# Terrarium Moss or Sphagnum Moss?



## black_envy

First off, is there a difference? And is one way better than the other? At my local Petco they just have a bag labeled 'Terrarium Moss'. I don't know if it's live or not? (smart me :roll: ) I mean if you put it in your tank will it grow again or not?

Otherwise I'm going to home depot today to look at plants/moss to put step two in my terrarium plan in action. Duh duh du-duh! So what kind of moss should I use then?

This was the moss I was planning on buying: New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, 150 grams from Dendrobate Ranch in AZ


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## Guest

i beleive the gerneral consesus about petco moss it that it typically does not do to well. if it is in a plastic box it may be worth a try but otherwise no. i beleive there is someone selling moss at a good price in the plant classifieds. i would definatly contact them before buying any at a retail store.


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## Frogtofall

If you use the long fibered sphagnum from Home Depot, it will eventually sprout new growth of its own as well as other species of plants. Liverworts, grasses and all kinds of plants will shoot up out of it!

I've used the stuff from Petco and Petsmart. It molds over after a few days in the humidity of our vivs.


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## Enlightened Rogue

I`ve tried both the Terrarium Moss and something called Frog Moss, I would stay away from them both. Both turned brown after a few days and they also smelled pretty bad. The New Zealand Sphagnum is much better and will work. I have live tropical moss in my viv. and some sphagnum. Check out the links feature at the top of the page to see who might be selling live moss or the classifieds. John


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## black_envy

Whoops. I went to Home Depot and bought what I thought was sphagnum moss, but it's actually sphagnum peat moss. Is that bad? Anyways I planted a fern, two pothos, and some pretty tall green plant that likes high humidity and they took up all the space in my ten gallon lol but it looks good, and I don't think there is any more room for anything but a water dish :lol: and I put the peat moss over that, so my tank is something like this:
2 inches aquarium gravel
2 inches of sphagnum peat moss
4 bulky plants

It sounds kinda wierd, but it looks like the perfect habitat for a little dart frog, and in about a month I hope to have him ^_^


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## Frogtofall

No, the stuff you bought people use to make substrate mixes. I don't like using it straight b/c it tends to dry out really fast. I hope you put some screen or something between the gravel and peat.

Good luck.


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## KeroKero

Huge difference.

You want long fiber sphagnum moss, the stuff used for orchids. Peat moss is a product made from sphagnum moss and is used in frog tanks like dirt.

The mosses typically available at pet shops (terrarium moss, frog moss) are a totally different type of moss, many companies dye it green, and it doesn't hold water well (sphagnum moss holds 20x its weight in water - its like a sponge). The pet store mosses will also break down very fast, and give you a nasty swamp smell while they do so - sphagnum moss will last up to a couple years in tanks.

If you leave the set up as listed, the peat moss will migrate into the gravel, and start smelling swampy, and will be a bog that your plants will probibly not like.


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## black_envy

Ok bad move. No screen. Darn Home Depot lady, I asked specifically for Sphagnum moss and she said this was it, and I didn't even look at the bag until I got home. Smart me. So do I have to like start over? I really don't want to, and I love the way it looks right now...


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## Frogtofall

I would. It'd be better to do it now before you have frogs rather than try to do it when you do b/c then you run the risk of stressing them and this and that.

Just do it now while you can.


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## black_envy

alright I will order some sphagnum moss tonight. . .and redo the tank sometime this week


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## Frogtofall

black_envy said:


> alright I will order some sphagnum moss tonight. . .and redo the tank sometime this week


You shouldn't have to order it. Home Depot and Walmart both carry it. It comes in a little rectangle shaped bag and its compressed into a block. They keep it by the orchid supplies.

Just go and ask for "Orchid Moss". They should know what you're talking about.


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## black_envy

Thanks I will try that


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## back2eight

IT takes a long time for the dried spgahnum that you will get from Lowe's or HD to grow back. If you want it live from the start consider buying it live. I have some and it does well in my tank but you can't really use it as a ground cover. It has to stay very wet, almost growing aquatically to really do good. The best place is to put a clump of it half in and half out of your water feature. It is likes it there it will grow and spread, if not you will know seen enough.

I also have some "frog moss" that is doing very well. It is also kepy very wet and gets plenty of light. My water fall actually drips down onto the frog moss, so it is constantly wet just like my sphagnum. 

I have had the spgahnum moss come back to life from the dried sphagnum. It needs very high light levels to do so. I have one tank that gets some light from a window at one part of the day. Where the light hits it, the dried moss has come back to life like crazy.


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## defaced

Kristi, the moss in the pic I sent to you (for everone else, that's the pic in her ad) was growing terrestially. I agree it has to stay moist, but I'm having success with it in other tanks being grown terrestially too.


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## back2eight

Thats great. I haven't been able to keep mine moist enough growing it strictly terrestrially. My best moss is hanging half in my water feature. I have some in the land area but it is always dry and not doing very well. I just can't seem to keep it wet enough, but strangely enough the dried sphagnum will come back to life terrestrially for me.


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## black_envy

Ok I think I got my substrate down: 1-2 inches of aquarium gravel, 1-2 inches of this stuff http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW ... mdy00.aspx, and some magnolia/oak leaf litter to cover it. Then I take out the plants (from their pots), wash them, and then just stick the plant itself into the substrate? Sound good? Then add a small water dish, and a few more plants, and a background, and have the perfect dart frog habitat?


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