"Preserved" lichen: safe for substrate?

[horrr0r]

I have a bag of 'Supermoss' brand "Preserved Reindeer Moss"... reindeer moss is actually a lichen, fyi. It is dried but becomes moist and spongy when soaked in water.

I wanted to use it for ground covering in my terrarium, but I discovered that it being green means it's artificially dyed. So I rinsed it with hot water til the water ran clear (it took a long time). Now it is still green but a lot lighter and more faded than before.

Is this safe to use? I saw a thread that says snails like to EAT lichens, and I wouldn't want them to get sick from eating it. My bf thinks it's fine as long as the water runs clear, but it's still a bit green and apparently naturally it's green-ish grey-ish white.

Opinions?

[etana]

Yes, many snails love to eat lichen and it's good for them too, though the dye sounds a bit worrisome. Can you perhaps take a picture of how it looks now, or maybe find out what the dye is that was used?

[mangoandlemon]

That brand has a moss bag the is not preservered and doesn't have dye that i use, so i would look for the one that just says moss shop.hobbylobby.com/assets/1/14/DimRegular/894907.jpg