# Converting Java moss to terrestrial?



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

My initial idea was to have it grow in a critter keeper just on top of moist/damp coco fiber under some plant lights I have. I have an exo terra with just plants I grow under GE Day light bulbs that are doing very well so I figured if I place the moss inside there with some cocofiber to grow on that should do the trick right? When I need it for my tanks I can just cut up chunks and use them and keep the rest as a backup? 
Better ideas?


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Rather than use coco substrate, I think you might get better results from sphagnum moss, it holds more moisture and doesn't dry out as quickly. Just keep it pretty moist and you should see java growth (or even sphagnum growth) after a while.

Also make sure it has good lighting!


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

I think that would work fine! Just keep the substrate damp and it will grow like crazy! It actually grows a LOT faster (IME) when it's kept totally aquatic! I think your plan will work great though!


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Reason I don't want to keep it totally aquatic is for when I put it in my PDF tank the transition will already be done as opposed to if I were pulling it out of a water tank into the viv then it would have to adjust to many things.
I think if I keep the coco fiber really damp it should grow, I've got great lighting.
I've saved plants that i was sure were dead and they are now up straight and full of life.


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## scream-aim-fire (Mar 1, 2008)

i have taken java moss straight from aquatic to using in my viv with no problems, kept on growin like it was still submerged, like said above just make sure it stays pretty damp.


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## Jaeger (Nov 22, 2007)

Toledo zoo uses a lot of Java moss for their Kihansi spray toads and other amphibians. IIRC, they actually grow it in devoted tanks with aerators with a little UV in the light source and it takes off like mad; then they transfer it to their vivs and it does just fine.


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## Elf_Ascetic (Jan 31, 2009)

I've had succes by pulling it half out of the water. That way you're sure it stays very wet. After a couple of weeks or so I split the moss, leaving half in the water, putting the other half on land. The land moss is growing quick, even faster than the watermoss.


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## fraser2009 (Jan 4, 2009)

in fish tanks it will climb up your filter and heater out of the water it is some fast growing stuff.
make sure you post pics java on land pics seem in short supply .
thanks


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

I have it on land now, will be the first full day so I'll see how it reacts.
I plan on using this almost everywhere if it works well hehe. Use it in my Red Eye Tree frog viv, in portions of my water dragon, cresties love the moss as well.
So if it takes off well I'll have many places to use it.

Frankly though it looks really gross and funky to touch it now, I hope it changes texture when it's coverted to land and has a little more of a fluffy feeling to it.
I might try Riccia if I don't like the java moss.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

For mine to convert to terrestrial could take some time so you probably won't notice anything in a day.  Mine took 2 months to start! I have used both methods of putting pre transformed moss and aquatic moss into my vivs. To be honest the aquatic stuff obviously took longer to establish but IMO it seems to grow more naturally looking. As in it doesn't just look like a sheet of moss laid down. 

Another cool thing about growing it terrestrial outside of the viv is that many people don't want to wait for it to transform and are willing to buy it already done so. You can make a couple bucks.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

That's not a bad idea 
I'd have to sell it online because unfortunately I think i'm the only hobbiest that I know around here. I'm sure their are others, but not as into it or active as I see many people.
I thought though that even if converted to land that when placed in a viv it would not look just like a sheet of moss placed over but it would actually re-root itself and continue growing???


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

I don't know if java moss even "roots" itself at all. It does get attached somewhat though. I guess I should rephrase myself and say that the pre-transformed java looks unnatural for a little while as it does start to spread again and look better. In other words it seems that either way you do it you will have to wait for it. Make sense? 

And about selling it on the internet, that's what I was referring to. I posted a wanted add a while back looking for transformed java and I got a bunch of pm's asking me if I got it and where. So people are out there looking for it. Good luck!


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## scream-aim-fire (Mar 1, 2008)

theres really no converting it to terrestrial like i posted above i took it straight from aquatic to terrestrial and it grows fine, i just keep it misted and damp. thats all you have to do. if it stays dry for a long period of time yea it will die but with it staying damp or misted its basically the same as if were to be growing submerged. the java in my tank is even growing up a piece of drift wood that in between misting it drys out and the java is growing like crazy up the wood.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

I'm not sure if I'm following. Is yours still so wet that it stayed aquatic? I kept mine very wet and that's why I think it took so long to convert (in the viv), but eventually it did transform.


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## scream-aim-fire (Mar 1, 2008)

i have some on a piece of drift wood that is sticking up out of the water so it stays really wet, but i also have some that is totally on land in the same tank, of course the tank stays about 80-90% humidity all the time but the only time it gets wet is when i mist the tank about once a day, and that moss came straight from an aquarium to terrestrial in my viv.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

Ok, that's exactly how I've done it with all of mine. It works just fine.


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## scream-aim-fire (Mar 1, 2008)

heres some pics
this is the tank that the java is in.









heres a pic of the java growing terrestrial. as you can see the soil is pretty damp, but thats it and it grows great.


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## Colleen53 (Jan 19, 2009)

Your tank looks awesome and it does take time(java moss) to adjust, be patient! Colleen


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## Jayson745 (Dec 13, 2006)

I've also had the experience that it grows much faster submerged. I started with a tiny tiny tiny amount tied to a rock. Within weeks the rock looked like an overgrown troll doll head, and a year later I had enough to basically cover an entire 55 gallon floor. Actually I just did that yesterday, so theres no pics to post, but I hope it keeps growing well in the 55.


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## jpatino (Jan 6, 2007)

does the java moss take root on the substrate and does it spread out when it starts to grow? thanks for the help 


john


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## DAVIDFBT (Mar 2, 2009)

I did it in my Firebellied toad tank. It looks like little blades of grass when it takes root. The leaves look alot thicker and scalier when they grow emersed adn they like to crawl up to the light:



Java moss grows about 10 times faster when it's underwater, this has been growing since october. And the more light there is available, the thicker and lower to the ground it grows. You can see how stringy it looks in the shade of my coconut cave.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Good to see it gets to be nice like that.
Mine looks more like the shady area under your coconut cave for now.
When I have the soil made for my viv I'll just place 1/2 of it in the water area and 1/2 of it on the land area and let it spread.
Thanks for the help!


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## Jayson745 (Dec 13, 2006)

actually I've tried putting it in corner ponds of small vivs and the stagnant water kills it very fast. When I was growing it underwater it was in an aquarium set up for plants. If you really want to grow the stuff like I, and probably others were talking about, you'd need a fish tank with a submersible filter and good lights on it. Depending on your vivs set up(water not just sitting there), it might be best to just go terrestrial with all of it. It doesn't grow as fast, but your less likely to kill it imo.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks jayson!
I'll just keep growing it terrestrial then since I really don't want to go the whole way having an aquarium set up for many reasons...don't have any of the supplies so don't feel like buying them just for moss lol. And I don't mind it growing a bit slower...all the other plants grow slowly anyways 
Thanks for letting me know about the stagnant water though


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## Jayson745 (Dec 13, 2006)

no problem. if I helped that much, feel free to give me good rep because apparently any jokes on this forum deserve red....

starting to dislike this forum very much.....


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