Moss problem

[hemiolopterus]

Hi folks,

My java moss and christmas moss in my tank with temperature around 26-27.5C doesn't grow so well. Although the plants grow but the leaves are so tiny and thin. The moss are growing longer and longer but not growing sideway (branching out). Light is on the low side. 60 watts for a 3ft tank with only 50% water. It's a paludarium setup. But for the mosses that i grow emerged on the drift wood with sprays of water from a water pump grows well (in the same tank). The leaves are bigger and thicker. Strange thing is the mosses that I grow outdoor submersed in a polystyrene box are growing equally well... the mosses only get part of the morning sun and no additional doses of fertiliser. So it could not be only emersed moss can have thicker leaves.

So my question is how can i make the moss grow thicker in term of the leaves and as well as more branches.

Thanks.
Joo

[talev]

Case of Liebig's minimum law at work. (?)

Your moist moss is growing well because of access to terrestial co2, your submersed moss is not doing too well because of lack of it.

Your polystyrene moss is doing well because with the limited light it receives, it takes in nutrients more slowly than your relatively brighter tank moss. With this slower intake, the nutrients in the poly box are taken in at a rate slower than the natural diffusion of co2 into the box, hence carbon deficiency is absent (or not so pronounced). Therefore the slower but steadier moss looks nicer.

[hemiolopterus]

The submersed moss in the tank has DIY CO2 supplemented. Java fern, bolbitis and lace plant is doing fine in the same tank, slow growth but healthy and attain normal size. If CO2 is really the problem I reckon i gotta boost up the CO2 supply.

[Allen_1971]

Just wondering, how many "dark hours" do you have for your submersed moss compared to the ones in your styrofoam box?

[zac08]

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On 12/27/2002 2:24:26 PM

Just wondering, how many "dark hours" do you have for your submersed moss compared to the ones in your styrofoam box?
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Does the amount of dark hours play a difference?? My 6.5 gallon tank also has moss which is not tied to any surfaces and it grows pretty well (note it has 11W + 13W lights) But my 14 gallon tank has the same moss tied to steel meshes and driftwood is not growing as well (this has a 36W light). Both do not have CO2 and both are does with dennerle S7 weekly. So what can I deduce from this??

[hemiolopterus]

The tank is lit for 8 hours daily ...

The styrofoam is partly covered... 50% direct morning sun for 2-3 hours the most.... Rest of the day very dim light as the box is shaded by a few layers of fine small net used for keeping orchid and then a piece of big old roof tile and further shaded by a tall bamboo plant. They are used to ensure that the box is not heated at all. At the end of the day the water is still cold. The moss grow very fast ...they creep out of the water and grow all over the box above water line.

[Allen_1971]

My own experience with Java moss is this... The moss grew better in low-medium light than in high lights.

Also I read an article somewhere (which sadly I can't find now) saying that the dark hours play a large part in the growth of mosses.

[talev]

Also I read an article somewhere (which sadly I can't find now) saying that the dark hours play a large part in the growth of mosses.

True. Not only for mosses, but also for all plants (and human beings [by analogy] btw).

Only in darkness does sugars and growth hormones like auxins get transported and activated into celluar stretching and growth.

In fact, the reason why plants bend towards unidirectional light is because (after a long story) the light inhibits growth on the lighted side by expelling (photophobic?) auxins towards the darker side, which therefore grows better.

So gardeners who leave lights on 24/7 so as to enjoy watching their plants pearl 24/7 will probably get fat leaves and scrawny stems which eventually collapse. Same goes for unnaturally short hours of darkness.

[DEA]

i believe it was frode roe who did an experiment on growth rates in the planted aquaria during light and dark hours
as for the academic research, i dunno