# how to grow carpeting moss



## skafjad (Jun 13, 2006)

i have a 57g planted freshwater community with CO2 diffusion, population is 37 including a large school of neons, 2 * 18" in. sunglos, i have 1/2-1/4'' in. sized gravel, white, mixed with laterite.

i wanna grow java moss on the floor of my tank, for esthetic and fry hiding purposes, will it grow on gravel or does it need to be fixed to rocks/driftwood? and what's the best way to plant them, anybody knows a good moss seller in south jersey/philly?

PS: if java moss wont work, the general idea is to hide my ugly shiny white gravel, anybody has other suggestions for floor carpeting plants? (other than changing my gravel, which is natural and good for the fish but bad for the eyes)


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Welcome to the Forum. 

If you can't find java moss in locally, maybe check out the For Sale section for some Java Moss, and post a Want to Buy (WTB) thread for it.

Once you get the moss, you can get some plastic mesh, stainless steel mesh, or flat slates/rocks and lay a thin layer on top of the surface. Use fishing line or black thread wrapped down the Java Moss to the slate or mesh. This will keep the moss from floating into parts of the tank you don't want. After a month the Java Moss will look fuller and thicker. 

Alternatively, you could just lay the moss on the gravel and scatter some gravel on top, and it will attach itself, but I find that it will get messy and all over the place as it grows, and when you do decide to change the moss with something else.

Another plant you may want to try is Hemianthus micranthemoides, dwarf sag, or even Blyxa Jap. Those aren't necessarily carpeting plants, but serve as nice foreground plants too. With the HM, plant the stem horizontally, and it will form a dense carpet with regular trimmings.

-John N.


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## abnormalsanon (Jun 6, 2006)

Since The Hidden Reef burned down, I haven't had any luck finding good plants locally in Philly. I order online. Good luck!


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

Taiwan moss may look better and will adhere well. I suggest laying a thin layer on the top of large rocks and using cotton thread to hold it down long enough for the moss to stick.

You could even lay it thinly on the substrate and sprinkle with gravel to hold it down.


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## skafjad (Jun 13, 2006)

buying online seems the only option since i can say i have seen all big aquarium centers in south jersey and they dont have much to offer. i also heard that some guy kept his moss (riccia fluitans) floating on the surface, and during its growth some new sports/strains would develop, i guess he's counting on some mutation to occur and sein the rate of division in these primitive forms of life it doesnt take a thousand years to happen, those strains would sink by themselves to the bottom, so he would get rid of the floating rest and grow his own artificially-selected sinking riccia to populate his scape, anybody heard of anything similar before?


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> rew his riccia fluitans on the surface, as they grew and started multiplying, some of them would sink to the bottom


Monosolenium tenerum is like a sinking version of riccia fluitans. However, I believe it was found in nature.


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## mrbelvedere138 (Jan 18, 2006)

skafjad said:


> other than changing my gravel, which is natural and good for the fish but bad for the eyes)


Your fish don't care. I guarantee it. Do yourself a favor and change your gravel.


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## Catastrophi (May 23, 2006)

Riccia is a floating plant but people have used a hairnet to hold it onto slate or a plastic mesh and it grows liek that and they can easily take it out to trim since it's held down to the slate or mesh.


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## skafjad (Jun 13, 2006)

*going for the Monosolenium tenerum*

i guess the Monosolenium tenerum is what i'm looking for, i will have to look for some ADA amazon soil in order to decrease the water pH at some point, since i'm preparing my fishtank for discus, does anybody know a good site that sells any? and do you think i can mix peat granules with my substrate instead of putting them in the canister to decrease water hardness too?


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

So java moss will attach itself to the rock/gravel/wood eventually and no longer need to be tied down?

I had some riccia that was just a HUGE pain to deal with. Constently fixing it. Eventually I just put it in a bowl and haven't touched it in a few weeks. Too much to deal with.


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