hello
have you ever checked out Andy's orchids?? They have a feature that allows you to sort them by temp and humidity requirements plus they supply them also.
Look for warm.humid and low light types and ultimate size.
Most of the types that do really well in terrariums are hard to find at regular sites
gary

Thanks Gary, That was a nicely designed website. Very easy to use. I wish the ones that came up on the search were a little more showey, you know, kind'a strange and inconspicuous on some of em. But on the bright side a few of them came up very reasonably priced.

I appreciate the suggestion.

Larry

must they be orchids? sounds like ideal conditions for gesneriads or bromeliads. Low air circulation and steady temps is not so great for orchids. Also, note that many of the mini orchids require temp drops at night (many of the spring and fall bloomers, for eg), or a "winter" to bloom (many of the winter and early spring bloomers, for eg).

Hi Komi, I've had excellent results with bromeliads. Having trouble finding the really nice hybrids for sale anywhere, but they grow trouble free and have a nice symbiotic relationship with many of the dart frogs that I keep.

Everything else has failed miserably! The leaves on the gesneriads turn to black mush starting at the edges. I've given up on violets and chiritas. I'm trying a mini sinningia and a steptocarpus at the moment. Cross your fingers!

Thanks,
Larry

Larry
Have you checked out Tropi -flora?? They specialize in Broms and Tilandsias.
You probably need some circulation lol but Episcia and some of the tropical ferns love that situation.Check out Lycopodium,Colysis Microgramma these are real tropicals.
gary

The "little air circulation" will be your problem when it comes to orchids. Most need decent air circulation [easily provided in some cases by computer fans].

Showy and mini is a bit of a tall order [no pun intended] depending on just how showy you were aiming for. Personally I have been quite happy with Haraella odorata, Dendrobium oligophyllum & some of the little restripias. It will all come down to just how much light you can provide. The humidity should not be a problem IF you get some good air circulation in there.

Oakhill has a number of inexpensive mini's you could look at trying.

thanks for all the suggestions. My list of potential orchids is getting large enough to be overwhelming! I'm writing them all down. Need to do google searches on each of them to see what they look like.

This hobby ain't cheap, is it. Oh well, one plant at a time.

Larry

Here is the best list I have ran across for various terrarium plants, some orchids inc.

http://www.tropical-experience.nl/articles_plants.php?menu=4&submenu=0

scroll down to the bottom of the page, but be sure to read the top. Very informative.

With over 30 000 orchid species and as many hybrids the list is certainly a long one. Fortunately many can be crossed off the list because of size, conflicting cultural requirements, and availability. Make sure you look into the required light levels for the orchids you choose and try and stick to low light plants if you can. Orchids that require bright light will not bloom in a terrarium without a considerable amount of attention paid to lighting. Another factor that will eliminate many from your list is the temperature at which they can be grown and flowered successfully.

The list of plants on the link above has many plants that are inappropriate for terrarium use and many or most of the orchids mentioned are not at all suitable.

Ok Thanks so much. Yes 30,000 plus varieties is a bit overwhelming, but with so much variety you would think it would be simple task to find the appropriate plants. Not so. What a chore. If it wasn't for this website and the internet, I'ld really be in the dark.

I checked out the tropical-experience page, and loved the frog info, but the plant list lost my confidence at first reading. In the intro he specifically mentions that african violets, begonias, and one other I didn't konw, will get a fungal infection and die in a terrarium (already knew that from experience), and then the first thinng I see in his list of good terrarium plants were the same three plants he already black-balled! Go figure. Not sure what he was thinking, but don't trust the list as a result of it.

Anyway, I do appreciate all the help.

Larry