live moss?

[Sleepy_FF]

live moss?

ive been thinking........ can i put live scottish or irish moss inside the new cage im building hades? it will prolly help alot with the humidity inside his cage. just curious.....

can i put other live plants in there?

and... can i feed fishies to my corns and boas? lol. just.... curious.

[unluckyseventeen]

No you shouldn't feed fish. I don't think they have a high enough protien concentration, or something like that...

As far as live plants go, you can put them in there, but they are somewhat prone to harvesting bacteria, and chances are your Boa is going to smash them anyway. I think if you put fake plants in you'll get a much better effect.

I'm not too much into the know-how with moss, though. I know you can safely put sphagnum (?) moss in there, but other than that......?

[Sleepy_FF]

Originally Posted by unluckyseventeen

No you shouldn't feed fish. I don't think they have a high enough protien concentration, or something like that...
As far as live plants go, you can put them in there, but they are somewhat prone to harvesting bacteria, and chances are your Boa is going to smash them anyway. I think if you put fake plants in you'll get a much better effect.
I'm not too much into the know-how with moss, though. I know you can safely put sphagnum (?) moss in there, but other than that......?

well, i KNOW that irish or scottish moss thrive with slightly damp stuff, and im planning a drain on the shelf that i want to put the moss ON.... cos thats where the waterfal and the defogger are gonna be. but i wanna put some moss on half that shelf

[VenomMike]

Originally Posted by Sleepy_FF

live moss?
ive been thinking........ can i put live scottish or irish moss inside the new cage im building hades? it will prolly help alot with the humidity inside his cage. just curious.....
can i put other live plants in there?
and... can i feed fishies to my corns and boas? lol. just.... curious.

Yes, Yes, No.

1. I have tried to use live mosses before but mosses arn't bullet proof. Each moss species are very specific in their own humidity, soil ph and temperature. If you don't match the moss you are putting in the tank with the conditions inside the tank you are going to be over run with mold pretty soon. I don't know the specific conditions for scottish or irish moss (which is the common name for a seaweed around here) do you have a scientific ball park name?
Or any other common names?

2. Live plant look great in a reptile enclosure. Unfortunately you have just created more work. You will need full spectrum bulbs to keep the plants growing, plants pots are great for harbouring mites during an outbreak, and most nursery grown plants are dosed with pesticides during cultivation.

3. There are nutritional and parasite reasons not to feed fish to reptiles, but all that aside I doubt you could get a boa/corn to eat fish

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[unluckyseventeen]

3. There are nutritional and parasite reasons not to feed fish to reptiles

True for Boas, Pythons and various other snakes, untrue for all reptiles. Many turtles and snakes eat fish all the time. Though most of them carry parasites, usually the ones eating them have enough of a resistance to the parasites carried.

well, i KNOW that irish or scottish moss thrive with slightly damp stuff, and im planning a drain on the shelf that i want to put the moss ON.... cos thats where the waterfal and the defogger are gonna be.

First off, I'll tell you the waterfalls suck. They get insane amounts of calcium deposits in there, and I wouldn't reccomend anything drinking from that water. Plus they leave really annoying stains and wet spots all over from the water splashing. If used in a reptile tank, they'll be nothing more than an annoyance. I would save your money. I used to have one and I now use it to anchor the paper towels I have my bigger Boa on, as she has a case of scalerot. Of course the waterfall isn't running...

Also, a DE-fogger?

If you just mean a fogger, then your humidity is going to go through the roof with that thing. It's really only necessary for amphibians that are used to 90-100% humidity. For Boas and snakes, they will get RI in a hurry. I also wouldn't reccomend usage of a fogger. A DE-fogger, though.. don't think I've heard of that before?

	Respiratory Infection Respiratory Infection

[VenomMike]

Originally Posted by unluckyseventeen

Many turtles and snakes eat fish all the time. Though most of them carry parasites, usually the ones eating them have enough of a resistance to the parasites carried.

I disagree. Many reptiles eat fish in the wild but that doesn't mean its the best diet in captivity. I have personally seen an alligator fed entirly on farmed goldfish and minnows do MUCH MUCH better when it was switched over to rodents.

[unluckyseventeen]

I agree. It is much better to be on rodents, but some reptiles really do not have a choice in the wild, or are extremely stubborn in taking it in captivity (such as my garter). A lot of ribbons and garters have no idea what you're doing if you put a mouse/rat in front of them. It's tough as tough can get to switch some of them... some even die if you're being too strict, because, again they have no idea what they are supposed to do. Eventually I might try to trick him and put fish in the water, but then secretly hide a mouse in there and hope he catches it by accident. Hahahahaha...

It also depends on the kind of fish. Goldfish? You might as well be feeding them toilet paper. Minnows, on the other hand, are good. They aren't as balanced, but if you counter it with something else like worms or something, they are fine.

[Adrya]

I feed my watersnake fish every other feeding.... the fish I catch are from the river behind my house but I immediately put all the fish in a freezer bag and freeze them for awhile, so any parasites are gone. And they thaw out again nicely in warm water. But to keep them from freezer burning, after they are frozen I put them in a plastic jewelry storing box with all the compartments for organizing, and I put a few fish at a time in each one, fill with water, put the lid on.. and then soon you have fishy ice cubes. The fish I catch most of the time are a little bigger than can fit in the compartments, but when I cram them in there, it keeps them from floating to the top and exposing themselves to the air while they freeze in the water.