10 and 55 gallon Aquariums/Terrariums...what to put in them?

Grants Pass, OR

I acquired 3 really nice aquariums that I thought would make good terrariums for various environments. 2 are 10 gallon and one is a 55. I have 2 little kids in the house and my daughter is very interested in plants so I want to use them to grow some interesting plants. For one tank I thought I'd make a desert environment and grow small species of cactus, in another I was thinking about more tropical plants that require higher humidity and in the last I was thinking of even adding something live besides plants, such as frogs so the kids can see how things work in nature. I'm not really set on these things, just some ideas. But I have no idea on what types of plants to use and how to organize them, I could really use some advice, maybe some pictures of your own terrariums to inspire me? I'm lost on what to do next.



Northern, NJ(Zone 6b)

sweetdreamer, Did you know there is a terrarium forum on DG? I'm sure you can more specialized help there.
I recall seeing a aquarium on one of the threads that was divided in sections with plants in one area and water and live creatures in the other.

Grants Pass, OR

I should have looked. I figured house plants first for some reason. Thanks for the help.

Sterling, VA(Zone 7a)

Not sure what is in this particular terranium, (from a flower show I attended), but you can put chicks and hens (desert-like) plants, catti, succulents. Water plants are also good, you can buy these at an aquarium store. We did this once and even added little tadpoles that became tiny frogs. My kids really enjoyed watching all the activity.

Thumbnail by Snug_As_Bug_Rug

cactus and succulents don't thrive in humidity. They can easily rot. Also, these are sunloving plants and would not grow well without their share of sunlight.

(Zone 1)

Cacti & Succulents could be grown in an aquarium/terrarium as long as it didn't have a top holding in moisture. If you left the top off and hung a light above I think you'd be successful with desert type plants. But, if it's a terrarium with a lid, a lot of moisture would build up and cause root rot.

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