I duno, I find mine to grow very fast, the fish love to hide in it, it doesn't shed for ME (well, the old growth does from when it was in a pet store) Though mine is green... otherwise it looks exactly the same. I find that if it starts to collect a bit of dust, I just shake it a bit and it all clears right up - it collects fewer pieces of grit than java or christmas moss in my experience. Perhaps my experience is not the norm, but I just thought I'd defend the plant I discovered recently... I almost like it better than my corkscrew vals...