Greetings Moss Lovers

[Trystian]

Hello all.

I just wanted to post an introduction and say that the moss enthusiasm on this site is amazing. I live in Canada so many of the mosses I see on this site are near impossible to find but I find the depth of information here very impressive. I am also extremely fascinated by the accounts of wild moss collection by the members here and I'm waiting really impatiently to see a lot of the beautiful mosses I've seen on this site come to Canada (and find a home in my aquariums of course). I think the collection and propagation of wild bryophytes is very fascinating and exciting.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

[imported_shaman]

Hi Trystian,

Yeah we got another moss lover here! Haha...
Welcome to this forum. Hope you can share with us your experiences with moss...

[timebomb]

Trystian, welcome to the forum. There may not be many varieties of aquatic mosses in Canada but you have one there which is quite sought-after over here. I'm referring to Fontinalis antipyretica, otherwise commonly known as Willow Moss. Take a close look at the streams or ponds around your neighbourhood and if you can find this moss, I'm quite sure some of the guys here will be delighted to trade it with you for some of our local mosses.

In any case, I'm quite sure some Canadian hobbyists already have many species of mosses in their tanks. Over the years, I've sent quite a few envelopes of mosses to hobbyists there.

Loh K L

[FC]

Trystian,

Welcome here!

I love mosses too, especially when they grew well as background wall. However, I was not successful in it or may be I was not serious enough. They are often expensive and to build a moss wall, it may cost up to $100 which I find it prohibitive. Not alot to Canadian because generally you pay more for all things aquatic.

Have fun.

[Trystian]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I'm a snorkel diver and I'm certain I have seen Fontinalis sp. before. Just last month I was snorkelling near Lake Erie and I saw something that looked very similar near the shore. I really had no idea anybody was looking for it, otherwise I would have snagged some. It was a "just looking" kind of trip. I snorkel a lot in the great lakes and in some large ponds at my grandmother's house, she has a few hundreds of thousands of gallons of naturalized ponds on her property that are great for native aquatic plant explorations. Now that I know you're looking for it I'll set up a search expedition, I'm going snorkelling this weekend around the same spot so I'll keep my eyes open for sure.. Any excuse to get my mask and fins on is good enough for me. I have collected a few native terrestrial mosses to use in terrariums. Once I get them set up and looking nice I'll share some pictures.

I'm honestly not all that familiar with native mosses and liverworts, I know Fontinalis sp. are aquatic and commonly found in the area but they are the only ones I really know of.

I agree that a moss wall can be really beautiful in aquariums but also expensive especially if you have a large area to cover. Freddy, you're right, everything is very expensive here but it seems to be getting better with the increasing popularity of aquariums. Planted tanks in particular are still pretty "new" here but they seem to be increasing in popularity every day. Most shops here have some kind of plant section with a few sorry looking java ferns, maybe a scary looking lump of java moss at least, but I've found it can be very difficult to find higher end equipment, lighting and CO2 accessories for planted tanks, along with some rarer and unusual plants. I have honestly never seen a really spectacular planted show tank locally, I'm very jealous of some of the descriptions I've seen of stores in other countries. I'd like to take a trip some day, I'd be like a kid in a candy store.

Thanks again for your kindness.

[FC]

Trystian,

Planted tank keeping technic was rarely known in Singapore untill about 2001 when the equipment prices started to drop to more affordable range. At that time, the CO2 regulators and solenoids are not as reliable as established brand like Dennerle and Dupla. But since 2003 when this hobby perks up, the high demand brought about many choices and better quality ones at very friendly prices. Many shops provide CO2 tank refilling services at very competitive price, one shop even offer one to one exchange (change your empty tank with a filled one on the spot) at CAD$12.

See below for display tanks at Aquarama 2003 (yearly aquatic exhibition in Singapore).

[timebomb]

Trystian,

You don't need to snorkel to find mosses. The mosses we grow in our tanks can be found mostly on the banks of ponds and streams. Some of them may be underwater but mostly, they are found growing emersed in wet places. My guess is that you, like most of us before, just wasn't looking hard enough. Take a closer look the next time you're near a pond or a stream. Examine the rocks at the sides and you may be surprised to find Willow Moss everywhere

Loh K L