Sorry, but as succulent collector I can tell you Succulents do terribly in terrariums. The TWO things they need most, they can't get in terrarium, fast drainage & air circulation.

I'm sorry to discourage you in this, but to confirm what I'm saying, pls. check the Cactus & Succulent (C&S) Forum nearby (see top of page for other Forums).

Tho' it's very trendy right now on Pinterest & Home Decor Shows & Websites, we're currently get folks at C&S asking our help for their deteriorating, rotting &/or dying Succulents in terrarium. Might as well save your time & money, sorry.

Lena

As I said, I have never done this before, so calling me out on succulents is really uncalled for. I came here to get some ideas and you come out with how terrible of me to even think of using succulents. But no suggestions on what to use instead.

So, if this is the kind of help I'm going to get from you, you might as well not respond.

I thought that the idea of a gardening forum is to encourage and TEACH people how to do things correctly, not to discourage and call them out. I hope you don't work in retail as a sales rep, who knows what you'd tell people.

It's not personal KGuy, it's not 'terrible of you' to think to do this, just a bad idea which is likely to fail & cause you frustration.

I'm not 'calling you out'; you asked for suggestions of what to use & said you'd never done this before.

"Perhaps some succulents and coleuses. "

Sorry, my bad to tell you what NOT to use. If you wish to try Succulents, go ahead, but don't be surprised when they fail. Would you prefer to try on your own & fail w/out an inkling of why?

I forgot to suggest what to use (posting fast from work), Coleus MIGHT be OK as they like the higher humidity that a terrarium would give (which Succulents do not).

I've had success w/ Fittonias in terrariums, Epicias & some Hoyas; plus Fittonias & Episcias can be small-leafed since you're asking for that.

Tropicals & humidity loving plants would do well in terrarium. Arid land plants like cacti & succulents would not as they can't take the humidity.

Lena

PS: Maybe you didn't notice, this place is pretty inactive these days. Mine was the first answer since Saturday. Perhaps you'd prefer it just went unanswered.

Hey I'm just getting started with terrariums too! Succulents are often used in terrariums, but I think what the other commenter was getting at was the environment that they need to be in to be viable, which is normally dry desert-like. I've heard of people planting succulents in wetter environments with success by essentially building in a small elevated area with fast draining substrate. If you do this, you have to do precision watering to individual plants, rather than dousing the whole tank at once. This could be a cool experiment to try and if you notice the succulents going south, just pull em out and replace with leafy plants or ferns.

Also, be aware of the weight of everything. If it gets too heavy with substrate layers + water your tank could crack. There are lightweight substrate option to help cut down on weight such as hydroballs.