Question
Hello,
I want to start a carnivorous garden in a 10 gallon aquarium (thus creating a terrarium). I have read the web site, and it's all a little over-whelming. I have the soil planned, and I just need a few recommendations on what kinds of plants to start with. My other plans are to start with the afore mentioned 10 gallon aquarium, 1/2 peat moss and 1/2 perlite for subrate, and a 15W 6700K flourescent light. Would it be better to use terra cotta pots with a drainage hole, or to make a bed of soil in the aquarium? I live in Omaha, NE.

Thank you in advance for your help! Have a great day!

--Kristen

Answer
Hi Kristen,

OK, I'll be blunt with you on this one.  At our nursery, we despise terrariums mainly because we see to many first-time growers kill their plants.  Keeping a terrarium is like keeping a salt water fish tank.  Everything has to be just right or plants won't thrive or they succumb to disease.

We are strong advocates of growing plants without the use of a terrarium.  Only a small number of plants require a terrarium because they don't thrive well outside of their natural habitat.  But by and large, the vast majority of carnivorous plants will adapt well to lower humidity.  I have many carnivorous plants that grow very well on my windowsills.

Now with that said, if you still want to put together a terrarium, use the potted method rather than placing soil on the bottom of the tank.  If you place soil on the bottom, you'll only promote bacteria and risk rotting the roots of your plants.  It's also a real hassle having to clean the terrarium if a fungal infection breaks out.  You'll essentially have to pull all the plants out, replace the soil and start again.

With the potted method, you use the tank like a miniature greenhouse.  Place your potted plants right in the tank and make sure each pot has its own water dish.

For pots, use plastic pots whenever possible.  Terracotta pots are OK, but they're not the best.  Water will evaporate more quickly through these porous pots, so you'll have to water more frequently.  These pots also tend to develop algae and mineral deposits.  Eventually they become unsightly.  

Lack of proper lighting is the main reason why people fail in keeping a terrarium.  Unfortunately, you were about to head down that same path.  A 15-watt light source isn't strong enough.  Carnivorous plants require a fair deal of sunlight.  Only a small handful can tolerate low light conditions, but the vast majority need intense light.

Ideally, what you'll need to be successful is 40 or more watts of light.  Use compact fluorescent bulbs that will easily fit in your terrarium.  Most compact fluorescent bulbs are about 27 watts, so you need at least two of them.  With this type of lighting, you can grow almost any of the tropical species.

Speaking of which, your best plants for your terrarium are tropical sundews and Mexican butterworts.  You can tryout an Asian pitcher plant, but eventually it will out grow your terrarium.  Tropical sundews and Mexican butterworts will remain small enough for your terrarium.

You can find a list of these plants at:
http://www.cobraplant.com/3-tropicalplants.html

I know this is a bunch of information coming at you at once, so I invite you to submit a follow-up if you have additional questions regarding terrariums.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin