Growing wild moss for enclosures, what do you guys think?

[mantisman 230]

I collected three varieties of moss from near my home today, one is quite fern like, one is cushiony with very short leaflet things, and another is spikier with long hairlike projections. Was going to try and grow these to try and find a pleasant looking substrate that can use the mantid waste as nutrients. What do you guys think

 

[Vlodek]

 

[mantisman 230]

wow incredible

 

[Davedood]

Very cool!

 

[mantisman 230]

well, was told I cant grow moss inside

 

[EJ-the-Hyena]

WOW that is CRAZY but i bet it makes cleaning next to impossible, or does the moss act as a "cleaner"?

also does it help keep humidity up do you think?

 

[JonRich]

You have to be careful with locally collected moss. They might have harmful pests, like wolf spiders and centipedes. If it's temperate moss, it requires a "die-off" period. I assume this is to replicate the state of the moss during the winter months. A tropical moss would be better suited. A few companies sell a moss mix/slurry. I usually contains a few different types of tropical mosses , along with fern and epiphyte spores.

http://www.neherpetoculture.com/moss

http://folius.com/ used to carry a mix. I couldn't find it on the site though.

I also make my own. Gather up different mosses and blend it up and apply. Keep humid and lit and it will grow. Make sure the mantid you'll be keeping in a moss enclosure and tolerate a high humidity levels.

~Jon

 

[mantisman 230]

cheers mate, ended up scrapping the idea

 

[Vespertino]

If I were a mantis, that's terrarium I'd want to live in. So comforting, lush, and green.

 

[Jay]

If I were a mantis, that's terrarium I'd want to live in. So comforting, lush, and green.

Agreed! However - it might be a bit of a pain for the owner to take care of... :mellow:

 

[Vespertino]

Would springtails and pill bugs help keep the tank clean with this sort of set-up?

 

[mrskatix]

I have been debating making the moss tank but I just keep thinking it would be like 100% humidity in there. I'm curious if there is even a mantis that would thrive in that kind of environment? (I've heard orchids like that kinda wetness but I'm so not comfortable with mantids enough to try to tackle something that "exotic" (expensive) of a species)

 

[Sticky]

I put wild local moss in a couple of my tanks. One I keep pillbugs in, another I keep millipedes in. The pillbugs eat the moss over time. I watched the moss in one tank disappear over the winter, the other tank is newly set up so I dont know yet if the millis eat the moss or not.

 

[Alikaren]

Everyone is so apprehensive about making planted vivariums because of maintenance, but really, it's super easy and amazingly fun to do! Add in springtails and isopods, and these insects will sustain themselves in your vivarium easily by leftovers, fungi, and mold naturally occurring in there. You also have to mist it every day or so depending on if you use a glass top and what your plants are, and empty out the excess water in the vivarium with a siphon or turkey baster every month or so. It's less than a minute of extra maintenance a day, and you can enjoy seeing some beautiful isopods (like Spanish Orange Isos!)

In fact, the hardest part about making a planted vivarium is making the hardscape and background, which you don't really need anyways. You'll probably need to take some extra care to make good molting spots, though.

I made a planted vivarium which I hope to house a mantid in soon. I hope I can post it shortly.

EDIT: Oh, and Sticky, if you put some crushed up leaf litter (and mantis food leftovers if you want to supplement) in those tanks, the Isopods will stop eating your moss.