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Thread: Mosses and the men who love them (Part 3)

  1. #1
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    Mosses and the men who love them (Part 3)

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    Hi, folks,

    I managed to squeeze some time from the professor this afternoon. He just came home from Sri Lanka but will be leaving again tomorrow for Finland. His passion for mosses takes him to all corners of the world.

    Anyway, here's my report:

    A couple of weeks ago, Zhou Hang aka Mr Tree gave me 2 mosses he bought from Guangzhou, China. The professor identified one of them as Plagiomnium sp but he said it's not a submerged moss. In other words, it can't be grown under water. Here's a pic of the Plagiomnium sp:


    The professor examined the other moss which Zhou Hang brought home and he said it's a species of Vesicularia. He isn't sure of the species though and it will take a while before he can confirm it. Here's a pic of the Vesicularia:


    All species of Vesicularia are known to be semi-aquatic so it should grow under water. However, it does not grow well in my tank. Unlike the other Vesicularia I have in my tanks, this one looks stringy. But at least, it's a lot greener than when I first got it from Zhou Hang. Here's a pic of how it looks after one month in my tank.


    Oil aka NongOil gave me several mosses which were from Thailand and Japan. The one he thought was a Fissidens Fern is actually, as Mark Mendoza guessed, a moss called Fissidens nobilis. The professor said it's a tropical Fissidens. In other words, it does not require the low temperatures than other species of Fissidens need. Here's a pic of Oil's Fissidens nobilis.


    The moss which Oil bought from Japan turned out to be normal Java Moss. The professor said Java Moss is common in almost every country in the world. It's cheap in Singapore but in Japan, they can cost quite a fair bit. Here's a pic of Oil's Java Moss:


    Oil also sent a moss from Thailand which looks like the moss Gomer has in his tanks, the one he calls Nano Moss. However, the professor said its genus is Fissidens too but he isn't sure of the species. Here's a pic of the unknown Fissidens:


    Ben aka subzero gave me a moss several months ago. He found it growing on a piece of rock somewhere in Bukit Timah, Singapore. The moss was in emersed form then but I grew it submersed in one of my balcony tanks. It looks completely different now than when I first got it from Ben. The interesting thing about this moss is that the professor said it's a species of Fissidens but it isn't any of the species of Fissidens known to exist in Singapore.

    A few years ago, with the help of several assistants, the professor did a research paper on all the species of Fissidens native to Singapore. They found 16, one of which was a new species. But the Fissidens that Ben found does not belong to any of these 16. The professor can't confirm it yet but it looks like Ben found the 17th Fissidens. Ben could have possibly stumbled upon a new species. Here's how it looks after several months under water:


    Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of this Fissidens when Ben gave it to me. They look different in emersed form. Ben, if you have the pictures, I will appreciate it very much if you can show them to us.

    That's all for my moss report. I regret to say I forgot to take the Premium Moss which Oil sent to the professor. I was in a hurry and it completely slipped my mind. By the way, I'll be leaving for a short vacation with my family tomorrow and won't be back until Thursday. Behave and take care of yourself when I'm away.

    Timebomb, out (just like in American Idol)

    Loh K L

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    Fissidens yaui *clap* *clap* *clap*

    Now comes the tough part… where is the type locality? If he tells the truth, he MIGHT be fined $10,000
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Hi Kwek Leong,

    I guess below is the rock before i pass to you. However it is in my tank for a few weeks before i took it out.



    This is another one which i pick up from the same location, but i'm not sure if they're the same. This rock is with Gan now.



    You can see the enlarged pictures in the following links
    http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_1.jpg
    http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_2.jpg
    http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_3.jpg


    Initially they appear like algae on the rock and i can hardly find any leafs on it. However when i submersed them, i can start to see some growing but in dark green. It's amazing how it grow in KL's tank.
    Ben Yau
    Hexazona

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    Wow! Finally!

    Ben, maximum amount is S$10000, but I think if you are a first timer, should be the minimum amount, S$500....Quite good price I guess, just imagine so many other explorers spend a lot more and yet can't find something new to name after him/her!

  5. #5
    Hi guys,

    I just got back from Kenya last month, managed to bring back a bunch of moss that were growing on a rock. It was in the mountainous region of Kessup 8hrs bus ride north west of Nairobi the capitol.
    Its in my tank at the moment and i hope i am able to post the picture of it here for you to see.

    http://www.petfrd.com/forum/showthre...134#post114134

    Cheers,

    Ien ling

  6. #6
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    MrTree, i ever heard Kwek Leong story about the good sprite of the AGA members. There was once a member who got into a legal issue and was being sued for some hobby related reason, most members contributed to engauge a lawyer for him. Here I'm sure members would do the same for me if something happen..

    Anyway the place where i picked them up from might not be within the reserve. I'll have to confirm again.
    Ben Yau
    Hexazona

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    Mr. Loh,
    Is Fissidens nobilis truly aquatic? I remember a topic being posted on this forum about it, but I do not believe its suitability for the aquarium was discussed.
    You must have quite a variety of mosses housed within your tanks! From seeing all of these photos, I am now very tempted to try to order some Fissidens nobilis from Japan!
    -Mark Mendoza

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    Quote Originally Posted by Slaigar
    Is Fissidens nobilis truly aquatic?
    Mark,

    I can't recall what the professor said exactly but he asked me to grow this moss in my tanks which would mean the Fissidens nobilis should be at least semi-aquatic if not fully aquatic.

    I had another Fissidens once and the professor said that was Fissidens perdecurrens. Here's a pic of that plant:



    Unlike the F. perdecurrens which can only grow in very very cold waters, the F. nobilis needs only moderately low temperatures. So I'm hopeful they will do well in my tanks.

    Loh K L

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by subzero
    Here I'm sure members would do the same for me if something happen..
    Don't worry, Ben. If the authorities come after you, I will testify on your behalf that you took the plant for scientific research. And I wouldn't be lying.

    Loh K L

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