# Mini orchids



## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

What are some of the suitable mini orchid species for a DF tank?
Thank you.


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## Robru (Jan 1, 2021)

– Restrepia trichiglossa
– Pleurothallis niveoglobula
– Pleurothallis allenii
– Pleurothallis grobyi
– Pleurothallis tripteranth
– Masdevallia herradurae
*- *Stelis spec. Peru


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

Check out the Dendroboard plant database, you can filter your view by orchids, size, and a bunch of other parameters. Since it started as my own personal DB and I mainly grow mini orchids, it has over 100 species of vivarium-suitable orchids. If you have any questions about specific ones I might be able to provide more info.


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## Louis (Apr 23, 2014)

Dendrobium laevifolium is the best mini orchid I've dealt with for viviariums. Small, hardy, relatively fast growing and amazing long lasting flowers.


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## bulbophyllum (Feb 6, 2012)

The total n00b's cheat sheet to orchids for terrariums - Dendroboard


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

Harpspiel said:


> Check out the Dendroboard plant database, you can filter your view by orchids, size, and a bunch of other parameters. Since it started as my own personal DB and I mainly grow mini orchids, it has over 100 species of vivarium-suitable orchids. If you have any questions about specific ones I might be able to provide more info.


Thank you!


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Louis said:


> Dendrobium laevifolium is the best mini orchid I've dealt with for viviariums. Small, hardy, relatively fast growing and amazing long lasting flowers.


I’ve tried growing laevifolium in my greenhouse so many times. Never does well. I have a hybrid, Aussie Hi Lo (cuthbertsonii x laevifolium) that I might try. That one is exceedingly easier to grow than both species.
Do you have any pictures of yours in your terrarium?


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

bulbophyllum said:


> The total n00b's cheat sheet to orchids for terrariums - Dendroboard


Awesome. The thread also contains information where I can try to get these. Thank you.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

DPfarr said:


> I’ve tried growing laevifolium in my greenhouse so many times. Never does well. I have a hybrid, Aussie Hi Lo (cuthbertsonii x laevifolium) that I might try. That one is exceedingly easier to grow than both species.
> Do you have any pictures of yours in your terrarium?


I am growing Aussie’s Hi Lo and it’s doing ok but not thriving, are you getting yours from Ecuagenera? I’m slowly becoming convinced that many of Ecuagenera’s plants come from high elevations that are cooler than I can manage, and that clone/parentage matters a lot more than we give it credit. Just got a straight cuthbertsonii from a grower who says his greenhouse hits the 90s, and I’m hoping this particular stock will be more adapted to heat. We’ll see how that goes over the next year.


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## Louis (Apr 23, 2014)

DPfarr said:


> I’ve tried growing laevifolium in my greenhouse so many times. Never does well. I have a hybrid, Aussie Hi Lo (cuthbertsonii x laevifolium) that I might try. That one is exceedingly easier to grow than both species.
> Do you have any pictures of yours in your terrarium?


I don't have any pictures but I will take one and post it in this thread when I get a chance. I'm genuinely surprised to hear that you can't get it to flourish in a greenhouse, it's one of only a handful of mini orchids I've been able to get thriving in my vivariums and other than being vulnerable to slugs it's always proved very hardy for me. Another one that does well in my experience is Pleurothallis alleni.


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

Louis said:


> Dendrobium laevifolium is the best mini orchid I've dealt with for viviariums. Small, hardy, relatively fast growing and amazing long lasting flowers.


I did a quick Google search for Dendrobium laevifolium and found beautiful picutues of the flowers. Thank you.


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

Harpspiel said:


> Check out the Dendroboard plant database, you can filter your view by orchids, size, and a bunch of other parameters. Since it started as my own personal DB and I mainly grow mini orchids, it has over 100 species of vivarium-suitable orchids. If you have any questions about specific ones I might be able to provide more info.


I like Lepanthopsis, do all species of Lepanthopsis have similar care requirements? Sorry, I don't know much about orchids.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Harpspiel said:


> I am growing Aussie’s Hi Lo and it’s doing ok but not thriving, are you getting yours from Ecuagenera? I’m slowly becoming convinced that many of Ecuagenera’s plants come from high elevations that are cooler than I can manage, and that clone/parentage matters a lot more than we give it credit. Just got a straight cuthbertsonii from a grower who says his greenhouse hits the 90s, and I’m hoping this particular stock will be more adapted to heat. We’ll see how that goes over the next year.


I have some from them as well as one bred by Golden Gate before Ecuagenera started scaling up their lab work. They received lots of material to start that. So it depends on what you’re talking about using. They’ve also got upper and lower elevation sites.

Out of curiosity, where did you get your cuthbertsonii?


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

Danio27 said:


> I like Lepanthopsis, do all species of Lepanthopsis have similar care requirements? Sorry, I don't know much about orchids.


Until recently I had only heard of one species, astrophora. But I just got a hybrid that I’ll be selling eventually, Lepanopsis ‘Michelle’, and it looks like Ecuagenera sells a few species. As far as I know they are all miniatures that like medium light, medium temps, and consistently high humidity. You should definitely start with astrophora, I highly recommend that species.


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

Harpspiel said:


> Until recently I had only heard of one species, astrophora. But I just got a hybrid that I’ll be selling eventually, Lepanopsis ‘Michelle’, and it looks like Ecuagenera sells a few species. As far as I know they are all miniatures that like medium light, medium temps, and consistently high humidity. You should definitely start with astrophora, I highly recommend that species.


Thank you Ariel. I will search for astrophora. Do you know any vendor that may have this species available?


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

Taking vendor discussion to PM since I’m never sure of the rules around that


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

ANDY'S ORCHIDS POWER SEARCH








Andy's Orchids - Species Specialist... seriously!


Thousands of beautiful and rare orchids. One of the world's most complete Collections of orchid species




andysorchids.com





Go to the bottom and select "miniature" and "vivarium". You should get lots of good suggestions.


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## Chlorophile (Jun 29, 2017)

I have some experience growing orchids outside of tanks and zero with dart frogs, but...if the enclosure (or the mounting surfaces) stays pretty evenly damp or doesn't dry for long, and temps are intermediate to somewhat warm, many _Bulbophyllum _orchids do well in those conditions. A lot of _Pleurothallid_-family species also take well to not drying much, if at all, between waterings so long as they don't stay super soggy.


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## Danio27 (Oct 1, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> ANDY'S ORCHIDS POWER SEARCH
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you.


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## SpaceMan (Aug 25, 2013)

I got an order of orchids in recently, and a few miniatures in the bunch.

Here's masdevallia hoeijeri:


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

Got these from @DPfarr. Not sure what kind this is but it's happy and making super tiny flowers!


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

TeddytheFinger said:


> Got these from @DPfarr. Not sure what kind this is but it's happy and making super tiny flowers!
> View attachment 297506


I’d love to know what that is, super cute. Maybe Pleurothallis grobyi?


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Harpspiel said:


> I’d love to know what that is, super cute. Maybe Pleurothallis grobyi?


Speckilina picta


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

SpaceMan said:


> I got an order of orchids in recently, and a few miniatures in the bunch.
> 
> Here's masdevallia hoeijeri:


It's always nice to see pictures with people's hands for relative size reference. Sometimes "mini" is 1/2 inch. Sometimes it's 6 inches. In the tight confines of most vivs, this is a big difference.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

TeddytheFinger said:


> Got these from @DPfarr. Not sure what kind this is but it's happy and making super tiny flowers!
> View attachment 297506


OH! I have another version of picta, with long skinny leaves (sold as Pleuro picta). As I'm sort of understanding, "picta" seems to be more of a complex, rather than an individual species


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Same as grobyii, the species has a lot of variation.


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

hypostatic said:


> OH! I have another version of picta, with long skinny leaves (sold as Pleuro picta). As I'm sort of understanding, "picta" seems to be more of a complex, rather than an individual species
> 
> View attachment 297526


That's awesome!!! Mine doesn't look quite like that yet. Did that take a while to get that bushy?


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

DPfarr said:


> Same as grobyii, the species has a lot of variation.


yes, 100%



TeddytheFinger said:


> That's awesome!!! Mine doesn't look quite like that yet. Did that take a while to get that bushy?


My records show that I purchased it in 2017. I think within a year or two it was pretty bushy. It's a pretty fast grower. But then again, it seems to be a bit different than yours


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