# Java Moss - Oxygen and Root tabs



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Does java moss also produce oxygen like plants do? Also, does the moss only feed off the nutrients in the water, or do they also absorb nutrients from the substrate?(root tabs). I think most of the "plants" in my tank will be java moss.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Mosses are plants, and they engage in photosynthesis, consuming CO2 and producing oxygen just like other plants.. 

Java moss doesn't really have a root system, which is why you can grow it on anything (steel mesh, driftwood, rocks, substrate, whatever). Since it lacks roots it won't be able to take much advantage of substrate tabs as fertilizer, unless you put the fertilizer tabs on the surface of your substrate.


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## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

mattinmd said:


> Mosses are plants, and they engage in photosynthesis, consuming CO2 and producing oxygen just like other plants..
> 
> Java moss doesn't really have a root system, which is why you can grow it on anything (steel mesh, driftwood, rocks, substrate, whatever). Since it lacks roots it won't be able to take much advantage of substrate tabs as fertilizer, unless you put the fertilizer tabs on the surface of your substrate.


Ohh. So was it a waste to use eco complete as the bedding? I thought it would have been good for the moss carpet.

What method would you recommend to provide nutrients for a mostly java moss tank? I'm guessing liquid ferts?


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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

I've honestly never grown java moss before. But from what others say, it should thrive in almost any environment. I wouldnt worry about what substrate youre using nor would I bother with any sort of fertilizer for java moss (to include dosing the water column or using root tabs). 

If you've got the eco complete why not use some actual "plants" to go along with the moss?


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

jcmv4792 said:


> Ohh. So was it a waste to use eco complete as the bedding? I thought it would have been good for the moss carpet.


I would think that its craggy surface would still be nice for the moss to grab onto. I only recently started growing this stuff when a seller threw a small piece in as a freebie... I've got it wound around a lava rock.



jcmv4792 said:


> What method would you recommend to provide nutrients for a mostly java moss tank? I'm guessing liquid ferts?


Personally, I'd suggest getting dry fertilizers. Premade liquid ferts are a massive ripoff, and can be very expensive unless you have a nano tank..

You can get dry ferts online from green leaf aquariums or from nilocg over in the for sale forum here (I use nilocg)

If your tank is small, get an inexpensive scale that can measure in sub-gram increments and start mixing your own liquids from the dry. 

This is what I do for my tanks. I mix up bottles of KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, CSM+B and DPTA FE, and add them per EI low-light dosing regimes. However, this level of dosing may be way overkill for a java-moss tank.. I've got lots of hungry hygros to feed.


I use this scale:





And this calibration weight:





I mix them with the same dechlorinated tap water I use for water changes in my tank. For Iron and CSM+B I also add a few ml's of excel/Co2 booster to suppress mold growth.


If your tank is large, you can probably just do dry-dosing.

There's a good dosing calculator at:

http://yanc.rotalabutterfly.com/


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## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

lksdrinker said:


> I've honestly never grown java moss before. But from what others say, it should thrive in almost any environment. I wouldnt worry about what substrate youre using nor would I bother with any sort of fertilizer for java moss (to include dosing the water column or using root tabs).
> 
> If you've got the eco complete why not use some actual "plants" to go along with the moss?


I'm trying to keep the floor as low as possible(only carpeting) and most of the short and low plants I am looking at seem to need high lighting and c02. Since this is my first planted tank, I'm not sure I could afford that kind of maintenance. So for now, I will start off with a moss carpet, and as I gain experience and research, I may add plants like dwarf hairgrass later on.

Bump:


mattinmd said:


> I would think that its craggy surface would still be nice for the moss to grab onto. I only recently started growing this stuff when a seller threw a small piece in as a freebie... I've got it wound around a lava rock.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks, I will look into this.


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## yellabelly (Mar 24, 2014)

Lol, dry ferts for java moss
Java moss needs nothing but clean water, some light, decent flow and something to grab on to. Ferts are practically useless for a java moss only tank. Fish food and fish poo will give it all the nutrients necessary. Actually I've got java moss growing in a 3"x3" glass candle container which i used to collect trimmings. No nothing in here and it has more than doubled its size in a few weeks. Just give it time to acclimate to your water and after a while youll be tossing it out as it will be out of control.


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## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

yellabelly said:


> Lol, dry ferts for java moss
> Java moss needs nothing but clean water, some light, decent flow and something to grab on to. Ferts are practically useless for a java moss only tank. Fish food and fish poo will give it all the nutrients necessary. Actually I've got java moss growing in a 3"x3" glass candle container which i used to collect trimmings. No nothing in here and it has more than doubled its size in a few weeks. Just give it time to acclimate to your water and after a while youll be tossing it out as it will be out of control.


Good to know lol. So even when the tank is filled with java moss(entire floor of 55 gallon), they don't need any extra ferts or c02?

And was it a waste getting eco complete as the substrate then? What bedding could you use for a java carpeting?


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Yeah, I guess I got too focused on how to fertilize it, and lost sight of "does it need fertilizer?".. If you have a plant-only tank of it you'd need it, as there's no fish waste. 

Yellabelly is right, java moss isn't a particularly demanding plant nutrient wise. Clean water, and enough flow to keep it from accumulating a layer of crud are more important...

Co2, at least beyond what nature provides, is even less necessary than fertilizer for this plant. 

I don't think eco complete will be any worse than any other substrate for moss...it needs something to attach to, but that could be wood, rock, stainless steel mesh...

As above, I've not tried growing it on substrate...


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