First tank, 75gal w/ false bottom

[Nighsliv]

I bought all mine at homedepot, or maybe one tube at truevalue.
I'm using GE Silicone II but I used 1 tube of Silicone I which almost knocked me out cold by breathing too close to it.

[Nighsliv]

I just opened a bag of "100%" sphagnum peat moss just to find a whole bunch of white Styrofoam looking pellets that crumble under pressure mixed in with the moss, the packaging lists only 100% sphagnum peat moss.
Anyone have any idea on what those white pellets are?
I'm suspecting perlite and thus is considering scrapping the whole for tank usage and just use it in our flower pots instead. It would not be the top most layer but would show up if the lizard digs or we move some by planting/resetting items in the tank.
Should I be concerned or should I just use it anyway?

[froggsong]

I don't know what it is without a picture, but milled sphagnum should NOT have anything but sphagnum in it. I wouldn't use it if I were you.

[Nighsliv]

Here is a picture of the bag I bought:

On the back it says 100% sphagnum peat moss where it would list the ingredients.

This is what I saw when I opened it up:

The white dots are quite hard but crumbles like dust or fine sand when put under enough pressure. (They remind me of those silica crystals you get in bags with electronics)
Yes it's a little shaky image but it's harder to take pictures down a bag without blocking the light than you can imagine.

Finally got the tank inside, still waiting on my pump which was ordered on 9/22 from a guy on eBay, wouldn't recommend buying from maxpetsupply_com on eBay btw (no communication from him at all), but I already placed the waterfall in there and glued my air plants.


Starting to look quite nice now, can't wait to get the substrate done and look how the river and waterfall will look when running.

[Nighsliv]

Originally Posted by froggsong

I don't know what it is without a picture, but milled sphagnum should NOT have anything but sphagnum in it. I wouldn't use it if I were you.

Yeah I'm planning on skipping it, might need to replant some pots in the house anyway and they could probably benefit from some sphagnum anyway. Thanks for confirming my doubts, went ahead to post the pictures anyway that way others who read this can avoid getting the same stuff.

[froggsong]

The stuff I use comes in a big bag, and is probably cheaper than what you paid for that small bag. They generally have it at Wal-Mart, but they might not have it this late in the year. The brand is Greensmix. It is like 8 bucks for a HUGE bag of it. Hope that helps.

Looking great, btw. Love that BG.

[Nighsliv]

We're finally almost done!
Just a few small problems such as a leaky stream and pump having hard time starting without levitation.

Here are a few pics.

Frontal picture now with water in the tank.

Picture from the left showing the stream better.

[Austin]

Nice looking tank.

What type of moss is that by the water section?

[islandvivs]

from the picture it looks to be pillow moss...difficult to tell though.

[Nighsliv]

The pet store had it labeled as Terrarium Moss(Frog Moss) so not sure what kind it is really, it is a T-Rex product and is dormant when you buy it but it comes alive when you water it.

Hoping it will spread a bit around the waters edge since it would look awesome.

Here is a pic of the label: