Hamwild said:The scarlet ball cactus would take high light IMO. I don't see a jade, kalanchoe, or aloe taking low medium light either. Maybe a Haworthia or Gasteria, maybe. Mine get a bit of sun outdoors. @baja_costero, any thoughts on low-medium succulents?
Baja_Costero said:That is an interesting problem. You might benefit from putting a light meter in there and seeing what it says. I'm not sure where one draws the line for low or medium light... for me the latter would include indoor succulents which get to see the sun for hours a day, so maybe artificial light would be a step beyond that, depending on the intensity. That's a range where desert cacti and many succulent Euphorbias just fail. Cross those two groups off your list.
Maybe epiphytic cacti would be viable (like the holiday cacti and a few others). Jades tend to stretch in low light (perhaps outgrowing the space) and they become unable to support their own weight, over the course of a couple of years. They can be maintained with regular pruning, but it isn't what I could consider a pretty sight.
Haworthias might work for you. I can only guess because my plants have never experienced low light.The other genus that's usually mentioned in the same breath is Sansevieria, where you have a number of options for shape and size beyond the usual mother in law's tongue types. The trailing succulents like the donkey tail (Sedum burrito or morganianum) and the rosary plant (Curio rowleyanus, formerly a Senecio) do well in lower light outside, so they might tolerate a bright location indoors. Just guessing there.
One thing that's going to be hard for many succulents in a vivarium is the lack of airflow. Depending on the attendant (airborne) humidity, fungal problems can get the upper hand when there's poor ventilation. That's one reason why succulent terraria and similar enclosed environments often fail.
Do geckos like heat lamps, or heat-generating (incandescent) lamps? I would think that could be quite stressful for many succulents, and not a good way to generate their light.
DaisyI said:Have you seen those incredibly life like succulents made from plastic?![]()
Klara333 said:I have a jade in a low-medium filtered light facing east (around 250foot candles) and it's been sitting there for 3 years now and it seems to be okay with that amount of light. But my burrito tail got a bit etiolated receiving 2 hours of direct sunlight a day and a low light during the rest of the day, so I wouldn't consider it a low-medium light plant. This is only my experience with these two plants.
Klara333 said:To be honest, I'm not sure which kind it is? Maybe ask someone else on the forum for correct ID.
Klara333 said:It is healthy, I never had a single problem with it, and also it is forgiving for a bit of over-watering ocasionaly, (not on regular basis thought), unlike other succulents, as well as poor light. At least in my case.
DaisyI said:Not to be the curmudgeon, your Jade is surviving but... the stems are etiolated - healthy happy Jades have red-edged leaves and bloom.