What are some pretty mosses for beginers?

[Chakaga]

I am gearing up to start my very first planted tank. I am using regular aquarium gravel, probably a 6500 K light, and I'm not using any CO2. I am also trying to avoid using any special fertilizers or anything else that would induce a bunch of extra cost, I am however adding fish. My question is what are some pretty (and easy to care for) mosses and starter plants? And are there any that have colorful flowering?

[Chakaga]

I am definitely gonna get some Java Fern, those look real good. Not sure how I feel about Java Moss though.

[sunyang730]

There are a lot of post regarding moss lately. But I do recommend peacock moss.

[thechibi]

My Christmas moss is doing pretty well and I'm running moderate light/weekly excel/low ferts. I'm told Java Moss is good too. I don't know much about willow or flame moss. Marimo balls are cool for a mossy look.

(And moss is totally boss. I love it. When I get my dreamtank shrimptopia going, there will be MOSS!)

[Chakaga]

That peacock moss looks really nice. I like it quite a bit. I really like the look of willow moss, I'll have to see if I can grow that with a low tech tank. Are there any easy to care for (read inexpensive) flowering plants to introduce some other colors into the tank besides green?

[sunyang730]

Flowering plants? Plants are pretty hard to flower under water that is what I know. LOL you can get some reddish color plants.

[EntoCraig]

Originally Posted by sunyang730

Flowering plants? Plants are pretty hard to flower under water that is what I know. LOL you can get some reddish color plants.

Anubias is one of the very few plants that can flower underwater and it is an easy plant to grow.

[inka4041]

Christmas, mini christmas, riccardia, and weeping grow well in my setups. No CO2 or ferts on most tanks, and they all do just fine.

[Cottagewitch]

Fissidens Fontanus. I think it's a moss and it grows like a weed in my tanks especially closer to the light.


Jenna

[somewhatshocked]

Flame Moss, Xmas, Peacock, Willow. All great mosses and easy to care for.

As for plants that flower? There are a few types of Bacopa that will flower as their tops begin to grow out of the water and they're not too difficult to care for.

[StrungOut]

Willows one of the harder ones to start with. I would start with any taxiphyllum can't go wrong...

[somewhatshocked]

There's nothing hard about moss - not even Willow.

Willow just requires cooler temperatures/does better in temperatures more suited to keeping shrimp. I.E., below 77/78.

[StrungOut]

and current/flow...

[Steve001]

Originally Posted by Chakaga

My question is what are some pretty (and easy to care for) mosses and starter plants? And are there any that have colorful flowering?

Take a look. Click the name.

http://www.aquamoss.net/Moss-List.htm

[acitydweller]

For a beginner moss, i recommend Java moss.

its readily available, reasonably priced and beautiful under stable conditions.

it was my first moss to be placed in a tank and is also the most beautifuly grown. I nested a bunch of it on the top of a peice of driftwood with gentle flow from a powerhead. it has since grown out and downward like an umbrella with new shoots spreading evenly and densely. You'd hardly seen this type of growth since most folks either float or wrap their moss around objects.

I have peacock, taiwan, christmas, and singapore mosses which grow denser, some almost too dense. java is great one to start with. I dont know if this works for all mosses, but ive had good success growing with some water current running through them.

good luck