Live plants

[WheelbarrowTim]

What are your thoughts on living plants in the enclosure? I know the moisture can pose problems if not carefully monitored.

 

[lazarus]

Moisture is not the biggest problem. Most plants will require artificial lighting and won't do well planted on coco-fiber. You'll have to mix it with potting soil(I believe @petkokc uses 50-50 ratio potting soil and coco-fiber and his plants look good), or just use potting soil only. If you have roaches their frass is a good natural fertilizer.
Epipremnum aureum (Devil's Ivy or Pothos) I've seen commonly used in terrariums.
And your tarantulas might not appreciate the plants and kill them.

 

[Feral]

Moisture is not the biggest problem. Most plants will require artificial lighting and won't do well planted on coco-fiber. You'll have to mix it with potting soil(I believe @petkokc uses 50-50 ratio potting soil and coco-fiber and his plants look good), or just use potting soil only. If you have roaches their frass is a good natural fertilizer.
Epipremnum aureum (Devil's Ivy or Pothos) I've seen commonly used in terrariums.
And your tarantulas might not appreciate the plants and kill them.

I think you meant to say top soil, not potting soil. They're different, and potting soil can be super bad or even deadly. Because of additives like chemicals and pesticides and fertilizers and whatnot. So it's important to be clear.
I like your recommendation of Pothos!

What are your thoughts on living plants in the enclosure? I know the moisture can pose problems if not carefully monitored.

Some people might warn you off plants. I think, done thoughtfully and with knowledge, they're fantastic. Just keep the animals' needs paramount.



My two cents on plants, for you or anyone who may be interested. But these just my own opinions and experiences, please keep in mind...
Planted display enclosures are one of my very most favoritest things of all the tarantula things! Love it! But it kinda does take some planning and knowledge and experience and learning. Also adaptability, because sometimes animals and/or plants don't exactly cooperate with our vision. lol
You gotta let go of your expectations and accept that it's all an ever-changing experiment, that the flora and fauna will create thier own environment in thier own way, to whatever degree. It's a really beautiful thing! And it's a privilege to watch.

A few types of plants will do fine in plain cocofiber (looking at everyone's friend, Pothos), but many may need occasional fertilizer (I use my aquarium water that has nitrates from my aquatic critters and also aquarium fertilizer that is safe for aquatic inverts and has been fine for me with terrestrial inverts). Or you could use topsoil with, or probably even without, ferts. But the very best for plants probably is to amend your substrate base with whatever it needs, like shredded moss, sand, crumpled leaf litter, bark pieces, activated charcoal. Actually, in a certain ratio, that is exactly what ABG mix is. ABG mix is big with the dart/tree frog planted vivarium scene. I guess you can buy it as is, or mix your own using the recipe, or just go the even easier/cheaper route like I do with my mixture because the plants you'll use aren't going to be near as demanding as most of the ones used in those beautiful vivariums. So we can keep our substrates a lot simpler.

I guess some people have the same substrate throughout the enclosure, with or without a false bottom, and plant directly into that. Since I have a terrestrial species that can like to burrow but I want to use a false bottom and not have it or my plants dug up, I use little containers in which I make a simple smaller-scale false bottom, then add some activated carbon, fill with my cocofiber substrate amended with shredded moss and leaf litter, plant it, and then bury that within the larger enclosure. This keeps my creatures from digging up my false bottom or my plants, lets me adjust the plant moisture and the rest of the enclosure's substrate moisture separately, and move or remove the planted containers as needed. This little system has been working well for me.

If you wanted help picking out plants that might work in your situation, we could help with that. But any of the different Pothos (the Epipremnum genus) could work well but the "golden" Pothos (species aureum, as previously mentioned) is slightly hardier. But really, the whole genus is probably pretty bombproof, as far as a plant can be. So that's def a good place to start.

Lighting is a whole other thing, and it depends on what plants you're using. Sometimes ambient light is enough! Each situation is unique. Sometimes artificial lighting is needed, and that's when you have to take a hard look at how that particular specimen/animal feels about light in general, how that T feels about the lighting you would need to use for those plants, how much the plants will shade the tarantula and how much cover/hiding the T will have, what that species has evolved to be accustomed to and what it can reasonably acclimate to, etc. Also what type of light and how much light, etc. is a bridge you may or may not need to cross. It's a whole thing you can get into if you need to.
But definitely definitely definitely use a timer if you use artificial lighting, keep the lighting schedule reasonably in line with daylight hours, and make sure there is at least 8 solid hours of darkness during the nighttime hours!
And for the record, I use artificial lighting successfully for both animals and plants, it absolutely can be done.

I think an important key to a successful planted enclosure is making sure the plants are established and actively growing before adding livestock. Established plants can better withstand routine abuse from an animal, the microclimate/biome have settled, youve already figured out what care and maintenance the enclosure needs, etc. You're chances of success really do increase if you utilize that animal-free stabilizing period for plants in the beginning.

Oops! I once again got all wrapped up and lost in something and just went on and on and on... :wideyed: I'm shuttin up now! lol

Oh! I forgot to mention a vitally important part- I have never done a planted enclosure with a species that's kept totally completely dry like C. cyaneopubescens or G. rosea/poteri or the Avic types (et.al.) or whathaveyou. And I don't know that I would be comfortable attempting it myself, personally.

That's an important clarification.

 

[WheelbarrowTim]

I think you meant to say top soil, not potting soil. They're different, and potting soil can be super bad or even deadly. Because of additives like chemicals and pesticides and fertilizers and whatnot. So it's important to be clear.
I like your recommendation of Pothos!



Some people might warn you off plants. I think, done thoughtfully and with knowledge, they're fantastic. Just keep the animals' needs paramount.



My two cents on plants, for you or anyone who may be interested. But these just my own opinions and experiences, please keep in mind...
Planted display enclosures are one of my very most favoritest things of all the tarantula things! Love it! But it kinda does take some planning and knowledge and experience and learning. Also adaptability, because sometimes animals and/or plants don't exactly cooperate with our vision. lol
You gotta let go of your expectations and accept that it's all an ever-changing experiment, that the flora and fauna will create thier own environment in thier own way, to whatever degree. It's a really beautiful thing! And it's a privilege to watch.

A few types of plants will do fine in plain cocofiber (looking at everyone's friend, Pothos), but many may need occasional fertilizer (I use my aquarium water that has nitrates from my aquatic critters and also aquarium fertilizer that is safe for aquatic inverts and has been fine for me with terrestrial inverts). Or you could use topsoil with, or probably even without, ferts. But the very best for plants probably is to amend your substrate base with whatever it needs, like shredded moss, sand, crumpled leaf litter, bark pieces, activated charcoal. Actually, in a certain ratio, that is exactly what ABG mix is. ABG mix is big with the dart/tree frog planted vivarium scene. I guess you can buy it as is, or mix your own using the recipe, or just go the even easier/cheaper route like I do with my mixture because the plants you'll use aren't going to be near as demanding as most of the ones used in those beautiful vivariums. So we can keep our substrates a lot simpler.

I guess some people have the same substrate throughout the enclosure, with or without a false bottom, and plant directly into that. Since I have a terrestrial species that can like to burrow but I want to use a false bottom and not have it or my plants dug up, I use little containers in which I make a simple smaller-scale false bottom, then add some activated carbon, fill with my cocofiber substrate amended with shredded moss and leaf litter, plant it, and then bury that within the larger enclosure. This keeps my creatures from digging up my false bottom or my plants, lets me adjust the plant moisture and the rest of the enclosure's substrate moisture separately, and move or remove the planted containers as needed. This little system has been working well for me.

If you wanted help picking out plants that might work in your situation, we could help with that. But any of the different Pothos (the Epipremnum genus) could work well but the "golden" Pothos (species aureum, as previously mentioned) is slightly hardier. But really, the whole genus is probably pretty bombproof, as far as a plant can be. So that's def a good place to start.

Lighting is a whole other thing, and it depends on what plants you're using. Sometimes ambient light is enough! Each situation is unique. Sometimes artificial lighting is needed, and that's when you have to take a hard look at how that particular specimen/animal feels about light in general, how that T feels about the lighting you would need to use for those plants, how much the plants will shade the tarantula and how much cover/hiding the T will have, what that species has evolved to be accustomed to and what it can reasonably acclimate to, etc. Also what type of light and how much light, etc. is a bridge you may or may not need to cross. It's a whole thing you can get into if you need to.
But definitely definitely definitely use a timer if you use artificial lighting, keep the lighting schedule reasonably in line with daylight hours, and make sure there is at least 8 solid hours of darkness during the nighttime hours!
And for the record, I use artificial lighting successfully for both animals and plants, it absolutely can be done.

I think an important key to a successful planted enclosure is making sure the plants are established and actively growing before adding livestock. Established plants can better withstand routine abuse from an animal, the microclimate/biome have settled, youve already figured out what care and maintenance the enclosure needs, etc. You're chances of success really do increase if you utilize that animal-free stabilizing period for plants in the beginning.

Oops! I once again got all wrapped up and lost in something and just went on and on and on... :wideyed: I'm shuttin up now! lol

This was super helpful! I answered almost all my plant questions. Thanks!

 

[Colorado Ts]

What are your thoughts on living plants in the enclosure? I know the moisture can pose problems if not carefully monitored.

Personally, I think living plants in the enclosure are AWESOME and make the whole arrangement grand.

Providing enough lighting to ensure healthy plants could be an issue, so provide cover so that the tarantula can seek shelter and avoid the light. Choosing DURABLE plants that are shade loving is another option, plants with lower light requirements are a great option. It's not always easy to find shade type plants that are durable, some tarantulas can be very hard on plants.

The look of living plants in an enclosure is amazing and I hope that you are able to accomplish this and show us all your images of your successes.

 

[jaw6053]

I think you meant to say top soil, not potting soil. They're different, and potting soil can be super bad or even deadly. Because of additives like chemicals and pesticides and fertilizers and whatnot. So it's important to be clear.
I like your recommendation of Pothos!



Some people might warn you off plants. I think, done thoughtfully and with knowledge, they're fantastic. Just keep the animals' needs paramount.



My two cents on plants, for you or anyone who may be interested. But these just my own opinions and experiences, please keep in mind...
Planted display enclosures are one of my very most favoritest things of all the tarantula things! Love it! But it kinda does take some planning and knowledge and experience and learning. Also adaptability, because sometimes animals and/or plants don't exactly cooperate with our vision. lol
You gotta let go of your expectations and accept that it's all an ever-changing experiment, that the flora and fauna will create thier own environment in thier own way, to whatever degree. It's a really beautiful thing! And it's a privilege to watch.

A few types of plants will do fine in plain cocofiber (looking at everyone's friend, Pothos), but many may need occasional fertilizer (I use my aquarium water that has nitrates from my aquatic critters and also aquarium fertilizer that is safe for aquatic inverts and has been fine for me with terrestrial inverts). Or you could use topsoil with, or probably even without, ferts. But the very best for plants probably is to amend your substrate base with whatever it needs, like shredded moss, sand, crumpled leaf litter, bark pieces, activated charcoal. Actually, in a certain ratio, that is exactly what ABG mix is. ABG mix is big with the dart/tree frog planted vivarium scene. I guess you can buy it as is, or mix your own using the recipe, or just go the even easier/cheaper route like I do with my mixture because the plants you'll use aren't going to be near as demanding as most of the ones used in those beautiful vivariums. So we can keep our substrates a lot simpler.

I guess some people have the same substrate throughout the enclosure, with or without a false bottom, and plant directly into that. Since I have a terrestrial species that can like to burrow but I want to use a false bottom and not have it or my plants dug up, I use little containers in which I make a simple smaller-scale false bottom, then add some activated carbon, fill with my cocofiber substrate amended with shredded moss and leaf litter, plant it, and then bury that within the larger enclosure. This keeps my creatures from digging up my false bottom or my plants, lets me adjust the plant moisture and the rest of the enclosure's substrate moisture separately, and move or remove the planted containers as needed. This little system has been working well for me.

If you wanted help picking out plants that might work in your situation, we could help with that. But any of the different Pothos (the Epipremnum genus) could work well but the "golden" Pothos (species aureum, as previously mentioned) is slightly hardier. But really, the whole genus is probably pretty bombproof, as far as a plant can be. So that's def a good place to start.

Lighting is a whole other thing, and it depends on what plants you're using. Sometimes ambient light is enough! Each situation is unique. Sometimes artificial lighting is needed, and that's when you have to take a hard look at how that particular specimen/animal feels about light in general, how that T feels about the lighting you would need to use for those plants, how much the plants will shade the tarantula and how much cover/hiding the T will have, what that species has evolved to be accustomed to and what it can reasonably acclimate to, etc. Also what type of light and how much light, etc. is a bridge you may or may not need to cross. It's a whole thing you can get into if you need to.
But definitely definitely definitely use a timer if you use artificial lighting, keep the lighting schedule reasonably in line with daylight hours, and make sure there is at least 8 solid hours of darkness during the nighttime hours!
And for the record, I use artificial lighting successfully for both animals and plants, it absolutely can be done.

I think an important key to a successful planted enclosure is making sure the plants are established and actively growing before adding livestock. Established plants can better withstand routine abuse from an animal, the microclimate/biome have settled, youve already figured out what care and maintenance the enclosure needs, etc. You're chances of success really do increase if you utilize that animal-free stabilizing period for plants in the beginning.

Oops! I once again got all wrapped up and lost in something and just went on and on and on... :wideyed: I'm shuttin up now! lol

Oh! I forgot to mention a vitally important part- I have never done a planted enclosure with a species that's kept totally completely dry like C. cyaneopubescens or G. rosea/poteri or the Avic types (et.al.) or whathaveyou. And I don't know that I would be comfortable attempting it myself, personally.

That's an important clarification.

Is this safe for tarantulas, Golden Devil's Ivy - Pothos ?

Thank you

 

[Feral]

Is this safe for tarantulas, Golden Devil's Ivy - Pothos ?

Thank you

Yes. Since Epipremnum sp. plants are not topically irritating and tarantulas don't nibble plants, they're safe for tarantulas. But I would not use any Epipremnum/pothos with omnivorous/herbivorous/detrivorous/etc. animals because the insoluble oxalates can be toxic to inverts (and vertebrates, too) if eaten.

 

[viper69]

A member of the board did a planted setup complete with misting system for the plants.

T was a blondi I believe.

 

[Vanisher]

Epipremnum sp are exellent in a tarantula enclosure