# Baby Tears in viviarium?



## numbat1000 (Aug 14, 2015)

I just aquired some Baby's Tears (I assume _Soleirolia_ sp.), and would love to use it for a new vivarium I am creating.  Do any of you have Baby's Tears in your planted tanks? What are the specific care requirements of this plant?  Humidity, light, substrate, the works.  Also, I read that they need good ventilation, otherwise the leaves turn brown. Is this true? 

Thanks in advance, 

--numbat1000


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## The Snark (Aug 14, 2015)

Can't comment about in tanks but it's a very hardy ornamental. The advantage is if it doesn't like the environment it will tell you within days. (Browning and wilting) Likes low light and high moisture. Since it self propagates very quickly you can do a lot of experimentation, keeping an ongoing 'farm' of it in a non hostile environment for replanting. The disadvantage is the same. If it likes the environment it spreads like wildfire and eradicating it means removing every last rootlet. It's easier to simply change the soil than trying to dig it all out.
It prefers moist to damp soils and tolerates mud. Doesn't like high drainage soils however. That is an advantage to keeping it's spreading in check as you can restrict it's growth by bordering it with high drainage sandy loam.


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## edgeofthefreak (Aug 14, 2015)

I have a small patch planted in a viv, but it's not quite as humid as it would like. The initial planting spot has much brown and wilting, as pointed out by The Snark, but where it has reached to is slightly brighter. Seems I placed it somewhere too low for light requirements. It's managed the stretch itself to an area it prefers.

It's now starting grow longer shoots towards the area it prefers. I'm hoping it'll start to take over the ground area in the bottom of the viv. Everything else planted down there is also fairly invasive, so it'll be neat to see the competition.

For it's higher humidity needs, I give it a good mist about every other day. I had a Pholcidae living in there, snacking on Phoridae, and now that it's gone, I can start using my fogger for upping the humidity. The Pholcid didn't seem to like the extra humidity, and the Phorids prefer it.


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## The Snark (Aug 14, 2015)

edgeofthefreak said:


> I have a small patch planted in a viv, but it's not quite as humid as it would like. The initial planting spot has much brown and wilting, as pointed out by The Snark, but where it has reached to is slightly brighter. Seems I placed it somewhere too low for light requirements. It's managed the stretch itself to an area it prefers.
> 
> It's now starting grow longer shoots towards the area it prefers. I'm hoping it'll start to take over the ground area in the bottom of the viv. Everything else planted down there is also fairly invasive, so it'll be neat to see the competition.
> 
> For it's higher humidity needs, I give it a good mist about every other day. I had a Pholcidae living in there, snacking on Phoridae, and now that it's gone, I can start using my fogger for upping the humidity. The Pholcid didn't seem to like the extra humidity, and the Phorids prefer it.


That would be a fun experiment. Use light to make the patch wander around an area.

I just had a thought. With very low light vivariums and limited room, how about African violets? (Saintpaulias)


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## edgeofthefreak (Aug 14, 2015)

The Snark said:


> That would be a fun experiment. Use light to make the patch wander around an area.
> 
> I just had a thought. With very low light vivariums and limited room, how about African violets? (Saintpaulias)


Oh those look nice! Would they play well with my ivy and kalanchoe? I could get the Baby Tears to wrap around the whole lot... it's starting to look a little jungly in there.


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## The Snark (Aug 15, 2015)

edgeofthefreak said:


> Oh those look nice! Would they play well with my ivy and kalanchoe? I could get the Baby Tears to wrap around the whole lot... it's starting to look a little jungly in there.


Kalanchoe at the dry end, Arf Violets at the wet end, baby's tears meandering throughout... I want to see pics of your final set up!


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## edgeofthefreak (Aug 15, 2015)

The Snark said:


> Kalanchoe at the dry end, Arf Violets at the wet end, baby's tears meandering throughout... I want to see pics of your final set up!


I'll see what I can do about that! You might be appalled though. I keep Kalanchoe and Ivy throughout, and in the middle-ish, is a dwarf Sansevieria. It's oddly thriving, and I even have a cutting growing right beside it. There's also a Tradescantia in the back, and a brom of sorts that is far too big.

With all these plants taking over whatever they'd please, I'm hoping the Baby Tears starts to thrive in their various shadows. And I'll start keeping an eye out for some violets when I'm near plants selling places again.


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## The Snark (Aug 15, 2015)

Let them establish their own pecking order and shoving each other around. Sometimes get surprising results. Plants can create their pseudo symbiosis. Sort of a learning tool for all involved. If you aren't worried about creating potentially toxic environments for animals, spurge ground covers can also get interesting.


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## edgeofthefreak (Aug 15, 2015)

That's essentially what I'm going for, and why I have Baby Tears in there. I have a corner picked out for a Fittonia, and if both of these get fired, I'll be very interested in who wins. Need to up the humidity a lot more for both of these to thrive though. Might be time to put that fogger on a timer. The viv has hydroton for drainage, so i now it can take it.


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