java moss

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DarrylR

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
30
Why does my java moss look like this than having that vibrant green color?

It is in a 20 gallon tank with 15 wattz. The light bulb cannot be the problem due to java moss being said to grow even in the worst conditions and with the worst lighting. As the other plants in my tank are thriving.

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Having looked at other pictures I think it is just dirty and I am going to wash it right now.
 
I think you're right. You probably just need to give it a good washing and then make sure to clean it when doing water changes to keep it looking nice.
 
Java moss is low maintenance, but not completely maintenance-free. Every couple of water changes (about once a month), I take my Java moss out of the tank and swish it around in a small bucket of water to clean it. Then, I gently pull it apart and tease it back into a compact shape. If I don't do this, it gets really gross and develops a dead brown spot in the center.
 
I've found that having some sort of fish/invert that stirs up plants everyonce in awhile can get leafs and other debris free from moss. That and frequent vacs directly on the moss will help lift substrate dust off it.

Lately, my corys have been doing a great job of keeping anacharis leafs from getting thick in my java moss as what has happened in previous tanks I have setup. I've heard shrimp can help as well, although I doubt they can move/eat an entire anacharis leaf.
 
I grabbed a betta cup and put the java moss into the cup and swished it around. In the end it looked greener than without all that brown stuff. I guess my cories don't like to clean it as much, but ever since I attached it to the coconut to make a coconut (did this 5 minutes ago) they won't stop searching it for food.
 
What I did was dipped my moss in a 10:1 solution of water and Flourish Excel for 3 minutes. Then I just moved it directly into the tank without rinsing. I have not had any algae on the moss at all. I've had my moss in the tank almost 3 years, and have removed portions several times when it get's overgrown, and it's never got that crud on it. And I never clean it either.
 
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