north american forest viv?

I have been working on this question for a while.

The problem with most temperate North American plants is that they require cool winter dormancies and thus do not grow right if you keep them in an enclosure indoors over the long term.

However, there are a few native plants that can perform well indoors. I have had pretty good luck with native mosses and with several native ferns that grow as evergreens. Also try small native Carex sedges.

For good success with ferns and mosses in a viv make sure you maintain humid air inside and active air circulation with 12v case fans. The plants should be watered with clean RO water or rainwater. Use ABG mix as your substrate... http://www.glassboxtropicals.com/pr...msubstrates/abg-terrarium-substrate-2-gallons

thanks for the advice. I suspect the viv set up would only last at most a year before I redo it anyway. and even now i'm thinking of other alternatives. For this go I wanted to do something w/ locally sourced, cheap/free, fauna and flora.

I've definitely seen variations of Carex sedges over the course of my life. I'm planning on tearing into the tank this evening, ripping out the built in sump, and cleaning up the tank itself. Perhaps if i've time, draw up some rough sketches and get to work on the false bottom this weekend. I've been looking up substrate, and countless saw mention of ABG.

does the ABG require any additional separation between it and the screen on top of the egg crate?

looking to order ABG, but also checking out that places plant selection as well...

A past daydream of mine was to make a 2' cube of 1/4" glass, go into the
underbrush of the wooded aria and just scoop up enough to cover the bottom
of the 2' cube/w about 4-5" of it, and then seal on the top glass. Give it good
light and then just sit back and see what grows.

hydrophyte said:

However, there are a few native plants that can perform well indoors. I have had pretty good luck with native mosses and with several native ferns that grow as evergreens. Also try small native Carex sedges.

For good success with ferns and mosses in a viv make sure you maintain humid air inside and active air circulation with 12v case fans. The plants should be watered with clean RO water or rainwater. Use ABG mix as your substrate... http://www.glassboxtropicals.com/pr...msubstrates/abg-terrarium-substrate-2-gallons

Click to expand...

Hey Hydrophyte, were can one pick up small native Carex sedges? I've been trying to establish some sedges in my paludariums, but not luck thus far. All I've tried slowly end up dying off. I've got one variety that I've actually kept for about two years now, but it is still literally only a single plant - no growth or spreading.

As far a fauna is concerned although you might not see them all the time maybe a small variety of salamander. I live around the MD/PA boarder and think that the native red salamander rivals any other salamander as far as pattern in concerned.