If you are a great fish-watcher, you certainly would have noticed Java moss cultured widely in most of the domestic aquariums. Java moss will liven up your aquarium or tank with a bright splash of color.
The scientific binomial of Java Moss is Taxiphyllum Barbieri. The common names of this plant are mini moss, Christmas moss, bladder moss, dubious moss, Singapore moss, triangular moss, and willow moss.
Originally, Java Moss hails from parts of Southeast Asia like Java, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, and some islands. This plant is mostly sought after by a plethora of hobbyists for any numbers of legitimate reasons. It is utterly effortless to culture and takes care of when compared to other aquarium plants that demand your priceless time.
It grows up to a length of 10 cm and a width of 10 cm.
This article will help you get a clear insight into domestic Java moss cultivation.
Advantages of having Java Moss in your aquarium/tank
I’m quite sure you will drop your jaws in awe when you come to know the benefits of this simple but beautiful plant.
Suppose you are hunting hard for plants that are highly compatible with baby shrimp but devastated of not finding one, here is your Alibaba treasure. Java moss is one of the few plants that excellently enhances the survival rate of baby shrimp.
Java Moss will help you mimic a tropical environment for your fish to feel at home. Moss makes the fish feel comfy and safe. The rough and uneven places become soft after the green Java Moss blankets them. It can even cover up the wires in an aquarium.
A breeding tank with java moss can help prevent aggression and injuries at times. Java Moss can provide a haven for eggs and fries post-breeding and nourish them with a good tank condition. It works amazingly well when you try aquascaping in your aquarium or tank. Aquascaping is the beautiful art of decorating a tank or an aquarium with aesthetic sense.
Java moss helps to control excess nitrates and ammonia in the tank water composition. It cuts down the aggressive growth of algae in the tank, thereby making your aquarium\tank look tidy. Since Java Moss absorbs nutrients faster than algae, when put together algae will starve to death without a sufficient supply of nutrients.
Java Moss will undoubtedly enrich the oxygen content in your tank water, subsequently helping your fishes to surf freely without the need to experience congestion. Though there are many artificial methodologies to maintain the carbon dioxide and oxygen proportion in the tank water, a natural means is always the best.
The best advantage is that Java moss is perfect for beginners and is available at a very cheap rate.
After reading all these, I’m pretty sure it feels right to purchase Java Moss for your aquarium. So let’s move on to more information that you need to know to culture and sustain Java Moss in your aquarium or tank.
Conditions required
Java Moss doesn’t have super-specific conditions to thrive well. It needs a tank with moderate water flow, which is of average acidity level. It would be more favorable if the water has low salinity, this doesn’t mean that it can’t survive in saline water.
The minimum tank size for culturing Java Moss is 5 gallons. The pH level of the tank water must be set between 5.0 and 8.0. The ideal temperature condition for Java Moss lies somewhere between 21 and 24 degrees C. The hardness range of this tank lies between 6 to 20 dGH.
The intensity of the light you provide has impacts on the appearance and of the plant. More bright light will facilitate the more dense growth of the plant.
There are many different varieties of lighting systems available in the market, especially for Java moss. You can pick any one of them for your tank. Experimenting is a part of learning dude. If you desperately want to speed up the growing process of Java Moss, you can even try setting up additional light sources. However, beware more light can invite algae.
You needn’t use fertilizers to enhance the growth rate of this plant usually as it grows well without such supplements.
The water must be maintained clean and must be replaced at necessary intervals.
Plantation and care
You can have Java moss as a floating plant in your aquarium. Some people would want to make their aquarium or tank more organized and neat; such people would prefer fixing Java Moss on to any of the surfaces inside the tank or aquarium.
Place the Java Moss pieces over the surface you want to grow it and attach them to the surface with the help of a thread or fishing line. After a few days of securing it in a proper place, it will attach itself naturally to the surface.
You can alluringly align the Java Moss plants in the form of a carpet or wall in your aquarium. This task is not so difficult. All you will need is two mesh pieces and a tying material like a dark cotton thread or a fishing line. Cover one mesh with Java moss and then carefully place the second piece of mesh on top of the first one and secure it by stitching them together. After a few days, you will be able to see Java Moss sprouting through the meshes you have kept in place.
Propagation happens effortlessly in Java moss. Every little piece of Java Moss you place inside your aquarium will propagate into a dense Java Moss layer.
If you want Java Moss to make up the floor of your aquarium, position it in the bottom and add small amounts of gravel on it. You will be stunned to see how quickly it grows and pulls over as a green blanket.
Java Moss can also be made to look like trees in an aquarium with the help of vertical pieces of driftwood. Design driftwood pieces in such a way that they look like a tree and then attach Java Moss pieces to the structure you have designed. To attach Java Moss make sure you use safe aquarium glue. Each object you use or incorporate inside the aquarium must be sterilized or must be aquarium friendly.
Maintenance
Java moss needs to be trimmed now and then to make the aquarium look good in shape. As they grow fast, they need to cut is a must.
With the help of a home pH, you can test whether the tank water is of the correct pH level, if not add chemicals that are available in the market to increase or decrease the pH level of the water. You can add up shells or new rocks into your aquarium if the pH is too low, this will aid in increasing the pH level.
You may employ a heater to achieve this temperature range continually in your aquarium or tank. You should check the temperature of your shell now and then to make sure it doesn’t fluctuate to very cold or very warm temperatures. Please don’t keep the water too warm as it may slow down the process of growth. A little cold water will do perfectly well.
Make use of a filter in your tank or aquarium to regulate the water flow; this will pave the way for the nutrients to be distributed evenly throughout the basin. If the nutrients get distributed evenly, Java Moss will flourish in all parts of the tank at ease. Please don’t keep the current too secure instead keep it in moderate flow. Strong current may break the delicate pieces of moss. It is good to keep the moss away from the direct water flow from the filter.
A siphon can be employed to change the tank water every week.
It would help if you were more precautious of not letting algae invade your tank. Excessive light and overfeeding of nutrients will facilitate algae to thrive more. Sometimes algae can grow to the extent of dominating Java moss, making you remove both algae and Java Moss and start from the first.
A type of algae called hair algae can occur in a Java moss tank which is very disturbing. You can gently remove them with the help of a toothbrush without causing any harm to the Java Moss setup. There are also a wide variety of algae eradicating substances in the market that can be employed to eliminate excess algae in your tank.
Compatible fishes
Java moss goes well almost with all kinds of fishes. For a shrimp tank, this will be the best choice. Any fish will not wholly devour java, Moss. You may find it difficult to remove from the container as it is too hard. Bettas and gouramis will love floating Java Moss as they build floating nests called bubble nests. There is no fish reported that does not go well with Java Moss in general. Sounds impressive.
Problems encountered
Java Moss is more durable than any other aquatic plant. Some of the issues encountered will be discussed in this passage. If you don’t maintain Java Moss properly, it can dominate the whole tank. So it is necessary that you keep trimming it into a perfect shape.
Algae is essential for an aquarium but if it grows too much in an aquarium that has Java Moss, make sure the excess algae is eliminated. Beware of algae blanketing Java moss as it may be a fatal end.
Dirt might get collected in between chunks of Java Moss if it is not maintained correctly. To get rid of the trash you can remove the Java Moss from the aquarium or tank, wash the dirt off and place it again in the container.
We hope this article was useful in gaining the necessary information you have been hunting related to Java Moss. If you are a learner, all you need to do is to abide by the instructions provided in this article to get amazing green results.
