Java moss

[ellner357]

So, Newbie question. How long should this stuff be tied to something before it sets on? And will flourish kill it?

[DaFishMan]

Welcome aboard Ellner :)

"How long should this stuff be tied to something before it sets on?"

Approx 2 months in average growing conditions, give or take a bit.

"And will flourish kill it?" - If you're referring to Flourish Excel, many sources report that it does. People have had varying results. Occasional dosing or underdosing would not have ill effect.

[ellner357]

wow 2 months! That seems like such a long time... Then again I'm not patient!

[blainep]

Java moss is a slow grower, but I have found, it does grow more than you think it has.

I have several tanks that had tufts of java moss in them.
I often think that the stuff hasn't grown, but when I look back at old pictures of my tanks, I realize that it is 3 or 4 times the size it was when it went into the tank.

[KnaveTO]

okay... to continue this thread... what, besides wood is a good base for the stuff that the root structure will adhere to?

[DaFishMan]

Rocks :)

You could also do moss on coconut caves and various decor too.
On any glazed / smooth surfaces sand or scratch it up so moss can attach easier.
Plastic mesh for moss walls.

[blainep]

okay... to continue this thread... what, besides wood is a good base for the stuff that the root structure will adhere to?

Just about anything, I've got it growing on wood, rocks, plastic ornaments

[KnaveTO]

next dumb question.... what is a good mesh to use for moss walls and the like? I want to make a moss wall for my shrimp tank and some sort of moss bed for my small breeding tank

[PPulcher]

I think you can use the plastic needlepoint mesh you can get at craft shops like Michael's and the like. If you want to do sinking mats, I guess you'd need something like stainless steel mesh, but I have no idea where you might get it.

[Melody]

The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked :wink: . This isn't my forte', but I've thought about it a lot if that counts. I've seen people use anything from 1/2" to 1.5" mesh. The type doesn't matter (as long as its aquarium safe of course). You can find it at hardward stores or craft stores. You'd probably have better luck finding a mesh that suits all requirements at a craft store - much better selection designed for different purposes. You may even find a dark colour so you don't have to look at stark white until it fills in. For weight you'd probably do better at the hardware store.

[KnaveTO]

Guess I am hitting Lewiscraft at Yonge & Bloor tomorrow. Should I grab any spare mesh for anyone?

[KnaveTO]

Turns out the Lewiscraft at yonge & Bloor is no longer there :mad: So instead I hit the hardware store and grabbed plastic gutter guard. Will let you know how that works... oh! and it is Black!

[Melody]

Bonus! Let us know how it works for you, if you would please.

[James]

Glad you asked about this Ellner, while out looking around found some at a small shop here in Abbotsford, so bought some. Will see just how hardy it is, since my wife and I seem to be the kiss of death for house plants, curious to see if it can make it.

Downside of shopping today was while in a LFS, watched as a salesperson sold a 10 gallon tank to a young man, would guess it was his mother with him, and then sold him two baby Tiger Oscars. When I had tanks before I had two Oscars, great fish if you have a 80 to 100 gallon tank and nothing else with them, but in a 10 gallon new tank, they won't last long.

Yes I thought about saying something, but decided best not to since the salesperson was explaining how she was an expert fish keeper!!!!! I just won't shop there anymore.

Anyway, took an hour to "sew" it to couple of pieces of plastic needlepoint mesh stolen from my wife's supply. Plus side is it is still green, but then its only been in the tank for half an hour. LOL

James

[KnaveTO]

I guess I am a tad less tolerant... I would have corrected that sales person in front of the customer especially once they stated they were an expert fish-keeper. I can't tolerate stuff like that. Furthermore I would have asked to see the manager and explain to him in no uncertain terms what the staff person was doing. By not correcting the staff, and just not returning to the store all we are doing is just turning a blind eye to the issue and sentencing a lot of other fish to a unbearable existance. Just my opinion.

As for this thread (and sorry about the side topic) yes I have to agree... I am glad it was asked so that we all can put our collective minds together.

[CACAdmin]

my wife and I seem to be the kiss of death for house plants, curious to see if it can make it.


You're not alone in that department. :no: I have two houseplants which have survived for years (and have no idea why... except they are un-killable.:twitcy: ). Any other houseplant I've ever had just up and dies... and believe me there have been a great many.:rolleyes: I do however have much greater success with aquatic plants... of course I am still capable of killing those. But java moss seems to flourish in spite of me so I hope yours does well. Best of luck!

[Melody]

Glad you asked about this Ellner, while out looking around found some at a small shop here in Abbotsford, so bought some. Will see just how hardy it is, since my wife and I seem to be the kiss of death for house plants, curious to see if it can make it.

Downside of shopping today was while in a LFS, watched as a salesperson sold a 10 gallon tank to a young man, would guess it was his mother with him, and then sold him two baby Tiger Oscars. When I had tanks before I had two Oscars, great fish if you have a 80 to 100 gallon tank and nothing else with them, but in a 10 gallon new tank, they won't last long.

Yes I thought about saying something, but decided best not to since the salesperson was explaining how she was an expert fish keeper!!!!! I just won't shop there anymore.

Anyway, took an hour to "sew" it to couple of pieces of plastic needlepoint mesh stolen from my wife's supply. Plus side is it is still green, but then its only been in the tank for half an hour. LOL

James

Yeah its always nice when they don't mention the size of tank that will be needed in a couple of months. I encountered much the same thing with Goldfish. Innocently added to her speach about them being ok in a small tank (under 5G's), that they'd be fine for a few weeks but would eventually need one of those <gestured towards a 50G or whatever was sitting there>. Mama's eyes got wide, the clerk argued "but they never live long enough to get to their biggest size!" to which I of course gestured to the small tank and replied "Not in that they won't.":rolleyes: I told Mama to go down the mall as there was a small fish store where they would give her GOOD advice. I had to go though so I don't know if she listened to me or not.

It gets to a point where ya just give up.::(:

Good luck with your project! Nice wife ya got there...lol.

[KnaveTO]

Well... just to let you know. I made a wall of the plastic gutter guard and so far it seems to be going well. Starting to get shoots of Christmas Moss from through the holes. Give it a few months and it might fill in... LOL

The holes on the gutter guard are about 1cm each so is good for stuff like this but not hairgrass or something that is that fine. I only tied it up at the corners plus 2 poinst on the long edges each and one point on the side. Because it is designed the way it is it really isn't meant to be flat so the next time I make one of these I will probably 'sew' up the edges as well as tie up in the centre at probably two spots to help it remain flatter. Otherwise the shrimp are loving it.

Another side note, for fry I would watch them around these sort of things as they can become trapped rather easily either in the mesh in the early stages or behind the mesh wall. Maybe with the 'sewing' I have mentioned above this will be less likely. I have noted that the shimp are a lot less likely to become trapped.

[Maritess]

On the topic of Java Moss, I have to ask: why is Java Moss so popular in aquariums? I finally decided to buy some and put it in my tank. It just seems to float around and the fish avoid it like it was a big clump of netting. The fish don't rest on it or hide in it, and it seems to cling to excess food particles like it was glued to them; every time I change the tank's water, taking the moss out and simply rinsing it is not enough. I have to manually try to extract every bit of garbage from the moss before putting it back in the tank.

So why do people like Java Moss so much?

[PPulcher]

It makes a pretty good spawning medium and provides good cover for fry. Microfauna apparently cling to it, providing a food source for really tiny fry. Also, it is pretty easy to grow under just about any lighting you can provide.

[Melody]

On the topic of Java Moss, I have to ask: why is Java Moss so popular in aquariums? I finally decided to buy some and put it in my tank. It just seems to float around and the fish avoid it like it was a big clump of netting. The fish don't rest on it or hide in it, and it seems to cling to excess food particles like it was glued to them; every time I change the tank's water, taking the moss out and simply rinsing it is not enough. I have to manually try to extract every bit of garbage from the moss before putting it back in the tank.

So why do people like Java Moss so much?

All of the above, and it looks nice tied to things, which you may have better luck with. It doesn't float on it's own and should touch down on the substrate. Inverts, snails & fish keep it reasonably clean and if you use a feeding ring you won't have an issue there. If you don't like it, it's easy enough to rehome, no big.

[firestorm]

I like using it in all my fry tanks, shrimp tank, and trying to get my killies to spawn in it. Yes it can make a mess in the aquarium but either tie it to some driftwood, or try to tuck it slightly under some deco and eventually it will attach itself to it. Other than that I have never tried using it to feed my fish, and I don't find food gets caught in it. Maybe try using a different type of food in that tank.

[PintoHawk]

It would be very easy to rehome if you didn't like it, LOL

Tie it down to something and see if you like it then...?