?


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi Manuran,

The inflorescence on yours is much much smaller, unless you have observed it to get twice as long as in the picture before fruiting, I would say it is not the same. At least the variety.
Also your leaves a bit different lacking the petiolar bend that most Anthuriums including A. gracile has.
Mine is very pronounced.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Thanks Khamul.
Yes, your plant is what I always thought of as A. gracile. But, look at this link for a plant from Ecuador. On the site, it is tagged as A. gracile.
http://home.sandiego.edu/~kaufmann/aroids/pangui.htm
Scroll down on the page.

Khamul, do you always provide your anthuriums with good drainage? Do you ever plant them into the substrate at the bottom of the terrarium? Just trying to figure out why some of your plants don't like the enclosed life. With A. scandens, my plants like higher light and a little drier situation. Have you tried planting them higher up in the tank?

Thanks again.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2008)

Wow, thats interesting! 
Here is an account of the species;
http://www.aroid.org/genera/anthurium/l ... acile.html

In the case of the picture, yours could be_ A. gracile_. Has your's ever fruited?

Now that you bring up the drainage issue,
The _A. luxurians_ and the hybrid, both of which are doing well don't get as much drainage as the others. The hybrid is planted in gravel at the edge of the large pond in my 55 gallon tank.
The _A. luxurians_ is planted in soil that does not dry.

The_ A. gracile _is mounted, bare root, orchid style directly on the background. Perhaps it was too dry for it?

The _A. scandens_ was planted however in wet sphag. Too wet? The background was too dry for the cutting it seems.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

That was a website that I didn't need to see and drool over :-/ *sigh* add another plant I need to snag from you Manuran, should I just start sending you money and you can just toss cuttings my way? LOL

I've not gotten a chance to mess with the species anthurium... I've stuck with a few different small cultivars (red, two different pinks, and a white... all without cultivar names but the frogs love them!). I keep them very well drained, the ones in tanks are in orchid mix on the ground, and I'm going to be trying to grow some plantlets on epiweb soon. They love it humid, and I've found the same conditions a low light epiphytic brom likes, these anthurium seem to like as well. I use them mostly for TFs since they are strong enough to hold my larger frogs, but with my recent surge in plantlets, I'm starting to drop them in various tanks.

As for _Alocasia_... all seem to need the larger tanks, but there are a decent amount of dwarf species/cultivars out there now. Here are some I've heard about being used in tanks...

_Alocasia_ (_guttata_) 'Bullata' (20-26")
_Alocasia cuprea_
_Alocasia_ 'Corozon' (18")
_Alocasia_ 'Dewey's Reversa' (~12")
_Alocasia_ 'Fantasy' (1-2')
_Alocasia infernalis_ 'Kapit' (12")
_Alocasia nebula_ 'Elaine' (12-18")
_Alocasia nebula_ 'Imperialis' (20-26" with up to 1' leaves)
_Alocasia_ 'Nobilis' (2')
_Alocasia_ 'Polly' (~18" or 1-2')
_Alocasia reginula_ 'Black Velvet' (12-18")
_Alocasia rugosa _(8-12")

Other possibles... _Alocasia_ 'Bako Park' (2-2 1/2'), _Alocasia advincula _'Bat Wing' (2-2 1/2') and _Alocasia villenevii _(2'). I've not seen these varieties grown in frog tanks, but could work in larger tanks (the last species I think is just rare and hasn't gotten into cultivation much yet). Just remember to take substrate and drainage layer into account, which puts the tank hieght needs of most of these guys up closer to 3' or more.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

There are tons of really cool Anthuriums but they are really hard to find. I've been looking for years for one species that climbs and makes little maple leaves, only seen it at a few botanical gardens. Ebay has a few cool ones now, so that might be a cheap way to get them.
~Josh


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Here's one of the small rosette forming ones in my big tank, in the center.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I find it entertaining how in that pic not only is the anthurium one I'd consider trying, but I see two or three other plants I've been looking for  I'd be interested in seeing the rest of the tank and knowing more about the other plants... but that would be best in another thread (hint hint nudge nudge if you haven't done it already)


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2008)

KeroKero said:


> I find it entertaining how in that pic not only is the anthurium one I'd consider trying, but I see two or three other plants I've been looking for  I'd be interested in seeing the rest of the tank and knowing more about the other plants... but that would be best in another thread (hint hint nudge nudge if you haven't done it already)


diddo
Whats the name on that _Anthurium_?
Kero Kero, 
Do you think I should up root my _A. luxurians_ and replant it in orchid mix?
I'm learning still on how to best care for these guys.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Unfortunately, it both depends on the situation in your tank... and the species of plant which I don't actually know anything about. I've only worked with the common cultivar type.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

I'll try to find the link on the old posts showing the full tank. I know if you type in "margravia" in search then it will come up. I forgot the species name on the anthurium but I can get it later.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Hi Josh,
I agree with everyone. Nice vivarium.
Isn't that Anthurium scandens?

The maple leaf one, do you mean Anthurium polyschistum?
If you like those types take a look at Anthurium cutucuense


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

You're right, it is a varity of A. scandens. I need to get some more of it, it's kinda the perfect terrarium Anthurium...

Manuran, are those two that you mentioned available, any pics?


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