# Favorite terrestrial moss?



## hypostatic

So I've read a lot on the boards how everyone loves java and riccia moss, but do froggers have favorite terrestrial mosses that they like to use in their vivs that don't need to stay consistently wet?

Also, as I walk to work everyday, I can't help but to notice the abundance of sidewalk moss that grows in the cracks of sidewalk. Anyone ever try cultivating these? I'd imagine that they'd be pretty hardy for use in vivs, as they take constant abuse and I imagine they grow in very nutrient poor locations.


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## Epikmuffin

frog moss is also a good choice. I bought from joshfrogs.com

and yeah I tried those side walk moss (cushion moss - Leucobryum I think or maybe rock cap moss). They grew well in my vivarium. I put it on top of fake rocks. work well if you have like a fake river. They are easier than java or ricia. java look better on driftwood. ricia can be good ground cover. thats how i used them.

Also, Im testing scotch moss. I saw they sell them at garden center. They are kinda grass actually.


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## fieldnstream

I had some luck with Bryum argenteum, but it was in a viv that was slightly drier than most dart vivs...may be worth a shot though.


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## Zach Valois

At our retail greenhouse, we get a dried green sphagnum that has been coming back to life for me when used in applications that is can be kept moist. I think this is the same product that Josh's Frogs is selling as frog moss. 

From talking to our outdoor employees, it looks like some of the mosses used outside (e.g. 'Scotch Moss'), need a very low cool down to maintain long term.

Blackjungle sells another type that has yielded fair results.


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## hypostatic

Well, I've brought up sidewalk moss because I've read on the boards that some of the members' favorite mosses are the ones that pop up spontaneously in their vivs. I'm guessing that these are local mosses? Maybe sidewalk moss? lol


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## Dane

The only moss I've ever used has been the Hawaiian "Tropical Moss" that BJ sells. I haven't had a need to try anything else!


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## hypostatic

Dane said:


> The only moss I've ever used has been the Hawaiian "Tropical Moss" that BJ sells. I haven't had a need to try anything else!


Is that the same as this moss?
Live Tropical Moss
This one doesn't say if its from hawaii or not


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## carola1155

People from our climate have had mixed success with stuff they find outside. That stuff typically needs a dormant period or it starts to grow weird or die off. 

I have had good luck with the BJ sheet moss that I ordered back in 2007... haha I'd offer to send you some but I just built a few tanks so my excess supply is nonexistent until I get some growth. The stuff in the link above looks a bit different)

Most "spontaneous" moss comes from the peat or sphagnum that people place in their vivs. Peat being the usual culprit.


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## hypostatic

Hmmm interesting. So why don't people use more peat or sphagnum moss?

And I did a search on "Hawaiian moss" and found this interesting article about a peat moss forest in Hawaii (species is _Sphagnum palustre_)

And I've also heard about the dormancy period that's required by temperate mosses. This is a basic transcript from another thread about the subject:



> I've looked into thuidium delicatum, and from what I've read it's a temperate moss that usually has a dormancy period during the winter. I've never used it personally, but I've read on that boards that some temperate mosses do very well in tropical tanks for a few months, and then start to go bad for no reason... (the idea being that they die from the lack of dormancy).





MeiKVR6 said:


> Thuidium delicatulum after ~6 Months
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> Now it's been well over 3 years and it's still going strong...  I'm sure it _can_ do well with a dormancy period, but in my experience it doesn't _need_ one to thrive.


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## goof901

i back Mike. Thuidium delicatum is great! i use it as will and have not seen a dormancy period


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## andry

Can someone post some links on where to find the moss from BJ? Does he have a website? And the Thuidium delicatum ??

Thanks.


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## hypostatic

andry said:


> Can someone post some links on where to find the moss from BJ? Does he have a website? And the Thuidium delicatum ??
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> Thanks.


I'm not sure where to find the BJ hawaiian moss, as they don't have it posted on their site.

You can get Thuidium delicatum from NE Herpetoculture
New England Herpetoculture LLC - Moss
It's their "NEHERP Terrarium Moss"


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## inka4040

Not a moss per se, but riccardia/mini pellia is my absolute favorite carpeting anything. Technically it's a liverwort like riccia, but in terms of growth pattern and color, it blows riccia away.


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## hypostatic

inka4040 said:


> Not a moss per se, but riccardia/mini pellia is my absolute favorite carpeting anything. Technically it's a liverwort like riccia, but in terms of growth pattern and color, it blows riccia away.


I did a search for this on google, and it seems that it's an aquatic liverwort, no?


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## JPccusa

inka4040 said:


> Not a moss per se, but riccardia/mini pellia is my absolute favorite carpeting anything. Technically it's a liverwort like riccia, but in terms of growth pattern and color, it blows riccia away.


Some info on Mini Pellia:


> Mini Pellia/Coral Moss
> Riccardia Chamedryfollia
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> Origin; Unknown... but is established in cooler northern regions sporadically worldwide including South East Alaska.
> Family; Aneuraceae
> Genus; Riccardia
> Species; R. chamedryfolia
> Lighting; Low-Medium
> Difficulty; Low
> Growth Rate; very slow
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> R. Chamedryfolia likes cooler temps but has no problems growing @ ~76*F in my tank.
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> Riccardia Chamedryfolia is a very small liverwort that grows very slow and is a great plant for shrimp to pick through.
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> It will grow on wood or rough rock (epiphytically or lithophytically) if given the chance... at least until it gets thicker and the underside is too shadowed for the attached thallus to keep hold.
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> Since it's a liverwort, entire plants can grow out of a single cell. so it's possible to get this plant in a shipment with others and have no idea you have it until you have an entire plant flourishing in your tank.
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> As stated above Riccardia Chamedryfollia is a very small plant that grows extremely slow and is not very common. it can sometimes demand a pretty price to boot. given all these factors it's probably best used in nano tanks or as an accent on a piece of wood or rocks.
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> Riccardia Chamedryfolia is also known to grow terrestrially similar to moss, liverworts and bryophytes if given the necessary humidity. bryophytes in general enjoy soft, clean water. R. Chamedryfolia is no exception.
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> Top to bottom in the photos below:
> R. chamedryfolia
> R. graeffi
> unknown Riccardia sp.
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> Best photos/link i've found so far... Mini Pellia/Coral Moss
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> a couple more pictures i took...


Source: Plant of the Month Feb. 2011: Riccardia Chamedryfolia aka Mini pellia aka Coral Moss


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## inka4040

hypostatic said:


> I did a search for this on google, and it seems that it's an aquatic liverwort, no?


I think it's a group of similar but not identical liverworts. I've had great success growing the aquatic stuff terrestrially, but got some from Manuran that was grown terrestrially, and wasn't able to convert it to submersed, but that might have just been a personal failure. 

Manuran's is in the foreground of this picture, intermingled with what I think is christmas moss. In the background, you can see some I pulled out of a fish tank growing mixed with moss on the coco hut. 









This is what it looks like with less competition in a small sealed terrarium.


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## flyingSquirrel

I disagree about winter dormancy of temperate mosses. Here is a comment of mine from another thread:

"That is actually a myth. There have been several threads on this forum where people that have a lot of knowledge and experience with moss have said that is not true. Plenty of people grow temperate mosses in vivs. Of course some temperate moss species will do better than others, and it has to do with the rest of the conditions that you can supply, such as light level, humidity, air flow, substrate and ph, water quality, etc etc. Some of my temperate mosses are doing GREAT and some are doing horribly."

So really, in my opinion, it has nothing to do with a winter dormancy, but instead with a specific moss species ability to handle the OVERALL conditions of the vivarium.


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## Manuran

Great job growing those inka!
As for Riccardia, I couldn't agree more that they are great. I don't believe that there are any truely aquatic Riccardia, it's just that some can be submerged and grown well, esp. with CO2.
Many are very similar looking, but for those interested in small little details, there are differences.
Here are 2 other types of Riccardia Pic 1 & 2 are the same, just in slightly different conditions. Pic 3 is a different one.


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