Help: Will this work?

[Cloud-9]

I have an empty 5.5 gallon tank, with a glass top, and a double Coralife mighty mite lighting system (2 x 9" watt, bent tube fluorescent mounted on an enclosed fixture). I want to make some sort of plant "terrarium" out of it, no fish or animals of any kind. I don't really want to go with Venus flytrap or any kind of plant like that.

1) Would the dwarf anubias like the barteri or nana work in an environment that is only partly water?

2) How about cryptocoryne?

3) Will a mixture of sand and gravel work? Yeah, I know potting soil might be best but sand is more attractive from the side.

Basically, I need plants that will stay small and perhaps not grow fast. I'm not familiar with houseplants, therefore, I am thinking of going with plants normally used in the tank hobby.

Any ideas?

[mogurnda]

Anubias and cryptocoryne, as well as Java fern, grow better emersed than submerged, so it sounds like a great idea.

[carpguy]

I have several crypts growing in a glass bowl on my desk under sunlight only and they seem to be fine. I keep the water about an inch above the substrate. Some grow to the surface and let their leaves float, others put up more rigid stems and the leaves rise up out of the water.

My understanding is that some crypts are happiest emersed, others do better submersed. I had a retrospirallis in there that melted away, but a blassi, a parva, and some pontederiifolia are growing slowly semi-emersed.

I'm getting ok results with sand but am planning on switching to flourite. They could be doing better. The substrate naturally makes a difference. Maybe potting soil with a sand top would work for you?

Here's a good site (http://users.bart.nl/~crypts/) for crypts.

Don't know about the others.