chatony

OK guys. Heres the question. "How do you look after java moss and how is it shipped?"

Gunnie

Java moss is pretty easy to take care of. Tie clumps to driftwood with fishing line or cotton thread or string until it attaches itself. Any loose moss allowed to float in the tank can become a nuisance if you're not careful. It can tend to attach itself where you don't want it to, and once it's attached, it's very hard to remove it even if you continue to try and pull it off.

chatony

how much does it usually cost?

Gunnie

I usually see it go for around $5.00 for a baseball size amount. It can be shipped like other aquatic plants get shipped - in wet newspaper or paper towels.

chatony

thnx. I was just wondering... does anyone sell to australia

arfon

hi chatony. i live in UK and bought some Java moss on ebay from seller in Kentucky USA. arrived 5 days later and one of the best moss i have purchased, real healthy and was in sealed moist bag. i tied it down with thread and have done nothing with it since and only has a few hours of light a day. seller grew it in garage with no light and no heater and it kept growing. very hardy moss.

Gunnie

You can also go to aquatic plant forums like www.plantgeek.net and look in the ads for what's available. I know Plantgeeks has members from Austrailia.

chatony

thnx. i also read that they need brakish water. is that true?

Gunnie

Not in my opinion. Everyone I know that has java moss doesn't have salt in their tank.

les

Umm, my moss has been on the driftwood for 1 month and it has not attached itself .. I have been using with liquid fertiliser as well ..

What is going wrong ?

Butterfly

Patience les nothing is wrong sometimes it takes a little longer to attach.
Java moss is a freshwater plant but I have heard it does well in a brackish tank also.
Carol

chatony

my moss just keeps ripping apart and jaming my filter.. is there any way to stop that?

Butterfly

chatony is your moss attached to anything or floating free? Strong water movement tends to move it around the tank if loose and will definately get in the filter. When attached to something and out of a strong flow it seems to do ok.
Carol

griffin

you might also be able to put something like a sponge or some netting over your filter intake so it doesn't get jammed? (kinda like osme people do for fry)

chatony

i didnt tie it down.. i didn't think i needed to. Thanks for the ideas!!!

Butterfly

Welcome! If it's not tied down it will float around your tank and little bits will attach where ever you don't want it It can be wrapped around a small terra cotta pot and it will grow out from that making a java moss cave, or attacked to a piece of wood, or to a flat rock. Imagination is the key here- have fun with it. You can use cotton thread to hold it in place or a rubber band, they will both eventualld weaken from the water and break then you can take the out.
Carol

chatony

can i just shove it into the pot, or does it have to be wrapped around?

Butterfly

You can wrap it around the pot and put string or a rubber band around it Or you can stuff sone in the pot and put a rock in it to hold it in the pot either way it will eventually cover the pot
Carol

les

WHY oh why has it not attached itself to the driftwood ?

Possibly the current is too strong ? Can't be ...

arfon

apparently the more you spread it out ' as appose to a clump' the quicker it will grow. I'm still experimenting with mine and bought a nice sized clump of moss recently from ebay and wrapped it loosely around a bamboo stick and tied it down cotton thread. its currently floating next to the filter hose where there is good current and so far the moss is growing well .the moss has 5 hrs of light a day but people do say moss can grow without light. Ive moss on driftwood and its taking longer to grow that on the bamboo stick. one advantage of moss floating on a stick is it keeps the snails away from it. my snails seem to like moss