Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tank Plant Advice => Topic started by: Helen on June 04, 2018, 09:35:25 PM

Title: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 04, 2018, 09:35:25 PM
Hi.

I managed to secure my java moss to coconut pieces, and it seems to have started to grow. But the (long straggly) green bits don't seem too numerous amongst the brown dead looking bits. Any idea if it will thicken up if I take off the thread and prune the green bits? (Assuming the dead bits just drop off?)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: fcmf on June 04, 2018, 09:56:11 PM
With java moss, yes, the brown/dead bits just drop off - they're notorious for clogging up the filter. As for whether it thickens up, I'm afraid I can't help with this one given my very poor track record with java moss but hopefully someone else can help.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 04, 2018, 10:02:01 PM
@fcmf , I was really excited when I saw that you'd replied. I thought "her plants must have improved and boosted her confidence"!! 

:rotfl:

Anyway, I hope it makes you feel better that even those of us with heavily planted tanks can't keep everything happy! It seems to be non-substrate plants that I struggle with. I think this is my third attempt with moss of various sorts.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: fcmf on June 04, 2018, 10:15:01 PM
:rotfl:  I wish!

Some of them are actually still alive but not exactly thriving.

Anyway, that comment re not being able to keep everything happy does make me feel a bit better; thanks :cheers:. Although not the same, moss balls seem to be easy to keep alive - and it is possible to disentangle/spread them out from their ball shapes, so that might even be an option for you for the coconut pieces?
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 04, 2018, 10:29:59 PM
I have had moss balls in the past. (Did you know they are actually an algae, not a plant? So can be great way of controlling algae).

They got too big and mis shapen, so I threw them away.

One of the things I've struggled with moss is getting it to stay where I put it. I'm not sure that moss balls moss has the ability to stick itself (hence why it rolls into balls in the wild)

I had considered it and might try it on the coconuts if the current moss fails.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: TopCookie on June 04, 2018, 10:50:44 PM
I saw a great pic at some point, might have been a YT clip, where some chap used a moss ball, opened out, and stuck it strategically on one of those bonsai style trees - looked excellent too...  :)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Matt on June 04, 2018, 10:56:47 PM
Why dont you take the thread off, get rid of the brown stuff, trim the good growth and retie on with new thread.this will speed up the process of it filling out   ;)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Littlefish on June 05, 2018, 08:40:43 AM
Regular trimming of the moss will also help it to fill out.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 05, 2018, 04:53:03 PM
Fab, thanks guys.

I'll keep you updated on success.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: fcmf on June 17, 2018, 05:55:20 PM
I've been having a browse around at plants on wood/rocks and notice what actually looks like moss balls spread across wood - they're advertised as marimo wood. Maybe not the look you're wanting but possibly an alternative if you're having no luck with java moss.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: TopCookie on June 17, 2018, 11:42:13 PM
I've heard it said that once you have Java Moss in your tank, you can't get rid of it, as it becomes so prolific & widespread over time...  You just may have had a close shave Helen, if it won't settle in your tank...  ;)   I won't have it in mine, for said reason...  The Marimo covered wood/trees/stones etc look to be a safer bet imho... 
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 17, 2018, 11:55:22 PM
I'm still persevering with the java moss! Results are not yet conclusive one way or the other.  ;)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Sue on June 18, 2018, 12:06:50 PM
When I first joined Thinkfish on its previous host (the whole forum was lost when the then owner was given a week's notice to find another host!) I had a reputation as a plant killer. Everything I tried died. I now have lots of plants growing successfully but not Java moss. I bought some and attached it to a piece of wood with cotton. Several years later, it is smaller than when I bought it  >:(

Not everyone has java moss take over  ;D
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: TopCookie on June 18, 2018, 02:05:14 PM
Here's an extreme case...  He does make it clear that this only happens when it is neglected... 

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AoyOnW18Jc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AoyOnW18Jc</a>
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Helen on June 18, 2018, 02:12:41 PM
I've got a lot of plants in my tank, with relatively minimal effort. This is my third attempt at growing some sort of moss. The weeping moss did take over a bit, but I couldn't get it to stay put at all. (But not like that video!) I don't seem to be very good at fixing moss down. At least this hasn't spread eveywhere (yet!)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: TopCookie on June 18, 2018, 02:34:09 PM
To be completely fair, that's almost certainly a very long way from being typical, although there are a few such clips knocking around...  I do love the look of the various moss types myself too, just not sure that I could trust myself to stay on top of it properly if it were to really take off... 
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Andy The Minion on June 18, 2018, 10:10:08 PM
I'm in the 'stupid Java moss died again' camp myself :( Tried three times, I'm sparing the lives of any more moss by not buying any more .... until I forget again
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Matt on June 19, 2018, 06:51:00 AM
Marimo moss balls are actually an algae... most of us don't have any trouble growing algae!

You can take any moss ball, cut it open and attach it to any surface with superglue to create a mossy look or even a carpet look. Here are two examples... the second includes a how to guide;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DMv55UugU20 (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DMv55UugU20)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mofcYKV_zT4 (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mofcYKV_zT4)
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: daveyng on June 19, 2018, 10:00:45 AM
I have to occasionally pull out large clumps of Moss From the aquarium. It’s gone ‘beserk’ In the Pond. I have to remove masses of it regularly. You’d think it would be the other way round with the CO2 injection in the tank.
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: norie_uk on July 28, 2018, 06:13:21 PM
Interesting read about other members experiance's with Java moss.. i used thread to tie some java moss to a piece of driftwood in 3 different parts of the wood.. i now can't even see the wood its just grown like crazy. I think its been about 3mths no c02 no ferts nothing I've now chopped some of and added to a large piece of lava rock and again its just growing like crazy.. I'm actually looking to try some moss balls on the wood thx for the link above !
Title: Re: Care of java moss
Post by: Matt on July 28, 2018, 06:33:43 PM
I've had java moss growing in unheated, unfiltered shrimp tank now for a while, it is growing well (albeit slowly as you might expect) :)