Java Moss Question

[TygGer]

I was told Anacharis is good at using up nitrates. How does Java Moss compare? I wondering how good this plant is at sucking up by-products.

Thanks

 

[savga]

Java moss is a rather slow growing plant, at least for me. It also seems to do better in medium to low light. I don't think it can compete with the faster growing plants at nutrient removal. Anacharis, hornwort, brazilian pennywort, hygrophila difformis and watersprite all grow very fast and remove alot of nutrients.

 

[Bearfan]

My Java moss is a slow but steady grower.

 

[smilla4]

How slow is slow? For some reason I decided to use java moss for a moss wall, but there are many gaps in it and the craft canvas is showing through. So I'm wondering if I'm going to stare at that ugly thing for months. Probably will, my tank is very low light.

Although I'm not entirely sure it's java moss, it's sorta an olive brown color, looks like photos I've seen of willow moss....

 

[patryuji]

My Java Moss if very green. It is under 2WPG, DIY CO2...After 2 months it has almost tripled from its original size.

 

[markj]

My java moss in my aquarium grows much slower than that in my terrariums, mind you the light is slightly less and water a greater depth. I havent' updated my gallers of my frog terrariums but I have a 46 bowfront who's whole front water section is covered in java moss and is grown terrestrially and is taking over my pillow mosses. In the frog world which I know about everyone says give it as much light as possible. It works great as a natural filter in there along with all the other plants, don't do much water testing but I'll see how the nitrates come out when I test tommorrow.

 

[millipede]

just curious, does good growth equal good nitrate etc absorption?

How does Java Moss compare? I wondering how good this plant is at sucking up by-products.

I don't know the answer, but I don't think it has been answered directly which can be confusing. Yes, no, maybe... explantation are good too...
I don't know if the more a plant grows, the more nitrates and stuff it uses up, well, it uses up more compared to if it's not growing, but that wasn't quite the question I guess... Which makes me curious... are there plants, regardless of rate of growth, that are better than others at cleaning up that crap...?

markj, have you visited www.reptileadvice.com yet? I'm sure we could use someone with experience with those frogs over there...

 

[Guest]

just curious, does good growth equal good nitrate etc absorption?

Good question. I don't have any real science to quote to you on this, but observation says yes. It is frequently advised to start a planted tank with fast growers, to remove nutrients and avoid (or at least lessen) an algae bloom.

are there plants, regardless of rate of growth, that are better than others at cleaning up that crap...?

I wouldn't say regardless of growth, because they have to grow fast to get the nutrients before the algae can get them. I would say that stem/bunch plants (hygro, anacharis, etc.), which get most of their nutrients from the water column, are definitely better than root-feeders (swords, Apons, etc., which can grow pretty fast), which pull most of their nutrients from the substrate.

markj, have you visited www.reptileadvice.com yet? I'm sure we could use someone with experience with those frogs over there...

But frogs are amphibians, not reptiles...

 

[millipede]

I don't have any real science to quote to you on this

I would say that stem/bunch plants (hygro, anacharis, etc.), which get most of their nutrients from the water column, are definitely better than root-feeders

That's the kind of reply I was looking for... it wasn't my post but it seems sometimes a question is ALL BUT answered you know... I think your reply clears things up a little better... I kind of like the bunch plants, especially hornwort, because they can really be put anywhere and still look ok... I let mine float when it wants to float. I have some java moss that wasn't growing too fast so I placed the majority of it on a piece of driftwood higher up in the tank and it grows a lot better now.

But frogs are amphibians, not reptiles...

True... but if anyone hasn't checked it out, its about more than just your basic reptiles... there's lots of good talk about snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, spiders, bugs , and some typical nonsense like we got going in the lounge here... lots of fun over there