Java moss
Encyclopedia
Java Moss is a moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

 belonging to the Hypnaceae
Hypnaceae
Hypnaceae is a large family of moss with broad worldwide occurrence. in the class Bryopsida, subclass Bryidae and order Hypnales. Genera include Hypnum and Ptilium.-Ecology:...

 family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

. Native to Southeast Asia, it is commonly used in freshwater aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

s. It attaches to rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...

s, root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...

s, and driftwood
Driftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....

. The identity of this well-known plant is not resolved; formerly thought to be Vesicularia dubyana (Brotherus, 1908), it may actually be Taxiphyllum barbieri.

Java Moss does not require any special attention. It accepts all kind of waters, even weakly brackish
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...

, and all kind of light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...

 qualities. It grows best at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius), but can live in temperatures of up to 85 to 90 °F (29 to 32 °C). It is a low light plant and makes a great foreground plant. In aquariums it should be planted where there is good water current because debris gets stuck on it easily and gives it a brown fuzzy appearance. Due to its clinging nature Java Moss can also be made into a moss wall. This can be accomplished by folding a net and spreading the moss evenly across it. Then, the net can be secured together by polyester strings, and held on the aquarium wall by using suction cups. It is a slow starter until it has established itself.

It is especially popular among aquarists
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 raising fry (baby fish) and tadpoles, to protect them from cannibalistic
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

 adults. Java Moss can also provide food for the newly formed fry, which can be challenging to feed. Some shrimp like to tear the miniature leaves off it to eat.

Java Moss can be easily propagated via division. It is suitable for both aquariums and vivarium
Vivarium
A vivarium is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research...

s.

External links

  • The Aquarium Wiki article on caring for Java Moss in the aquarium
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