# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  New Zealand sphagnum moss.

## bemont

hi guys,do u guys know where to buy sphagnum moss in singapore?? anywhere near yishun ! XD

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## Urban Aquaria

You could check at the plant nurseries and gardening centers at Sembawang area, there are a lot of them at Bah Soon Pah Road... here is one of the plant nurseries website: http://www.huahng.com.sg

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## RonWill

Get those NZ sphagnum in compressed blocks. Less hydrophobic.

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## fstyle28

Just bought a pack from Kovan nurseries.

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## Donut the Donkey

As mentioned from the helpful bros above, plant nurseries do have them. I got mine from Eco City Hydroponics. Link below.

http://www.ecocityhydroponics.com/sp...oss-dried.html

On a side note, anybody know where to get LIVE sphagnum moss?

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## MCE

There are various type of live mosses for viewing at Garden by the Bay...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Urban Aquaria

> On a side note, anybody know where to get LIVE sphagnum moss?


Not sure if it works for everyone... but i grew live spaghum moss from dried ones (if i remember correctly, it should be the new zealand brand ones from far east flora). 

What i did was just soak a layer of dried ones in a shallow tray of water and put it next to a window that gets indirect sunlight, a few weeks later fresh green ones grew from there. I think ample access to water is the key.

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## Donut the Donkey

> Not sure if it works for everyone... but i grew live spaghum moss from dried ones (if i remember correctly, it should be the new zealand brand ones from far east flora). 
> 
> What i did was just soak a layer of dried ones in a shallow tray of water and put it next to a window that gets indirect sunlight, a few weeks later fresh green ones grew from there. I think ample access to water is the key.



Thanks UA! I think I've read somewhere before, that New Zealand sphagnum moss specifically, have been documented to revive from their dried packaged state. Couldn't remember where (might be from an orchid forum), but I remember 'from New Zealand'.

The previous one I got from Eco City, on one part of the packaging it states in English, 'Chile Sphagnum Moss', although everything else is in Chinese. I'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt it seems. It's been 2 months after I soaked them and put them in a mini Paludarium I got going, nothing seems to be happening. I've since torn the whole scape down to do a rescape. It's inconclusive to say whether it'll revive, although your 'New Zealand' ones seem to have revived a few weeks in.

Eco City's website look to have been revamped and the new sphagnum moss they are advertising now isn't the same as the ones I got from them previously. This one says 'From Japan/Taiwan/Mexico'. I'll probably get the ones from Far East Flora as mentioned by UA!

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## Urban Aquaria

I think sunlight seems to help in reviving living sphagnum moss... i've kept dried sphagnum moss in a damp high humidity vivarium with aquarium lights for months before and they never revived, even though the other living plants were growing well. 

The sphagnum moss only started to grow when i put them in an area with sunlight and partially soaked in water, maybe the combination of water and much higher intensity light from sunlight is needed.

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## onnonn

I read somewhere saying it depends on how the live Sphagnum moss been processed into dried one. So some will be completely 'dead', but some will still have their spores waiting for the right time to grow.

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## triggerfish

Hi, are you looking for this? 

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Labora...=moss+sphagnum

I do, I may have some left as ordered quite a bit from Amazon the last time. Do PM me for more details.

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## triggerfish

I may be wrong but I have seen and bought this from World Farm near Khatib Camp (Home of Gunners) too, think each pack was going at $5-7 the last time.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Sp...=moss+sphagnum

(please do note that the attached link is only for the graphics reference, disregard the quantity and price etc)

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## Francis247

I am thinking of growing some sphagnum moss for my VFT.
Any advice where to get Live one?
Possible to grow Live sphagnum moss from dried ones?
Won't the drying process kill the spores?
Just wondering...

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## triggerfish

Are you referring to this about coming "alive"?

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/sheet-moss-1-gallon.html

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## Donut the Donkey

> What i did was just soak a layer of dried ones in a shallow tray of water and put it next to a window that gets indirect sunlight, a few weeks later fresh green ones grew from there. I think ample access to water is the key.


Just a question I forgot to ask previously bro UA, when you mentioned you soaked the moss with water;

a) did you mean you soaked them in warm water prior to transferring them into a tray with cold regular tap water? 

b) did you soak them in warm water and let it just cool down naturally in the tray?

c) or did you simply just took them out from the packaging, put them on the tray and soaked them with cold tap water?

I soaked mine with boiling water (should've just been luke warm water) off the kettle in my first attempt months ago, maybe that killed off the sphagnum moss (although I know I have yet to try giving them natural sunlight)? I tried soaking them in regular tap water thereafter in another experiment and found out that they don't spread out as nicely as when soaked in warm water. Sorry for asking silly technical questions, UA!  :Razz:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Just a question I forgot to ask previously bro UA, when you mentioned you soaked the moss with water;
> 
> a) did you mean you soaked them in warm water prior to transferring them into a tray with cold regular tap water? 
> 
> b) did you soak them in warm water and let it just cool down naturally in the tray?
> 
> c) or did you simply just took them out from the packaging, put them on the tray and soaked them with cold tap water?
> 
> I soaked mine with boiling water (should've just been luke warm water) off the kettle in my first attempt months ago, maybe that killed off the sphagnum moss (although I know I have yet to try giving them natural sunlight)? I tried soaking them in regular tap water thereafter in another experiment and found out that they don't spread out as nicely as when soaked in warm water. Sorry for asking silly technical questions, UA!


In my case, i simply used de-chlorinated tap water... normal room temperature out of the tap (its usually around 28-29°C), then just spread out the moss on a tray. The fresh new green growth that pops up basically uses the rest of the dead moss as a substrate to grow on.

Its probably not a good idea to soak them in boiling water, that's almost like cooking them. Just use room temperature water will do.

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## Donut the Donkey

> In my case, i simply used de-chlorinated tap water... normal room temperature out of the tap (its usually around 28-29°C), then just spread out the moss on a tray. The fresh new green growth that pops up basically uses the rest of the dead moss as a substrate to grow on.
> 
> Its probably not a good idea to soak them in boiling water, that's almost like cooking them. Just use room temperature water will do.


BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for the prompt and useful advice again UA! Will do that. Thank you!

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## onnonn

Here is a link to how to revive Sphagnum moss 
http://www.thefernandmossery.com/200...-moss.html?m=1 
Need to look for the crown  :Smile:

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## Il Pirata

Anyone uses these for aquarium filtration to lower ph?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Anyone uses these for aquarium filtration to lower ph?


Yeah, you can add sphagnum moss (the natural type without fungicides) into aquariums and filters, they will break down over time and release tannins, soften the water and lower the pH... similar in effect to using ketapang leaves or peat.

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## Il Pirata

Thanks! Is there any guideline on how much to use and how often to change out?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks! Is there any guideline on how much to use and how often to change out?


You'll just have to test and see, its all about trial and error.

Usually people will boil the sphagnum moss first (to kill off any hitchhiking critters or fungus), then put it in a mesh bag and place in the tank or filter. If its too much and the water becomes too brown or pH drops too low, then reduce the amount. If its too little, then just add more.

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## Il Pirata

Thanks for the advice !

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