As we have discussed earlier on on the beauty of moss in your aquarium tank, we shall shift our focus to larger tank here.

For larger tanks, moss decorations need not be the feature. With their minuscule size and ephemeral nature, these could be used to highlight greens of a large tank to create the impression of a giant forest or a mountain-scene by making use of rocks along with. Remember the trick with larger tanks is its sheer size and not moss. It’s the utter size of the tank and not the moss that awes viewers. Java Moss will solve the purpose for most of such tanks, as it gets conventional to the profile of the background plus the ease with which it can be profiled.

Now if can get some animals with the same cultural background as the moss, the two will go together exceedingly well. Think of slightly silver colored Cyprinids (rasbora, barbs, danios, minnows, sharks) racing around in the upper half portion of your tank. These will be thankful to you if you provided them with moss, for both love swift currents and come from nearly the same environments; yes I am referring to Asia. Without intermingling with the mosses they continue to race around thus imparting that feel of expansiveness to your aquarium.

Should you need something larger for the sake of aesthetics you could try one of the not so often noticeable shrimp, like Amanos or “wild-form” neocaridina denticulata. Amanos are nice because they are big, clear, and even if you have Java only you don’t have to worry about their insatiable nibbling.

General tips:
Explore the possibility of getting Mini Pellia (ricardia sp) that gives you a good option of trying a few combinations with moss. Its smaller size and not so bright green color makes mini pellia a nice combination worth attempting with the bigger taxiphyllum/vesicularia (example: Java/Singapore) species to make dark and vivid combinations.

Position the plants separate in a large enough area. Places where you grow the smaller, not so bright ricardias would appear  “darker,” whereas the places with the larger mosses impart brightness around them.

White sand contrasts really well with moss, and can award the tank a neat look. It would look all the more eye catching with moving water. Moss is quite a flexible medium and encourages you to keep experimenting.

David
AquaticMagic ~ Grow Happiness

Once your tank is assembled and the contents of your aquarium are going strong and healthy, your natural tendency is to make it attractive to catch anybody’s eyes. A proper combination of colors and moving objects would draw viewers’ attention. Of course you have to maintain a balance of all the items and colors lest it gives an uneven and patchy look. Aquatic moss is a very convenient and affordable item for being incorporated in your menu of items that you may choose to enhance the looks of your aquarium.

It is a very natural phenomenon for the eye to catch movements. But a small tank with a heterogeneously large variety of living beings will distract the eyes as they get drawn to contrasts.

On the other hand choosing a species of fish that interacts and goes around the moss will make an eye-catching view. Fish like Apistograma jells well with moss to give that feel of a real tropical forest.

Small sized fish too can be very prompting for the viewer, for it almost compels the viewer to get drawn to it to observe its smaller details like those small spots or thin colored and curved lines along its body. But to get that attention, it has to be colorful.

You can well imagine how effective or shall we say, defective a brown rams horn snail can be! Small size and bright color makes a perfect combo to attract viewers. Crystal Red Shrimp or other shrimp with stripes or an assortment of spots makes an ideal choice. As they relate very well with the moss, their proximity to it gives you an opportunity to show case your moss too, though primarily one gets drawn to them due to colorful stripes.

Let me remind you once again to desist from overcrowding your tank with a diversified variety. This is not only unhealthy for fish but also prompting for the viewer to mark the differences.

Shrimp also associate well with moss as most of the caridina species prefer cooler temperatures, and slight movement of water. Their continuous picking at moss is helpful as it prevents debris from remaining stuck on it, and also helps thwart algae. But be warned that the larger shrimp like Amanos, may tear apart the more delicate foliage of some of the newer varieties of moss species like Christmas Moss or Fissidens.

If you find this article interesting, read on for more…

David

AquaticMagic ~ Grow Happiness

In fact, moss are less sensivive to pH value as compared to the temperature. Under high temperature, the moss will suffer slow growth rate, and the color will be changed from green, to dark green or even brownish green gradually.

When the moss (including Flame moss) is placed into high pH value (or any water with higher pH value than its previous habitat), it will stop growing for about 1 to 2 weeks. Be patient and wait for it to adapt to the water condition. Once the Flame moss “get used” to the new pH value, it will continue it’s growth.

This is what we have experienced before - please feel free to comment if you have different case in your aquarium tank!

I have gotten this question from one of our readers: How to grow xmas moss in high temperature? I think it is the common interest of many people out there, so let me quickly put down a few points to address the question:

1. First of all, expect a slower growth rate of the moss (many other experts are stressing the importance of low temperature - and I do agree) - but it is not impossible to grow them in your aquarium tank, but just to expect slower growth from the aquatic moss.

2. Fix one to two extra 12V fan (those that you could find in the computer casing / chasis). You could fix the fan(s) to a large plastic clip, which you can easily clip it onto the edge of the aquarium tank.
- Make it blowing at a 45 degree onto the tank surface. It increases the water evaporation rate - and when the water atoms transform from liquid into gas - it brings away energy (in another word - heat). So, the temperature will drop at least 1 degree C.

3. Tie the moss onto driftwood or wire mesh. For some unknown reasons (perhaps the moss absorb nutrient better from those substances trapped in the wood/mesh), the aquatic moss (including xmas moss) grows faster, which could offset the slow growth rate from the higher temperature

4. Keep the xmas moss closer to the surface. I notice it with one of the tanks - that the xmas moss grow exceptionally well when I have lesser water in the tank. You could try it as well.
That’s all. All the best!

David

Have you seen beautiful moss grown in the aquarium tank above? It is probably one of the best hobby which combines science as well as art - you needs to know both before you could design and create the top-class plant aquarium tank with the moss and even other variety of aquarium plants.

Anyway, I am going to skip these steps:
1. Setup the aquarium tank for aquatic moss planting
2. Select the aquatic moss which is suitable for your design

When you have gotten the materials (moss and drift wood or log, as well as the fishing line), you are ready to start. Fishing line is preferred over cotton thread, it is because some cotton thread disintegrate too fast before the moss could even hold tight to the driftwood or log. It really depends on the aquarium environment that you have for the plant, but fishing line is generally able to do a better job here:

Step #1:
Reserve an extra portion of at least 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) at the starting end, and make a round on one end of the driftwood before you tied a knot.

Step #2:
Place the aquatic moss slightly below the first loop of line that you have tied on the driftwood. Secure the moss with the fishing thread. use it to make another loop, slightly below the first loop (to form a spiral shape if you could imagine - do not cut the line during the process).

The thickness of the moss does not necessary to be thicker than 1/2 inch (0.5 cm) - but if you have plenty of them, why not? Keep in mind that if you packed too many of these moss under the thread, those moss at the inner layer will not be able to grow as significant (not light is applied to them).

Step #3:
Repeat Step #2 with more and more moss, until you have covered the driftwood with mos. For each loop you make (to secure more moss), the line loop should be gradually moving to the other end of the driftwood.

It could be quite hard to do this alone. You might wish to get help from your family members. Or, if you are good at knitting, you could hold the driftwood with a hand, and use a finger to hold a small bit of newly placed moss, before you use another hand to pull tight the line.

Step #4:
Make a knot again. Do not cut the fishing line.

Step #5:
Make loops again with the line, gradually towards the end (starting point) where you started.

Step #6:
Tied a knot with the extra portion that you have reserved at the beginning (step #1)

Step #7:
Cut away the extra lines. The driftwood with moss is now really to be places into your aquarium tank.

Step #8:
Be patience, and wait for 4 to 6 weeks. The moss will be able to grow nicely given the right condition in the aquarium tank!

Read up more on how to grow Java moss with plant net, or find out more info on how to create a moss wall for your aquarium tank

Click here if you wish to purchase some high quality moss for your aquarium tank

Hope it helps!

Reference info: Aquamoss.net

David

As Java moss is a hardly aquarium plant, it loves stagnant water with heavy nitrite level. It survives well in a wide range of pH and temperature, but what we are interested here is to study how nitrate affects the growth of Java moss, as well as how java moss change the water quality?

Is that a truth or myth? Let’s do an experiment!

Step #1: Get ready two jars of water (1/4 gallon will be perfect for Betta keeping)

Step #2: Place one betta or similar-size fish into each of the jar

Step #3: Put some java moss into one of the Jar. Propably you will need only 1″ x 1″ of Java moss

Step #4: Do a nitrate test (see photo below), it should be pretty much similar =) Both test should result with a light blue color - it is safe with low nitrate level.

Step #5: YAWN… wait for 4 to 5 days (The fish could well survive for 5 days without food - but as we are against animal cruelty, please feed minimal but same amount of food for the fish to each jar)

Step #6: On day 5, do the same nitrate test. Wao! It nitrate level shoot up in the tank without Java moss! The fish could have been died if we don’t do anything to it (it’s time for a water change)

Consultion:
- The jar without Java moss got it’s nitrate level shoot up to the roof. With a purple color from the test, indicating high nitrate level, it is definitely giving extra stress to the fish and making it prone to diseases.

- Java moss is excellent as a ‘nitrate absorber’, but it is never mean to replace water change completely - it is only mean for a

- Java moss is best for stagnant water and heavy nitrite. It will grow well in water with high nitrite levels and you do not need to worry about left over food, as well as the fish fecal matters. It makes it perfect for Betta jar

- Java moss has no root, so it will not attached to the glass jar, unless you tied in with a net or driftwood.

- Java moss is heavier than the water and it could sink to the tank bottom by itself without any additional weight

- This aquarium plant has no thorn or pointy or even hard part, so it is perfectly safe for the Betta or other fish to play hide and seek in it

- The plant byproduct (e.g. oily surface) is minimal with the amount of moss that we are putting into the jar. With a regular water change, we do not need to worry about it - even with the dead plant leaves or branches as they could be taken out from the water surface with any fish net.

- If the Java moss is growing too fast for you, take it out and gentle ‘tear’ it apart with your finger tip.

- Do not mix the water and also the Java moss from a jar with sick fish, into another healthy one. Germ and virus from the sick fish hide well in the moss.

Source of info: writer from Bettatalk.com

If you are interested to Buy some Java moss for your aquarium tank, please click here.

David

Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei) has been gaining it popularity over the years. Base on my knowledge, it was made well known by aquarium hobbyist in Singapore. Perhaps there are 3 main reasons that it is becoming so popular, and many are taking it as a better alternative to the well-known Java moss:

1. It forms a very neat moss wall (if it is cultivated with a proper setup Moss wire mesh), with the moss forming a Christmas-tree-like shape

2. Christmas moss grows slower, so lesser maintenance effort is required. For Java moss, if you let it grow freely for 3 to 4 weeks in your tank, probably your tank will become unpleasant for your sight. As for Christmas moss, it could stay well intact and neat for at least 7-8 weeks. That’s half the effort to maintain, in short.

Some facts about Christmas moss:
Common Name: Christmas Moss, Xmas Moss
Scientific Name: Vesicularia montagnei
Temperature: 65F-77F
pH: 5.0-7.5
Light: Low (1.5WPG) to High (3WPG+)
Growth: Slow
Difficulty: Beginner

Christmas moss could grow beautifully in the aquarium tank with very high lighting, and it could also grow very well in the darkest corner. It is not too demanding over the lighting or pH, but in order for it to grow well, it has to be kept in the soft water.

The best temperature for Christmas moss would be arpund 24 to 26 degree. It could survive well in the range of 18 to 30 degree, but the growth rate will be slower.

All these behaviours of Christmas moss got to do with its natural habitat - waterfall area in the dense tropical forest. The sun are shining throughout the year, and the temperature could grow very high (more than 30 degree) at times. During the monsoon season, it is almost raining everyday and the temperature and sun light drops significantly.

Very interesting moss, let me know if you wish to get some samples! =)

View this article if you wish to know how to plant Christmas moss (It is almost identical with the way to plant Java moss)

The easiest way to get Christmas moss would be from Google or online stores. Click here to purchase Christmas moss if you need some.

David

A very simple technique could be employed to create a DIY backdrop using aquatic moss for the natural aquarium. The stuffs needed to create the moss wall are commonly available, and the following simple steps will show you how to get it done with a little effort, on DIY basis.

The above are what you would need to create the DIY moss background (or moss wall):

* Plastic Mesh (click here to buy Plastic Mesh)
* Scissors
* Suction Cups
* Tying Wire
* Aquatic Moss (click here to buy Java moss)

The plastic mesh is commonly available in most hardware stores, plant nuseries, and large supermarkets. It’s main use is to be mounted on windows to prevent mosquitoes and other insects from entering the house. Well, we have different use for it. The meshes come in different colours and sizes, but for our moss background (or moss wall), we would need one that is about 7mm to 8mm in size, and black colour is more appropriate for the backdrop.

The mesh is cut to 2 times the size of the tank that you want the moss background (or moss wall) to be in. You would need to fold the mesh in half and stuff the moss in-between. Cut some holes on the perimeter of the mesh so as to stick in the suction cups. For my demonstration, it’s for a small 1 ft tank, hence one suction cup is sufficient. If you are doing a large wall, you will need to put in more suction cups especially on the 4 corners, and also some suction cups around the centre of the mesh to prevent warping when the mesh is in the tank.

Next, you would need sufficient quantity of moss. Open up the mesh, and spread out the moss evenly onto half of the mesh. Try not to leave any space uncovered, else you might have gaps in your moss wall later when the wall has been erected in your tank and the moss starts to grow out.

Next, fold back the other half of the mesh, and tie up the 2 halves together. I’m using some tying wire here, since it’s simple and I have it available on hand. You could also use fishing line or nylon thread to tie it up. Do not use any cotton thread since it will disintegrate after a short while in the tank. Remember to insert in the suction cups.

The above diagrams illustrate the final product.

Next, insert the mess against the back panel of your tank. Try to leave as little gap between the mesh and the glass as possible to prevent small fish from entering and stuck inside. One tip to prevent fish from entering the gap is to cut the height of the mesh to be slightly taller so that you can tuck the bottom of the mesh slightly into the substrate, and the top slightly above the highest water line. As for the length, try to measure it accurately so that both sides of the mesh fit closely to both sides of the tank.
The final step, wait for the moss to grow out of the mesh, and thou shall be rewarded.

Congratulation! It’s done! You will be having a very beautiful moss background in 2-3 months time. Christmas moss will be a better choice to create the moss background (or moss wall), as compared to Java moss due to it’s growth nature of forming a series of neat triangle shapes, which looks like a Christmas tree (that’s how we got the name of Christmas moss). I shall discuss more about it in the next article!

Christmas moss: Click here to buy Christmas moss
Moss wall installation package (plastic mesh): Click here to buy Moss wall installation package (plastic mesh) to secure the moss

If you are interested to know how to plant Java moss, Christmas moss, or other moss, in order to create a great aquarium floor, you could refer to the article on more information about How to plant and grow Java moss.

Source of information: http://www.aquamoss.net

David

It could be quite frustrating for many beginners when they were searching for a step by step guide on the Internet to grow the java moss. You need the right tools, and the right technique for a good start before you could see a java moss wall or java moss tank growing well!

A very simple technique could be employed to secure plants like Moss, Riccia and Pellia to various deco such as wood, rock and wire mesh. The stuffs needed are commonly available, and the following simple steps will show you how to get it done with a little effort.

The above are what you would need:

* 1 tub of mini Riccia, Moss or Pellia
* Stainless steel wire mesh of any size.
* Tweezer
* A pair of scissors for cutting net and string in the setup later
* Clear nylon or fish thread to tie the plant

Next, you would cut the net with size bigger than the wire mesh.

Next,
- Use tweezers to pick up some mini Riccia and lay on the wire mesh.
- A thin layer is sufficient, leave some space in between the small clump of Riccia.
- All the space will be fully covered when the Moss or Riccia propagate in a few weeks.

Next, do as shown above

Next, lay the net on the mini Riccia or Moss.

Next, do as shown above
- Hold the net with the wire mesh and flip over.
- Fold the net inwards and prepare to tie it later.

Next, get a clear nylon or fish thread as they are invisible to human eyes.

Next, do as shown above
- Secure the net with fishing thread at one of the corner of wire mesh.
- Use the thread to go around the wire mesh and secure another knot at the other end.
- Make sure all knots are well tightened.

Congratulation! It’s done!
- Repeat the entire process again if you have few more wire mesh to go.
- Put the wire mesh into your aquarium.
- This method is good to do a carpet style of mini Riccia/moss/pellia especially for your little shrimp.
- Do not block the plants from light.

Hope that the step-by-step guide is useful for you. If ever you wish to purchase the java moss, plant net, stainless-steel wire as shown in the guide above, you could visit the links below:

Java moss: Click here to buy java moss
Plant net: Click here to buy plant net to cover the java moss
Wire Mesh: Click here to buy the Stainless Steel wire mesh

David

It could be very difficult to distinguish among different variety of moss - and among all, Java moss is the easiest to grow - so you could easily conclude that the price for Java moss would be the lowest, followed by other range of mosses according to their growth rate (the faster they grow, the cheaper to farm them), and also the sensitivity (the harder to grow, the more “premium” would they be).

Before we start, follow the link if you wish to know how to DIY a moss wall for aquarium tank with aquatic moss.

Java moss

Java Moss can be readily recognized by the presence of many long branches with short to long, distantly spaced, lateral branchlets. The small, flattened leaves are arranged on two sides of the stem and branches. When tied to driftwood or rocks, the long branches of the plant become more profusely produced. Observed under the microscope, the leaf shape is oblong to oblong-lanceolate, with a short and wide leaf tip. Its leaf cells are long and narrow, with thin- to moderately thick walls. The leaf margins are toothed throughout. Two short “veins” (or costae) can be clearly seen at the base of the leaf blade.

Interestingly, the species, since its first description, has not been seen to produce fruiting capsules in cultivation. Often time, alleged specimens of Java Moss with capsules that were sent to us for confirmation turned out to be of a different moss species that grows in mixture with the Java Moss.

Christmas moss

A rising star among the tropical aquarium mosses lately is the Christmas Moss (Vesicularia montagnei (Bel.) Broth.). The plant got its common name because the mature fronds hang down and overlap each other like the branches of a Christmas tree. Many hobbyists grow them as a moss wall, decorating the aquascape of fish tank.

Grown submersed, the moss can produce long triangular fronds. Its more or less regularly pinnate to subpinnate branches are characteristic. The leaves are nearly round to broadly oval with an abruptly short and sharp apex, and the leaf cells are broad and short in outline, and with thin walls. The two leaf costae are also somewhat conspicuous. In its natural environment, Christmas Moss grows on shaded wet bank of stream and creeks, and also on wet shaded ground in forest. It is a widespread species in tropical Asia.

Taiwan moss

One recently introduced and rather pricey aquarium moss is the Taiwan Moss [cf. Taxiphyllum alternans (Card.) Iwats.]. As the common trade name suggests, it is exported from Taiwan but we can not be sure if the plants truly originated from the island country. The fronds of Taiwan Moss exhibit a triangular shape somewhat similar to the Christmas Moss, but are distinctively more equilateral. The ends of the branches curl up slightly when grown in water. Unlike the Christmas Moss which feels hard when touched, the Taiwan Moss has a soft texture and looks delicate when grown in a bunch.

Like Java Moss, the leaves of Taiwan Moss are oblong-lanceolate with two well marked costae, but have a gradually (not abruptly) longer and sharper apex. Its leaf cells, like those of Java Moss and other species belonging to the same genus (Taxiphyllum), are narrow and long. However, a distinct difference between these two species can be observed in their leaf margins. In Taiwan Moss, only the upper leaf apex is irregularly and minutely toothed. In contrast, the leaf margins of Java Moss are toothed throughout.

Weeping moss

Another recently introduced aquarium moss allegedly from mainland China is the Weeping Moss [cf. Vesicularia ferriei (Card. & Thér.) Broth.).]. The mature fronds of this moss droop like the branches of a weeping willow tree. The overall leaf shape and the oblong and broad leaf cells approach that of Christmas Moss, but the leaf is without an abruptly short and sharp apex. This aquarium moss still needs time to gain popularity among the aquarium plant enthusiasts..

Source of information: http://www.killies.com

You could find and purchase some moss for your aquarium tank here.

David