# March 31st, I received mosses from Poland



## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Theres this cool guy in Poland that has like every moss out there. Risk is if you don't have an import license, you might have to deal with customs seizing it or even further action. I took this risk and got some rare mosses out there. They costs a pretty penny too. Heres pictures updated to this day and what I got. I'll update this post once they all grow out. I am a firm believer in oxygen for mosses and have a ac110 on a 55g acrylic tank.

Now they're all gonna look the same in the common viewers eyes but once they grow out you'll see the differences...

full tank shot








queen moss








erect moss








cameroon








milimetre, this moss is tiny, probably hence the name








jungermania truncata








jungermania pseudocyclop








vesicularia riammicam








fontinalis nord thailand








fontinalis duriae








vesicularia thailand








mini pearl








pearl








pilo moss








climacum japonicum-moss on a stick









thanks letting me sell here apc


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## Ericj (Oct 22, 2007)

Nice haul of mosses! I'm looking forward to seeing those as they grow out some!


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

I can give info about "Pilo moss": Years ago I've bought it in a pet shop in Berlin, it wasn't labeled, they didn't know where it came from. At first glance it looks like a Vesicularia, but IMO its microscopical characters indicate the moss family Pilotrichaceae, and probably the genus Cyclodictyon that contains many mainly tropical species. The common name "Pilo" is an abbreviation of Pilotrichaceae, the moss is sold under that name by the German online shop Aquasabi.

I don't know a Vesicularia "RiamMicam" but a Taxiphyllum sp. "Riam Macam". That was found on imported Bucephalandra sp. "Riam Macam" (the correct spelling of the locality is Riam Maca*n*, a waterfall in West Kalimantan). Similar to the common Java moss, Taxiphyllum barbieri, but with a more hanging growth, similar to Weeping moss. I can't yet recognize in the photo if the moss labeled Vesicularia "RiamMicam" is the same.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

thanks for comment EricJ



miremonster said:


> I can give info about "Pilo moss": Years ago I've bought it in a pet shop in Berlin, it wasn't labeled, they didn't know where it came from. At first glance it looks like a Vesicularia, but IMO its microscopical characters indicate the moss family Pilotrichaceae, and probably the genus Cyclodictyon that contains many mainly tropical species. The common name "Pilo" is an abbreviation of Pilotrichaceae, the moss is sold under that name by the German online shop Aquasabi.
> 
> I don't know a Vesicularia "RiamMicam" but a Taxiphyllum sp. "Riam Macam". That was found on imported Bucephalandra sp. "Riam Macam" (the correct spelling of the locality is Riam Maca*n*, a waterfall in West Kalimantan). Similar to the common Java moss, Taxiphyllum barbieri, but with a more hanging growth, similar to Weeping moss. I can't yet recognize in the photo if the moss labeled Vesicularia "RiamMicam" is the same.


Very informative, thanks, I'll update and we'll see these two mosses in action


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## Trower (Jan 4, 2008)

Mosses are some of my favorite plants period! Always had a moss garden that I used to keep at my grams old place in in the woods. Miss that alot and have been thinking about starting a small tank with aquatic moss. Definitely looking forward to see how yours turns out with these exotic beauties!


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Trower said:


> Mosses are some of my favorite plants period! Always had a moss garden that I used to keep at my grams old place in in the woods. Miss that alot and have been thinking about starting a small tank with aquatic moss. Definitely looking forward to see how yours turns out with these exotic beauties!


Yeah mosses can get addicting, this hobby in general too, so far the mosses are growing slow slow slow, so no update


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Further info:
- Millimetre moss is likely the one that was IDed by Prof. Tan (Singapore) as Barbula sp. (see aquaticquotient.com)
- Cameroon = Plagiochila sp. "Cameroon", probably it belongs to the species Plagiochila integerrima
- Climacium (Climacum is incorrect) japonicum: that one develops a stem (the "stick") in the terrestrial form
- Fontinalis duriae: correct spelling is Fontinalis duriaei


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## herns (Aug 28, 2007)

I knew this guy youre talking about. He just seems pretty slow in answering emails. He answers like an old telegrams. Perhaps he is too busy.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

small pic update

cameroon









millimetre









vesicularia thailand









pilo









fontinalis duriaei









fontinalis nord thailand









this is how slow the mosses are growing for me


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## aquarium kid (Nov 26, 2012)

Very nice looking moss!


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## nycfish (May 19, 2010)

Has your japonicum adjusted well submersed. I've read that it's an easy one to keep . Nice mosses and thanks for sharing !


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Thanks you two, along with others, japonicum didn't do so well. To be expected with certain species I bought as a moss professor stated some of these are terrestrial only


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Climacium japonicum: A hobbyist shows here what happened with that (terrestrial) moss in one of her tanks: http://aquaristik-im-keller.de.tl/Climacium-_-Palmenmoos.htm
=> It did grow, but the new shoots were thin and far from the palm-like habit of the terrestrial form.

Fontinalis sp. "Nord-Thailand": it's from a German hobbyist who told me that it was collected in a stream in northern Thailand. That's interesting because the genus Fontinalis isn't in that checklist of Thai mosses: http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/moss/Thailand/thai-f.shtml
Anyway; from my experience that's the easiest Fontinalis variant that I know.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Great information mm! How do you know so much about the rarer mosses and general? Where are you researching and such...


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

StrungOut said:


> Great information mm! How do you know so much about the rarer mosses and general? Where are you researching and such...


Basic knowledge about mosses (and liverworts) from biology studies (University Göttingen, Germany); from moss literature such as the moss flora from Frahm & Frey (in German) or the book "Biologie der Moose" (Frahm); some papers about certain moss groups, e.g. Fissidens subg. Octodiceras (Pursell 1987) or the family Hookeriaceae / Pilotrichaceae, etc.
I know some of the shown mosses from cultivation and the German shop Aquasabi, respectively.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

miremonster said:


> Basic knowledge about mosses (and liverworts) from biology studies (University Göttingen, Germany); from moss literature such as the moss flora from Frahm & Frey (in German) or the book "Biologie der Moose" (Frahm); some papers about certain moss groups, e.g. Fissidens subg. Octodiceras (Pursell 1987) or the family Hookeriaceae / Pilotrichaceae, etc.
> I know some of the shown mosses from cultivation and the German shop Aquasabi, respectively.


Great, would love to check those out, if only they were in english


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

A present from the Dr.

I have some reading to do! hope its not too complicated


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

StrungOut said:


> A present from the Dr.
> 
> I have some reading to do! hope its not too complicated


That's great!
I don't know if it deals only with _mosses_ in the strict sense, in that case liverworts (e.g. Jungermannia, Solenostoma, Heteroscyphus, Riccardia; very species-rich in the tropics) and hornworts (anthocerotophyta) would be excluded.
Unfortunately it gets mostly really complicated when it comes to species differentiation and ID keys. 
But it's very helpful to have good photos of naturally occurring mosses, even if the important microscopic characters are not visible.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

miremonster said:


> That's great!
> I don't know if it deals only with _mosses_ in the strict sense, in that case liverworts (e.g. Jungermannia, Solenostoma, Heteroscyphus, Riccardia; very species-rich in the tropics) and hornworts (anthocerotophyta) would be excluded.
> Unfortunately it gets mostly really complicated when it comes to species differentiation and ID keys.
> But it's very helpful to have good photos of naturally occurring mosses, even if the important microscopic characters are not visible.


This book has a lot, microscopic characteristics are pictured. What I'd really like to understand is the two stages of life moss has. The Dr. was a really cool guy to meet.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Update:
Did a massive water change for the first time, and some mosses really benefited from it. This will be a regular routine from now on. The professor said that a terrestrial moss can live up to 6 months underwater, didn't know that....Looks like milimetre might be a terrestrial, its starting to not do as well.

cameroon








millimetre








vesicularia 'thailand'








fontinalis 'hypnoids'








fontinalis 'nord thailand', my duriaei, not doing so well as I had it covered by a mesh








my favorite, pilo, may have to start retying to propagate more


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Update, my moss tank changed into a terrarium
When? Why?
Awhile ago
Iono
Well this gonna be end, when I get a giant filter, Imma fill her back up and change around the right half side and add more crypts and buces hopefully
I'm battling string algae, its mostly clear right now but still want it all gone

Heres pics of common+ others, not gonna update for awhile to i fill, so thats why so many pics
FTS








bali moss








spiky moss








mini xmas








java spring moss new addition taking forever to start








weeping








fontanlis nord thailand








xmas








pilo








new addition pilo cost me a bundle








riam m.... on rock, weeping on substrate








vesicularia mini, mini xmas? iono, bought as v. mini








Hypnum or Ectropothecium sp according to the professor








anchor








um...i think rose moss in there...unknowns








millimetre








vesicularia thailand next to the crypt nuri








mini willow moss???








C. Japonica..hoping it'll come back








Stoked about this one, i think it was C. gunung sumpit but i could be wrong








stoked about this one too, seems like a fast grower


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

That's a lot of names! I suspect that often the same species has gotten different commercial names, depending on the provider. On the other hand, e.g. "Christmas moss" is apparently used not only for Vesicularia montagnei but also for several different moss species, even a Taxiphyllum (here in the European plant trade).

Ectropothecium sp.: interesting. The name Glossadelphus zollingeri (synonym of Ectropothecium zollingeri) already popped up in the hobby some time ago, C. Kasselmann wrote that Taxiphyllum barbieri was meant, not yet correctly identified at that time. Now there's a true Ectropothecium as aquarium moss.

Your "Mini Christmas Moss" is surely the one that I know under that name. Soft, fine, rather light green, densely branched, branches almost at a right angle to the main stem. I suspect that it's identical to the original "Anchor moss" that was cultivated by Bioplast, Singapore http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php/48807-Posts-on-Aquatic-Mosses
(once again, it seems that today several different mosses are commercialized as "Anchor moss"), and to "China moss".

I'm sure that your Millimetre moss is the one that was IDed as Barbula sp.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

p.s.

I'm curious what Prof. Tan would think about the "Pilo moss". As mentioned, I expect that it belongs to the genus Cyclodictyon, but I'm not sure.


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## aquariums_101 (Aug 31, 2014)

Beautiful moss!


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## countryboy12484 (Jul 22, 2014)

Sweet moss! Its always nice to see a fellow moss nuts collection. I think i have like 23 or 24 different mosses


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

miremonster said:


> That's a lot of names! I suspect that often the same species has gotten different commercial names, depending on the provider. On the other hand, e.g. "Christmas moss" is apparently used not only for Vesicularia montagnei but also for several different moss species, even a Taxiphyllum (here in the European plant trade).
> 
> Ectropothecium sp.: interesting. The name Glossadelphus zollingeri (synonym of Ectropothecium zollingeri) already popped up in the hobby some time ago, C. Kasselmann wrote that Taxiphyllum barbieri was meant, not yet correctly identified at that time. Now there's a true Ectropothecium as aquarium moss.
> 
> ...


So true on what you said bout providers.

Theres so many new species I can't keep up.

For the pilo moss, when I get enough will send to prof. for id.

Thanks 101!

Thanks cb, you showcase your mosses? over 20 varieties, very nice


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

Tank = RIP

torn down today

last pics of it








java spring








mini xmas








pilo


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## countryboy12484 (Jul 22, 2014)

What did ya do with all the moss?


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