# Research on moss - Care to share?



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

Hi guys and girls,

Welcome me to this forum? Hee
I am a moss lover and I am currently doing some research on emersed and submersed moss... I collect species like Java, Taiwan, Xmas, Erect, Mini and lots more... 

I am currently looking into how the water condition affects the moss... Hope to collect a database on how to grow the moss into different shapes and sizes.

I really appreciate if you guys care to share some of your experience in growing them... I received a mail by fellow aquarist stating that Java moss grows poorer in CO2 water... I wonder if that's true..

Please post closed up picture of your moss, the water parameters (pH, kH), temperature, light intensity and nutrients level.

Here's their scientific name, take a look:
Christmas Moss - Vesicularia montagne
Erect Moss - Vesicularia reticulata
Singapore/Mini Moss - Vesicularia dubyana
Java Moss - Taxiphyllum barbieri
Taiwan Moss - Taxiphyllum sp
Peacock Moss	- Taxiphyllum sp
Stringy Moss - Leptodictyon riparium
Weeping Moss - Vesicularia ferriei
Willow Moss - Fontinalis antipyretica


----------



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

From my experience with these plants,

Taxiphyllum species has a softer feel when you pinch them... try pinching some taiwan and java moss... they kind of soft because their cells are elongated...

Vasicularia sp are kind of harder when you pinch them.. Try some erect and Xmas moss...

Pls correct me if I make any mistakes


----------



## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

I have a suspicion that there are a large number of mosses that cah grow submersed. I have taken some soil from the woods and submersed it, and mosses grow from it perfectly well submersed.


----------



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

HeyPK said:


> I have a suspicion that there are a large number of mosses that cah grow submersed. I have taken some soil from the woods and submersed it, and mosses grow from it perfectly well submersed.


Ya I guess you are correct. But I am into moss for only a couple of months... still reasearching on how these things grow...

HeyPK, you mind posting some pictures here?


----------



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

I have found a site that has very detailed description on these moss
You can study some of their articles on moss around Southeast Asia.
http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1087


----------



## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

Hey foo lee,
glad you could make it to this forum!

You pointed to a real nice site. Another good one for fish and plants is http://www.petfrd.com.

I always find the cooler the better. My xmas moss looks funky when it's warm but real nice when it's cool. I've had terrible luck with java until I turned down the temp of the tank. This expands to not just mosses but monoselenium (pellia) too. I have not yet found a moss particular about nutrients, etc.

Erect, I found, though, grows more erect under high light. Maybe the light stimulates it .... j/k.


----------



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

Hey David,

So surprised to see you here! haha...
I guess those moss grow very slow, that's why nutrients level doesn't affect them so much...
My moss turn brownish when the temperature hit 28 to 30 celcius... When I fixed a fan to cool it to 26, it turns greener...

So far, for those who love lush green moss, I would think Erect moss is the best...


----------



## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

*Hi, Glad to see you here*

Well, I'll be darned. I send you an email in response to the Christmas Moss I won on aquabid and ask you if you have ever heard of this site and the first thing I see when I sign on this morning is your post. How about that!

Welcome to the forum.

Can't wait until I get the Christmas Moss, and I guess now I know where it is being shipped from also. 

Uniquely, hehe


----------



## SnyperP (Dec 10, 2004)

www.killies.com is a great site for moss info. Check it out some time.


----------



## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

haha... like your location insignia although i'm also partial to taiwan :0).

David


----------



## fishyface (Feb 7, 2005)

AquaticMagic said:


> I received a mail by fellow aquarist stating that Java moss grows poorer in CO2 water... I wonder if that's true..


i've got a super high light/co2 tank that my plants are all doing very well in...execpt for the java moss...haven't been able to grow it worth beans for a while. i wonder if that's when i got the co2??? interesting


----------



## trystianity (Jul 21, 2005)

HeyPK said:


> I have a suspicion that there are a large number of mosses that cah grow submersed. I have taken some soil from the woods and submersed it, and mosses grow from it perfectly well submersed.


I found some mosses and liverworts growing around one of my grandma's big ponds on the weekend and I'm trying to submerse them slowly in some containers. I will be happy with the experiment as long as they don't die.  The area that they were growing in was really soggy and wet so I'm hoping I won't kill them.

I love my grandma's ponds, it's a lot of fun wading around in them looking for stuff.  The one I collected the moss from is a man made irrigation pond from about 50 years ago that has totally naturalized since, I've found a lot of nice weeds in them.


----------



## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

AquaticMagic said:


> I received a mail by fellow aquarist stating that Java moss grows poorer in CO2 water... I wonder if that's true..


IMHO is not true. Java grow very good with CO2 in medium and high light but in high light there could be some problems with algae . Most importand is keep moss clean and trim from time to time.

Java moss 0.37W/l, 30-40ppm CO2, ferts










X-mass moss 0.4W/l, no CO2, almost no ferts


















Erect moss 0.67W/l, 20ppm CO2, ferts










Taiwan moss 0.75W/l, 25ppm CO2, ferts










Willow moss 0.37W/l, no CO2, no ferts


----------



## AquaticMagic (Aug 9, 2005)

Hey Norbert,

Thanks for sharing these pictures... They are valuable for us to judge how the water parameters and light affects the growth of various moss.

Your Java moss indeed look very well-grown. I guess my initial assumption is incorrect that Java will do badly in CO2 rich tank.

Recently, I have been dumping a lot of emersed plants inside my tank... I think some rotted and killed half of my Malayan shrimps... Haha.. So sorry for them... I didn't know that they are so sensitive to ammonia. My cardinals are happily swimming and the shrimps chose heaven. :-s


----------



## chinaboy1021 (Aug 2, 2005)

hey aquaticmagic, nice to see you here.


----------

