Using Plants in Your Vivarium

There are few things which make a vivarium setting look more instantly natural than the addition of a few well chosen plants. However, using plants in an enclosure designed to house exotic pets is not always as straightforward as you might think. On the one hand, naturally herbivorous animals may well make a meal out of them, while on the other, many of the active carnivores – and especially the larger or more clumsy amongst them – will simply up-root them as they go about their business.

Clearly, if you really want to get the natural look of vegetation, you may have to give some careful thought to how you achieve it.

Aquarium Plants

Many water-dwelling exotic pets will benefit from having their aquarium planted. For aquatic amphibians, for instance, water plants will help to provide natural hiding places – and frequently, spawning sites too, during the breeding season. Some of the aquatic invertebrates – the likes of Triops, for example – will also benefit from having plants in their tank, partly because of the additional oxygen they release and partly since they provide a ready snack when the animals get a little hungry.

Choosing the type of plants to include in an aquarium requires consideration of the temperature of the water and its depth – your supplier should be able to give you advice as to what is suitable. Whatever you do ultimately select, it’s a good idea to wash the plants themselves thoroughly to reduce the chance of introducing any parasites or pathogens into your tank.

It’s worth using small aquatic pots to contain your plants, rather than just planting them in the gravel because being able to remove them individually makes routine cleaning and maintenance easier, as well as avoiding any chance that roots will clog your under-gravel filter.

Plants For The Terrarium

A wide range of popular houseplants can make good subjects for a planted terrarium and for some species, notably chameleons and tree-frogs, plants can perform a functional role as well as a purely decorative one, providing living climbing frames.

The best way to incorporate them is, once again to plant them in suitably sized pots and then bury them within the flooring material. They’ll obviously need to be watered appropriately as necessary and any dead material should to be pruned to prevent any possibility of fungus getting a foothold in the tank.

The so-called “air-plants” – Tillandsia sp. and the like – are a useful alternative to traditional indoor plants for the terrarium. The roots of these epiphytes are more concerned with holding on rather than getting water or nutrients – most of them found clinging to tree branches in nature and absorbing moisture from the air through their leaves. Unbelievably easy to grow, they can be positioned at will in the tank – and can even be glued into place if you wish! Mist them twice a week and they will thrive within the confines of the terrarium.

Artificial Plants

Although it’s a bit of a cheat, using artificial plants may be the only way you are going to get the look you’re after in a vivarium containing some kinds of exotic pets. Plastic plants are likely to be the only thing that will survive the attention of terrapins in an aquarium, for example, while fake plants are the best bet for any terrarium containing the likes of the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) or some of its relatives. Although using artificial plants may not be a truly natural way to go, they can certainly look the part – many of them are incredibly life-like – and best of all, they have a good chance of staying that way!

A well planted vivarium adds a lot to the overall appeal of the tank as well as providing a more authentic looking environment for your pet; all it really takes is a bit of care over which plants you choose and how you use them.