floor moss? help!

[Toby Bell]

i just bought a heat lamp for my 2 retfs for how long and when do i turn it on?
also, where do you get the moss that usually is on the ground of the terrariums? idk what it is called. help please thank you

[DonLisk]

Hi Toby,

You would need to determine when you would need to use of a heat lamp. Your tank should be about 68 to 70 degrees at night and 75 to 78 in the day time. I haven't needed on for my frogs except some cold winter nights here in New Hampshire since my room is usually never lower than 68 degrees and the use of compact florescent bulbs in the day adds plenty of heat to keep the tanks temps right.

You also need to keep a daytime humidity of about 60 percent and the use of a heat lamp will burn off humidity requiring more misting to keep that 60 percent humidity.
Using daytime bulbs can usually add enough warmth to a tank to sustain temps without a heat lamp.
If your going with moss then a 6500K color temp lamp, usually called daylight, would be needed to have the moss not die off.
Walmart carries a 6500K compact florescent 24 watt bulb under the Reveal brand and works nicely for keeping plants happy. Cost is about 5 bucks per bulb.

What are your tanks daytime temps with the lights on?
night time temps?
Daytime humidity?
and Night time humidity?

What is the normal air temperature of the room they are kept in for day and nights?

Also, the moss your thinking of can be obtained at most florist shops or nurseries and is called sheet moss or Christmas tree moss.
It must be cleaned/rinsed well prior to putting into a tank to ensure there are no fertilizers placed in with your frogs.


Posting pics of your tank, and providing the info from the questions above will help in suggesting a solution to your heating needs.

[Toby Bell]

well here in florida our weather is very very unpredictable. it isnt very cold here exept for a couple days it got really cold here which is the reason for buying the heat lamp. but the tank stays around 72-75 degrees all day. i have a fogger that is timed to it has a good amound of humidity, im currently working on a new enclosure that is bigger. i will have pics up tonight thanks for the help though. i really appreciate it