Java Moss

[ekfishlover2011]

Never ever had plants before. The 'net says i should get Java Moss if i want to breed cherry shrimps, which i am buying tomorrow to place in my 10gallon all alone and letting them go at it so that i can cut out trips to LFS to buy feeder shrimps. Cherries are expensive, ive never gotten them before because ghosts are $.12 a piece and cherries are $3.99 a piece. Anyway, if it floats, will the baby shrimps be able to get the nutrients that are supposed to come from it? I think id prefer it to sink, because then i know they can hide in it as well. Will it attach to an artificial ornament like a castle? It would look kind of cool to have my kind of ugly mustard yellow castle with a live green roof (instead of the barney purple that it is painted) that sways in the tiny current given off by the sponge filter, and that seems an ideal place for all the shrimps to get to it. I really need fast replies if possible, as i will be buying the shrimps and moss tomorrow. Thanks for answering my questions.

[Alasse]

Java moss will be very much appreciated by your cherries (i have a 2ft tank with them)
Java moss can be attached to anything and it will grab hold eventually, you will need to tie it down first off though.

[korith]

If you are willing to buy online, you can usually get 20 red cherry shrimp shipped to you for around $20-25 over on plantedtank.net in the swap n shop section of their forum.

Any sort of plant is fine for a shrimp tank. The shrimp will breed fine w/o having any plants in the tank. Though plants do make the tank look better, and shrimp will forage for stuff off the plants. Java moss is good, will attach itself to pretty much anything given time.

[Strider199]

I use a light fishing line (4lb. test) to tie down my java moss to wood, slate, and anything else that suites my fancy. I'm sure sewing thread would work as well. Java moss and red cherry shrimp just seem to go together. Good luck with your new set-up ekfishlover2011.

[ekfishlover2011]

Okay thanks guys! Once i get the moss to stick to the castle (its a very porous texture, so it should probably grab pretty quick) i will post pictures of my 10gal tank, and i will probably end up buying another 10gal for quarantine since its sounding like this will become a permanent setup. My grandmas guppy and my 7 male ghost shrimps have been keeping tank warm and testing it out and being experimented with different spare heaters for the past week, and ive finally got everything the way i want it. My shrimps seem to do best around 72-74 degrees, so i found the heater that keeps it there. Is that an okay temp for java moss? Also, if i have the moss there, will my tank still be able to support algae growth, or will it all be wafers from then on? I cant wait until tomorrow! After church im getting new glasses (these are 6 years old!) and then going to my favorite fish store to get some shrimps (ill just go there and pay the expensive so that i know what im getting and can choose all the ones i want for my gene pool, not that it matters because they're going to be food, but i still want pretty food) and the moss and an API Master Test Kit (about time, i know. Ive been taking everyone's advice on everything but the goldfish lately in order to become a better fishkeeper, including WCs, filtration plans for my new tank, stocking plans for new tank, losing the castle from main tank, and now, testing water :D I feel nicer) and then... How do i tie it down? Like, tie the string around the castle pinning the moss against it? Or... Like i said, never had any plants.

[Alasse]

Some cotton and pin the moss against the roof of your castle :)

Looking forward to seeing your tank!

[Strider199]

Tie it down by laying the moss over the object and wrap the line around the moss and the object. I use fishing line so it almost disappears but within a few weeks the moss will over grow the line anyway.
Having moss in your tank wont take away your algae growth. If you are getting algae with your current lighting you will still have algae with the moss. Java moss like temp in the high 70's so your good to go there.

[ekfishlover2011]

Okay, so my first instinct for tying was correct. Yay! Im pretty sure the thread is biodegradeable, so once moss is conected to castle itself the thread wil deteriorate away and the moss will probably actually eat it. So if i keep the temp at 74 it will still thrive, or does it need bumped to 76? I wont put it any higher than 76 though, because i dont trust shrimps at 78. Is there anything specific ill need for the moss, like plant food, or will it survive fine on the shrimps waste? Ive heard this is a very easy beginners plant, so hopefully i can keep it alive. :)

[Strider199]

Your moss will do fine with light. It needs light and a bit of bio-load wont hurt. With shrimp I've stopped using any fert's for my plants. It says it's save for invertebrates but I've read the shrimp will be more colourful and active without plant fert's in the water. Just make sure you have enough light and you'll be fine.

[Alasse]

I have java moss in a tank that only get ambient room light, pretty dim actually, and it grows fine.

It is super hardy stuff, doesnt need fertz to thrive

[ekfishlover2011]

Okay thanks all. I think i know everything i need to know for now. Turned water up to 78F because i actually read that my cherries will breed better in temperatures closer to 80 but not any higher, so 78s a good temp. Then the moss will be happy too with the higher temps. It has ambient light most of the time and every night around 8 i turn a lamp on that hangs directly over the tank (it sits on the floor) and leave that on for 3 hours. Daylight comes in through the door between hours of 8am and 12pm and then again from 6pm til dark, thats probably whats actually making the algae grow, so that should be good for the moss too. I cant wait!!!!