Success with live plants anyone?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:15 pm

I really want to redo my 75G crabitat so that it has a very naturalisitic vibe to it. I am going to use "great stuff" and driftwood to build natural shelves, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has had success with live plants in their tat. I know that hermies like to nibble on them. I was thinking Bromelads and Pothos (as they are safe for reptiles and amphibians).

So....ANYONE?? Or is it just an expensive lost cause!

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:50 pm

Given how much damage they do to WOOD, I can't imagine trying live plants. Not when there are so many gorgeous plastic and silk ones - I just got a whole bunch of GORGEOUS ones from the dollar store.

Chompman · Post by **Chompman** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:00 am

Well you can grow cheap plants in there such as grass or sunflowers and some people use the spider plants but they will get destroyed fast usually and it's best to grow them outside of the tank for awhile until they grow a bit and place the entire pot with them in the tank so the hermit crab safe soil doesn't mix with the substrate to much since the salt will kill them off.

Usually I have 2 pots with the stuff, one inside the tank and the other outside where I start the growing process and by the time it's grown enough I will switch them out since by that time the plants usually will have been destroyed by the crabs enough or to give them fresh stuff since grass and sunflower seeds are cheap enough to do that.

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:43 am

If you're going to use potted plants, you might want to look at the Magnaturals planter ledges. They attach to the side of the tank anywhere you want to put them, using high power magnets - VERY cool stuff. I use them as moss pits, but they're meant to hold a 4" potted plant, which would make swapping them in and out a snap. here's a picture

And here's a thread where I talked about them in some detail (more pics, too)

viewtopic.php?t=67448&highlight=magnaturals

You can see better pictures by googling MagNaturals or going to the PetTech website to see the range of products - here's link:

http://pet-tech.com/our-products/magnaturals.php

Make sure you update the thread over time to let us all know how you make out with the experiment.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:25 pm

Yeah, I have seen those magnaturals plant holders. I have the magnaturals slate shelf for my frog tank...it is awesome! It would be a good idea for the moss pit too! It does feel kind of styrofoamy though, and I worry that the crabs would pick at it and eat it!

I think I will try some seeds in pots of ecoearth or something. Sunflowers do sound like a good idea. I guess I wanted the natural tropical habitat like I have seen on this website...but those people never replied about the success of their live plants. Thanks for the advice and info! Always appreciative!

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 8:08 am

MIne have been in use for 2 weeks, with not the slightest sign of the crabs picking at them - and it's the tat with the major tank trashers! Jury is still out, but so far so good.

I was contemlating throwing some millet in loose as part of my vacation strategy - it's on the safe list as food, and whatever they miss would sprout, and then they could play with and eat the plants.