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ckinney58

new to terrariums having problems with my plants

ckinney58
19 years ago

As the title says I am fairly new to terrariums and just build mine this fall and finally got my plants in at the end of October. I put a false bottom in, with some LECA over that then a half inch layer of Sphagmic moss which I then covered with living moss. It started out nice and green but is now turning brown everywhere except for the extremely shady parts. Am I killing them with light, they have plenty of water, in fact the moss is usually soaked. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is wrong and how I can get it green again.

Also I found a mushroom growing in my tank. I have no idea where it came from. Can Sphagmic moss carry mushroom spores that can start to grow. Also there is little white hair type stuff around it. Are these bad for terrariums and poison dart frogs. I don't have any frogs yet but I want to get some.

Please help. Thank you for listening.

Comments (6)

  • sahoyaref
    19 years ago

    Did you collect the live moss from the wild? If so, then that's your problem. I have seen this happen to wild moss if it's not staying constantly moist (though you say yours is), from too much light (though it tends to go white then), and if the humidity is too low. do you know your humidity? The mushroom probably came from the wild moss, and is not a problem, unless you think it's ugly. The little white hairs are probably the beginnings of mold, which I wouldn't worry about unless it starts to cover large areas of your terrarium in a thick mat. How large is your terrarium, BTW? The moss will probably never come back to life again, so I would just remove it. The sphagnum moss, however, may actually have viable spores in it, and it may begin to grow after a few months, which would be great. Otherwise, just use a groundcover like Selaginella kraussiana or some kind of tropical sheet moss. The moss you got is temperate moss, and apparently objected to the warmth/light/whatever in your terrarium. Can we see pics? What other plants do you have?

  • paul_
    19 years ago

    ckinney definitely a bit more info would be helpful.

    What are you using as your light source?

    "the moss is usually soaked" -- if it is wild moss, then there is also the possibility that it is staying too wet. Some mosses like to be kept moist but not sopping wet.

    What are the temps in your terr?

  • nathanhurst
    19 years ago

    Most mosses are fairly hard to transplant. They really need to be in the same conditions as they were in in the wild. A better strategy is to collect a few moss spore capsules and put them in your terrarium. If you have conditions right the moss will quickly grow.

    Most mosses require a cycle of drying and wetting.

    If the moss is browned off everywhere but the shady spots then I think that would imply that there is too much light...

    Brown moss can come back to life (really new moss grows on the old moss) but obviously it won't unless conditions are right. This is because moss invariably is covered in its own spores.

  • viv_guy
    19 years ago

    mushrooms are fine. if you understand how they grow you'll be better at not worrying about them. short lifers.

    also, your false bottom set up is a bit old. if you have a drainage material IE the egg crate and pvc platforms, then you don't need leca. cover the egg crate with fiberglass window screen. be sure your egg crate isn't sitting too close to the water below.

    also, there are so many types of moss. some moss needs to die back others just grow like crazy. I've got tanks that have moss growing over the wood and rock (hardscape).
    you also need strong light, CF lights are great! the succes you have with moss is mostly in where you got it. some folks sell moss but it's from the northern US so it dies.
    also some moss has to spore out, by way of air flow or it won't breed new.
    the function of moss is to create soil. lichens grow on rocks, then moss, then a seed falls, a tree grows and so on.
    what type of water are you using? RO and distilled are best in terrariums : naturalistic vivariums especially with moss.
    out side, sure, we all use a garden hose, and still see moss but the light burns of chorine and such. inside, it's all differnt.

    also, you have moss sitting on moss. why? most doesn't grow like that. you should have a low Ph soil mix and since you want moss, add a little limestone to the soil, buy the right type of moss (moss from rocks won't grow on the ground, moss from trees won't grow on rocks. etc.)or species, and one that comes from the location that you're building the terrarium for. hair cap would be good.

    so, you need lot's of light, lower pH Soil, the right kind of moss, distilled water...and email me and i'll tell you how to transplant it...bonsia secrets you know...

    also, if you go to google.com and type in "Naturalistic Vivarium Plants" i'm sure the first site you see might have
    more specific instructions and types of moss to suit your needs.

  • viv_guy
    19 years ago

    that is a myth, that you can't take wild moss...!

    oh my gosh!

    i've taken wild moss is it was called and placed in tanks over five years ago. you can't even see the rock work i put in there now for all the moss!

    here is a list to get moss...cough cough...Wild moss to grow.

    1. moss that is alive all year in a partially sunny and damp area. look along buildings on the dirt or depending on where you live, a forest or back yard. rule to follow is that if you take it from a rock, place it on a rock, if its from the ground, place it on dirt.
    2. you need strong light, compact flouresents (sp) are good
    but you can also use 8.0 tube lights from Exo-Terra
    3. You need a low ph. acid soil - add peat moss to your dirt.
    4. use ONLY RO or DISTILLED water.
    5. soak moss, press it firmly in place.
    6. use already mossy hardscape; rocks and wood.
    7. gather moss the and take if possible, some of the dirt with it.
    8. watch the amount of calcium powder, if you have herps in the tank, that hits the moss.

    ask more people at many different forums the same quesitons. also, go to google.com and type in Naturalistic Vivariums and check out a few sites. a good vivarist should know how to make moss work for you.

    where do you live? there are so many different types of moss, different species, that depending on your local flora; plants and trees, and climate - you should find a good local moss that works.

  • ckinney58
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I apologize for the delayed response and I would like to say thank you to everyone who posted.

    I did get some moss and a piece of wood from outside and the mushrooms were coming from the wood. Most of the moss I have was from the Black Jungle. It came to me nice and green but has turned brown in all but a few tiny spots.

    My terrarium is built in a regular 20 gallon fish tank. I think it is 20" high and 16" wide but I am not sure how long it is.

    The light I have is a Hagen Day Glo Desert and Tropical Terrarium Lamp 60 watt I used to have a Hagen Night Glo Terrarium Moonlight Lamp 75 watt as well but they keep burning out after a few days. I bought some cheap humidity and temperature monitors but they don't seem to work anymore so I can't effectively tell how either of these measure out. Are these lights very good to have in a terrarium with plant and hopefully frogs in it? Also, I would like to get a decent humidity and temperature monitor does anyone have any recommendations.

    One of the postings said that I didn't need LECA in a false bottom tank, what should I use? Can someone point me to some good referances regarding PH levels and stuff of that nature I don't know anything about PH levels and things of that nature.

    Well, thanks for your time. Any help is greatly apperciated.

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