ah...im no expert in moss...there are some guys here are really good with moss,u should dicuss with them . dom is one.
moss is an on and off thing for me....while java moss is the most easiest to keep yet it could be a nightmare for some especially as u say kena ALGAE
...im no exception...i have my fair share of java moss kena algae.
i tried cutting, putting in algae eating flying fox, even the famous thai variant seems little help. tried anti algae ending up with a bunch of dead moss and greenish water.

got some advice from a novice many years back...yup a novice....."dont force your moss"..
meaning no ferts for your moss ...not after 2 to 3 weeks ..and only after the moss had started to grow.

well...the normal plot for most of us is when we put in our moss, the very next thing we put in are the liquid ferts...we wanna see instant growth...hey , after all, java moss grows fast...according to book...rite?
Wrong...just like many of us i was a true believer in that concept...java moss are fast grower.

Check this out...java moss will not start growing instantly ...they need about a week to start off...and when they do start ...there will be no stopping them ...hence the reputation of a fast grower.
BUT...what about that one week period before they started growing??
would the liquid ferts meant for the java moss benefitted the algae?
to make it short...we ourselves invented the monster we hated so much!

So what i did is i will wait 3 weeks before adding liquid ferts...any liquid ferts will do ...java moss are not fussy with what they get...but if u want some really bushy green one...then try FERKA,s Aquatiliser...i dun know if they have it here in malaysia, mine is an old stock i got from thailand. the thing about Ferka is ...the are quite diluted, half a bootle is need for a 4 footer....luckly they are cheap at THB130 (RM15)...but the result is ....wow
if u have a deep pocket ...then needless to say its ADA..Green Brighty Step series....
my advice...any liquid fert from the FS will do for java moss...the cheaper the better.
if u want more java moss...get a bunch put in a shallow bowl or whatever...add liquid fert and water and leave it in some shaded spot ...presto ...tell me what u have in a week or two.....the FS will kill me for this.

ok the mess netting is to hold the moss together...the aim is for it to root on the foam background...it may take months.and if you are pateince enough u will have a full moss covered background....u could remove the netting if u want after that , but then the netting would not be visiable at all by then..trust me.

here is how its done....using two sheets of netting
do not overload the net with moss...give some space to grow...and grow they will i asure u.


with the second sheet sandwich the moss...and stichup with thread....and just attach to foam wall with a pin or whatever.




go ahead and do up your all moss tank...it would a pretty sight....just keep the liquid ferts locked up for 1st 3 weeks...and u will not go wrong

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

i have a feeling u trim your TENELLUS....rite???

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

I diluted it and squirt it directly on the algae on my pellia rock with a pipette underwater... gone case... turn brown and melt in 2 days.. moss also suffer. It kills algae... also kill the plants... Azoo.. don't really trust... a lot of typo on their product description one .

Ha ha, Ari. I too, have locked up my scissors. Not touching tenellus for now. Anyway work will be kind of hectic these few weeks. So, no time to trim even if I needed to.

__________________
The nose runs and the feet smell - go figure
Steven

then u try the ocean free type lo...abit expensive at rm22. ...wait for a day or two...if the test moss survive then this medication can pakai lo.
have lots of people complain to me about algae problem...so must find a way to cure it lo...actually prevention is better that cure.
can try UV lights ...in my marine system i use UV to control red and green and coral line algae....so this one i also testing la. uv lights not expensive lo...rm65 can get 9v one liao

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

i did some trimming and add in a couple of plants. NO NO..im not attempting to sign up for ADA contest with the bolbitis ...they are from my cichlid tank...i need them to shade the new plants...and especially after trimming to ward off algae. the bolbitis will be there only a couple of days, before i remove them....


bolbitis do make a difference in a BOTAK tank huh...no wonder its such popular plant in this forum....my cichlids just love them.


Red Fan...that was what the man at 88 said this plant is....but i doubt it...cant find any latin name that suit this plant and i even doubt it would turn submerge...sort of like a hemigraphis....they will last a long time submerge but wont turn into such.
a rm50 bet was on between a friend and the guy who sold it..saying it would turn or wont. well.......i just provide the space ,,,hahaha


well...since than dubious "red fan" came from 88...im taking no chances......out comes my Snail Patrol...a couple of pearl scale gouramis. they comes second after the blackish water puffer fish as a snail eaters ...and snails are the included item for plants purchased at 88 pandan indah.one tiny micro snail egg is enough to turn your tank a snail colony within days...give this point a little thought

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

to give the betting parties a fair contest....the red fan is planted in both my 2 setups..and besides i need to know too, if it really could turn submerge


Macranda in the second stage of planting. i planted them at the back portion before this..to hasten the melting of soiled leafs.previously i use to pluck the soiled leafs or cut them off with a scissors...but everytime i do that ...i end up damaging the ultra sensitive leafs even more..so i learn its better to devoid them of full lightings and let the leafs melt naturally.


with its leafs unsoiled and with 4 inches of stem inserted into the subtrate, the macranda are planted up front to recieve full lightings...and they do very well in yellow light...meaning 2900 to 5500K. it would be a week before i blast them with monster root ferts and Aqua Medic,s Ferropur....this is a iron base fert that comes in toothpaste form. theres a tube for u to squeeze the fert into the subtrate next to the plant. this is a very good red enchancing fert...but VERY EXPENSIVE.


got this species from 88, dont know what it is....all i know it will turn red. could be a rotala or ludwigia species. young emerge plant species are sometimes hard to tell apart...until the turn submerge.

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

Many Thanks to you Ari, for your clear slow explaination on the mosses keeping.... Somehow the books said moss is easy to keep but when you have it....umm somehow slow redundant growth and colour is not brightly green...more like yellowish to me...haha...

Dom do have a nice moss tank and according to him before....water change is very important to keep nice mosses and if possible....provide a more cooler water temp of abt 25-26 C......ummm will perform trial and error on this....if dun try we never know where we got wrong but also we need some guidance from more experience members ya....So Thanks Ari+ Dom + others...Without guideline or tips...newbie like me would not know what's wrong or right...haha...

regards,
gary

Hi Ari,

Interesting read. I wonder why we can't get Ferka here.
Regards

Stan

__________________
So many aquascapes, so little time...http://www.my-mac.net/forum/

malaysia la brader....locally unknown product hard to sell here la...and the Aquarium suppliers also not helping hor...if they distribute locally lesser known product..surely double the price .
Ferka is one of the cheapest plant fert around...but if can be found in malaysia it wont be cheap anymore....

i can get the full line product...but then to bring this brand in, how many customer will buy??..very risky la.

another question still remains a standing argument among my fellow planters on the issue of which product to choose......"GO for German or Taiwanese plant product".

__________________
Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!