Java Moss/Fern and Moss Ball no light setting

[Terrance]

I'm just using them to help keep my water more clean. How much light do they require to stay alive? I'm planning on not turning on my tank light at all because one of my fish is nocturnal. Maybe just living room incandescent light is the only light source these plants will get in my home, and I could open the window blinds during weekday evenings and weekends to let some natural light enter the living room.

 

[jehubuddaka]

I've kept moss balls in similar situation for months with no negative effect.. they just didn't grow bigger.

 

[BBradbury]

Java moss / fern

I'm just using them to help keep my water more clean. How much light do they require to stay alive? I'm planning on not turning on my tank light at all because one of my fish is nocturnal. Maybe just living room incandescent light is the only light source these plants will get in my home, and I could open the window blinds during weekday evenings and weekends to let some natural light enter the living room.

Good morning Terrance...

Plants need water, light and a food source. Without all of them, your plants won't grow. Mosses and ferns require minimal light, so it's possible the indirect light the tank gets will suffice.

If you want clean water, then I suggest using an extra HOB filter and just use polyfiber as the media and do large and frequent water changes.

B

 

[Terrance]

My moss balls started to turn light brown after one week with indirect light, so I turned on my tank light today. Hopefully it will become green again. Java Moss/Fern doing good so far.

I didn't plan on getting a nocturnal fish at the time of plant purchase.

 

[jetajockey]

Moss balls are actually algae. I've still kept them alive in ambient room light though, so it doesn't take much.

 

[jpchin]

i have 2 south american bumblebee catfish in my tank with java moss/fern. nanas, and 2 large,2 small moss balls. i have 48w of light. my fish are nocturnal but that doesn't stop me from keeping my lights on. i keep mine on12, off12. my catfish are doing fine. they come out at night when the lights go out. and my plants are doing super good. i also use seachem exel fertilizer. highly recommend this product.

 

[jpchin]

sorry i forgot to tell you that i was told that if your moss ball starts to turn brown remove it from the aquarium because it will make a big mess very quickly. it will break apart and get in your filter and all over your aquarium. it never happened to me (none of mine turned brown) so it's hearsay but worth mentioning.

 

[Terrance]

sorry i forgot to tell you that i was told that if your moss ball starts to turn brown remove it from the aquarium because it will make a big mess very quickly. it will break apart and get in your filter and all over your aquarium. it never happened to me (none of mine turned brown) so it's hearsay but worth mentioning.

Do you know how long it will take to turn green again? I put it in a low filtered tank.

 

[mfdrookie516]

You don't want to keep them alive, you want them to grow. Otherwise, they'll do nothing for you. I'm assuming you're wanting them to help out with nitrates? Those two aren't the best for that IMO. You want fast growing stem plants like anacharis for nitrate help. But... ~7-8 hours of light should be sufficient for java moss.

 

[alLexX]

java moss needs like no light to survive,ambient lighting is fine for it. but as mfdrookie said,if you want it to grow well youll need lights

 

[tulip55555]

If you have a nocturnal fish you could try giving him a shaded shelter that he can hide in during the day...