Is there a list anywhere of good plants for a crested tank?
- Ludisia discolor (Jewel orchids)
- Sansevieria (snake plant) "may" work well with ambient light. Try shining light through glass.
- Pothos
A nearby desk lamp will be helpful.
Links contributed by JessJohnson87:
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Contributed by Elizabeth Freer -- July 2017:
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Contributions by Hilde:
"
Ludisia discolor are terrestrial orchids, meaning they grow in soil, not on trunks like the more popular orchids. That makes them easier to maintain.
They also don't like lots of bright light, which you can tell by the purple-brown leaves. Most of our terrariums don't have bright lights, which works well with them. As long as you have a full spectrum fluorescent tube, or a decent bulb, it works for them. I've even kept them in a terrarium that just gets light from a nearby window.
"
One enclosure had a double tube fluorescent fixture, the orchids died within weeks, which is how I found out about using too much light. One tube over a 4 ft/120cm enclosure is enough for them. It's also bright enough for the geckos, they're used to being in the tree canopy, not much blinding, direct light reaches them.
"There's also no need to use fertilizer. The geckos supply most of it, which is broken down by the soil bacteria, or isopods and springtails which are part of a bio-active set-up. If you add crickets once in a while, they add to the organic fertilizer as well, either their poop, or any bodies of those that didn't get eaten."
Hilde continues:
"I've used a bit of the 'junk' cleaned out of the cricket tank and mealworm bins. It looks a bit messy, so I just lightly stir it into the soil, enough to cover it up. It's all natural fertilizer, same as what happens in the wild. The soil microbes, springtails, isopods, and whatnot will deal with it. It's better than the fertilizer you can buy; not concentrated enough to damage the roots as chemical preparations can, it's time released, plentiful, and free.
"I'm sure roach poo would work just as well."
