Live plants are great for your reptile’s well-being. But which plants are suitable for your leopard gecko’s tank?
Plants that work well in your leopard gecko’s tank include aloes, carex grass, and Mexican spice basil. Such plants add a natural green color to your reptile’s tank. Some even produce soothing scents.
11 Plants That are Safe for Leopard Geckos
1. Aloes
Aloes are one of the most popular plant species for leopard gecko tanks. These plants come in hundreds of species, with some being greener than others.
While most of them grow slowly, some can grow quickly and even become taller than your tank. As such, it’s important to choose the species of aloe you want in your gecko’s tank wisely and keep an eye on the plant as it grows.
If you notice any small plants growing from the original, don’t hesitate to remove them and grow them elsewhere.
Some popular aloe species for leopard gecko tanks include:
- Lace aloe
- Sunset aloe
- Golden tooth aloe
- Tiger tooth aloe
- Short-leaved aloe
- Somalian aloe
Whichever species you go for, the plant will need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day and a maximum temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fortunately, these plants usually only need to be watered once a month.
2. Mexican spice basil
Also known as cinnamon basil, this is a herb that produces a great scent and can create a conducive environment for your leopard gecko.
However, it doesn’t do well with substrates that have to be changed regularly. As such, it’s only good for bioactive tanks.
3. Elephant bush
This succulent gets its name from the fact that elephants like eating it. It is also known as spekboom, pork bush, or Portulacaria afra.
It has a reddish-brown stem and green leaves. If there’s one thing you need to know about elephant bushes, it’s that they can get tall – up to 16 feet tall.
However, you can easily deal with this issue by trimming them. After all, you can easily make bonsai from them.
Elephant bushes are easy to maintain. You only need to water them once or twice a month and they can even tolerate high temperatures of up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Snake plants
Another favorite among leopard gecko owners is the snake plant, or as others call it, the mother-in-law plant.
This is truly one of the sturdiest plants out there. It only requires a little water here and there – watering it every 2 to 3 weeks is more than enough.
Beyond that, it can withstand temperatures of up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This means it can thrive well in the cool side of your leopard gecko’s tank.
Since snake plants can grow significantly tall, they are great for tall tanks.
They particularly look good when placed at the back of the tank. Since they are usually bright green, they can give the tank a jungle-like appearance that many like.
Snake plants can also remove toxic chemicals from the air.
In this way, they act like natural air purifiers. Two species of snake plants that you should consider getting for your leopard gecko tank are:
- Sansevieria Golden Hahnii – these plants have short leaves that have yellow borders
- Sansevieria desertii – these plants have red tinted leaves and are sometimes referred to as rhino grass
5. Tillandsia
These plants are also known as air plants. As their name suggests, they depend on the air for their nutrition rather than soil or substrate. These plants grow while clinging to rocks, plants, and other objects.
Interestingly, there are over 650 species of air plants. You can even mix up different species in your leopard gecko’s tank. After all, they are all pretty low maintenance.
They can withstand temperatures of up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This means they can easily thrive in the warm side of your leopard gecko tank.
You only need to water these plants once every three weeks.
However, air plants aren’t watered like other plants. You will have to soak them in water for two hours instead. It’s also advisable to mist them every two days.
6. Christmas/Easter/Holiday cactus
This type of cactus doesn’t have spines. Instead, it has smooth green leaves and pink, red, or white flowers. While the Christmas cactus usually has white flowers, the Easter one usually has red flowers.
Whatever the case, this cactus thrives best in the cool side of a leopard gecko tank, even though it can withstand temperatures of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s easy to propagate. All you need to do is cut a piece of the leaves of this cactus and plant it.
7. Carex/Sedge grass
This plant is bright green and grows up to 6 to 30 inches high. It’s evergreen, grassy, and looks a lot like the grasslands that wild leopard geckos live in.
Since sedge grass comes in over 100 species, it is available in various textures and even shades of green. So you have a lot of freedom to choose what works for you and even mix different looks and textures.
We must warn you, though – small species of sedge grass are more suitable for leopard gecko tanks than large ones.
Whichever you go for, ensure that it’s from an arid region. Such species will thrive best in your leopard gecko’s tank temperature and humidity conditions.
If you water them once a week, they will serve you and your reptile for years to come.
8. Jade plant
Commonly referred to as the money plant, the jade plant is native to South Africa. While it looks like an elephant bush plant, it can only grow to 3 feet. And even then, you can still keep it shorter by regularly trimming it.
If there’s one thing that the jade plant is known for, it’s the fact that it can live for long and even be passed from generation to generation.
A part of the reason that this plant can live for long is the fact that it’s easy to maintain.
You just need to water it every two to three weeks, ensure it gets UV light and keep it at temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Echeveria
These succulents are known for their short stature, and the cute rosette shapes the form of their leaves. They come in various colors, including pink, green, blue, and purple.
Interestingly, the leaves can even have a different contrasting color along their edges. Whatever color your echeveria plant leaves have, they will still be thick and have cuticles on their surfaces.
Also, you’ll still need to water them once or twice every month and provide them with UV light.
Beyond that, you need to ensure that your echeveria plants aren’t exposed to temperatures higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
You’ll also need to keep an eye on your plant’s growth. This is because some of these plants easily spread and can take over your leopard gecko’s tank.
10. String of pearls
This cascading plant is native to southwest Africa. It doesn’t grow tall but tends to spread on the floor like a mat. That’s why they’re a great option for tanks that have a lot of floor space.
But it’s important to note that these plants tend to do best at low temperatures. So they will just stay on the cool side of your tank.
And since they may need even cooler temperatures to bloom, they may never bloom for the period that they’re in your tank.
If they do bloom, they produce small white flowers. On the other hand, the leaves of these plants look like small green pearls.
11. Sweetheart hoya
As its name suggests, this succulent has heart-shaped leaves. When it first starts growing, this plant will usually have a single heart-shaped leaf that stands five inches tall.
However, the plant will develop more of these leaves as it grows. These leaves are usually bright green. These contrast well with the white flowers that these plants produce.
The sweetheart hoya is a low-maintenance plant that does well in warm temperatures. You should be fine if you water it once or twice a month. Keep in mind that overwatering will lead to root rot and even death.
