Confused on spike moss care?

16848 Views 23 Replies 11 Participants Last post by dartfrog2011, May 23, 2011

GeckoElements

Discussion Starter · May 15, 2011

So I noticed a few threads about spike moss care and I see well drained yet humid... How is that accomplished? I would think it couldn't be humid if is well drained. This is my 4th attempt of keeping spike moss alive it always seems to melt. It doesn't turn brown just kind of darker green then melts slowly into dirt. I keep Crested geckos not frogs but they seem to like either high or low humidity right now i have a girl laying eggs in dirt so im keeping one tank very moist right now (no moss in there). Other 2 tanks I can play with humidity and moist or dry dirt. I mist tanks 2 times a day once in morning and once at night. Any tips would be great as I love the spike mosses color and love idea of my tank being all green. Using florescent coil 5.0 repti glo lights. Turn on at 9am and off at 10pm. Soil is a cocoanut husk broken down.

Thanks for any help.

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Groundhog

· #21 · May 19, 2011

First, hi thee hence to the pet store and get a good book on Crested Geckos:

Rhacodactylus. by P. De Vosjoli, F. Fast and A. Repashy

Crested Geckos. by Adam Black.

Second, try 2/3 coir with 1/3 cypress mulch and/or seedling orchid bark (not heat treated).

Coir goes by names like Coco bedding.

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GeckoElements

Discussion Starter · #22 · May 19, 2011

Lol I know how to care for crested geckos (I breed/vend them). I just stated it again because it seems im mostly on a frog forum. I didn't want the tank built with frogs in mind.

Thanks for soil info tho ill order some ASAP.

So now how do i remove the old and put in new with out damaging rooted plants?

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MeiKVR6

· #23 · May 19, 2011 (Edited)

Traditional vivarium substrate mix works great with Rhacodactylus, so long as you are careful about feeding insects. Tree fern fiber, coconut fiber, sphagnum moss, fine orchid bark, fine/medium charcoal, and some places use peat, as well. It's simplest to buy a pre-made mix. (We sell a type of vivarium substrate mix, as do many other vendors on Dendroboard) I've seen people using straight potting soil on a few crested forums... That's no good.

When we feed insects (rarely) to our Rhacodactylus we usually use a feeding dish for the geckos to pick them off cleanly with no risk of impaction. We don't use crickets to reduce the risk of pinworms.

As for removing plants - just do it!

None of the plants in your terrariums are fragile, and you should be able to rinse the current soil mix off of the roots in a sink with no issues. The only plant you might want to be extra careful with is the selaginella.

Hope this helps!

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