Java Moss

[fishnerd]

I have a breeding setup for German blue rams, gold rams, electric blue rams and bolivian rams. I have Java Moss in all the breeding setups and fry grow out tanks, but its not really grown much and I have had most of the moss for about 8 months. I am using cheap lights to light the tanks so that might have something to do with it. I was just wondering if anyone could help me out. Thanks!

[Aquatic Journal]

Typically Java Moss likes Medium to high light and lots of nutrients to grow fast. Even with a cheap light and regularly feeding fish food it should be growing a little bit. 

This guy on youtube tends to have a lot of moss in his tanks for guppies so I assume he knows what he is talking about. I would check out what he had to say about it!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uk6exBzcWI

[Struggle]

My 75G with shrimp, snails, ember tetras and pseudomogils tends to grow it well with a finnex fugeray and easy green @ about twice the recommended dosage.

I do have a imbalance (go figure :)) somewhere and grow hair algae so I end up removing it and place it in my scud tank to get it clean. Once the hair algae is cleaned off I place the moss in another tank with dwarf cichlids or rainbows or whatever to clean the scuds off before splitting it up between other tanks.

The driftwood on the right was covered just like the one on the left before I pulled it. Believe it or not this all started from small strands that were in the shrimp bags for them to hold on to for the ride home.

[fishnerd]

It gets covered in mulm or debris most of the time then i clean it off and it still grows but just super slow. Do you think that has something to do with heat? I have had plants in coldwater tanks with no lights for weeks and they still grow. Since it is a breeding set up for rams I keep the breeding tanks at 84-86F and I keep the growout at 86-88, it tends to grow the fry faster because it speeds their metabolism up so they can eat more, but you have to keep up on water changes though.

[Struggle]

Could you rotate it out with a higher flow tank to see if it makes a difference? I would think that a little higher flow might help keep the debris off. 

[shkote]

I have been trying to figure this one out for years. I have java moss in cold water tanks down to 68ish degrees, and in 83 degree ram tanks, in very low light, high light, blackwater tanks, even excess sitting in cups with just room lighting and no flow, high flow, low flow, and the stuff is worse than duckweed.

I have read conflicting information about nutrients and java moss. Some say it needs a lot, some say it barely uses them at all. This stuff thrives in my water for some reason. I have even tried to get rid of it completely several times to no avail. It always pops up in a handful of tanks again. I haven't purchased java moss for 8 years. I have a higher ph, and very hard water with nitrates in tap. I don't know if it is a combination of those things that help it or not. I cut my Ram tanks with 50/50 RO, and it still thrives the same.  I've given up on trying to figure out why it thrives in my tanks, and have just accepted a lifetime of coexistence with it. 

[Wesley]

I noticed that trimming it will give it more room to grow back again. I think it also likes a lot of movement.

[fishnerd]

thanks, my Ph out the tap is 6.25 or lower, i havae three blackwater tanks,1 cold water and like 5-6 warm tanks and it does seem to do better in the coldwater tank but that might be because it has alot of flow. Thanks for all your suggestions!!!!