Moss

luke1983 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 05:40 AM

Hi everyone,

What moss would do well in a well planted damp vivarium that is 30 degrees in the day and down to 22 degrees at night? I've already tried kyoto moss but no luck!

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Luke

HewesHort · #2 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 10:35 AM

try some of the mosses found in your backyard of local park. collect them from different sources, try to find types that are growing in similar light and soil conditions to your viv. fumigate them with co2 and try them, some times its hard to tell what will do well and what wont.

how intense is the light in the viv? how often do you mist/fog? are you using a uv bulb, if so what kind?

luke1983 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 03:37 PM

I mist it three times a day, i have a uv bulb that runs the length of it (2 Ft) and a sunlight lamp that heats it up during the day as well as provides more light . I have a pothos, a prayer plant and another plant but i cant remember what that one is called, they are all healthy and doing well.
I have some moss in it from my back garden but it has been in there for months now and won't spread! If i could get some moss to spread across the floor i would be well happy with it!
Cheers

Pavel · #4 (**permalink**) 05-23-2009, 08:54 PM

Well too late now but for future consideration ... before adding wild mosses, "fumigate" as Hewe mentioned, but then put the mosses in isolation. IME, slugs and snails can survive very low oxygen levels and may not be killed off. If any survive, you will have a never ending battle to eliminate them -- I still have the slimy little b________s showing up in my 55 and 90 gal terrs and my terrs have been up for years.

HewesHort · #5 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 10:09 AM

luke, if the moss in your viv is still lush and green then it will be fine. some mosses grow very slowly, but it will spread. if you are impatient, gather enough moss to cover the floor and lay it out in a solid carpet. it may take a little flatening and packing small pieces in the gaps to get the look you want. i have never had snail issues, but Pavel brings up a good point about isolation. other than co2, i submerg my moss for at least 24 hrs before putting it in my tanks. this drives out the pincher bugs and hydrates the moss. if you leave the moss in a bright location with some morning sun while it is soaking it is bright green when you take it out.