Thanks for the advice. I have came to the conclusion, it's probably a bit crowded in there as it is. I may remove one plant, probably the combo. Tough decision. I actually have it as a completely open terrarium now. A few days after I posted this, I believe, the moss I placed on top began to develop some white hairy-like mold? So I took the wrap off and it seems to be doing ok at the moment. Someone advised I move it directly on the windowsill. I now regret that decision, because a few of the plants are getting really papery dry. The White Anne or fittonia argryroneura and Fittonia "Combo" to be precise, and the latter being the plant I may decide to remove.

I will definitely do as you say and play with the location. I think I may move it off the windowsill to the right . That way the only direct sunlight will be the morning light. I've heard the evening sun can be quite harsh. Other than that, they seem to be doing very well and the moss is keeping the soil nice and moist and running at about 80 percent humidity. I'll try to keep this page posted on its progress.

When would you recommend watering? Should I let the gravel at the bottom dry completely? Should I let the soil get a bit dry in between watering's?

And here we are at year two!

It's funny how things end up. The plant I wanted to get rid of was the victor.

I've lost a few plants in the process, but ultimately it was a success for the Nerve Plant. The red and silver fittonia albivenis/argyroneura both thrive. I have not cut down or trimmed anything as I previously stated. I let nature run its course, keeping it sealed off completely. I'll turn it every two to three months, depending on the growth pattern, but that's it for the most part.

I did end up moving it away from the extreme light of a south-facing window, to a north-facing window so it would have the low light the plant needed. There were long periods of time where the blinds stayed closed even, and the terrarium still thrived. This was an interesting project to make with my daughter and an interesting conversation piece.

The philodendron is looking quite nice in there though I really am surprised the leaves pressed against the glass are looking so good -- those tend to rot out with many plants as the water which gets stuck between the leaf and glass tends to give rise to fungi or bacteria which kill the leaf. Glad it didn't happen with yours.

The nerve plant (Fittonia) in the 2nd photo of this recent set is showing signs of extreme etiolation .... not terribly surprising.

Glad it made for an interesting project. :-) Always surprising what plants can endure.

Yes, I was worried about them touching the glass too, but they are getting by. It was an interesting project, and thank you for the feedback.

I wanted to do an update on this terrarium again. It's been seven years since my six-year-old daughter (now 13 y/o) and I made this, and two years since the last update.

I've often wondered what would happen if I opened it up to clean it. But I always resort to leaving it alone. Though it looks like a rag-tag thing thrown together, it's completely sealed. I've checked by placing a hand atop and applying pressure and it creates a 'bubble' rising from the cellophane (pictured below). I did have to add some patchwork tape where my then-young-kids were constantly poking it and making tiny holes for the first week, but after adding the reptile screen atop, I've had no issues.

I told my daughter she can take it if she ever wants it. It is a bit of an eyesore, but it's also sentimental to me and my daughter.

Edit: Looking at the previous photos, I did move it from a north-facing window back to the initial south-facing bedroom where dark curtains are drawn halfway with the blinds fully closed to the sun most the time.

mine is thrift store vase with a glass lid ... it sits in my west window with a TJ's [trader joe's] fern ... it likes it, apparently ... it's green and bushy. Fish gravel, a layer of charcoal and some AV soil mixed with a large handful of granite grit [used as a supplement for chicken feed to grind their victuals].