FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have an empty 10-gallon aquarium that I think I'd like to make into something of a bog garden. Probably not with very many CPs, just an ultric or two, as I'd like to focus on other neat plants. Ideally, I'd like the sort of terrarium that you can just water every now and then and otherwise leave alone.

What sort of lighting would I need to grow things like liverworts, small ferns, mosses, ultrics, and other tiny bog plants, assuming it gets minimal natural light?

Any plant suggestions?

You should check out dendroboard, they have a ton of good info on terrariums/ vivariums.

I would make an Iwagumi styled setup with natural looking rocks, and instead of some sort of grass, let the Utricularia spread out and be the "Grass"

Kind of something like this: (Except not filled with water, just "Boggy" conditions )


That's just me though, I like simple looking stuff

You could probably buy a Grow light from NEHERP along with the light fixture and it'll run you at around $30, but those LED grow lights (I have the jungle dawn 11 Watt on my vivarium, they also sell a "Value LED" version thats cheaper) grow plants very nicely!
http://www.neherpetoculture.com/bulbsvivvg
http://www.neherpetoculture.com/fixture ... crewinleds

Depending on what other plants you wanna grow in there, you might have to buy glass tops for the aquarium to keep the humidity up inside (Or wrap the top in clear syran wrap, although this is a little less pleasing to the eye ), but if you just wanna grow Utricularia in there with some other plants that don't require high humidty, you won't need it.

Here is my 15 gallon bog tank. In the soil it's got 6-7 different mosses, some sundews, utrics, one sarracenia and a pot of D. Adela a pot of P primuliflora and one pot of N alata. It has rocks on the bottom and a tube for draining/filling. The soil is 1/1 peat/perlite. The lighting is one t8 6500k aquarium hood light and one t5HO sunblaster. I usually drain and refill every 2-3 weeks. I spray It daily with a spray bottle.

this is my setup



im using 2x 10,5W (75W) Philips Led Daylight bulbs 1055Lumen each.

i mist them once every 3-4 days to keep them moist

(do not ask me why its turned upside down because i have absolutely no idea, but you can use (Crlt+Alt + arrow key down) to fix the picture :p)

Okay, first, WHAT THE HECK. I didn't know computers could do that.

Second, how do you keep everything from getting all soggy and upset? Hidden false bottom? Especially loose soil?

[quote="Fishkeeper]

Second, how do you keep everything from getting all soggy and upset? Hidden false bottom? Especially loose soil?[/quote]
What do you mean by soggy and upset? I keep the water level in mine about a half inch to an inch below the top of the soil. So it's constantly soaking wet but it's not soggy. I guess I just packed in the soil enough to not be soggy.

I think for the kind of plants you want to grow - bladderworts, ferns, mosses, small terrarium plants, (p. primuliflora and mini phalenopsis actually do really well as terrarium plants) etc., the cheapest and easiest way to go about it is to:

1) Lay 2" aquarium gravel in the bottom
2) Spread fiberglass screening over gravel (skip if dont want dirt)
3) add soil mixture, contour to desired landscape (I like adding a piece of wood to create a shelf I can pile rocks,dirt, or bark behind to create a better draining section - also if you want mushrooms you need wood)
4) add moss and plants

Tips:
For a bog tank, leave top off or use screened top - bog plants don't need very humid like tropical builds (bromeliads, tillandsias) and open top allows for air flow.

You wont need to water often but ensure there is always standing water in the bottom - it will smell but I've never heard of a non smelly bog.

Get springtails! They keep anything from rotting.

Avoid large plants - get a fern species that stays small, many ferns get massive and will quickly outgrow a 10gal - huge fern is why I have to breakdown my tank.



This is a no soil set-up I had a while back. All the contouring was done with aquarium gravel and live sphagnum was placed on top. Any leaf pullings did amazingly well in here, it was my panacea.

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Fishkeeper wrote:Okay, first, WHAT THE HECK. I didn't know computers could do that.

Second, how do you keep everything from getting all soggy and upset? Hidden false bottom? Especially loose soil?

im using a bottom layer of hydrokorrels (no idea what they are called in english). i always top water so that the soil can get nice and moist and all the excess water will just drain away in the hydrokorrels and help increase the humidity.

im using a mixture of 50/50 peat/sand with a top dressing of sphagnum around the heliamphora and nepenthes.


but im planning on making it a heliamphora/nepenthes terrarium and get the drosera capensis out of there. (i'll be getting a heliamphora pulchella and nutans next month )

Picture of my 55 gallon ebb and flow nursery tank. I use it for cloning plants, keeping my bicalcarata happy, and killing D. Regia seedlings (joke). Temperature is controlled by an aquarium heater in the reservoir, lights are T8 6500k, two 90mm fans circulate air 24/7, and water kicks on 30 minutes at a time three days a week. Everyone seems pretty happy. Had a mold outbreak not too long ago, but neem oil took care of it pretty quickly. Lost a few D. Regia over it, but mine usually find any excuse they can to quit living.

Trust me, if you have the space and the cash, get on Craigslist and find a 29 or a 60 gallon for a setup. A used tank in good shape can be had for around a dollar a gallon. Barry Rice has a great article on his site about this.

Adelaide wrote:I think for the kind of plants you want to grow - bladderworts, ferns, mosses, small terrarium plants, (p. primuliflora and mini phalenopsis actually do really well as terrarium plants) etc., the cheapest and easiest way to go about it is to:

1) Lay 2" aquarium gravel in the bottom
2) Spread fiberglass screening over gravel (skip if dont want dirt)
3) add soil mixture, contour to desired landscape (I like adding a piece of wood to create a shelf I can pile rocks,dirt, or bark behind to create a better draining section - also if you want mushrooms you need wood)
4) add moss and plants

Tips:
For a bog tank, leave top off or use screened top - bog plants don't need very humid like tropical builds (bromeliads, tillandsias) and open top allows for air flow.

You wont need to water often but ensure there is always standing water in the bottom - it will smell but I've never heard of a non smelly bog.

Get springtails! They keep anything from rotting.

Avoid large plants - get a fern species that stays small, many ferns get massive and will quickly outgrow a 10gal - huge fern is why I have to breakdown my tank.



This is a no soil set-up I had a while back. All the contouring was done with aquarium gravel and live sphagnum was placed on top. Any leaf pullings did amazingly well in here, it was my panacea.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

thats a beautiful tank exactly what I want mine to end up like in the long run. Started with a mini tank. Now gone bigger! No doubt I'll have an even bigger one soon


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Dang thats amazing. Those orchids especially look nice (you should add a ladyslipper orchid, those are my favorite, they look like a nepenthes in a way). It's a really impressive setup.