Tips for moss?

Hey, i have a terrarium for my spotted sal and i wanted to make it look more natural at the present im using a peat moss substrate(im aware of its acidic qualities) im going to start putting leaves from the garden in there but i was wandering about growing moss? is this recommended? dose it get out of control? have no experience with plants what so ever.

All replies appreciated

I don't think the moss would get too out of hand. What I do with moss is I collect patches of them (including half an inch of the the soil underneath the patches) and use some black sewing thread to tie them to aquarium driftwood. i then keep the driftwood damp by having the tip of the driftwood touching some water, so that the water will spread through the whole piece of wood and the moss can find enough water. However, this information may be irrelevant to you because I live in Southeast Asia...the living environment may be very different...anyway, if you decide to try it I hope it works!

P.S. I do not use this in my newt tanks anymore but I still place pieces of wood (with moss attached)in the way of the power filter returns of some of my aquariums, in the hope that the moss would absorb some of the nitrogen pollutants in my tropical tanks (heaterless aquariums in direct sunlight)

Most mosses are relatively slow growing, so getting out of hand shouldn't be a problem. Temperate moss, like the ones found in your backyard, require a dormant period (which is basically cooler temperatures and reduced lighting). With that being said you probably won't notice much growth at all, if any, at first. Also you will probably have some die off in the beginning but don't worry, there is usually enough spores in the moss to spark new growth so even if it looks dead give about 2 months before you throw it out because more times than not you'll have new growth before then.

i have grown many temprate mosses and liverworts in vivariums with very good success. i have found that moisture, lighting, and air flow are the 3 most important keys to growing good moss. other key ingredients like soil compound, acidity/alkalinity, organic materials in the soilsoil also come into play. check out my pics on the bottom of this post.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58379

i used high output 6500 kelvin lights, a glass lid with a large vent in the front and a fan to circulate stagnant air out of the tank. i sprayed the vivs down once every few days and it caused the mosses to take off. air flow isnt as important as good lighting and moisture, but it does help very much. this type of setup doesnt cause the vivarium to overheat if you choose the right lighting and set everything up properly (vents for air flow help here greatly) my setups were right around room temp with the lights running all day.

as justin said, most mosses will die off after a month or so but will take hold from spore a few months down the road. the spore often also spreads through the viv and you will notice a velvet green slime layer or 'algae' look coating everything. this is good. this is the moss spore growing. after a few weeks, you will notice the moss actually sprouting from this velvet green carpet. after quite a few months, it starts to fill in and starts looking pretty nice. this is a LONG process and takes LOTS of patience.

Funnily enough josh it was your post that inspired me to look into moss it looks amazing im glad you picked up on my post thanks for all your help u have been great!

not a problem. i want to make a step by step posting of making naturalistic vivs. it will include good sources for mosses and liverworts, good sources for proper lighting and ventilation, etc. ill try to cover everything as thoroughly as i can.

josh said:

not a problem. i want to make a step by step posting of making naturalistic vivs. it will include good sources for mosses and liverworts, good sources for proper lighting and ventilation, etc. ill try to cover everything as thoroughly as i can.

Click to expand...

sounds great i might wait for that to come out before i consider renovating my sallys home! thanks alot i just got to make sure i don't miss the article now thanks again!