Java moss: weak or healthy?

[fish_4_all]

My java moss has been in my tanks now for almost a month and is starting to look funny. The tips of the "fronds" are starting to get a light, white, feathery growth. Is this normal or is it an unhealthy plant starving for food or light. I now have a flourescent light on the tank and this has just shown up since I was revolving back and forth with a flourescent and incandescent light.

Do I need to act now to save the plants or do I need to make sure it doesn't take over my tank becasue this is a sign of a healthy java moss?

Tank Parameters:
PH : unknown
Ammonia : 0
Nitirites : 0
Nitrates : trace
Gravel bottom, java moss mounted on plastic canvas burried in gravel

 

[An t-iasg]

I have had good luck with java moss in low light, about 1.5 watts per gallon. I had some in a tank with 2 WPG, and it did ok, but not as well as the moss in the lower-light tank. What size tank do you have and what is the wattage of the flourescent bulb? Incandescent bulbs usually don't do much good for a planted tank.

The white tips may be the "anchors" that it's sending out to grab onto something. IME, the moss that's dying off turns black and loses the green "fuzzies". It just looks like a straight black string.

I received some info here to add nitrogen to my tank, to help the moss green up. I use Seachem's Nitrogen fertilizer twice a week, about 4 or 5 drops. My tank is 5 gallons. Since I've started using the nitrogen, the moss is nice and green, and I haven't seen as many of the white tips.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well I guess the java moss is growing great them. Will have to trim it through because the tips are so long they almost reach the top of my 10 gal tank. Good thing I planted it on plastic canvas so it is easy to remove.

 

[An t-iasg]

Wow! It's almost to the top of your 10 gallon? Go ahead and trim it if you need to. Java moss is pretty much indestructible!

 

[daddyo72]

Try some Java fern. I placed it in with my Java moss to creat an interesting look.

 

[Quake2player]

I saw some Java moss at an LFS this weekend and didn't buy any cause they were all brown in color, not much green. Does this sound right? I see it as green in all the online pics.

Right now, java moss is the last in my list of plants for my 29 gal as I've accumulated a couple of crypts, 1-amazon (that I've snipped off 3 more!), wysteria, hygro, anubias and just got mircosword. I intend to tie some java moss on a couple of rocks to give some more carpet effect... another question is, will java moss ovetake my microsword?

I also intend to do the same with java moss tied around rocks for my 10 gal low-light.

 

[An t-iasg]

I don't think the java moss will overtake your sword. IME, java moss grows pretty slowly. I don't use CO2 but I do use Flourish Excel. If your moss does grow up on the sword, just pull off the part that you don't want touching the sword, and put it somewhere else in the tank, or in another tank.

About the brown moss -- I wouldn't buy a piece that's mostly brown, but if there's some green in there, put it in your tank and see. It may bounce back. Java moss is pretty indestructible. I had some in a freezer once and it was still green. 8O

 

[swanandmokashi]

I received some info here to add nitrogen to my tank, to help the moss green up. I use Seachem's Nitrogen fertilizer twice a week, about 4 or 5 drops.

Does this not add to Ammonia/Nitrate/Nitrite in the tank ? Just curious- I may try it in my tank if not

 

[An t-iasg]

Here's a link to the Flourish Nitrogen product on Seachem's web page:
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/FlourishNitrogen.html

The website says that no free ammonia is released.

 

[swanandmokashi]

very cool...i assume this would be helpful for ALL plants and not just java moss...also have you noticed any effect on the fish ?

 

[Quake2player]

swanandmokashi: All of the Seachem Flourish products are meant for aquariums with fish so you can't go wrong with 'em and not worry about fish being harmed. Just don't use more than what the directions tell ya and from my readings here... everyone says to use about half of what they recommend. I'm using Flourish, Flourish Excel and Flourish Iron.
Oh, and Flourish tabs... I swear by them too.

THis is at least my experience just being a few weeks old into converting my plastic plant-tank into a planted one.