# Does Spanish moss work in vivs?



## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Does this Tillandsia work well in vivs? Any sources for live ones?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I wouldn't try it. This stuff needs A LOT of air movement. I've tried it in the past. It usually turns to a brown mess within a week to 10 days. If you've got the airflow for it yet can maintain the proper humidity for the frogs, then go for it, otherwise, don't waste your time.


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## dmatychuk (Apr 20, 2005)

it didnt work for me, just made a mess.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Grows very well in the one set up I have it in, but as stated before needs a decent amount of ventilation/vertical space/bright light and must dry out within a couple few hours after watering.

Richard @ BJ will send you a whole pound or so for I think only a buck or two.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2006)

*Need your thoughts*

I have a standard 20 that I used for my first vivarium. Background is coco fiber panel with some foam additions. Panel was a little short horizontally so I have about a 1" gap on either side. On one side I ran a siphon tube and then filled both gaps with spanish moss. As a previous post mentioned, it's now turning into a slimy mess and I need to replace it to keep two azureus from becoming wedged in. Since the viv is inhabited I don't want to use foam or anything else with chemical residue. Any recommendations?


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

*Re: Need your thoughts*

Live sphagnum, tropical sheet? To many choices what do you want?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

If you review the ADG newsletters, you can find reports of deaths of dart frogs from getting tangled in the spanish moss and from ingesting it and having it cut through the intestional track. 

Ed


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Ed said:


> If you review the ADG newsletters, you can find reports of deaths of dart frogs from getting tangled in the spanish moss and from ingesting it and having it cut through the intestional track.
> 
> Ed


Wouldn't suprize me if they were using a cured, tangled, compacted sample with small bits and peices.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Nope,

Live whole plants...

Ed


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Ed said:


> Nope,
> 
> Live whole plants...
> 
> Ed


How could they possibly ingest a whole living strand?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It didn't ingest the whole strand, just about two to 3 inches of it, that was more than sufficient to cause problems. In addition, there was at least one case where about three to 4 inches of a dead tip was ingested with part of it hanging out of the frog's mouth while the tip was being passed as a fecal. The resulting pressure lacerated the inside of the frog. 

Ed


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Wow thanks for posting those stories Ed! 

On a possibly related note...are their any plants that hobbyists might grow to replace the need to buy say osmunda fiber, tree-fern bark, etc.?(as in...plants that they could grow for "rough" material or substrate).


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

I don't see this as related. But. Whatever. What reason do you have to look elsewhere?
There are many other possibilities but most are *prepared* by hand.
What is it you are looking for?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Tree-fern panels - popular for mounting orchids and broms and what not, is not currently harvested as a sustainable resource. There is a synthetic version developed in Europe that lasted I talked to the retailer, was being into by a couple US retailers... but I've not seen it this side of the pond for whatever reason.

You might just be able to use various coconut fibers to replace this depending on how you are looking to use it?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

That European synthetic stuff is expensive! Very expensive.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Stchupa: Not really except that Spanish moss is used as a topping in some peoples plant pots...but it just popped into my mind and had to be thrown out there! 

Kerokero: Not a concrete idea here but if people can grow sphagnum moss(quite slowly...) and I know some treeferns work as garden plants then perhaps hobbyists can find some fast growing plant they could grow and use in a similar manner to commercial products made from peat/osmundafiber/treefern etc(be great if sphagnum or treeferns grew faster). And for those paranoid about parasites etc. you'd know were your stuff came from.


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