# collected forest moss question



## JGrizz

I recently collected some moss from the forest. I currently have it soaking in water for about 24 hours now. i am wondering how long i should soak it for to get rid of any possible bug eggs or other unwanted things? thanks in advance


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## Risky

I've never heard of soaking moss in water to get rid of unwanted eggs, bugs, bacteria, fungus, mold, etc.  However, I've been told the best way to sterilize moss/substrate/bark is to microwave it.  Never tried it myself but my friend who is huge into botany swears by it.


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## SamuraiSid

I've heard of people giving it a quick rinse with a 10% bleach/water solution, then a really good wash with straight water. A few problems arise with this option. Supposedly you can never 100% wash away the bleach residue. I read this on another forum from an individual who is very, very well respected there. However my research hasnt brought up that info (And I like to know for myself). Two issues arise with this statement:
1) This info was gathered on a frog forum. While I dont necessarily doubt its authenticity, Im left wondering if its of issue to inverts? Anecdotal evidence would suggest its a non-issue. Then again, this could be a potential culprit of DKS.
2) Vinegar is natures bleach and leaves no unatural residue. If left to air dry (will likely take a couple of weeks to truly dry out), it doesnt leave any unnatural residue, so why wouldnt people just switch over? Why would anyone, anywhere use bleach instead of vinegar? 

then again, I've also heard of people disregarding sterilization and having no problems. Do you want the moss to grow and thrive in your viv, or do you want it dead and aesthetic?


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## Louise E. Rothstein

Sterilizing moss may kill it.
If you want live moss you might consider quarantining your moss in order to give (say) hatchling bugs time to grow to visible size.
If any do turn up quarantine procedures will give you time to find out what they are before you put them with anything else.


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## Kazaam

I have a simply solution for you, collect moss spores instead of whole moss and grow some inside.


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## J Morningstar

Kazaam said:


> I have a simply solution for you, collect moss spores instead of whole moss and grow some inside.


Do tell....please.


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## Kazaam

J Morningstar said:


> Do tell....please.


Moss has spore cases, cut them off and break them open into some soil mixed with organic matter (leaves/bark etc)


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## Tarac

SamuraiSid said:


> I've heard of people giving it a quick rinse with a 10% bleach/water solution, then a really good wash with straight water. A few problems arise with this option. Supposedly you can never 100% wash away the bleach residue. I read this on another forum from an individual who is very, very well respected there. However my research hasnt brought up that info (And I like to know for myself). Two issues arise with this statement:
> 1) This info was gathered on a frog forum. While I dont necessarily doubt its authenticity, Im left wondering if its of issue to inverts? Anecdotal evidence would suggest its a non-issue. Then again, this could be a potential culprit of DKS.
> 2) Vinegar is natures bleach and leaves no unatural residue. If left to air dry (will likely take a couple of weeks to truly dry out), it doesnt leave any unnatural residue, so why wouldnt people just switch over? Why would anyone, anywhere use bleach instead of vinegar?
> 
> then again, I've also heard of people disregarding sterilization and having no problems. Do you want the moss to grow and thrive in your viv, or do you want it dead and aesthetic?


Bleach will dissipate in no time at all, that is not true.  It will be completely gone.  Bleach is a common method used for sterilizing all kinds of plants, including collected plants intended for aquariums.  

Vinegar will leave small crystals that will make the surrounding substrate and/or water acidic but that may also be negligible after a thorough rinse and likely won't depress the pH enough to effect what you are keeping.


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## goodoldneon

My main concern when adding moss or other items “harvested” outdoors is pesticides. Assuming the moss was collected from a fairly remote area, I wouldn’t do much more than keep it quarantined for two to four weeks in a paper towel lined Tupperware-like container. While it’s in quarantine, keep an eye out for any creepy crawlies – if they are present, rinse the moss thoroughly and put it back in quarantine. Continue as needed. Nematodes, bacteria and parasites are, obviously, microscopic, so, there is some amount of risk involved. With that said, I’ve used wild moss in several enclosures without any issues.


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