Anyone gotten broms/neoregelias to thrive?

[killerecho]

I would like to consult the expertise of anybody here who has kept neoregelias with success in a vivarium - what are the requirements and pitfalls; and what am I doing wrong with mine?

I have tried a number of neos in my 20 gallon, and none of them have done very well. They all eventually develop some sort of rot or condition that wilts the leaves and turns them yellow/brown. I've experimented with a number of different methods of keeping them. Some I planted in the substrate; some I glued to a piece of cork/driftwood as epiphytes.

I used to keep water in the center cup of the plant, but after they started wilting, I generally try to keep the cup clean except for the occasional misting. I know overwatering causes rot so I water only once a week. The soil in is kept moist but not wet. The wood-mounted specimens shouldn't have any problems with overwatering at all and yet they shrivel up and turn yellow, too. I don't know where I'm going wrong.

Some details:

Light is provided by two 15-watt fluorescents, on for 10 hours a day.

I mist once a day, sometimes every 2 days.

Substrate is ABG mix, a combo of bark, charcoal, peat and sphagnum moss.

The humidity of tank is kept about 50 - 60%.

Temperature hovers between 75 and 85 degrees F.

[FrogFever]

Yo. I've had plenty of broms die just the same way you have. I love how they look in the habitat, but when they live such a short life the cash sure does add up fast.
Fortunately I found this amazing article on another site. It is written by Antone Jones and is more thorough than anything else I've found.
I however have not tried to pin the broms to corkbark yet, but I hope this leaves you with more than you started with.

Bromeliads in the Dart Frog Terrarium

[ZachTurner]

I love My Broms!
What kind of compact fluorescents so I know the spectrum range? Two 15 watts only put you around 1800 lumens and you need closer to 2500.. However 2 exo terra 15watt 2.0s will put you closer to 2200lumens at the proper spectrum for plant growth, which should be fine... 70-80% humidity for broms is better, a light daily watering can substitute this.
Good Drainage, and air circulation are a must.. An improper heat gradient Creates stagnant air, a simple computer fan wired off a 9-10 volt ac adaptor works great for this..
Either bad drainage or stagnant air will cause rot.

[killerecho]

Thanks for the link, it is very helpful. From the information, I'm guessing that my problem is lack of airflow and too much soil moisture. It seems like neos shouldn't be grown in soil at all if possible.

Yo. I've had plenty of broms die just the same way you have. I love how they look in the habitat, but when they live such a short life the cash sure does add up fast.
Fortunately I found this amazing article on another site. It is written by Antone Jones and is more thorough than anything else I've found.
I however have not tried to pin the broms to corkbark yet, but I hope this leaves you with more than you started with.

Bromeliads in the Dart Frog Terrarium

[killerecho]

I use a Reptisun 10.0 uvb and a duro-test vitalite. Both are full spectrum, about 5500k color temperature. I don't know what the brightness rating is for either. But at worst, if lighting is insufficient, I would expect the broms to lose color or stay green, not wither and die.

I used to mist the enclosure often, but I've been cutting back for fear of contributing to rot.
The tank has a false bottom consisting of a 2.5" layer of hydroton. Drainage should be sufficient, but from what I've learned, some neos shouldn't be planted in moist soil at all. So I may mount all of them from now on.

Yes, air flow is something I have neglected. Will look into a fan setup - do you have any suggestions on where to place the fan and where to direct the flow?
Thanks for the help.

I love My Broms!
What kind of compact fluorescents so I know the spectrum range? Two 15 watts only put you around 1800 lumens and you need closer to 2500.. However 2 exo terra 15watt 2.0s will put you closer to 2200lumens at the proper spectrum for plant growth, which should be fine... 70-80% humidity for broms is better, a light daily watering can substitute this.
Good Drainage, and air circulation are a must.. An improper heat gradient Creates stagnant air, a simple computer fan wired off a 9-10 volt ac adaptor works great for this..
Either bad drainage or stagnant air will cause rot.

[ZachTurner]

10.0s are too high.. You risk burning your plants with that much uvb. all my foliage would go brown and wilt within days if I used 10.0 uvbs...
A lot of tropical indoor plants dont do well under 5.0s.. Broms will still do ok under 5.0s they will just lose color.. 2.0s put out a much better spectrum range for your plants in general..

As far as circulation goes.. Exo terra's and most other herp cages have a vent on the front as well as a screened top which creates a draw much like that of a standard fireplace.. making It easy to circulate air.. Aquariums not so much.. If you have a hot side you can pull air out your cooler side without much effort.. Otherwise it kinda gets tricky.. Ive seen a number dart frog guys run small fully encased fans inside there aquariums pushing air down at a diagonal to create some circulation..
Ive built most of my tanks so I havent really had to play with that alot..

[killerecho]

I've had the 10.0 for 6 months now. I think the UVB would have weakened by now. Still, it might explain why my mounted neo went brown too. I have an all-glass aquarium that only opens at the top. The screen top is mostly covered by the lights. Would a fan placed on the screen top blowing downwards into the vivarium work?

10.0s are too high.. You risk burning your plants with that much uvb. all my foliage would go brown and wilt within days if I used 10.0 uvbs...
A lot of tropical indoor plants dont do well under 5.0s.. Broms will still do ok under 5.0s they will just lose color.. 2.0s put out a much better spectrum range for your plants in general..

As far as circulation goes.. Exo terra's and most other herp cages have a vent on the front as well as a screened top which creates a draw much like that of a standard fireplace.. making It easy to circulate air.. Aquariums not so much.. If you have a hot side you can pull air out your cooler side without much effort.. Otherwise it kinda gets tricky.. Ive seen a number dart frog guys run small fully encased fans inside there aquariums pushing air down at a diagonal to create some circulation..
Ive built most of my tanks so I havent really had to play with that alot..

[ZachTurner]

Simple answer is "I dont know.".. I would think so.. at a slight angle so you can get an actual cross breeze..
Heres a link..
http://glasstropics.com/content/diy-air-circulation
The whole controller is unnecessary.. You can splice a fan to run off of an old 9-10volt ac adaptor..