# Best Moss



## TybaltTinc (Sep 2, 2010)

here is a dual post for you guys
1. I would like to know which moss is best to use in a vivarium, as in grows the best and quickest under the easiest conditions
2. I would like to see prime examples of well mossed vivariums!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

A lot of different mosses can work well in vivariums, but a lot also won't. The ones you find outside of your house typically won't do well, as they require a dry cooling period (unless you live in a tropical, moist climate). Others can chime in on what type of mosses have worked for them, but for me I have only tried Christmas and Java moss so far, both very of which very successfully.


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## raimeiken (Dec 24, 2006)

I have Christmas moss in my Viv and it spreads pretty well.

Another good one is Java moss.


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## BR5 (Dec 7, 2009)

Check out Brian's Tropicals, he has pictures of what you're looking for on both Java & Rica.


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## TybaltTinc (Sep 2, 2010)

hey thanks guys i appreciate it


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Once established Java moss grows fast.


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

I use Christmas Tree Moss, Java Moss and Riccia (not a moss but same effect) 
Riccia being the slowest to grow, and java being the quickest.


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## MichelleSG (May 1, 2010)

PM Rareplantbroker. He's got one that he gets from his local orchid grower and it will cover everything on the floor you put it on. I went to pick up imis from a local frogger and it was covering all her vivs.


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## Lance (Sep 8, 2008)

MichelleSG said:


> PM Rareplantbroker. He's got one that he gets from his local orchid grower and it will cover everything on the floor you put it on. I went to pick up imis from a local frogger and it was covering all her vivs.


sounds like established Kyoto moss... looks friggin awesome. but getting it to grow from spores is a battle to say the least


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## MichelleSG (May 1, 2010)

Actually the orchid grower got it as a 'hitch hiker' from some plants from Costa Rica. It's now grown there and Alastair can buy it by the gallon sized ziplock. Im going to get some when I set up my next vivs. As soon as the husband thinks I'm not going to get anymore frogs I'll magic one in....


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## pygmypiranha (Jan 1, 2009)

Nicholas said:


> Once established Java moss grows fast.


Everyone always says Java moss... but I've always worried that it is an aquarium moss so it wont work as well in a terrarium. Is it going to be humid/wet enough?


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## AaronAcker (Aug 15, 2007)

pygmypiranha said:


> Everyone always says Java moss... but I've always worried that it is an aquarium moss so it wont work as well in a terrarium. Is it going to be humid/wet enough?


take a look at the pics 'Brian's Tropicals ' has on his website.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Here I did the work for you...

Caring for frogs click that and look at the pics on brians tropicals...

Java moss does well... It is an aquatic moss. Or it is a Terrestrial Moss... you just take it from the water spread it around the Viv. and boom in a week or so it will establish and start to spread. 

you do not need to worry to much because of the conditions the frogs need to live in the viv. will be sufficient for the java moss to thrive in.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I have tried at least a dozen different mosses and several other ground covers like riccia and utricularia....The best Moss or moss like ground cover that I've used is a micro liverwort of some unknown type that appeared in my vivs as a hitchhiker. 
The best moss I've used from any retailer is T & C tropical moss, but it is also one of the hardest to get now. My use of utricularia is fairly recent though so if it does well it will probably be my new favorite but it not likely to be as "easy" as T&C moss or especially the micro liverwort which is practically idiot proof unless allowed to dry out completely and remain that way for very long periods.

I suggest getting multiples types and seeding them throughout your viv and just let them all fight it out and see which ones do well.

Riccia, dwarf baby tears, utricularia, so called "aquatic mosses" and other small ground cover plants can also be thrown into the mix. One could even plant an entire lawn of flowering mini sinnigia. It should stand up to frog traffic once it has had a chance to establish itself well. Some fissdens species may work also though I have heard of at least one common one that won't when not under water.

I personally don't like the look of java moss for the most part compared to other options. BTW I have recently discovered that black jungle's moss seems to do well and get brighter green when constantly moist and exposed to a little more light then is probably typical in most vivs. I have my suspicions that it is actually java or some form of java moss or other "aquatic" moss type, and they justify labeling it "tropical" because it does or can exist in those situations...but that is just a personal opinion. Either way it can still be a good choice for use.

Here is one of vivs that was first planted with T & C moss but was then overran by the micro liverwort I mentioned...

With T&C...









With micro liverwort...









Even though moss is considered a low light plant it will often do better with more light then what it typical in many vivs, and airflow will benefit many types. Also its usually a good idea to avoid hard water and getting calcium/vitamin supplements on the moss or in the soil as much as possible.


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## Brien (Aug 27, 2009)

Most of the ground cover in those pictures from Brian's Tropicals is riccia not java moss. Riccia is easy to grow and actually grows pretty quick once it is established. I grew fields of it in terrariums and it was easy once you got the hang of it. You need to keep frogs on it and frequent mistings, my schedule was 15 seconds every 4 1/2 hours another problem is lighting. Keep atleast 2 6500k daylight bulbs on it. Once you put some in the tank some of it will mold but it will come back unless you don't have all the conditions right.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Why no love for the pillow moss? I know it's fallen out of fashion a bit, but almost all my vivs have a lump of it somewhere. Given enough light it greens up nicely and has a cool distinctive look.

BTW Dave, I would LOVE to get some of that liverwort...


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Boondoggle said:


> Why no love for the pillow moss? I know it's fallen out of fashion a bit, but almost all my vivs have a lump of it somewhere. Given enough light it greens up nicely and has a cool distinctive look.
> 
> BTW Dave, I would LOVE to get some of that liverwort...


Ya I've had several who are interested. I basically neglected my vivs for the last year since all but 1 were empty of animals. At least small amounts of that stuff managed to survive in every one of them, even a viv that got almost no water or misting to the point 4 inches of water with no separation of land from water was allowed to completely evaporate....yet that stuff survived in small quantities  I've been using what I had to seed or reseed new and old vivs so hopefully in a few months I'll have a ton of it again. When I get enough I'll probably start offering starter clumps, but I'm holding off till I can offer enough at one time to make it worth my wild. Keep any eye out for that in the next 6mo probably, or feel free to check in once a month or 2 every so often. I don't have enough where I'd feel comfortable making trades without feeling like I needed to add some cash to the mix, so I'm holding off for the most part on that also. Though come to think of it maybe I should start a post offering the possibility since there are a few hard to find plants I'm looking for.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Dave,
Would you have any close up photos of your mini liverwort? Do you think it might be a Riccardia species? Thanks.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Manuran said:


> Dave,
> Would you have any close up photos of your mini liverwort? Do you think it might be a Riccardia species? Thanks.


Possible, though I think it is a separate species of liverwort...both are liverworts though, at least I'm pretty sure this is a liverwort. Here is a pic....









Here is a pic of some riccia I had...


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Thanks Dave.
I was actually wondering if it was a Riccardia (not Riccia, I guess the similar spelling causes the confusion) After looking at your picture, I still am unsure if that is a Riccardia or something else. I'm leaning toward something else. Interesting plant. Thanks again.

Here's a picture of a mat of a Riccardia sp.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Manuran said:


> Thanks Dave.
> I was actually wondering if it was a Riccardia (not Riccia, I guess the similar spelling causes the confusion) After looking at your picture, I still am unsure if that is a Riccardia or something else. I'm leaning toward something else. Interesting plant. Thanks again.
> 
> Here's a picture of a mat of a Riccardia sp.


No prob. It looks nothing like that picture other then being green. Without closse inspection it is almost indistinguishable from moss. I thought it was actually till I looked really close and saw the scales, plus i've never seen it shoot up the sporophytes or whatever those hair things are called.

I am convinced it spreads by quantum teleportation...even with no animals and no sign of spore structures it just starts popping up in other places...actually In truth my guess is minute pieces being broken off by misting and spread by splashing water or air currents...or teleportation


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

I think this may be the same tiny liverwort:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/52139-liverwort-tiny-bright-green-pics.html#post453560


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I had the same species (or a similar looking one at least) show up in my old Escudo viv a while back before I got rid of them. Not sure where the heck it came from.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

candm519 said:


> I think this may be the same tiny liverwort:
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/52139-liverwort-tiny-bright-green-pics.html#post453560


Thanks for the link, I missed that post, so that was new to me. It is very similar but looks to be a different species as the growth pattern is different. Looks like the individual "scales" get a little bigger then what I have and looks slightly more "rufflely" which I don't think is a word  Mine doesn't grow in those patterns really, but the first pic illustrates nicely how at a distance it's very hard to tell apart from moss.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Frogtofall said:


> I had the same species (or a similar looking one at least) show up in my old Escudo viv a while back before I got rid of them. Not sure where the heck it came from.


I'd be curious to know if you or any of the other people who have had something like this pop up have used kyoto spore or mt. fugi moss spore. Mine seemed to appear first not long after some tanks had been seeded with these spore.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Nope, never have. I DID however notice that it grew where I had some moss that died. Like it took it's place.


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

I used kyoto spore but long before this liverwort showed up. I also habitually put in dibs and dabs of greenhouse and houseplant mosses, and always any soil from repotted Logee's plants, and BJ's tropical moss (a couple of yrs ago, and my batch seemed to be a highly varied mix in itself). 

So they all get to duke it out, and choose any microhabitat if they like it and are tough enough to keep it. This little liverwort enjoyed a first flush of growth, but was soon challenged by other mosses or microbes or changes in light or dampness -- all the variables I tend to throw at my tanks.

I really enjoy watching plants that seem to just pop up from nowhere, and the sequence of temporary dominancies, sort of like the natural succession of bog growth. (Remember in 4th grade, drawing a cross section of a lake gradually filling in to become a bog, etc?)


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

TybaltTinc said:


> here is a dual post for you guys
> 1. I would like to know which moss is best to use in a vivarium, as in grows the best and quickest under the easiest conditions
> 2. I would like to see prime examples of well mossed vivariums!


Here is my contribution

Java moss (on glass, ground, water features, everywhere!)
Singapore Moss (very similar structure to java, more dense though. It can also have a slight rust tinge)
Unknown tropical mosses  (Id really like to know that type off moss with the tiny round leaves)
Random Moss from background
Round leaf Pellia (left side of last picture)


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

Back to the point! And nice tanks. I have trouble defining the difference in mosses, so especially appreciate the labels.


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