# Moss for terrarium?



## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Looking for those botany experts.  I found this amazing looking piece and wanna use it in a terrarium. It's driftwood bonsai. From my understanding they use them in aquascaping by attaching moss to the branches to make a "tree". What would be a good moss to use tho for a terrarium? Thank you

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## Poonjab (Apr 27, 2020)

Sphagnum moss. There is a potential problem with this though. If this is being put in an enclosure with a terrestrial species, it will create too much height, increasing fall risks.

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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Poonjab said:


> Sphagnum moss. There is a potential problem with this though. If this is being put in an enclosure with a terrestrial species, it will create too much height, increasing fall risks.


This piece is only about 12 inches tall and the base would be buried in substrate so really only about 8 inches of height. At the top and 2 at the lowest.


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## Poonjab (Apr 27, 2020)

Even with that height I caution you with that piece of wood. The only reason I say that is due to the snagging points that piece has. I just saw this same thing happen on another site where a guys a.chalcodes took no more than an 7-8 inch fall and tore it’s abdomen open on a sharp stick in the enclosure. There was no coming back from that injury.

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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Thank you, I really appreciate the information definitely not trying to hurt my T in any way just trying to create a beautiful (yet safe) terrarium for my L. Parahybana. I really had high Hope's for that piece or something Similar.


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## Poonjab (Apr 27, 2020)

Davidln1 said:


> Thank you, I really appreciate the information definitely not trying to hurt my T in any way just trying to create a beautiful (yet safe) terrarium for my L. Parahybana. I really had high Hope's for that piece or something Similar.


 sorry man, wasn’t trying to rain on your parade. I saw those snag points and the first thing that popped into my head was that guys T i saw a few days ago.


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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

No your fine, I appreciate you being honest with me. Would something like  this work better an arboreal set up or would the risk still be the same?


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## Poonjab (Apr 27, 2020)

I feel like it would work better with an arboreal species as they Tend to be a lot more agile when it comes to climbing. If your plan was to cover those ends in moss, then obviously it would greatly reduce any catch points. I know there are people here who get pretty elaborate and make some super nice looking enclosures, so I’m sure if they see this thread they’ll probably give you some good tips.


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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Yeah my intentions were to cover the branch's greatly with moss. Thanks again for the helpful information.


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## richard22 (Apr 27, 2020)

Could preserved moss be toxic to inverts like pillbugs? Maybe not toxic but undigestible? Since it doesn't decompose. I use an old preserved moss, sphagnum moss, and wild moss and it seems my isopods (specifically pillbugs) die more often when I use the old moss. It might be something else killing my pillbugs I don't know.


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## Dorifto (Apr 27, 2020)

You can yo awesone setups only with plants and some driftwood. 

The moss is a little bit "difficult" for some people, you need to stay watering everyday to maintain it humid. Also the temperature has a big role in the growing process.

This is my Geniculata setup, if you want to take some ideas. 






The plants are, fern, some bromeliads, java moss over xaxim, and chamaedorea elegans.

I sourced the driftwood in a local beach after a storm, and the plants in a local garden shop. The background is optional hahahaha xD

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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Dorifto said:


> You can yo awesone setups only with plants and some driftwood.
> 
> The moss is a little bit "difficult" for some people, you need to stay watering everyday to maintain it humid. Also the temperature has a big role in the growing process.
> 
> ...


That looks amazing, I absolutely love the fern!

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## Dorifto (Apr 27, 2020)

Davidln1 said:


> That looks amazing, I absolutely love the fern!


Thank you!!! 

You have the tutorial in here. I believe that in some post I wrote all the name of the plants.


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## Dorifto (Apr 27, 2020)

Also you can find some 3d foam backgrounds, but it's a lot cheaper to do it  yourself


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## Davidln1 (Apr 27, 2020)

Dorifto said:


> Also you can find some 3d foam backgrounds, but it's a lot cheaper to do one  yourself


Yeah I plan to do mine myself, another thought I've had is building a trickling waterfall within the terrarium on the side furthest from the hide. I'm quite a ways off from my build as my L.P. is only a 1/2" sling but I like to research so I'm not scrambling for information.


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## Dorifto (Apr 28, 2020)

By now use small enclosures, as simple as possible to keep. In a year or two you'll have a decent sized Lasidora to start with your proyect


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## Davidln1 (Apr 28, 2020)

Dorifto said:


> By now use small enclosures, as simple as possible to keep. In a year or two you'll have a decent sized Lasidora to start with your proyect


Yep that's the plan, I have a 36×18×18 exo terra enclosure which I will be repurposing when the time comes. I also just purchased a 12×12 exo terra and the Bio Dude bio active kit for LP for the juvenile/sub adult stage. Right now it's just in a small sling vial.


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## Dorifto (Apr 28, 2020)

Be carefull with the top wesh, it's very recommendable to replace it with a perforated acrylic sheet.

I found my pulchra hanging twice from one leg...


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## schmiggle (Apr 30, 2020)

I know this is a bit late and maybe redundant, but just in case--a lot of mosses have relatively high light requirements, and you will need external lighting. Obviously @Dorifto has this covered, since his plants look great and you can see the artificial lighting, but in case you don't follow it, @Davidln1 you'll need artificial lighting anyway. Just something often forgotten with moss.

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## Rhino1 (May 1, 2020)

Just for the heads up regarding that driftwood piece, it's going to be almost impossible to get enough moisture to those tips and the amount of airflow around where you want the moss is going to be very drying and difficult to maintain, the amount of moisture needed in a terrarium to maintain that, won't suit a T long-term.

BUT, Im not all doom and gloom, so to get this to work here's a suggestion.
Instead of moss, go for a small leaved vine and plant half a dozen at the base, train them around the driftwood and let the leaves grow at the tips and trim off leaves where you don't want them- Ficus pumila would be a great choice.
Good luck

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## Davidln1 (May 1, 2020)

Rhino1 said:


> Just for the heads up regarding that driftwood piece, it's going to be almost impossible to get enough moisture to those tips and the amount of airflow around where you want the moss is going to be very drying and difficult to maintain, the amount of moisture needed in a terrarium to maintain that, won't suit a T long-term.
> 
> BUT, Im not all doom and gloom, so to get this to work here's a suggestion.
> Instead of moss, go for a small leaved vine and plant half a dozen at the base, train them around the driftwood and let the leaves grow at the tips and trim off leaves where you don't want them- Ficus pumila would be a great choice.
> Good luck


Thank you for the great information!!!

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## Dorifto (May 1, 2020)

As Rhino1 says the moss would need a lot of whater, since the airflow will dry it very quickly.

If your are going to use it in the background there is not so much problem, since xaxim and other subs keeps that humidity levels, even with the air flowing.

I like the solution that Rhino1 gaves you, the ficus pumila looks awesome in woods. I don't have one because when I made the enclosure they weren't available my local garden shop.
Hedera Helix could be another option, but grows fast, so you'll need to trim some parts more often.

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## Rhino1 (May 3, 2020)

@Davidln1 hey man, I was just thinking if you Google search "driftwood bonsai", you will find all the information needed to do this, but use long vines suitable for Terraria and wrap them around the trunk, strip all the leaves off except for the branch tips.
It should be awesome.

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