Java Moss Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 5 Gallons
Care Level: Very Easy
Water Conditions: 5.0 – 8.0 and Soft to Hard
Temperature: 18-30 °C (70-75 °F)
Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) is one of the easiest to grow of all the commonly available aquatic plants. It’s hardy nature and striking green coloration makes it a favorite among aquarists, and it can be found in aquariums throughout the globe.
Originally found in Southeast Asia, it has now been reported as an invasive species in several tropical climates. In fact, many people consider it an invasive species in the home aquarium, since it can frustratingly difficult to remove once established in an aquarium.
Java moss is especially sought out for breeder tanks, as it provides numerous benefits to the tank. The densely growing moss provides a perfect refuge for any newborn fish and it also has the added benefit of providing food to the tiny fry. Numerous types of microscopic infusoria live on the long tendrils of moss, and provide a veritable feast for the hard to feed baby fish.
Care
Growing Java Moss is incredibly easy and unlike many of the more finicky plants, it doesn’t need any special lighting or added nutrients. It will even thrive in aquariums with very low lighting, and may actually start to suffer if placed in aquariums with overly bright lighting. When placed in a brightly lit aquarium, it usually becomes blanketed in algae, and may eventually die if it becomes totally covered.
Adding to the ease of caring for Java Moss is the fact that it doesn’t need to be planted. To prevent the Java moss from constantly moving around the aquarium, most people with attach it to rocks or driftwood. It also looks visually stunning when formed into a moss wall, which can be accomplished by pressing the Java moss between two pieces of mess and attaching to the back of the aquarium.
Attaching the Java moss to rocks or driftwood is easy, and can be accomplished by either tying it down with fish line or a dark-colored thread. Some people also have success using flexible meshes, but you need to ensure that any mesh used is completely non-toxic. After at least one month of growth, the Java moss will anchor itself and the fish line or thread can be removed at that time.
Propagation
The propagation of Java moss is as simple as breaking off a piece of the moss. It propagates through division, so any piece that is broken off will continue to grow and will form another large and dense bunch of Java moss.
Compatibility
Java moss is something of a rarity, as it is compatible with nearly any species of fish. Hungry goldfish will leave it alone, and even constant movement around the tank courtesy of large cichlids won’t kill it. In fact, there are nearly no reports of any fish enjoying the taste of Java moss, so it is safe option (if a tad messy) in any fish tank.
I have java moss attached to a rock n my 16 litre fish tank with low level lighting. It’s always been quite a dull, dark green and I’m starting to wonder if I’m doing something wrong or maybe it’s a different kind if there is any. I’m only an amateur when it comes to aquatic plant care so if someone could help me out that would be great. Thanks 🙂
It’s a very slow growing plant in even perfect conditions. As long as its not becoming covered in algae, there’s nothing to worry about. It will continue growing, and dark green is a pretty normal colour for it.
Ok, thanks for the help!
It’s because of your low-level lighting. Java Moss tends to develop a much darker colouration when there is less light in the tank.
Which substrate should I use for java moss??
Java moss doesn’t need any substrate. It attaches itself to objects, and is usually grown on driftwood, stones, or other aquarium ornaments. I usually use fishing line, or black thread until it becomes attached to the object, and then the thread or line can be removed. You can also make really impressive Java moss walls by pressing some in between two pieces of mesh and hanging it from the back of the aquarium.
I made a moss tree with java moss usingbsuper glue. I am giving 18 watts of LED 9 hours a day. Is this okay?
The lighting might be OK, but you definitely don’t want superglue in your aquarium water. Many of them are extremely toxic, and you should always try and use aquarium grade silicone in the future.
When you say 18 watts, is that total? Per gallon? Something else?
Will java moss spread itself live grass on soil?
You are absolutely incorrect about not using super glue for moss trees. Any superglue gel type with Ethyl cyanoacrylate is both safe and widely used in aquascaping. It is non-toxic to fish and will even bind when wet. See video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaCW9UIMNwg
My statement was more of a blanket statement, and while any with cyanoacrylate are safe (I believe they’re used to glue human skin too), many of the specialty ones are very toxic to fish. My statement also probably stems from disliking using superglue for anyone new to the hobby. You have to cure it carefully, and it’s often more brittle than the aquarium sealants are. But that’s my own bias coming into it.
Hi Robert, I have prepared a underwater bonsai as inspired by youtube. This is my first time doing so. I bought a piece of driftwood then attached couple of pieces black color sponges on it. I used aquarium glue bought from the same pet store. Finally I covered these sponges with java moss. I put everything on a 2.5 gallon aquarium with lots of black stones to make a contrast landscape (no other aquarium substrate). I used distilled water to fill up the tank. I used a residential 13 watt LED light, may be couple of inches above the water.
This project looked abstract and so wonderful for the first day only. Then the water turned brownish color with some free floating bubbles on top. Looked very ugly/dirty. So, I changed the water the next day. Today is the 3rd day of my project. Water again started looking dirty.
However, from the second day java moss turned into dark green and some part even start change into brown. I am not sure what is going wrong.
Please advice me what to do now.
Note: As I changed the water yesterday it seems slowed down spreading the brown color on java moss. Water also looking less dirty then the first day. Another consideration, I do not have any filter. So the water is stagnant.
It sounds like you have brown algae, which is very common in new tanks. It could be from silicates in the water, too many nutrients, or a lack of oxygen in the tank. However, since you don’t have any fish in the tank, most of the problems would probably quickly right themselves – assuming you do regular water changes.
What I would do is wipe off as much brown algae as you can before a water change, and the suck it out from the tank. It’s important to do weekly water changes until it comes under control. Also, what kind of water are you on there? Municipal? Well? Other?
Thanks you so much for advice. I am now using the tap water coming from local municipal facility. I also assumed that brown algae would be an issue here. Is it ok if I turn off the LED light and placed the tank in a moderate-low light corner for a week? Another question is it ok if I take out the whole trunk and wash all sponges/java mosses under running tap water and put it back. Would java mosses take that much stress or all die?
The brown algae normally sorts itself out after a while. I wouldn’t bother turning the light off yet, and I would stick with water changes which should eventually deal with it.
And Java moss is nearly indestructible, even though it’s probably not for the best to run it under tank water. I would just vacuum it with a gravel vac during the water changes, which would remove all the detritus, without risking it pulling loose or anything else under the tap water. Also, the tap water might introduce chlorine into the water if you’re not careful, which could also through the water out of whack again. Though it’s not as much of a concern, since you don’t have any fish or anything else in their, right?
After receiving your feedback I turned on back the light for couple of hours daily. Also ordered for a six watt LED nano aquarium lighting system so that this tank get adequate lights. Introduced a slightly higher capacity hang on water filter just to give some additional cleaning power. This filter has a wonderful option to use ceramic bio balls, when needed. Water is crystal clear now.
Brown algae are really a big problem. However, as water is crystal clear and I got my aesthetic beauty of this bonsai back (almost) I am not much bothered with brownish green java moss. I do not have any animal yet. Wish to introduce 2 male guppies and 4 cherry shrimps next week.
Thanks for your advice. Appreciate that.
When you put new bog wood in water it always turns the water brown. If you’d have left it to soak for a few day in a bowl of water it wouldn’t have been so bad. It’s nothing to worry about but regular water changes will help and it will eventually stop discolouring the water a filter does also help with this problem.
will methylene blue treatment kill my java moss if i use it need to no asap thanks
As long as you follow the dosing guidelines, you should be fine. While it’s been a long time since I’ve used methylene blue, the plants in the tank were never affected. So you should be fine and it’s unlikely to impact the Java moss at all.
Hmm have you soaked the driftwood and got rid of the tanin
Hi , I am doing a 4ft tank wid java moss setup. Plz advice me for lighting and water parameters. ..
Java moss will work in most water parameters, so I would try to tailor it more to the fish you’re keeping, rather than the Java moss itself. As for the lighting, unless you’re keeping it will lots of other plants, I would try to keep the lighting relatively low – at least until the aquarium is well established, and then you can increase it to medium once it’s been going for a while. Otherwise, you’ll most likely be battling algae growth on the moss, and it can quickly turn into a losing battle.
How can I get rid of hairline algae..? .till now I m using a brush n taking it out manually…
It can definitely be difficult to get rid of it once it’s established. Besides manual removal, you can try to increase your water changes. This will help to reduce excess nutrients in the water, and while it’s often successful with other forms of algae, it doesn’t always work with hair algae. If that doesn’t work, then you can try adding more plants – especially floating plants. This will compete with nutrients, and the floating plants will block much of the light the algae receives.
Another option depending on the fish you keep, is to get a fish that eats hair algae. I’ve found that American flag fish, and ameca splendens are especially effective at removing hair algae, but you may also find some successful with ghost shrimp, or even mollies.
What type of medicine and substrate do I have to use for Java moss?
They don’t need any specific substrate. I grow my Java moss attached to driftwood, but you can attach it to anything – rocks, gravel, bogwood, etc. As for medicine, I’m not sure what you mean by that. Assuming it’s not a type, you don’t need any sort of medication for Java moss.
How do I grow moss on white stones brought from my garden which are kept in my aquarium?
In order to grow moss on stones, you need to first attach it with something until it anchors to the surface. I like to use dark sewing thread, but you can also use fishing line, or anything else non-toxic.
But always be careful when adding stones from outside. First, you need to make sure the stone won’t affect your water chemistry, and then you need to make sure it’s very clean before adding it. It can contain all sorts of nasty things from outside, including pesticides which are deadly to fish. I always clean rocks from outside before adding them to an aquarium.
I am actually using a 23 watt LED light on my Java moss that I attached to an ornamental stone in the middle of the a 12 gallon tank. Can you advise me on how long I should leave the light on? I also have gold fish, guppy, janitor fish, and pink danios in the tank.
What other things should I do aside from putting light on it?
I wouldn’t go for longer than eight hours with a Java moss, unless you have other plants in the tank. It’s a slow growing plant, and it has trouble competing against algae. Keep a good eye on it, and if it starts to develop algae, then reduce the hours of light until it’s under control again.
I’m guessing I must have bought a bad batch or maybe it wasn’t actually java moss. I used plant mess to try to make it a floor in my 30 gallon goldfish tank. I used rocks around the edges to hold it down. Since the aquarium was really dirty we even did a complete water change before adding it since I needed to remove so much of the rocks anyway. In three days it was brown and dying. I use Quick start and slime coat in my tank to make our well water safe before adding adding anything and the temperature stays at a steady 72. I don’t seem to have issues with algae. Also my goldfish were nibbling on it, sometimes trying to “dig” into the netting to get at it. I’m really stumped because I thought it would be really easy and actually did well with a small anubis in my 5 gallon betta tank which I do frequent 50% water or all water changes. (It does have a filter and heater.) Any feedback would be great because at this point I was going to attempt some other plants but I really like the look of the java moss.
I honestly can’t say I’ve seen what you’ve described with your Java moss. It rarely, rarely ever dies like that. But what may have happened, is you may have purchased Christmas moss by accident, which has a tendency to do what you describe.
But sometimes moss just has a die off, and grows back. So let it go for a while yet, and make sure you have decent lighting and maybe raise the temp a little bit.
Hi. Sir. If I just let my Java Moss sinking to my aquarium without attached it to driftwood or stones, would it be any problems? Will the Java Moss float to the surface of the water if not tied it to driftwood or stones?
The Java moss will go everywhere in tank if you do it that way. Some people actually like that look, as it spreads out along the substrate, but I find it a pain to deal with and cleaning the tank is a nightmare when the Java moss is like that.
I have bought some seeds to grow in my tank and they didn’t come with any instructions at all . The seeds I bought are Java Moss , Love Grass , Small Grass , Large Leaf and Small Leaf . I know this is a site for Java Moss but any information would be great full
What do the seeds look like? I’ve honestly never seen Java moss ‘seeds’ for sale before. Java moss releases spores, or can be propagated through cuttings. Are they perhaps spores embedded in a growing medium or something else?
I don’t know what they look like as I’m still waiting for them to arrive in the post . I’ll let you know what they look like when I get them . I was trying to get some information on growing befor they arrive . I hot some information fom BING on how to regrow established Java Moss and make a moss wall but nothing from seeds . BING did say that Java Moss doesn’t produce seeds , I’m a bit lost on what I’ve purchased afte reading up on Java Moss .
I hope you let me know what you get from the vendor. I’m definitely interested in what you’ll receive.
Will Java Moss turn brown from 12 hours a day of full spectrum light from a current usa led?
I just got a huge green healthy batch that started turning brown 1 week later.
Should I use the light only 6-8 hours a day?
I have the moss it in a 46 gallon bowfront with a few dozens giant marimo balls and a dozen small potted anubias.
Also can I leave the anubias in the post or should I take them out and tie to driftwood? I tried taking 1 out and the spongy stuff in the pot seemed to be on the roots.
Thanks so much in advance.
It shouldn’t be turning brown. Are you sure it’s not a type of brown algae? Normally, it’s almost impossible to make Java moss turn brown. It might just be acclimating to your tank, and that means it should turn around quickly – assuming it’s not covered in brown algae (something that almost always happens with too much light).
As for the growing medium on the anubias, try to pull as much off as possible. But make sure you don’t rip the roots. It will usually fall away on its own after a while. And if you can’t remove it, then simply leave it in the pot and plant it in the substrate.
I used glue to stick java moss in to a driftwood but a part of the moss is in the shadow because of driftwood., It mean no light for the moss. Is it ok?
That should be fine. Java moss is very tolerant of low lighting and should survive even in shadow.