Moss (what kind) for a vivarium?

[Softplan]

I am building my 1st vivarium. I want to grow moss on the floor that is low growing and good for my bumblebee poison dart frogs.

What kind of moss would be best?

[Grimm]

There are a lot of different types...IMO the best looking moss would be Riccia. I have herd that it grows quite fast and will cover almost anything as it does not produce any roots. Only draw back for my area is that it is hard to find. Also java moss looks quite nice and is also a fast grower and will grow both on land and in water....So it is great to have near the waters edge.

I currently have some Kyoto Moss spurrs being shipped in the mail so once I get them I'll be making a Moss growing experiment thread so keep checking for it. Good luck!

[Softplan]

I was wondering about the kyoto moss. My only concern is if it needs a cold season to go dormant. It is used alot for bonsai trees and most bonsai trees need the dormand period.

[Grimm]

Ive been doing some searches for that...But I havent found anything saying it needs a dormancy period. There are a lot of people that have used them in vivarium before however. Ive herd that is is easy enough to grow so if you notice the moss dying that it can be replaced fairly easily.

I'm guessing you are looking to purchase, or have already done so, "Kyoto moss spores". As far as growing, it will require a low light, humid environment. And once you have a carpet of green it can be introduced to brighter lighting (ei: your viv) Usually the best way is to grow it in a tupperware container with a small amount of substrate, or a shallow dish that you can cover with saran wrap.

Once I get my spores I will be trying out this method, but I have a few more tricks up my sleve to get some growth on rocks and driftwood...I'll save those for when I get all my different moss and begin my experiment.

[MtuPup]

mood moss - I've had great luck with it. grows easy and thrives in vivariums.

[beckdg]

remember too... higher light plants can be placed so that they provide shade for lower light plants. also... the riccia and java most likely need to be kept very wet to do well as they're both regarded as aquatic mosses ie. underwater.