[Rasmus]

How much light is needed for growing sphagnum in a good way? Is 2*54W T5 over a 100cm tank enough? Is it at least moderately fast growing if in good circumstances? Thanks!

 

[frogparty]

It's not a fast grower, and will take a lot of light to get to grow well. You should get some growth with that setup, but you didn't specify how far from the lights the moss will be.

 

[frogparty]

It's not a fast grower, and will take a lot of light to get to grow well. You should get some growth with that setup, but you didn't specify how far from the lights the moss will be.

 

[NickJR]

Light and lots of misting but light is key!

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

 

[Rasmus]

Sorry, maybe 30 cm. Would it be much better with 4*54W?

 

[Rasmus]

Or 20 cm rather.

 

[frogparty]

Should be fine. Just remember not all dried sphag revegetates. Gotta have patience

 

[Grrrit]

I bought a cheap venus flytrap kit at lowes last year, and the sphagnum included with it did alot better than the plant lol. I just kept it on a end table by the window. The majority of the bottom is all fresh growth, nice and green. Suprised me though haha

 

[Rasmus]

Thanks! I'll give it a try with only 2*54W because I don't want to promote algae growth in the water feature unnecessarily. I'll also go looking for some CP or orchid with live sphagnum because I don't know where to get it otherwise.

 

[B-NICE]

What are you looking the sphagum to do? Mine just turns really green over time after being misted.

 

[frogparty]

When it's alive and happy it makes really lush growth, and looks especially good growing in a cork bark mosaic background where it can cascade down a bit. It also gets a reddish tint in very high light

 

[B-NICE]

I have some filling some cracks at the top of the viv and it is a lush dark green.

 

[Pumilo]

I have some filling some cracks at the top of the viv and it is a lush dark green.

I'm afraid that is probably just an algae growth that seems to colonize dead sphagnum and make it look dark green. It fools us all at one point until we see real, live sphagnum. Here are some pics though, to judge for yourself. First I'll post a couple shots of the dead, "algae" sphagnum. (Check out my Vanzo wondering what the heck I'm doing in there!)

 

[B-NICE]

Thats how mine is looking..

 

[Pumilo]

I have some filling some cracks at the top of the viv and it is a lush dark green.

Here are a couple shots of live sphagnum. It is growing directly under two T12 bulbs in a cheap, Lowe's shop light. It is about 8 inches under the bulbs. (about 20 cm) This is NOT enough light. When the bulbs were new, the sphagnum was growing better throughout the upper parts of the viv. as the bulbs have aged just a little, maybe 6 months, most of it has died back. This tells me that before, it was barely enough to support the growth. Two T 5's with excellent reflectors, would probably bring it back.

 

[B-NICE]

Thats nice doug. I love moss for some reason. When I'm outside I always look on the ground for moss.

Here are some great pix of wild moss.....

 

[Rasmus]

Uhh, those cyano pics made me want to puke a little. Of all things evil cyano is at the top of my list. The other two are what I'm after