Dead Java Moss and Fern

[MantisX]

I purchased some java moss about a week ago. I split it in 2 and put some in each of my tanks. My question is, why did it die? In both tanks I put it in, plants are growing fine and there are no signs of malnutirition. The stuff died off in a day and a half literally. I can still see a few green strands here and there. Is it worth trying to save? Is there such thing as the light being too bright for it?

Also, I had a huge piece of java fern growing on my driftwood with the stock lighting that came with my 29 gallon. I recently bumped it from 20 watts to 72 watts. The java ferns leaves turned brown within 2-3 days and it died. The rhizomes and stems are still there, but the leaves are gone. What happened?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[brotherd]

Strange...If all the other plants are fine then maybe the new plants were on their way out so to speak.Take what died back to the store and ask for a refund or exchange.I hope you have a receipt.

 

[MantisX]

It was actually mail order But I dont understand how it was dead. It was a VERY deep green, and the guy even shipped it in a sealed styrofoam box. It even had little java ferns rooted in it(They are still living) I havent thought of asking for a reship, he may be actually up for that. But I dont want anymore until im sure I can grow it.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

It is possible for the plants to have problems from the light. I am under the impression that this sometimes happens as they go from dimly lit pet stores to fully lighed tanks.

 

[Fruitbat]

When you say you 'split it in two'...do you mean that you broke apart (or cut) the rhizome? If that's what you did then you didn't push the rhizome underneath the gravel after you split it, did you? If you cut a plant rhizome and then put the injured parts under the gravel then you are in serious risk of various fungi and bacteria in the substrate attacking the cut places (especially fungi). If this happens....wave bye-bye to the plant!

 

[MantisX]

Oh no, I meant to say I broke the java moss(More like pulled it apart) The java ferns had never been separated or cut in any way. They just started to die.

 

[Dino]

Sounds like probably hit some cold weather in shipping.
Tis very odd for those plants to go like that, that quickly.
When you are up to trying again, let me know. I have both plants here.
Maybe us being closer will get it there without any problems.

Best,
dino

 

[MantisX]

Well after Mr Burns' post, im highly considering the christmas moss now, If I can find any that is. I think I will round up whats living of this moss and roll it in a ball and let it do what its gonna do. Dino, do you have any pictures of your plants? Im always looking for a nice local source of plants/fish.

 

[TankGirl]

I have read about java fern dying back dramatically when the light is upgraded, so it is possible it could come back, but I am dubious.

I am interested in Christmas moss myself, after that monster thread started by Mr Burns! I have since seen it in a lot of tanks by Amano. I have read threads about this stuff before, and apparently some parts of the US have it, and some parts never see it.

 

[MantisX]

TankGirl, check out www.aquabid.com I almost always see it there. I just dont have the money on me to buy it. :? I also dont know what id like to do with it yet. My 2 options are to plaster it on the driftwood in my 29 and see if it ends up like the regular moss, or get a nice piece of driftwood and try it out in my 10 gallon, where the regular moss also died. Either way, sometime in the future, I will be trying it out. Its too pretty to pass up.

 

[TankGirl]

How could I forget about Aquabid!! Thanks, MantisX- I guess I will need to utilize the utmost control and try not to bid on too much stuff...I can get carried away

 

[Mr Burns]

speaking of dead moss...any idea how long java moss or xmas moss can survive or at least make a come back from being out of water?

the reason i ask is b/c i need to seal my moss wall so that it's not a death trap for my fish (and easier to clean if the time comes.) i'm planning on applying it to a sheet of the extra acrylic i'll have...attaching one half of the plastic mesh to the sheet with silicone, letting that cure, spreading the moss, then folding the other half making a mesh/moss/mesh sandwich. to make it safe and sealed up, i'll have to silicone that top layer of mesh and let it cure for a while, but the moss is already going to be underneath. will the moss survive the 24-48 required to let the silicone cure safely? is there anything i can do to protect/help it while it is out of water?

i got this plan from http://www.killies.com/Mosswall.htm , and modified it to fit my design and safety concers b/c i don't like the idea of using suction cups at all. it seems like there's still a chance of a small fish getting trapped behind it...

 

[TankGirl]

If it is possible to put wet newspaper under and on top of the moss, in the areas that are not being siliconed, that would help a great deal. If you are just siliconing around the edges that will work, but if you are going to silicone in the center as well then it might not. I guess you will either have to try it, or go with the suction cup method, which I think would be fine provided the mesh fits the glass perfectly. Fish do have a way of finding tight spots, as my serpaes would frequently get trapped behind my CO2 bubble diffuser ladder!

 

[Mr Burns]

i won't be able to put newspaper underneath the moss b/c the bottom layer of mesh will be completely 'sealed' to the acrylic sheet with silicone so that nothing can get behind it. i supposed when i fold over the top layer of mesh and silicone it, i can pile some wet paper towels on top of the moss. would it help if i put some of the liquid fertilizer and water in a spray bottle to keep the moss damp?

i plan on getting a few otos and i just have a bad feeling they'll find a way behind the screening if i don't seal this thing up completely...

also, i came across a little extra money today, so if i think that the 1x96 isn't working, i can always add the second!

 

[TankGirl]

the bottom layer of mesh will be completely 'sealed' to the acrylic sheet with silicone so that nothing can get behind it.

Right, I knew that! You can probably skip a silicone step and just cut the mesh to fit the acrylic sheet, since there is no real reason to have the mesh behind it if there is a sheet of acrylic there, but that is not really germane to this issue!

I don't think there is much to be gained by using any fertilizer, but if you can keep it moist it should be fine.

 

[Mr Burns]

haha... you're right, the bottom layer of mesh isn't needed. i thought the moss would need something to cling to on both sides, but i guess the front mesh will be just fine. thanks!

 

[MantisX]

Well, I woke up today to see a nice clump of the so so call dying moss thriving!! Im not sure it if was shock or what, but the stuff is making a comeback. I can see new strands of it grow through the dead! A few more months, and I should have some nice lush driftwood. I didnt add anything and I didnt take anything away, but grow it has!

 

[TankGirl]

Yay! That is great. It is kind of like when crypts melt - they almost always come back.

Any sign of life from the java fern, or was that beyond hope?

 

[MantisX]

The jave fern looks long gone. I think im either going to try crypts, or maybe give the ferns another shot from a different seller. They were fine though until I increased lighting. Oh well, 2 out of 3 aint bad.

 

[madasafish]

I've had a similar experience... I've found that if you take plants from a cold package, acclimate them too quickly and then put them in your main tank they'll lose their color and leaves really quickly. The temp. change is (obviously) a big shock to the plants. I'd leave the last green bits (cut off all brown parts) and the Java Fern Rhizomes, as these often regrow even if much of the plant experiences trauma.

If you think the temp. might be the cause, try acclimating the plants over the process of a day to the temp of your tank. The plants seem to be OK with the temp. drop from shipping, but seem to suffer when the temp. is re-elevated.

Just my experience. HTH