# mushrooms in the terrarium



## scooter

ok, i was out in the woods collecting moss the other day and i came upon these cute little mushrooms. is it safe to put these in the cage with them? i think it would be really cool to see one of my little guys sitting on top of a toadstool. and if it is safe, how would you keep them from spreading?


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## Guest

*mushrooms*

i really want mushrooms in my viv aswell but i think you just get them of their own accord sometimes if they are lucky. mushrooms are actually the fruiting body of a large underground structure (fungus) picking mushrooms and putting them in your viv would be like planting an apple and hoping it would grow into an apple tree. i have often considered buying a magic mushroom growing kit and trying to grow them in a viv as i have had no luck sourcing any other types of mushroom grow kits. :roll:


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## Guest

*mushrooms*

in follow up from my last message on this thread: i fully withdraw my comments about not being able to source mushroom kits and spores for more innocuous species than magic mushrooms. just 5 minutes ago i stumbled across one whilst doing a google search, and in the uk aswell!  
i will buy some spores and try to grow them under vivarium conditions and see what happens. if i am lucky i will post some pictures.


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## scooter

*mushrooms*

so would i be able to pick a mushroom and put it in the set-up as decoration? how would you dry a mushroom to put it in the cage so it doesn't rot?


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## khoff

We have a few tanks that shoot up neon yellow mushrooms all the time. They are cool when they are erect and look like normal mushrooms, but once they pop up they tend to die in a few days and shoot their spores all over the tank covering everything in a yellow powder. They are cool at first, but tend to make the tank look crappy because they die so quickly and their spores. Springtails and mites tend to break them down quickly though. Keep in mind, if you put mushrooms in your tank, you will probably never be able to get rid of them without sterilizing the entire tank. They won't harm the frogs though.

Kevin Hoff


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## Darren Meyer

I have them sprout up all on their own all of the time . Some people I know say that it's a sign of a healthy tank . That you have a proper balance of bacteria . As far as introducing a mushroom goes . Do you know what kind of bacteria your bringing your frogs ?Good or bad?


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## Bry

*just a tiny bit off-topic...*

While we're on the subject of mushrooms, I assume some of you saw the article on setting up a dart viv in the March 2004 issue of Reptiles Magazine. There's a picture of a green and black auratus perched on a piece of driftwood surrounded by dried mushrooms attached to the driftwood. I thought this would make a neat effect in our vivs. Does anyone here know where I could obtain something like these dried mushrooms?

Bry


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## Ryan

If they were flat conk like ones, you could even buy some spores from different mushroom cultivation sites and seed wood with it.


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## scooter

*mushrooms*

i think it was black jungle where they got the dried mushrooms in the article, but i'm not sure. could they be dried in the same way u sterilize driftwood? i'm not looking to grow them, just to have one big toadstool for decoration


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## Guest

*mushroom*

is thats the look your going for i would recommend Agaricus campestris. it would look good with a frog on top of it.


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## Guest

*mushrooms in wood*

anybody wanting to grow mushrooms in wood should nate that it is best if the wood is freshly cut apparently


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## benmz

I'm an arborist/forester so I know a little about this.

As already mentioned, mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungus. Fungi break down wood. One of the few organisms that can. If you wanted to grow mushrooms in your viv all you have to do is find a rotting log (since it's rotting it has a fungus maybe even more than one kind) Since fungi like it wet, a dart frog viv is a very suitable place for it. In fact I put some old fir bark (from an orchid that I transplanted) in the base layer of my viv and mushrooms sprouted in 1 week.

If you want to grow a specific fungus, then you would have to get some freshly cut wood. By that I mean from a live tree that has no rot. That will help to ensure that no other fungi are in the wood (they are highly competative) and you can innoculate the wood at that time. However, some fungi prefer or are very specific as to what species of wood they can/will colonize. For example morels are fairly specific to elms. While other fungi will prefer softwoods conifers/evergreens) over hardwood species.

-Ben


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## Guest

i was looking up something on terrariums and i found a forum that has alot of info on it http://www.shroomery.com so maybe that will help


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## Guest

http://www.fungiperfecti.com

lots of different and *legal* mushroom kits.


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## Guest

miam... cubensis ...


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