Java Moss

[phoenix2081]

Hey guys I am only just getting into live plants and the such but I am starting a shrimp tank. So with this in mind I bought a large portion of java moss from ebay with the idea to put it on my already soaked bogwood.

Well it arrived today and I attached it using thread and placed it in my main tank until I finish setting the shrimp tank up and to hopefully allow it to grow and thrive as the tank I have now has a substrate and an underlayer which has all the nutrients for plants. (I really wish I could remember the name. If you need it I can pop to my LFS and get it at some point).

However, The moss is attached nicely but is brown in some parts. I put this down to being starved from light during P&P. Would this be a good guess?

My main questions are these:

I currently don't add CO2 as I can not afford the kit but have seen the liquid CO2. Would this be a good substitute until I get the funds?

Will the brown moss eventually spring back to life?

I have the tank lights on which are T5's from 0800-2100. Is that too much or too little?

How long will it take to attach and spread along the wood on average?

Sorry to bombard so many questions. Hope someone can give me an idea as I would love to be able to clip the moss and have a lovely mossy shrimp tank in the future. I am a patient man and can deal with threading it to rocks and pebbles making a carpet and maybe a moss wall in the future.

On a positive note before I say bye, the flame moss I bought came on a metal mesh and is making a nice carpet and is lovely and green. As soon as I get a rock I like I will be attaching it to that.

Thankyou
Mitch

 

[phoenix2081]

Hmm no movement but I can start to see new light green areas of the moss. I just need to know if the brown bits will rejuvinate or am I better off taking it out. Then thining what I have left?

Well I have just spent my lunch messing about with it. I took it all off and placed it on thinner. The majority of it is green I would say slightly at about 60% green to 40% brown. I have put the other moss into water which is in the light. It currently has no fish in but it will be getting tied onto stones and wood soon.

Someone must be able to help with java moss?

 

[phoenix2081]

In order to hopefully get somebody to reply. Here is some images.

This is when I had it really thick on the wood.

This is when I had thinned it out. 24 hrs later

Close up of green to brown.

The rest of the moss sat in tank water on the window sill. It looks green until attached and in the tank

Like I said before I would like to know if this is going to work as if not my tiny bit of flame moss I ordered seems to be doing well. I do not get why this moss looks so bad. It came in this condition I just need to know if it can be saved and if yes how?

I hope the pictures help and get someone to read and respond.

 

[Tom499]

Java moss is pretty resilient, it should start waking up. You want to be looking for light bright green "leaves".

The brown is dead, mosses grow in a sort of long snake like fashion, with the "dead" end acting as an anchor, and very basic form of root.

So don't remove it just yet.

From your post I'm guessing you've had it in there about 24 hours, which is a pretty short time, especially as its had a bumpy for days, it will need time to settle in.

 

[phoenix2081]

The fish kept taking the moss out of the thread but I have some of the net coming so I have taken it off and it all resides in the tub in the window. I will start again probably with a fresh better batch of moss and some flame moss too.

Thanks anyway Tom I will have to give it a few weeks once I set it up properly in a shrimp tank.

 

[BubblesLotsOfBubbles]

The fish kept taking the moss out of the thread but I have some of the net coming so I have taken it off and it all resides in the tub in the window. I will start again probably with a fresh better batch of moss and some flame moss too.

Thanks anyway Tom I will have to give it a few weeks once I set it up properly in a shrimp tank.

 
How did this turn out for you?