[Arklier]

My mom went to buy some lime today to kill off the moss that's been plaguing their yard. Before she put the lime down, I noticed some wonderful fluffy green moss in a flowerbed that hadn't been sprayed or fertilized since at least last spring. I took some of it and washed off the dirt. Is it OK to use this moss in the viv? Mine has a CF fixture, and is next to a window with no background, so it gets a lot of light.

 

[Guest]

I would say that it is definitely worth a shot. However, being a temperate moss, it may not be able to take the constant humidity and heat it will be subjected to. But maybe it will.....who knows?

 

[bgexotics]

Is there a good method to try and sterilize wild moss? I know almost all moss come from outside anyways so its orgin shouldn't matter that much, but is there something you can do to reduce the chancing of introducing unwanted creatures to your tank? I have some awesome moss growing on my farm that has not been exposed to fertilzer or pesticdes and it is doing better then the expensive tropical moss that I bought. It seems to be a little more forgiving about getting wet and spilling stuff on it. Plus it is free instead of paying $8 a sq. foot.

 

[andersonii85]

sterilizing moss

I have heard of people pouring boiling water over wild moss; plus, drying it out in an oven at about 100 degree F. I don't know if this works, but I read it on a moss forum once. Has anyone ever looked at wild moss under a microscope? It's crazy! There are hundreds of tiny insects and other things crawling all over it.

Justin

 

[xxll]

iv used it in some of mine, it works prety well, but actualy (to my supriss)grows best in a very humid, hot tank! i was not expecting this at all! it grew diferently though it grew up instead of sideways it give the tank a cool look, i don't think you have to worry about strilizing it that much, just was it out with hot water (i like the boiling water idea though), a lot of thoughs bactera will help creat a natural balance in the tank and help in things like decomposing poop and leafe litter in to plant food!

 

[Arklier]

Well, I put the moss in the tank after running hot water on it. It hasn't done the frogs any harm it seems. It hasn't grown much, but then again, it hasn't died either. The frogs seem to like hopping around on it, though.