Chattanooga Aquarium moss

I had the pleasure of visiting this aquarium recently and they had some really awesome moss in a number of their tanks. The best example is in the smallish aquarium right near the large alligator snapping turtle enclosure. The aquarium houses stinkpots, juvenile razorback musks, at least one southern painted, a couple of smallish map turtles, and has a land area with at least two eastern box turtles.

The moss is thicker and greener than anything I've seen in an aquarium yet it doesn't seem to have any impressive CO2 system or high intensity lights feeding it. The tank probably had a 4x4 footprint and the whole bottom was covered in probably a 12" thick mat of the stuff. The strands seemed too thick to be java moss. It almost reminds me of a saltwater Chaetomorpha macro algae.

I asked the aquarium staff person who was in the area, but he didn't seem to know. My pictures are useless as it just looks like a patch of green with no detail. I know a few members at least are from the TN area. So I was hoping maybe some of them were aquatic plant nuts and frequenters of the Chattanooga aquarium. I'm hoping it is some TN area native moss that I've just never seen, but if anyone knows what it is or has a guess what it might be or another plant that would behave like that I'm all ears.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that my java moss will grow both below and above the water, the latter in nice thick mats. It seems to do best when it is in an unlit tank, right next to a lit tank or growing in a tank with a near solid covering of duckweed above it. I have found that it does not like direct light...the hair algae takes over when there is too much light as well. When growing above the water I have found it does best very close to where the bubbles from an airstone keep it nice and moist. Hope that kind of helps.

You could always email the aquarium & ask them.

Interesting. I am not sure if they would consider putting java moss in their aquariums. Clayton, once you mentioned the saltwater algae, I immediately thought about FW algae. I have seen huge mats of a filamentous algae growing on the substrate of rivers. The mats were incredibly thick, and a very bright green. Perhaps a filamentous algae? Canadian cray has the best suggestion.

I've emailed them, but I'd be surprised if I'd get a response that is much help. Hopefully, they'll get me a latin name and I'll find some place that I can collect or buy it.

It didn't seem like any filamentous algae that I've seen before, but that's a possibility. I wouldn't expect them to put an exotic moss into a native display either, but then again I doubt they get a lot of interest in their mosses.

Oh, I wasn't saying that is was java moss, just that if one were to try and reproduce the look. There are a couple native mosses that very closely resemble java moss.

http://forum.nanfa.o...?showtopic=5735

Oh, I wasn't saying that is was java moss, just that if one were to try and reproduce the look. There are a couple native mosses that very closely resemble java moss.

http://forum.nanfa.o...?showtopic=5735

I was actually referring to UncleWillie's comment about him not being sure if they'd consider using java moss.

Thanks for the link. I'll keep my eyes open for moss next time I'm out collecting. I've got java moss, but either they are using a different moss or I'm not treating mine as well as it likes. I get nothing like the coverage or color I saw there.

Edited by Clayton, 16 October 2008 - 09:27 AM.

its funny, mine does best when I feel like its being neglected?!

Well the email suggestion was a very good one. Scottefontay also managed to answer my question as well with his link. I got a very quick, friendly, and informative response from their lead horticulturist.

Apparently the moss was Willow Moss, Fontinalis antipyretica. I've seen it used in tanks before, but never with that kind of growth. I guess I'll have to find some and neglect it . Last time I tried it was in a tropical tank, so the heat probably didn't help it. Maybe one of my cooler native tanks will work out better.