What kind of moss is this that is taking over!

[EllenAliciaJordanScusa]

About 6 or 7 months ago I bought Christmas moss and java moss. Both pretty and looked similar to me. I put it on my rocks and wood in two different 20-gallon tanks. Most of the java moss died really, but not all, but my Christmas moss at least in one of my tanks was doing rather well to my surprise. It was growing more and more. About two weeks ago though I noticed it beginning to look a little different. Everywhere that I had either moss was looking different in both tanks. It bunched together more and looked like a mass of green algae plus moss or something. It began looking dirty and it was because the mass caught everything that went by in the water. There were less and less features and little knobs of new growth. It lacked features. I decided to take it out and clean it under running water and examine it. And like I said there was a lot of tank crap in it. Leftover food, poop, pieces of plant etc. It traps everything like a web. But the algae itself is very green. A light green. To my surprise I was dealing with something entirely different. This was something that looked like it would be in wild ponds or something. When in the tank it looked like fabric thread almost reaching out floating in the water. It is hard to see in the pictures. In your hands it is just a green thready mass with no attributes of any kind. It looks fuzzy in the pictures next to the Christmas moss. I can't separate it entirely from my Christmas moss which looks very different. It is too intertwined to separate. And too thready. Easily anyway. It will take me forever. Trying to get it off my Christmas moss just breaks the Christmas moss. But I did pull it apart to thin it and try to take out what I could. I should have taken pictures before, but I didn't think of it then. I don't know if you are going to be able to see it with my camera. The pictures of it on the wood I was hoping you could see the threads separate from the other moss.
I want to know what this is. If it is possible that my Christmas or java moss could have made this stuff. Or did something come in accidentally that I didn't see before when I purchased my moss which was online. I have never had anything like this before. But I have only had two kinds of moss in my aquariums before and only for the past three years. But had fish tanks for 15 years. I tried to take pictures of it for you guys to see. It is very green. A light green like I said. No other color to it. You can see my Christmas moss intertwined with it. I need to get rid of this stuff. I am so disappointed and worried that I am going to have to get rid of all of my moss and start over again.

 

[connorlindeman]

You have hair algae mixed in with your moss.
Not the fault of the seller. Your nutrients and lighting are out of balance.

 

[jaylach]

You have hair algae mixed in with your moss.
Not the fault of the seller. Your nutrients and lighting are out of balance.

Are you sure that all is hair algae? In some photos some looks like there may be Cyanobacteria which isn't even algae.

 

[MaloK]

I think It's the string or hair algae that causes the moss to decay, leaving the gooey stuff.

I have some that is a little different it's elastic but resistant, sticks like glue and it dissolve everything in contact with it... Even snails that falls in it gets caught and "digested". Nobody wants to touch it. loll.

 

[connorlindeman]

No cyanobacteria that I can see.

 

[EllenAliciaJordanScusa]

So, if it is because of my light and nutrients how can I make it stop growing by changing these?

 

[jaylach]

So, if it is because of my light and nutrients how can I make it stop growing by changing these?

1. Have the lights on for less hours per day or add floating plants to cause shade in the water column.
2. Cut back on how much you feed fish. Most people could cut there feeding by at least 25% and still end up with left over food.
3. Cut back on any fertilizers you may use.

I'm sure that others may add on.

 

[MaloK]

4. Make bigger water changes, more than 50% to reduce nutrients in the water to a minimum.
5. Increase surface aeration.
6. Make sure you have good water movement all over the tank.

 

[EllenAliciaJordanScusa]

That is where it is growing actually. Right in the flow of water from my filter. And it has a huge flow. There is definitely good water movement in my tank. I will increase my water changes though and also turn down my lights so there not as bright as well as turn them off a little earlier than usual.
And I was mistaken about it being in both tanks. I remembered that I had taken some out before I knew better and put it into the other tank. I forgot I did that. So, it is only one of my tanks that is creating the problem and like I said it is growing and only growing where the water is coming out of the filter onto a log I have there. It is attached to the moss on the log. Thanks for everyone's help. At least I know what it is now.