# Collecting moss



## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

So i went for a walk to my local lakes today, and found some great looking moss down there that would look fantastic in spider tanks. Does anyone else get moss from forest/woody areas? Reckon its safe? I cant imagine there has been many, if any, chemicals used down there, is a protected site, SSSI and all that stuff.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

If it's an SSSI then I doubt you would be allowed to take anything from there.

Bit of a strange thread to me.


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Its not SSSI for its abundance of moss's, its SSSI for geological reasons, plus the breeding bitterns that frequent it.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

its probly as illegal as collecting rocks from the beach then, if its a sssi you could be in the deep brown stuff.


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Thats not how SSSI works though.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

A variety of statutory designations are used for sites of high nature conservation interest, including National Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Britain and Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) in Northern Ireland. Owners and occupiers may be prosecuted if they destroy plants growing in these sites or remove plant material, unless they have first consulted the statutory conservation agencies (English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage or the Environment and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland). It is illegal to pick, uproot or remove plants if by-laws are in operation which forbid these activities, for example on Nature Reserves, Ministry of Defence property or National Trust land.


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

snowgoose said:


> A variety of statutory designations are used for sites of high nature conservation interest, including National Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Britain and Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) in Northern Ireland. Owners and occupiers may be prosecuted if they destroy plants growing in these sites or remove plant material, unless they have first consulted the statutory conservation agencies (English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage or the Environment and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland). It is illegal to pick, uproot or remove plants if by-laws are in operation which forbid these activities, for example on Nature Reserves, Ministry of Defence property or National Trust land.


And as i hinted at, this site has nothing to do with its fauna, there is no protection of the plants there!

And besides, this isnt a thread about whether it is legal or illegal to remove moss from this particular SSSI, but whether moss collected from a wood/forest/lake/garden etc is safe to use.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

For information areas that are not SSSI's moss's can be collected and used succesfully in any inclosures, just wash and put them in. Of course you have to make sure no pestercides and or chamicals have been used first. 

jay


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

well in that case I would say it's fine ( in terms of safe )


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Cool beans, my thoughts to


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Just to make a point: mosses often hyperaccumulate environmental pollutants from the air and from rain.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

If you want some moss, go around town and collect pincushion mosses - these are hyper abundandant at least, and they sometimes "sprout" away in time provided they are kept very humid. Birds routinely rip these from rooftops anyway.

Taking moss that grows in temperate forest and putting it into a warm tarantula tank has one outcome - mass mortality (of the moss).


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## dazzer2 (Mar 31, 2010)

*the long arm of the law !!!!*

sod getting arrested or upsetting you lot 
im glad i get my spagnum moss from tesco £3 a bag ha ha 
dazzer:2thumb:


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

dazzer2 said:


> sod getting arrested or upsetting you lot
> im glad i get my spagnum moss from tesco £3 a bag ha ha
> dazzer:2thumb:


 £3 a bag in tesco?! You must have one amazing shop, your lucky to find bread in mine most days lol

Also, exo terra moss, might not be cheap cheap but those dried blocks go pretty far and all my critters seem to love it. Plus no keeping it alive when you have spare


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

All the moss ive ever seen for sale just doesnt look as good as the moss i can collect though.


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

DannyB said:


> All the moss ive ever seen for sale just doesnt look as good as the moss i can collect though.


 Do you mean the moss sold live or the compacted stuff? I must admit my local shops just sell sphagnum which I've never though much of, it doesn't look so good and costs a lot, and the dried stuff sometimes. The compacted exo terra stuff is a different type of moss and actually looks really nice in my tanks, it is expanded like coir and fluffs right out to give a natural more foresty look. I have seen sheet moss (those big flat clumps that is a bit like a living carpet) sold sometimes but have not tried it myself so can't comment.

My worry with moss collected from the wilds is pollutants and any little critters, even if you wash it there is always the chance something nasty might stay.


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

I just buy my moss, it's so much easier. :lol2:


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

vivalabam said:


> I just buy my moss, it's so much easier. :lol2:


Yup, why spend ages gathering and cleaning moss when someone else does it for you :lol2:


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

MustLoveSnails said:


> Yup, why spend ages gathering and cleaning moss when someone else does it for you :lol2:


Because it looks so much better 

I have unlimited access to a lovely pinky / red sphagnum moss


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Yeah sphagnum moss, is a little dull in comparison to what i found yesterday, just want something that looks good and more plant like then shredded, like sphagnum does. Just something a bit different.


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

snowgoose said:


> Because it looks so much better
> 
> I have unlimited access to a lovely pinky / red sphagnum moss


Exactly!


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

You might be able to order some really cool mosses and spores from some dartfrog, terrarium and orchid shops. The prices are scaaary though :gasp:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

snowgoose said:


> Because it looks so much better
> 
> I have unlimited access to a lovely pinky / red sphagnum moss





> *Sphagnum mosses*
> 
> There are a great many rare sphagnum mosses which can be very difficult to identify, particularly as sphagnum tends to grow in communities of several species mixed up together. To minimise the risk of harvesting rare species and destroying habitats, sphagnum mosses should only be collected from conifer plantations that are soon to be felled.
> 
> ...


ForestHarvest - sustainable harvesting guidelines - The Scottish Moss Collection Code for commercial harvesters

I never collect sphagnum moss, as it's a sensitive environment. I just spend the £5 or so and get Kyoto moss spores and let them do the rest, and you get natural moss spores in soil and such.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

Sorry, what are you trying to tell me?


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## Kamike (Aug 3, 2009)

snowgoose said:


> Sorry, what are you trying to tell me?


 
I think it translates to "save the planet, buy moss spores instead of ripping up your own" Moss is a very good environmental indicator


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

I never said anything about getting my own. I was just saying I could get it and that it looks great.


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

if it's any of the mosses on this page then it's protected, no matter whether it's a site of SSSI or not

Naturenet: Schedule 8


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

I always collected my moses either from my roof or from rotten wood in the woods it looks a,million times better then magnum and the bagged stuff also bays good for java moss spores take ages so aren't realy worthwhile it never did my dart frogs anyharm a lot of other dart frog keepers do this only ehats with all the spill about protected moss its moss who cares? Seriously


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Also Bonsai centers, realy sell sheets of realy nice moss for a couple of quid for about a square foot well my local one does anyways


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

Moss is part of ecosystems just like everything else, you take one part of a food chain and it can seriously damage the rest of it.....


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

As far as I'm concerned a plants a plant simples


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

jaykickboxer said:


> As far as I'm concerned a plants a plant simples


I'm the same. :blush:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

snowgoose said:


> Sorry, what are you trying to tell me?


You said you had unlimited access to pink sphagnum, and it seemed like you were implying you collected it. 

Jay: I don't even know where to start correcting the stuff you post, it's unbelievable.


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

GRB said:


> You said you had unlimited access to pink sphagnum, and it seemed like you were implying you collected it.
> 
> Jay: I don't even know where to start correcting the stuff you post, it's unbelievable.


There's nothing to correct I couldn't care less I'd collect it simplez


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

jaykickboxer said:


> As far as I'm concerned a plants a plant simples


A plants a plant, and the foundation of life on this planet, if they all died so would everything else, even meerkats.... :whistling2:


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

MustLoveSnails said:


> A plants a plant, and the foundation of life on this planet, if they all died so would everything else, even meerkats.... :whistling2:


The no from the,one bit is collect and I can't be bothetd to hear the one person then another then another argument its boring where does ur cork bark come from? Or even substrate blocks


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

MustLoveSnails said:


> A plants a plant, and the foundation of life on this planet, if they all died so would everything else, even meerkats.... :whistling2:


Not from the,one bit i collected and I can't be bothetd to hear the one person then another then another argument its boring where does ur cork bark come from? Or even substrate blocks


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## 34531 (May 27, 2009)

Oh me oh my... 

:roll::roll:



:blowup:


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

jaykickboxer said:


> Not from the,one bit i collected and I can't be bothetd to hear the one person then another then another argument its boring where does ur cork bark come from? Or even substrate blocks


I'm sorry if I bored you, I seem to be tetchy today and I apologise if I was being snappy. I was simply pointing out your view of plants being just plants is a little narrow minded, not saying gathering moss will wipe out all life. Nobody is that good


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

MustLoveSnails said:


> I'm sorry if I bored you, I seem to be tetchy today and I apologise if I was being snappy. I was simply pointing out your view of plants being just plants is a little narrow minded, not saying gathering moss will wipe out all life. Nobody is that good


I'm not being moody not sure if I come across that way just saying grabbing a little moss ain't gonna effect much


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## MustLoveSnails (Aug 2, 2009)

Truce? :surrender:

lol


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

jaykickboxer said:


> I'm not being moody not sure if I come across that way just saying grabbing a little moss ain't gonna effect much


as long as its collected from a sustainable area and is properly id'd as not one of the protected species....otherwise you may as well go out and collect yourself a pair of smoothsnakes....and a pair of natterjack toads.....and throw in a couple of great crested newts.....taking just a couple 'aint gonna effect much' as you so succinctly put it : victory:


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> Not from the,one bit i collected and I can't be bothetd to hear the one person then another then another argument its boring where does ur cork bark come from? Or even substrate blocks


cork bark you use in your tanks is I think a by product of the cork trade which in itself is probably one of the most environmentally friendly trades out there.
your substrate blocks if you mean the coir ones is a product from the coconut trade which is also a substainble trade but does often require much natural woodland to be developed into plantations when done on a large scale.


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Baldpoodle said:


> cork bark you use in your tanks is I think a by product of the cork trade which in itself is probably one of the most environmentally friendly trades out there.
> your substrate blocks if you mean the coir ones is a product from the coconut trade which is also a substainble trade but does often require much natural woodland to be developed into plantations when done on a large scale.


Like palm oil is environmentally friendly then?


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## Alex James (Feb 27, 2011)

What you saw were Marino moss balls. They're getting to be more common in fish stores.


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

jaykickboxer said:


> Like palm oil is environmentally friendly then?


Not sure of the point you're making there :hmm:

But yeah, palm oil as we all know is about as environmentally friendly as kicking a panda to death (actually quite a lot worse). I don't see what that has to do with BP saying the others are environmentally friendly.


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> Like palm oil is environmentally friendly then?


In the main what is refered to as palm oil comes from the plant named Elaeis guineensis and not the cocos nucifera that coir and coco nut oil comes from. 
Two completely different plants that cause two completly different enviornmental impacts when planted as crops. Besides which I suspect you will not find many, if any, Elaeis guineensis products in your spider tank so I am unsure what the point is with your question? but it does show you are not correct in saying a plant is just a plant.


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Hedgewitch said:


> Not sure of the point you're making there :hmm:
> 
> But yeah, palm oil as we all know is about as environmentally friendly as kicking a panda to death (actually quite a lot worse). I don't see what that has to do with BP saying the others are environmentally friendly.


I was saying that surely masses of forest gets destroyed in order to create these plants were cork bark is produced end of tge day I have no plants in ky tanks just saying if i saw nice moss and felt like I wanted to collect it I would by no means be checking species or any other jargon just grab it as wrong as u may feel that is i wouldnt be losing any sleep


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> I was saying that surely masses of forest gets destroyed in order to create these plants were cork bark is produced end of tge day I have no plants in ky tanks just saying if i saw nice moss and felt like I wanted to collect it I would by no means be checking species or any other jargon just grab it as wrong as u may feel that is i wouldnt be losing any sleep


In the case of cork, no and actually saves much land that would otherwise just be dessert, infact many species of animal depend on these plantations also which have been effected since the introduction plastic and rubber bottle stops, but luckly this is by no way the only use for cork.

coconut plantations normally take on two forms. In one form you will find just coconut trees and not much else and in the other form you will find that the coconut tree is planted or harvested in already occouring woodland. Off course the later is more enviormently friendly as minimen deforestation takes place, but even in the case of the former type of plantation the trees are going to remain for many years to come and produce a crop, unlike the oil palm that not only takes up much space for minamal output but also extracts most of the nutreants out of the ground leaving it almost a wast land when the land is no longer suitable for them to grow any longer.

problem is because many moss looks so alike you do not know what you would be collecting, endangered or not I think this is what the ishue people are having. It may well be common in your small area but for all you know this could be the only area that it is found anywhere in the world (yes there are many plants and animals like this, even in the UK), I find it very sad that someone who really cares for one countries florner and forner could not really care about their own countries florner and forner.


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

jaykickboxer said:


> I was saying that surely masses of forest gets destroyed in order to create these plants were cork bark is produced end of tge day I have no plants in ky tanks just saying if i saw nice moss and felt like I wanted to collect it I would by no means be checking species or any other jargon just grab it as wrong as u may feel that is i wouldnt be losing any sleep


Well then I consider your attitude irresponsible at best.

Also: cork oak grows naturally over it's range and harvesting the cork doesn't kill the tree.


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

If they look that similar no loss here with u ain't gonna change my views moss is moss and the end of the day England got much worse things to worry about then moss


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> If they look that similar no loss here with u ain't gonna change my views moss is moss and the end of the day England got much worse things to worry about then moss


by that way of thinking should we give a dam about ....say Poecilotheria smithi, after all they look very similar to Poecilotheria fasciata and Sri Lanka has got much more to worry about than spiders.


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

Baldpoodle said:


> by that way of thinking should we give a dam about ....say Poecilotheria smithi, after all they look very similar to Poecilotheria fasciata and Sri Lanka has got much more to worry about than spiders.


I'm not even starting to worry about there problems, and a tarantula isn't a plant and as they interstate me there's a big difference mostly I actually care about ts its Like comparing a ant to a dog if I tred on a ant I aint gonna lose sleep but if I ran over a dog its a diffrent story


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Moss: pretty damn important in an ecosystem.

Also, we have some endangered species of moss, not just sphagnums.

Just because *you* don't care about something, doesn't mean it's not important.


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

jaykickboxer said:


> I'm not even starting to worry about there problems, and a tarantula isn't a plant and as they interstate me there's a big difference mostly I actually care about ts its Like comparing a ant to a dog if I tred on a ant I aint gonna lose sleep but if I ran over a dog its a diffrent story


 endangered is endangered weather you care about it or not, so your view is a terribly irresponsible one and some what hypicrital by the way you insinuate that an endangered spider is important and and endangered plant is not important. Not having a go just trying to understand your reasoning.
Your ant and dog example is just an emotional one that I think everyone has in a situation like this and it bears no resemblance to the topic as both are just an accident based scenerio.


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## freedomisle (Jul 9, 2010)

I collect it every so often. I dampen it then microwave it to disinfect.

removing the soil from it can sometimes be a pain. Maybe take scissors and just cut what u want so you avoid taking the roots etc.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

If its an area of geological interest you can be in trouble for it. Me being a geologist (yea i do actually do something lol) use flora to investigate the rocks whether they be in situ or not so removing the moss could be detrimental to any studies being done on the rocks. Also removing any flora growing on rocks can damage the outcrop causing in situ studies to be ruined. You will be basically causing unnecessary weathering of the outcrop for a spider tank.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

selina20 said:


> If its an area of geological interest you can be in trouble for it. Me being a geologist (yea i do actually do something lol) use flora to investigate the rocks whether they be in situ or not so removing the moss could be detrimental to any studies being done on the rocks. Also removing any flora growing on rocks can damage the outcrop causing in situ studies to be ruined. You will be basically causing unnecessary weathering of the outcrop for a spider tank.


Ditto for ecologists, botanists, etc. 

If it's from a SSSI or nature reserve then there are laws governing this sort of stuff as well. Sadly not harsh enough. 

It's pointless as I've said anyway, most people can't ID a moss it seems, then they take one from a very humid site, cool and temperate and plunge it into a warm, possibly less humid environment and half the time there's not even any lighting. Pointless - if you want some moss to die and rot in your tank then collect pincushion moss from roof tiles or between paving slabs, at least it's fairly common and it'll die the same way rarer mosses will...


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

Wow all i was after was a yes or no lol

But this thread has raised several issues i hadnt considered, ie potentially destroying microclimates in and around the moss. I had never realized how rare some species of moss where, and i also hadnt considered the temperate/warm climate issue that GRB has mentioned, so i personally wont be collecting it.

Theres also a worry lack of respect towards plants and other animals that people arent interested in, there are millions, probably billions of people out there who would happiily see all spiders killed, if someone said that to you, you would seriously put them in there places! But to then say that about other living things on this planet, you should be ashamed!


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## Oderus (Nov 24, 2009)

Round here either spider keepers have got to it first or it's true what they say..


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Oderus said:


> Round here either spider keepers have got to it first or it's true what they say..
> image


Derp?

Balls joke?.. I'm not sure. :?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

DannyB said:


> Wow all i was after was a yes or no lol
> 
> But this thread has raised several issues i hadnt considered, ie potentially destroying microclimates in and around the moss. I had never realized how rare some species of moss where, and i also hadnt considered the temperate/warm climate issue that GRB has mentioned, so i personally wont be collecting it.
> 
> Theres also a worry lack of respect towards plants and other animals that people arent interested in, there are millions, probably billions of people out there who would happiily see all spiders killed, if someone said that to you, you would seriously put them in there places! But to then say that about other living things on this planet, you should be ashamed!


Lol i werent having a go i was just pointing it out from a geologists point of view. Unlike most areas of science we have to wait a long time to get a result from rock formations lmao.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Hedgewitch said:


> Derp?
> 
> Balls joke?.. I'm not sure. :?


A rolling stone gathers no moss. 

*sigh*. Kids these days. :lol:


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## DannyB (Nov 8, 2009)

selina20 said:


> Lol i werent having a go i was just pointing it out from a geologists point of view. Unlike most areas of science we have to wait a long time to get a result from rock formations lmao.


Lol no i know, didnt take anything like that


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

GRB said:


> A rolling stone gathers no moss.
> 
> *sigh*. Kids these days. :lol:


:lol2: Allow me to facepalm a moment here.

... I thought those were polystyrene balls, not stone.


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