Best Living moss to use ?

[affliction]

Anyone know where to get living moss and also what kind is good? I'd like to either have it grow on my bark background or cover the substrate.
Thanks Brad

[Philsuma]

Brad,

Check out this subforum...there's 10-12 threads on moss in there. plants-bromeliads-aroids-moss-and-soil-f24/

There is really no store or product equivalent of a moss recommendation. Most temperate mosses and "locally harvested" moss, like from a yard ect, need a dormancy period of cool or cold weather and will die or at least, look horrible in a vivarium. Add to that, the high possibility of pathogens and insect hitchhikers that can cause problems further down the road.

Most hobbyists use clean, dried magnolia leaves and smaller clean dried live oak leaves as ground cover as it's more natural to the dart frogs native environment and it helps to cultivate important microfauna that you can add to your viv.

A lot of newer hobbyists think that a lush carpet of green moss is aesthetically pleasing, and I must admit, it does look nice, but to the frogs, it's actually nowhere near as helpful as ABG or equiv substrate and a couple nice layers of leaf litter.

Some thoughts.

Have you looked through a lot of the pics of vivs here on the photography subforum ? A lot of them have good pics of leaf litter and look fantastic in my opinion.

[affliction]

I'm more trying to find a good plant/moss to grow on my background (bark) I have no idea how to plant on it or what would even grow healthy on it

[Philsuma]

Creeping fig will DEF grow on anything and it will take off on your cork background.

Go to your local greenhouse / plant nursery and ask them to show you "terrarium friendly" plants. Chances are, they will have some right there that you can buy and experiment with.

[DKOOISTRA]

As far as moss goes, I've had the best results with java. If you can get it from another frogger as opposed to a fish store you'll be better off. The stuff I've gotten from fish stores generally seem to end up with snail issues. The only caution I'll throw out with creeping fig is that it has very fine roots. I used it in my first viv, with tincs and one got his leg snared in a clump. Since, I've know of at least 2 others who have had the same issue. The "roots" are very fine, and they easily get "trapped" in them.
Derek