Hello - sorry to derail this thread but Steven, could I please get some pointers on the java moss? I have a clump in my 12 gallon tank and yeah, it's unsightly. I'm starting a 2.5 gal and would like to have a couple of pieces of moss-covered driftwood for it.Ah, I wouldn't drown the terrestrial mosses. As Dr. Tan at Killies.com would say, that's not very nice. :icon_lol:
There are plenty of mosses in the hobby, and lots of members who would help you get some. If you can't afford the rarer kinds, personally I think Java Moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) is severely underrated. :icon_mad:
Java moss is underrated to the point where anyone sees beautiful moss in a tank, they think it's anything but java moss . . . but really, it's java moss. Because they usually see it just tossed into a breeder tank (where it does grow well) with its crazy stringly growth, they don't realize that it can be extremely beautiful when properly applied and trained. It's so underrated, that all the Japanese LFs and all the publications from ADA all call Java moss, willow moss (and even use the WRONG scientific name fontinalis antipyretica which is a moss that looks completely different!). :angryfire
Ok, I'm done with my Java moss rant. IMO, unless you got a very small tank or absolutely NEED the fissidens or what have you, moss is moss. It's green, it's sparkly, and no one outside the hobby (or 80% of those in it including Amano apparently) can tell the difference. :icon_lol:
I couldn't agree more...I had a bunch growing on a curve on my Manzanita and it was so incredible. Everyone wanted some and loved it, then I told them it was java moss, and they were shocked. No detritus, flat and flowing, and filled in beautifully.Ah, I wouldn't drown the terrestrial mosses. As Dr. Tan at Killies.com would say, that's not very nice. :icon_lol:
There are plenty of mosses in the hobby, and lots of members who would help you get some. If you can't afford the rarer kinds, personally I think Java Moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) is severely underrated. :icon_mad:
Java moss is underrated to the point where anyone sees beautiful moss in a tank, they think it's anything but java moss . . . but really, it's java moss. Because they usually see it just tossed into a breeder tank (where it does grow well) with its crazy stringly growth, they don't realize that it can be extremely beautiful when properly applied and trained. It's so underrated, that all the Japanese LFs and all the publications from ADA all call Java moss, willow moss (and even use the WRONG scientific name fontinalis antipyretica which is a moss that looks completely different!). :angryfire
Ok, I'm done with my Java moss rant. IMO, unless you got a very small tank or absolutely NEED the fissidens or what have you, moss is moss. It's green, it's sparkly, and no one outside the hobby (or 80% of those in it including Amano apparently) can tell the difference. :icon_lol:
The trick to it is attaching it to something like wood or a piece of slate. Just tie it down flat and it will grow towards the light. As for cleaning it I use a toothbrush on my moss carpet. It is attached to thin bits of slate so I can just take it right out of the tank and clean it in a bowl of water.Hello - sorry to derail this thread but Steven, could I please get some pointers on the java moss? I have a clump in my 12 gallon tank and yeah, it's unsightly. I'm starting a 2.5 gal and would like to have a couple of pieces of moss-covered driftwood for it.
Thanks,
Spidergrrrl