# Hoping to Introduce Live Plants



## DrBackHands (Mar 31, 2012)

*Species' Native Plants*

So, me and my roommate (user _dunsparce_) recently went to a convention and loaded up on some new arachnids and, long story short, I'm looking to spice up some of our terrariums. One of the main additions I want to add to my new invert's homes is live plants rather than fake ones. All of this said, I went searching for info on live plant care and I came across some pretty good tips (low light necessity, pebbles for draining, etc.) but what I couldn't find is any sort of thread that relates specific plants to specific species. 

Anyway, I have five species I'm considering in particular: 
_L. quinquestriatus_ (Deathstalker), _P. Imperator_ (Emperor), _H. longimanus_ (Asian Forest), _B. leptochelys_ (Egyptian Sand), and _P. transvaalicus_ (South African Spitting Scorpion) and I'm just curious, what plants would they have seen in their native habitats that I can reasonably keep in a terrarium with the species in question. Now, when I say reasonable, stretching this is fine (I'll go through extra precautions for the sake of detail). I'm aiming to make the terrarium a showcase both of the animal and the animal's native land (hoping to achieve a great attention to detail).

This might seem like asking a bit much as some of the scorpions have large and varied habitats over a great deal of countries, and in some cases biomes, but I think the goal isn't too lofty (I'm looking for plants they might encounter back home that are both reasonable, locatable, and more or less affordable, all purchasable within the US.

(Also, I've already bought 2 succulents, both _Portulacaria afra_ (Elephant Bush), for my _L. quinquestriatus_ and _B. leptochelys_, but I'm not sure if this would exist in their native habitats, or is even a good idea as an addition).

Anyway, any help would be appreciated (and I hope I'm not asking for too much)! Anyone can use this thread to ask the same question about their species as well. Thanks everyone!


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## ch4dg (Mar 31, 2012)

i stick to uk plants...... sedge grass, lords and ladies plant and purple violoet dog plants.... and 4 different mosses....it was all picked from local woods

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...scorpion-(pandinus-imperator)-setup-with-pics


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## SamuraiSid (Apr 1, 2012)

I suggest pothos, Devils Ivy. I've only heard from it on these forums, and its supposed to be the best beginner species. I've seen it in a communal P. imp enclosure, and it went very well.


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## Saark (Apr 1, 2012)

Have you checked out Black Jungle Terrarium Supply? I am a bit of a noob when it comes to live plants but I am giving them a try in my T. stirmi tank. So far, so good. Anyway, Black Jungle carries a huge assortment of plants (when they aren't out of stock  )and they are grown in way that they are safe to use with live animals. That was my big concern buying plants. Generally everything has been sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals. Black Jungle seems to do a lot with Poison Dart Frogs and the plants are grown with this in mind. Anyway, I got a couple different Selaginellas, a lance leaf ficus and a Chamaeranthemum venosum and so far all are doing well. I also have some tropical moss on order.

In any event, good luck! I think growing live plants can only improve the animal's habitat :biggrin:


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## ch4dg (Apr 2, 2012)

i'm no plant expert but aint devils ivy poisonus?


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## DrBackHands (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks for some of the advice guys. I really appreciate.

Anyway, what I was looking for wasn't necessarily plants that grow well, but I'm more interested in plants that grow in the native regions of the species I own. For example, I did some digging and found _Salvia lanigera _ was a plant native to the deathstalker's home lands. 

That said, Devil's Ivy is gonna work quite well as I do own an Asian Forest Scorpion, and I'm certain Devil's Ivy grows in it's locale. 

And as for Black Jungle Terrariums, Saark, that place is awesome! Thanks for the heads up! My next couple of plants will most certainly come from there! Maybe later I'll make a list of reasonable plants found in certain species locals for more realistic terrariums. Anyway, thanks again guys! And if anyone has further help to offer, by all means!


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## SamuraiSid (Apr 3, 2012)

Devils Ivy is poisnonous, but I havnt heard of any single T dying from it. Probably has to be ingested.

DrBackHands, thats a neat idea, trying to match them with their native plants. Sorry I cant be of any help in your quest


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## axle37 (Apr 3, 2012)

for the record, josh's frogs sells just about anything terrarium related and its all frog safe so it should be invert safe swell


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## Thistles (Apr 4, 2012)

My favorite online plant vendor is neherpetoculture.com. Josh's frogs is good, too, but I always have a great experience when I buy from Mike at NEHerp. He's given me like 5 extras in as many orders and his communication is always exemplary.

Unfortunately I know nothing about the origins of most of my plants. I'm just happy if I can get it to grow!


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## J Morningstar (Apr 4, 2012)

I love Black Jungle Terrarium Supply they are great!


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## Saark (Apr 4, 2012)

DrBackHands said:


> And as for Black Jungle Terrariums, Saark, that place is awesome! Thanks for the heads up! My next couple of plants will most certainly come from there! Maybe later I'll make a list of reasonable plants found in certain species locals for more realistic terrariums. Anyway, thanks again guys! And if anyone has further help to offer, by all means!


I hope they work out well for you! I just got my moss for my T. stirmi tank today which can be seen in this picture  Also, not really visible are the four types of plants  And yes, that is a heat lamp on my tank! It gets really cold in that room, like low 60's cold plus the light is on a dimmer so I can dial it back and use the bare minimum as needed. I also broke down and bought the Repti-Fogger. Petsmart has a 60 day return policy so I figure it can't hurt to try it out.




Her cave takes up roughly 1/3 of the right side of the tank. The front entrance is just to the right of that aquarium therm. and the back entrance/exit is behind that tree trunk looking piece of wood in the back right corner. I'll have to post another pic or two in a few months after everything has had a chance to settle in and get established. :biggrin:

Reactions: Like 1


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