View Full Version : Java Fern/Java Moss question
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 2:21 PM
Okay, so im thinking about getting these two types of plants. I have a 5 gallon mini bow currently. Im going to put a Red sea Nano filter on the back and upgrade the light to this light. http://www.petco.com/product/11440/Coralife-Mini-Compact-Fluorescent-50-or-50-Bulb.aspx?CoreCat=FishFC_Hoods_Lighting
Are these components okay with these 2 types of plants? Then im going to put a betta in the tank. Do bettas like Java fern/moss? and would it also be okay to put a moss ball in the tank with those 2 types of plants?
Hebily
05-19-2009, 2:26 PM
I don't know for sure about the betta, but I would guess that it won't care. The only possible problem with the filter and those plants is if the moss gets too close to the suction. The lights won't matter for those plants, as long as they are lights... Those are all very low light, easy care plants.
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 2:29 PM
the red sea nano filter is a really low key filter it does not have a strong in-take pump if you understand what im talking about
Hebily
05-19-2009, 2:31 PM
should be fine... the only times the moss might be a problem is if it reduces flow, or in certain filters, it could get wrapped around the impeller shaft and stop the pump. The likely hood of this is much less if it is a low flow pump. Also, does the water pass the impeller before or after it is filtered?
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 2:33 PM
That last question i do not know due to the fact that i am getting this filter on friday (shipping) DoN_WoN has this same exact filter and actually the same exact idea i am having and tank size and everything (best buds)
Hebily
05-19-2009, 2:34 PM
lol.. you're guppy guy right?
Hebily
05-19-2009, 2:35 PM
worst case, you put a sponge over the suction or just make sure the moss stays away from it.
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 2:36 PM
yes im guppie guy im change the 5 into the stuff that you are reading about. I have like 50 guppies i need to find a home for :/
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 2:41 PM
I don't know for sure about the betta, but I would guess that it won't care. The only possible problem with the filter and those plants is if the moss gets too close to the suction. The lights won't matter for those plants, as long as they are lights... Those are all very low light, easy care plants.
bettas loveeeeeeee live plants especiall java moss..make like a small java moss carpet and they will lie in that,
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 2:44 PM
seriously???
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 2:53 PM
seriously???
yeaa meh fo sho
I have like 50 guppies i need to find a home for :/
That's the exact reason I swore I'd never get guppies again. Although at the fish store with the wife I noticed she was eyeing the guppies.
Made me wonder if I should perhaps reconsider them- be great if she likes the aquarium- can only help if I get her "into fish"... she used to keep some too.
Still... guppies and their never ending stream of fry! *shudder*
Back on topic- java fern and java moss are two of the easiest plants to grow... I'm a plant novice and both are doing fantastic with me. Almost immediately baby java fernlets started growing on the leaves of the originals. Moss isn't duplicating fast- but it's doing well and nice and green.
Bettas won't eat them either so you're safe with that.
Hebily
05-19-2009, 3:05 PM
That's why you need a predatory fish!
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 3:10 PM
okay i can help you with guppies... lol if you want guppies but not all the fry baby girls or males dont buy both thats how they will have baby of course you already know that.. but yeah.. so java moss and fern is okay and bettas love them.. aparently is what you guys have told me
Current tank is a small fish and shrimp community tank.
"Next tank", should I get one, will have some larger more predatory fish in it. For now though- that's not an option.
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 3:12 PM
okay i can help you with guppies... lol if you want guppies but not all the fry baby girls or males dont buy both thats how they will have baby of course you already know that.. but yeah.. so java moss and fern is okay and bettas love them.. aparently is what you guys have told me
fo shizzle ma home boy..were gettin that friday
Hebily
05-19-2009, 3:14 PM
Lol. he's right. Just get all males... they're the pretty one's anyway. pansies.
okay i can help you with guppies... lol if you want guppies but not all the fry baby girls or males dont buy both
I've tried that... got all male guppies once- but one turned out to be a female after all! (they're supposed to be easy to sex- but both the store who had them segregated and me looking at them in the store missed that... it definately looked like a female once pregnant- don't know how I missed it- had the female ventral fin).
Got all female guppies once- but one turned out to be already pregnant.
Got all female swordtails once- and still one got pregnant somehow months later. (either stored sperm- or one of the females was really a male- although it didn't look that way to me... none had the obvious male gonopodium or whatever it's called).
Because livebearers are so easy to sex- it's easy to get over-confident you sexed them correctly and end up with fry.
Also- getting all male guppies tends to bring out the worst of their behaviour and they can torment other fish- so it's not ideal to have all males in a community tank. With the females- they can store sperm for some time so if they've ever been with a male you're screwed. (and *ahem* so are they apparently)
Hebily
05-19-2009, 3:20 PM
You know what the difference is between a guppy and a lightbulb?
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 3:21 PM
You know what the difference is between a guppy and a lightbulb?
nah?
Hebily
05-19-2009, 3:27 PM
One's an inanimate, electrical light emiting device, and the other is a livebearer.
but the punchline to the joke that I contorted is 'you can unscrew a lightbulb'.
june2000
05-19-2009, 3:30 PM
yes im guppie guy im change the 5 into the stuff that you are reading about. I have like 50 guppies i need to find a home for :/
:lol: Invite all the friends for dinner and give them some. 1/3 of our friends are now have guppies. We distributed 200+ guppies. :evil_lol:
smartdog126
05-19-2009, 6:46 PM
lol cool cool guys but yea so i think ima get some java moss but i like the fern a little bit more...
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 6:47 PM
lol cool cool guys but yea so i think ima get some java moss but i like the fern a little bit more...
go gettt thatttt lol
Hebily
05-19-2009, 10:22 PM
I would get both, definately... names sound similiar, but they are totally different plants... both really cool in there own ways.
DoN_WoN
05-19-2009, 10:28 PM
I would get both, definately... names sound similiar, but they are totally different plants... both really cool in there own ways.
i think so too, then when the java moss get bigger i can have the clippings!!..im his friend lol
One's an inanimate, electrical light emiting device, and the other is a livebearer.
but the punchline to the joke that I contorted is 'you can unscrew a lightbulb'.
LMAO...
So true with guppies!
smartdog126
05-20-2009, 6:18 AM
but do i have to like take out the gravel and plant the plant or let it sit on top and let it naturally dig its roots? and the java moss? do i let it just sit there? or how does that work?
Hebily
05-20-2009, 10:19 AM
fern can be planted in the substrate, but it's easier to tie it to a piece of driftwood or a rock. It will root around it, and you can eventually take the string off. (or it will fall off) moss can just lay there, or you can tie it to driftwood (loosely) and it will stick to it after a while.
smartdog126
05-20-2009, 12:02 PM
okay awesome thanks!(:
Hebily
05-20-2009, 12:36 PM
Do you have gravel, or sand?
DoN_WoN
05-20-2009, 1:03 PM
Do you have gravel, or sand?
smartdog has gravel in all his tanks accept his 55 salt
mvigor
05-20-2009, 1:12 PM
Java moss doesn't have roots.
Hebily
05-20-2009, 1:27 PM
No moss has roots... it's part of being moss.
smartdog126
05-20-2009, 9:13 PM
yea im going to get a 10 gallon tank but im thinking about getting sand.. but i here it gets foggy when you do a water change and i dont want that so i might just get gravel... again..
DoN_WoN
05-20-2009, 9:20 PM
yea im going to get a 10 gallon tank but im thinking about getting sand.. but i here it gets foggy when you do a water change and i dont want that so i might just get gravel... again..
hehehe yea i told u that about the sand and water changes at petco today when getting my 2.5 meh
Hebily
05-21-2009, 12:02 AM
It depends completely on what sand you get, and how you do water changes... I can rake my hands through my sand, and throw it up into the water column, and it settles right back down, immediately, with NO cloudiness.
smartdog126
05-21-2009, 6:19 AM
hmmm interesting... would it matter what filter i get.. then? and what sand do you have? (it must be better for the plant if u have sand isnt it?)
DoN_WoN
05-21-2009, 6:21 AM
It depends completely on what sand you get, and how you do water changes... I can rake my hands through my sand, and throw it up into the water column, and it settles right back down, immediately, with NO cloudiness.
what kind of sand do you have?
smartdog126
05-21-2009, 6:23 AM
sand lol obviously oh you mean brand lol
DoN_WoN
05-21-2009, 7:04 AM
sand lol obviously oh you mean brand lol
theres different brands and different grains lol newb!!
My sand is the same way... no clouds. I rinsed the heck out of it before putting it in the tank. it is just plane old play sand from lowes. I have about 1" on top of 2" of laterite and I don't have any cloudy water even when I vacuum
I have regular play sand... it was a nightmare the first week from me not cleaning it properly- very cloudy- but I've done a couple of big water changes now and it never clouds anymore, even when I stir the sand thoroughly (do every water change).
Hebily
05-21-2009, 9:33 AM
I have estes marine (safe for fresh and salt water) sand. It is available in many colors, although it is a bit pricey (about $1/pound). It took 25 lbs to put a roughly 2" layer in my 50 gal. After seeing what happened when I washed it (no cloudiness of the first batch of water, just surface floaties) I poured the last bag in the tank straight from the bag. Sure enough, no cloudiness. There are 'bubbles' of sand that float on the surface if you don't wash it first, but these are easily removed. I haven't noticed a change, but I have heard that this brand of sand can cause pH to rise.
smartdog126
05-21-2009, 2:31 PM
how do you vacum the sand with out sucking up the sand or if you suck it up do u just put it back in?
Hebily
05-21-2009, 2:37 PM
It will get sucked up a little, and fall back down, like gravel.
smartdog126
05-21-2009, 3:16 PM
okay if you say so.
Hebily
05-21-2009, 3:28 PM
I didn't believe it either, until I tried it. Be careful though, if your sand is too fine, it will get sucked out. Mine doesn't, though.
smartdog126
05-22-2009, 6:00 AM
okay well i found out my parents wont let me start a new tank till we get a new house... (soon) and if im not getting a new tank im not going to do sand right now... so i need to store all this in my noggin (: