Netting trip in Melawati - KL (Malaysia).

[itssg]

I was received Koon Kiat's wake up call on early morning at 8:30am 15th January 2005. While i was still in my sweet dream. His voice made me recalled about the netting trip which I totally forgotten. Then I called up Isaac and confirm with him about the time he is arrive. (He was in LRT station and getting the ticket.)

9am sharp. Sanjay arrived and we went to Sentul LRT station pick up Isaac. Meet up Koon Kiat & his girlfriend in Karak highway. Robby was waiting for us in Melawati.

Check out the pictures below. The weather just nice when we arrived. This scary 30 over level staircase is my nightmare. Imagine we gonna carry the stones and walk about 200 meter and going up this staircase and get to our cars. Another pic is the far view of the river. Hope you guys able to locate where is it.

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After the staircase and 200 meter walk. Finally saw the streams. Found there is no rain for days. Water level going down. Most of the plants was disappearing. (I was here about a month ago.)

Actually there is a river. Then coming out with lot of small streams. And go to the end with a big pond. The last picture can view part of the pond.

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Sanjay, Isaac and I was went down to the stream first. Koon Kiat & his girlfriend was waiting for Robby to get the car park.

I can't wait and just jump into the small stream. Looking at some nice stones for my Tropheus tank. While I am checking out the stones. Do found some unknown moss growing on a big rock.



Then I walk further up to the river. I saw a small stone with some moss and a small growing cabomba. It looks cute. I believe due to the water level went down. This cabomba able to grow as emersed. coz of very close to water level.



After saw Robby and Koon Kiat & girlfriend coming with a pail and net. They can't wait and jump into one of the stream checking out some small fishes inside the stream. Isaac was jump here and there. Hoping to get some Cryptocoryne species. And I still busy with checking out the Cabomba in there. Found the other side of stream with bunch of them.

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The river was seriously polluted by the school boys or visitors. Saw a group of school boys swiming over there. Bathing with shampoo and simply throw the plastic bags. Saw a bunch of Cabomba. But surrounding by rubbish.

After a while, saw Koon Kiat, Robby and Isaac went to the other side of stream for netting. Sanjay was lazying sitting on one of the big rock. And Koon Kiat's girlfriend was watching at me for the photo shooting. (That fella too excited and forgotten his girlfriend.) i just remind her the stones she standing on it are very slippery.

Then I finally found a nice Cabomba for me to have a shoot..


Just after i have this shoot. Isaac was shouting at me. Said... We found some nice mosses and aquatic plants. I just can't wait and jumping on the stones towards to their direction.

Isaac showing me this unknown plant. Saw some growing inside the water and some are already emersed. Then Koon Kiat and Robby was busy with picking up some mosses and fern.

Below are the mosses, fern and unknown plant we found.

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Sanjay was screaming at us said don't be so greedy and taking off all the mosses. (He is just give up the planted tank. Else, he will getting more excited and greedy than us. )

While I am taking the photo, 3 of them went to another side and picking up some mosses which growing on the stones. I can see the whole floor with stones almost fully covered by mosses. Robby just interested into Fern. Isaac, Koon Kiat and I was picking some back home to try out.

Before going back home, I managed to get 2 pails full with stones. Lucky, a macho sanjay was there to help me to carry one of the pail. Isaac showing me one of the big stone he got fully covered with moss. He was so excited and keep asking me to take the picture with his face in. ... i just snap the moss and his hand only.

We spent almost 2 hours over there. Everyone got what they want. And we almost exhausted after clambing up the killing staircase with a full pail of stones.

check out isaac's moss...


A netting trip turned into a moss collecting trip.

[Piscesgirl]

Looks like a great trip! That staircase looks like quite the workout

[budak]

Cabomba isn't native to Asia. If the plants you saw had an emmersed growth form with non-dissected foliage (and small purplish flowers emerging from the leaf axils), they should be a Limnophila species.

On the mosses, I'd hate to discourage enthusiastic hobbyists, but might not a modest harvest of just the moss (rather than the whole rock and all) be considered (and encouraged) in the future?

It would be highly unusual to find crypts in such a disturbed stream. They usually grow only in undisturbed, shadier, less exposed waters.

[itssg]

Hi Deborah, yes. It was a great trip. Members brought back what they want and full of hope to try out something new. But I believe the mosses we have are terrestrial. I was just putting them inside my moss tank. (it is 8 gallon tank with CO2, 18W of lighting and temperature is 26C.) They are bubbling.

This is my first time saw the mosses bubbling. (suspecting is the algae attached on them running the photosynthesis.) Hope Mr. Loh can help out to verify what mosses they are.

Hahaha...that's why i said that staircase is my nightmare. If a single step goes wrong. I think I will roll from the top to the end with broken legs n hands.

[itssg]

Cabomba isn't native to Asia. If the plants you saw had an emmersed growth form with non-dissected foliage (and small purplish flowers emerging from the leaf axils), they should be a Limnophila species.

On the mosses, I'd hate to discourage enthusiastic hobbyists, but might not a modest harvest of just the moss (rather than the whole rock and all) be considered (and encouraged) in the future?

It would be highly unusual to find crypts in such a disturbed stream. They usually grow only in undisturbed, shadier, less exposed waters.

Thanks Budak to point it out. My girlfriend and i was trying to figure out that is Cabomba or Limnophila. After that read your post and we got the answer from you.

About the mosses, friends first time saw it in the stream. All excited like crazy fellas. I will remember what you said. Thanks again.

[|squee|]

This is my first time saw the mosses bubbling. (suspecting is the algae attached on them running the photosynthesis.)

Hey dom, nice trip! Mosses do bubble in my experience. ( Java Moss ) Try to hope it's the moss bubbling and not the algae instead :P

[stormhawk]

Hi Dominic, thanks for the pictures. I was not so lucky when I was back in Melaka visiting relatives last year. Not much plant life to be found though (lots of water hyacinths.. ) I had a great time in the padi fields.

As for the moss bubbling, if you can see shiny bubbles forming in and around the fronds then its possibly algae. Algae bubbling is not a good sign, especially when the bubble is entrapped within the algae, showing up like a round greenish gooey bubble.

That said, I'll be going moss hunting when I return to Melaka in February.

[itssg]

Hi JianYang and Terrance. Thank you guys for the infomation. After this trip. Some of my members can't wait for 2nd trip. But this time we would to go other places like ULU YAM and Selayang-FRIM. Heard there are some streams full with Tiger Barbs and aquatic plants.

Will get the picture posted in here once I am back from there.

[FC]

Dominic,

Thank you for sharing the trip's photos, I like them.

I always wonder how the plants, especially step plants, grow and use the water spaces that they have around them. I mean stem plants grow fast and after sometime, they will run out of space. How the plants in nature handle this problem.

[timebomb]

Nice pics, Dominic. I suspect the mosses you found are those we call Singapore Moss. Professor Benito said there are many species of mosses in the rainforests of Malaysia. But he said the rarer species can be found only in good forests, meaning forests which are unspoilt by man.

If I were you, I will try to look for Erect Moss. But you may not recognise them as they're probably growing in emersed form in their natural habitats. So here's a picture of some emersed Erect Moss for you to take note:



Loh K L

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Hi Loh, thanks for picture. I believe I saw the emersed erect moss before somewhere near my office in Cyber jaya. That place full with hundred of ponds. Big and small. Saw some streams with black water. I am sure with some betta in there. Due to the place full with ponds and streams. None of the developer willing to develop that place. (That is a good news to us.)

I was there few months ago to have some wild caught guoramis, rasbora, some unknown tetra. I saw lot of plants there. But didnt take back any. Due to too many fishes i caught and gonna walk 30 minutes with 2 pails to reach my car.

Hopefully i have time to go back there again. Will snap some picturesand post in here.

[itssg]

Dominic,

Thank you for sharing the trip's photos, I like them.

I always wonder how the plants, especially step plants, grow and use the water spaces that they have around them. I mean stem plants grow fast and after sometime, they will run out of space. How the plants in nature handle this problem.

Hi fc,

I did saw that place where full of fresh mosses. And there are some dry mosses. Perhaps, which can get more lighting, co2 and nitrogen can grow stronger and healthier. Those can't get much are dying.

cheers.
Dom

[Martian]

Hi Loh,

Thanks for your ID of the moss....I'm still trying to grow the moss further so that we can all have a good ID of it. The moss that we have really looks very nice. There's also another type of fern I believe that we found growing submersed and emersed....that's the last picture that Dom posted. I am trying to grow it on subtrate and as well as tied to the wood.

P.S: I'll remember not to remove the rocks in the future.

Rgds,
Isaac

[timebomb]

Isaac,

The fern in Dom's picture looks like the ones I see around the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore. They're probably non-aquatic. A professor (not Prof Benito but Professor Anthony Greer) told me the fern is something like a living fossil. It dates back to prehistoric times.

As for removing rocks from nature, I know it's useless to try and persuade hobbyists to leave things as they are. What I would say is what you can find in the fish shops, you shouldn't take from nature. And what you take from nature, take as little as possible.

Loh K L