live terrarium plants

[Noto]

I don't think it would be very helpful. If your lizard likes to defecate in his dish, that little filter will not be able to keep up with the waste. Any filter you use must be sized to the animal, not the dish, and an adult basilisk's biomass is probably about the same as an oscar's.

 

[cudamaster13]

I don't think it would be very helpful. If your lizard likes to defecate in his dish, that little filter will not be able to keep up with the waste. Any filter you use must be sized to the animal, not the dish, and an adult basilisk's biomass is probably about the same as an oscar's.

so a much larger filter is needed i know they have large ones i use one for my brackish tank becuase of the lower water level it is stocked with fiddlers ghost shrimp and two dragon gobies but as for live plants guzmania and tillandsia should be fine right?

 

[Noto]

Yeah, they should be fine. They're not as big and tough as some of the other plants mentioned, so don't go spending a lot of money on them- they're likely to be destroyed! If you are not familiar with these plants, they are both epiphytic bromeliads and do best when attached to branches or even the sides of the tank. Tillandsia need to be misted, while Guzmania have a central water reservoir which can be filled.

I don't think there's any way around needing to clean out the water dish frequently. Adding fast-growing plants to it is probably going to be more effective at keeping it clean than an internal filter, but you will still need to remove the feces frequently (unless your basilisk prefers to defecate on the substrate, in which case you are in luck).

 

[coura]

Hyperbole. These plants are mildly toxic, but so are most plants. Unless you have an herbivorous lizard they will be perfectly safe.

Dieffenbachia causes inflammation to mucus membranes at worst. The LD50 for the juice of the plant is 160 mL/kg, meaning an adult basilisk would have to eat a large amount of foliage before a serious medical condition developed. This might be an issue with an herbivorous lizard, but not with a basilisk. The plant is also pretty tough; it's not as though there will be Dieffenbachia juice flying all over the cage, even with a big active lizard.

The case with Spathiphyllum is similar, but it is even less dangerous. The plant can cause mucus membrane inflammation and vomiting if ingested. By the way, this is true for all Araceae, including pothos, Philodendron, and Monstera, and for many other houseplants, including Ficus and Dracaena/Sanseveria (now considered the same genus by some botanists).

I disagree Here people say that if you eat Dieffenbachia your troath and lips swell so much that you will have trobble breathing, not good stuff. However there is yet another particular reason why I dont recomend this plant, and yes your rigth all the Araceae green parts should give the same simptons, is that Dieff every time it losses a leaf and the dead leaf by that matter tends to exude a good amount of fluid and lizards prescrute EVERYTHING with their tongue. Pothos, Monstera, some Philodendrun ,etc, may have the same hazzards but they at least have the decency of being hardier, much more sturby leafs and these are less juicy. Oh and by the way Ficus is only irritant period and actualy its leafs and fruits can be eaten by a large array of herbivor lizards, ITS NOT TOXIC and Ficus elastica is a great choice. Dracaena and Sanseveria are completly harmless, can even be eaten...

 

[cudamaster13]

are there any other plants native to central and south america that are non toxic?

 

[kafiltafiisch]

its all about philodendrons, birdsnest ferns, orchids and broms and wandering jew that stuff is awesome if you get the good colored ones