Finally! Plaudarium beginning to take shape!

[Optimist]

I've been thinking about a terrarium for a while, and have asked a few questions about plants and terrariums on this message board. I have made a few quantum leaps forward in the last week or so. I decided that I would be doing a plaudarium since I have fish already.

Ive gotten a 75 gallon tank which will be filled only about half way for the fish. Rising up from the water level will be some branches, a filter "rock" which I am making out of fiberglas, and a few floating plant racks. I will show them in progress as I move on. I believe I will start a "journal" for this.

So, since this is the orchid board, I will go on and talk about the few orchids I have nabbed for this project.

(from Andys Orchids)
Bulbophyllum / catenulatum (red/yellow)
Cadetia / taylori (glaucous leaf)
Dendrobium / aberrans
Haraella / odorata

any more suggestions on plants? Low light. small. Intermediate to warm growing.

I got them all because they were miniatures, low light, moisture loving, and small. I will make a separate purchase of a few Jewel orchids because I love the leaves. I have a few plants that will also go into the plaudarium already. I really want to buy some very small paphs. Maybe a few low light species phals. Maybe a few more mini bulbos or dends.

In the tank I will have anubias because they are low light and I really love them too.
the fish are mainly loaches and they love to eat nearly any plant other than anubias. I also have a sorority of female bettas and a small selection of other fish. Oh, my farawellas. I love the catfish too. I just got 3 baby farowella, which grow to about 8 inches, but are so small they would make a tasty snack for a fish right now, so I am growing them out for about 6 months.

[Subrosa]

Ludwigia sedioides

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Ludwigia sedioides

the loaches love ludwigia. It takes them about a week to eat a big sprig. I am caught between two rocks here, one is that the loaches will eat most plants, and since the fish tank is mostly theirs, I need to accommodate them. Anubias is one of the most loach proof aquatic plants. I would not have this plaudarium without the loaches because they are ultra fun to watch.

[Subrosa]

Are you familiar with the unusual growth habit of L. sedioides? It's a bare stem underwater, with a rosette of small diamond shaped leaves that floats on the surface.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Are you familiar with the unusual growth habit of L. sedioides? It's a bare stem underwater, with a rosette of small diamond shaped leaves that floats on the surface.

Interesting. Ill look it up.

[Leafmite]

Platystele stenostachya. It is tiny, seems to be easy to grow and I am told that it is in bloom most of the time. Loves lots of humidity. I am growing this like the Haraella, in a glass jar, same light. The only difference is that it is sitting on a bed of damp sphagnum moss and the Haraella is on constantly wet tree fern (not too much difference, actually). I just picked one up last month as my daughters liked how it was growing in the jar and I am really happy that I did (and it isn't even fragrant!).

[Optimist]

I just got a Grosourdya Appendiculata and a few jewel orchids. Oh and some spike moss.

I think this is it for my yearly orchid haul. Other than that I have gotten a Howard's dream, a bulldog paph and a few pitcher plants.