Oh how I love my mosses (pics)

[BeyondGomer]

Neither of these mosses were intended to grow in this tank..but once they started growing, I just let them do their thing.

Left and right are what I now believe to be erect (It makes a wonderfull "bush"). The center is taiwan...however, it weeps better than the weeping moss that I have!!




and now for some close ups.

[Green Baron]

Gomer,
Nice mosses

However, this one does not look like Taiwan

[damnit]

Yeah looks a lot more like weeping moss

[BeyondGomer]

I have weeping moss in that tank, and that moss is definately NOT weaping moss.


big file, beware (weeping moss):
http://webfiles.uci.edu/algomez/40gj...0hc%20copy.jpg
http://webfiles.uci.edu/algomez/plan...ss%20small.jpg

[azn_fishy55]

Interesting and beautiful moss specimens you got there,how do you get them in that spherical shape?

[timebomb]

It weeps but it isn't Weeping Moss. I know what it is. It's Crying Moss

Nice looking mosses you have there, Tony. Why do you think the moss in the centre is Taiwan? Did the guy who gave it to you tell you that? I hope it wasn't me

Loh K L

[RRG]

You always have amazing looking mosses, Tony.

[BeyondGomer]

Loh,

I did get Taiwan from you long ago but it behaved like taiwan typically does.

I forget who I got my weeping from, but in there was a stragler of the erect which developed into the two large erect bushes.

..now, I do shuffle plants between my 3 tanks so cross "contamination" off mosses could explain how taiwan got to that tank. Here is the kicker: I have "taiwain" growing on anther section behaving as taiwan usually does.


So it really comes down to:
1) is this just taiwan (fundamentally) yet with different growing habbits for some odd reason? (weeping and lack of profuse branching)
2) is this a different species? I have never seen anything do this before.

Note: I have kept xmas, java, real taiwan, weeping and erect. ..and the closes thing this comes to is..well..taiwan, yet it weeps and isn't branching!.

[timebomb]

Tony,

I'm quite sure it isn't Taiwan. It looks nothing like it. You said the Erect Moss in your tank came as stragglers. That gives us a clue. The moss is Erect that has lost its libido. It's gone flaccid

But seriously, the mosses can't cross-contaminate. By that, I mean they won't hybridise. The professor said so. He said this is because of their simplicity. Sperm from one moss can fertilise the egg of another from a different species but when the spores are formed, they belong to either of the parents. A hybrid cannot be formed.

I think I know why you always have strange mosses springing up in your tank. The reason is quite simple actually. It's because you're an accomplished aquatic gardener. The conditions of your tank are so good that all it takes is for one tiny leaf of moss to get into your tank and it will become a bush after a while. As you had noticed, mosses often carry stowaways. I wouldn't be surprised that when you got the Weeping Moss, there was another stowaway there besides the Erect.

I've not seen it up close myself except for in pictures but the moss you have looks very much like the one that a Singaporean sells as "harvest on demand" mosses. He calls it Mini-Moss.

Loh K L