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Growing Moss
#1
I was wondering if anyone has tried to grow moss they have taken from outside in their vivariums. I was looking around because honestly, I dont want to purchase moss. At this point, if its not free, Im not interested.

I found a site that tells how to grow moss and I was wondering if anyone else had heard of this. What do you think?
http://www.ehow.com/how_11697_grow-moss-garden.html

Of course, any animals would have to be out of the tank until the moss established, but would it work?


EDIT:
Is this in the wrong section?
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#2
i tried just pulling it up from the ground last summer, and laying ontop of the dirt in my viv. but without the roots in the ground, i had to mist it every day. it still ended up dying and getting moldy.

this summer, i am going to get it again, but with about an inch of dirt still under it. since it'll already have the roots in dirt, laying it on the dirt in the viv and packing it lightly should work fine.

might try that method listed in the site aswell to see which works better.
i've heard of it being used successfully.
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#3
Ohhh not a bad idea. I was considering growing some moss on some large rocks and then just moving the rocks into the viv. I think that would look good...

I like your idea though. I cant wait for it to get warm!
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#4
just remember that things from nature introduced into the viv can bring in parasites or disease. i stick to nursery raised stuff geared to viv keepers to avoid fertilizer, pesticides, or pathogens.
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#5
Ohhh yeah good point. Totally forgot about that.

:?

Maybe I will have to spend a little cash on moss...
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#6
i was about to mention that Tongue

could also get little critters in the viv from outdoor moss.
the first attempt to bring moss into my viv also brought in a few small spiders, little slugs, little beetles, and a baby worm. they were no big deal though.
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#7
The little slugs, beetles, and worm would be no problem, but the spiders!

Im deathly afraid of spiders. I would actually probaly cry. All the other critters I could handle, but I bet its best to just buy some moss.
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#8
yeah and much worse than spiders, the most common intestinal parasites will also come in with soil/plants from the wild.
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#9
Darn! Who ever heard of paying money for moss?

Just kidding. Big Grin
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#10
I can tell you from first hand experience that the buttermilk blender method isnt a good idea. When I tried it the buttermilk turned into long white mold that never dissapeared I ended up scrapping my first vivarium.
I believe that the small enclosed space combined with high humidity and lots of culture, the buttermilk, was all just too much. Try a light beer mix like they suggest and give it a try in some mason jars or something. Maybee there is a way to get it o take but I would definitley experiment before trying it in your viv.
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#11
I took a sweater box put drain holes in the bottom added some soil. I added some moss milk and I have been misting once a day. I will let you know if it works. I also heard that you want to harvest moss when it's dormant.
Good luck Shawn :wink:


I think I posted this about a month ago. I haven't had any luck.
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#12
I might have to try that. I just found some moss the other day in some woods nearby my house, and it hasnt been growing for too long. It looks like it just started.

Ill try growing some as well.
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#13
If you go to a reputable garden centre or better yet a pet store (in my area anyway) you can buy moss quite cheaply. It's worth the couple bucks (literally, a 4" pot is about two dollars), as it's quite a bit easier than growing your own from scratch and safer than bringing anything in from outdoors...

I've also had trouble keeping outdoor moss alive, as the outdoor climate here is not the same as the climate in my vivarium (more temperate outside, for sure). The greenhouse stuff is more suitable for tropical vivariums.

Good luck! Big Grin
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#14
I have moss growing in my yard (I can't grow grass). I cut it up in put it in. I have been doing this for about 2 years. Works OK. One time I noticed very large mosquitos in the vivarium, the eggs must have been laid in the moss and then hatched. They didn't seem to bother my dart frogs. I got rid of the mosquitos.
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#15
If you get moss from out side just drown it in water for 24 hours this will kill most if not all the bugs and eggs livingin it. I'm not sure about the parasites but I've been doing this for some time now in my other reptile tanks and I haven't had a problem with disease.

I also bought some Kyoto moss spores off of eBay in February I haven't grown it yet but I've only heard good things about it.
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#16
I have found that Java moss from a pet store works really good. It is used in fish tanks and needs to be kept moist. But if you get a small amount and set it up in a tank with water, allot of light, and some aquatic snails it will fill the tank in no time. Then you have as much as you could want.
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#17
has anyone yet had any success yet with growing moss using the moss shake method. i want to start maybe culturing this stuff outside so when i want to start up a new viv, BAM, i already have all the moss i need.
p.s. cant slugs from the wild moss take over a viv. i thought i herd somewhere where someone had to scrub a viv due to an outbreak of slugs.
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#18
I would be hesitant to introducing slugs and snails, if I remember right they are potential hosts to some parasitic worms...
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#19
i've always heard more about snails then slugs, but when it comes down to it, the only difference in them is the shell. there diet, habitat, etc are all the same.

snails come in from more then just moss though. even if you never put in anything from outside you can end up getting snails. they can easily come in on the plants you buy. spiders and slugs too. heck, i once had an anole egg come with some tropical plants that i bought at a local grocery store. didn't know about it until i saw a tiny lizard darting around in the plants (didn't have them in the viv yet). it ended up dying though, i didn't find out about it until it was deathly skinny and it died 2 days later.

if you do have an outbreak of snails or slugs, you could get some dry ice, put it in the viv, and seal it up the best you can. CO2 will fill the viv and kill the snails etc and the plants will love it. just make sure to remove your frogs first Tongue
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#20
Are there any spores that you can purchase besides Kyoto spores?

-Nish
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