# Mosses



## Rob1987 (Aug 25, 2018)

I’m wondering if java moss would be the best moss to grow over my central driftwood? Any other suggestions would be great!










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## Rob1987 (Aug 25, 2018)

Don’t know why the pic is so blurry 


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

As long as you keep it moist and have good light it will grow, I am not a fan of java moss though it can get hairy and long and I do not feel that is attractive.


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## Rob1987 (Aug 25, 2018)

Pubfiction said:


> As long as you keep it moist and have good light it will grow, I am not a fan of java moss though it can get hairy and long and I do not feel that is attractive.




Thank you yeah I’ve been looking at Java and it seems very grass like, I’ve ordered some tropical sheet moss to try! 


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## Austindg13 (Aug 31, 2017)

Rob1987 said:


> Thank you yeah I’ve been looking at Java and it seems very grass like, I’ve ordered some tropical sheet moss to try!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Any other good mosses to use that you know of?


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## Khamul (Jan 16, 2018)

NeHerp Moss slurry, and Dusk Moss Mix (found at Glassbox tropicals) are popular mosses, especially for surfaces such as wood. However they are both extremely touchy and will die off and not grow if you let them dry out. Must be kept constantly wet, and it should thrive and cover all surfaces you put it on.


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## Austindg13 (Aug 31, 2017)

Khamul said:


> NeHerp Moss slurry, and Dusk Moss Mix (found at Glassbox tropicals) are popular mosses, especially for surfaces such as wood. However they are both extremely touchy and will die off and not grow if you let them dry out. Must be kept constantly wet, and it should thrive and cover all surfaces you put it on.




I’ve tried dusk moss mix and let me just say the $16 you pay for it is not worth the sphagnum moss it grows. I plan on doing java moss in mine because I like how it looked in Justin Grimms Peninsula build. 


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

The idea behind a moss mix is that who knows what will work best in your tank and conditions so you make a mix then apply it and whatever works well in that spot grows be it because of light, nutrients or moisture. 

The down side is that it also lets all the moss compete for the spot and gives you not much control over what grows.

If you are concerned with having a particular look don't buy a mix, pay more and work harder to get a specific moss, or culture the moss mix and then separate the species. Also be aware that over time spores of moss can get in your tank from the air and start growing moss on its own. 

However if all you want to do is get as many surfaces green as fast as possible a mix is a decent choice, second only to making your own mix with live moss. 

I will also say that moss can grow different depending on the conditions. I didn't think Grimms tank had javamoss. One time I even saw a tank with moss where the person claimed it grew tall, then they trimmed it and from there on out it stayed flat.


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

The original Dusk Tropic mix that Mikael Karlbom (matermind of Dusk Tropic) used on all of his IIS prototypes was incredible. I don't know if his formulation changed since then or if the stuff in the US isn't the same mix, but what we have pretty much just grows sphagnum from personal experience and what I've seen from others. 

Many aquatic mosses can be converted to terrestrial/epiphytic as long as the substrate is moist enough and the tank is humid. The absolute best moss I've ever used in a tank is a species given to me by a friend who started out in the freshwater fish hobby. He has always called it a Fontinalis sp. It will form a nice green carpet over ground, wood, or moist inorganics like rock. I'll post some pictures for example tomorrow.


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## Austindg13 (Aug 31, 2017)

Spaff said:


> The original Dusk Tropic mix that Mikael Karlbom (matermind of Dusk Tropic) used on all of his IIS prototypes was incredible. I don't know if his formulation changed since then or if the stuff in the US isn't the same mix, but what we have pretty much just grows sphagnum from personal experience and what I've seen from others.
> 
> 
> 
> Many aquatic mosses can be converted to terrestrial/epiphytic as long as the substrate is moist enough and the tank is humid. The absolute best moss I've ever used in a tank is a species given to me by a friend who started out in the freshwater fish hobby. He has always called it a Fontinalis sp. It will form a nice green carpet over ground, wood, or moist inorganics like rock. I'll post some pictures for example tomorrow.




Awesome would love to see it!


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

Growing bare on driftwood.


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## Austindg13 (Aug 31, 2017)

Spaff said:


> Growing bare on driftwood.




That is a nice look. It looks like a low growing java. 


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## Rob1987 (Aug 25, 2018)

Spaff said:


> Growing bare on driftwood.




That looks really good if only java moss stayed like that, think I’m going to try sheet moss


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## joe23reptiles (Aug 7, 2016)

i personally have good success with riccia fluitans sp dwarf. like the name suggests its a dwarf form of riccia fluitans. i doesnt grow really high. its more like a flat carpet. like most mosses it demands good lighting and needs to be watered a lot. i have my misting set to 20secs in the morning and 20 secs in the afternoon.

seems to be a good compromiss for the rest od the plants and the riccia.

here is a close up shot (dont mind the frog)









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## Austindg13 (Aug 31, 2017)

joe23reptiles said:


> i personally have good success with riccia fluitans sp dwarf. like the name suggests its a dwarf form of riccia fluitans. i doesnt grow really high. its more like a flat carpet. like most mosses it demands good lighting and needs to be watered a lot. i have my misting set to 20secs in the morning and 20 secs in the afternoon.
> 
> seems to be a good compromiss for the rest od the plants and the riccia.
> 
> ...




Nice tank! What kind of frog is that?


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

Austindg13 said:


> Nice tank! What kind of frog is that?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Tumucumaque (Peacock) tinc


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

How did those find their way into the hobby?


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## JPP (Mar 25, 2015)

Woodswalker said:


> How did those find their way into the hobby?


I was wondering that myself! I was shocked to see someone is keeping them.


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## Jeremiah (Mar 1, 2008)

As far as Im aware, this variety is from Brazil and illegal... but boy, they are beautiful!


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

Woodswalker said:


> How did those find their way into the hobby?


Smuggled and other countries turning a blind eye
https://www.dendroboard.com/forum/dendrobates/347360-tumucumaque-tincs.html


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

S2G said:


> Smuggled and other countries turning a blind eye
> https://www.dendroboard.com/forum/dendrobates/347360-tumucumaque-tincs.html


I was hoping the owner might explain. It's awfully curious. This same person asked about Tumucumaque legality some time ago when they were offered a trio, and in spite of the responses given in their thread at that time, it would appear that legality and ethics apparently factored out of, or were not prioritized in their decision making process.


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## tropfrog (Sep 6, 2018)

Austindg13 said:


> That is a nice look. It looks like a low growing java.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It might be just that. Here in Europe it is sold as "x-mas Java Moss.

Br
Magnus


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

The Java moss I've just recently gotten from Josh's Frogs, which I think is a Dennerle product, seems to grow both carpet-like and stringy, depending on its placement. 

Growing along the side of my corner pond where I have it on Epiweb, it is a deep green, and very short. It has strong light and a lot of moisture coming from its substrate.

On branches up high, it tends to stretch out most where the ambient humidity is typically greater than on its bare wood substrate. 

Light seems to play a role as well. It seems to get leggier under low or very diffuse lighting, like most plants do. However, even under high lighting, ambient humidity vs. substrate moisture seems to make a greater difference. At least, that's what I have observed in my tanks, and in a couple others I've seen. 

I'd also guess that gravitropism affects its growth habit significantly. It looks very different mounted vertically compared to being placed horizontally.


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## joe23reptiles (Aug 7, 2016)

Woodswalker said:


> I was hoping the owner might explain. It's awfully curious. This same person asked about Tumucumaque legality some time ago when they were offered a trio, and in spite of the responses given in their thread at that time, it would appear that legality and ethics apparently factored out of, or were not prioritized in their decision making process.


i can explain if u so wish (altough i dont think we should hi jack this thread). 

im from germany and here theyre honestly pretty common. i got a trio of them at the hamm show. there were at least 5 tables who had lots and lots of them. to clarify some things- the ones i own arent illegal in germany. ive all the papers needed and my wildlife organisation know i own them. here in germany only the wildcaught animals are considered illegal. these are captive bred animals and theyre grandfathered in. 

so its totally legal to own these (among many others which are illegal in the us) here in germany. 

and since these are totally normal tincs which bred like tincs theyre pretty common over here. 


again - i didnt bought illegal wildcaught animals in a secretive private blackmarket. i bought captive hatched legal tincs on on the biggest reptile show in the world with hundrets of regulators who check that nothing illegal sits on the tables. 


in the us this Situation would be different and i could understand some criticism- but here its legal and i dont feel anything different than buying an azureus (which iirc wasnt totally legal to begin with too) 



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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

joe23reptiles said:


> i can explain if u so wish (altough i dont think we should hi jack this thread).
> 
> im from germany and here theyre honestly pretty common. i got a trio of them at the hamm show. there were at least 5 tables who had lots and lots of them. to clarify some things- the ones i own arent illegal in germany. ive all the papers needed and my wildlife organisation know i own them. here in germany only the wildcaught animals are considered illegal. these are captive bred animals and theyre grandfathered in.
> 
> ...


Op sorry for the derail

Great reply and thanks for a non hostile response. I guess you could talk further about it in the illegal frogs thread below.

Here's the thing though. Cites wise they're illegal. If they decided to pursue it you would be in violation regardless of the countries grandfathered in view. The country of origin has to provide exportation papers which Brazil does not on a civilian level like this.

Heres a thread if you want deeper details
https://www.dendroboard.com/forum/science-conservation/327849-illegal-frogs.html

The old terribs, red galacts, etc have sketchy past like this, but that's been along time ago with extremely poor record keeping. These along with some of the newer ones are an open and shut case. 

Your country turns a blind eye to it, but make no mistake they're illegal animals. They originate from illegal stock and are therefore illegal themselves. They're nice animals and you seem to mean well...but it is what is


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## joe23reptiles (Aug 7, 2016)

S2G said:


> Op sorry for the derail
> 
> Great reply and thanks for a non hostile response. I guess you could talk further about it in the illegal frogs thread below.
> 
> ...


no problem. ive no issues talking about it since i dont feel ive broken the laws of my country. like i said- my countries wildlife authority knows i own them. i got 105, 106, and 107 from this years babies from this breeder. weve breeding books where ure able to tell where they are from. when i bought them i had to show my passport and then i got written in the book as the new keeper.

if brasil one day decides they want all tumucumaques back ill probably will get a visit from the authorities but since these arent worth that much i truly doubt it will ever happen.

its a 2 sided sword. on one hand its shitty they were originally (i think 2009) smuggled and on the other hand im glad theyre in captivity cuz u never know if brasil is going to destroy their habitat. 

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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

joe23reptiles said:


> no problem. ive no issues talking about it since i dont feel ive broken the laws of my country. like i said- my countries wildlife authority knows i own them. i got 105, 106, and 107 from this years babies from this breeder. weve breeding books where ure able to tell where they are from. when i bought them i had to show my passport and then i got written in the book as the new keeper.
> 
> if brasil one day decides they want all tumucumaques back ill probably will get a visit from the authorities but since these arent worth that much i truly doubt it will ever happen.
> 
> ...


I don't want to derail this thread further, but I kicked started a convo in the thread below. I don't want to run you down, but I want to learn more about how import laws work overseas myself.

Some people are a tad emotional on the subject so don't take it to heart.

https://www.dendroboard.com/forum/science-conservation/327849-illegal-frogs.html


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## Rob1987 (Aug 25, 2018)

No problems at all, probably got more attention due to the frogs than the moss anyway 


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