Christmas Moss - Aquarium Moss Care and Reproduction

Although we already wrote a post that was a atlas of the main moss species commonly kept in an aquarium, today we are going to tell you everything we know about one of the most particular mosses: The Christmas Moss, also called by the scientific community as Vesicularia Montagnei.

El Christmas Moss receives this name from specific shape of its leaves when growing around aquarium decorations, such as rocks or logs, and that looks like the Christmas trees. When grows vertically the whole ensemble also resembles these types of trees.

Besides having a very original and beautiful shape, is one of the favorite species for the aquascaping worldWell, it's a very leafy type of moss that covers in its entirety the vast majority of surfaces on which it grows.

Would you like to know if the Christmas Moss is a kind of moss difficult to care for and that it grows healthily? Or if on the contrary has little need to reproduce and grow easily? How would you like to know his origin, type of climate and weather characteristics What are you used to?

Well, about all this, and also about what are the fish or prawn species with the ones that do the best in tandem, we are going to talk to you in this article. If you are interested in know more about this type of moss...

CHRISTMAS MOSS - ORIGIN, SCIENTIFIC NAME AND MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

Besides knowing visually recognize el Christmas Moss for that peculiar way of grow vertically, And appearance of its leaves, you will also like to know where does it come from.

El moss Christmas Moss grows naturally in the Asian continent, and within this in the areas that are tropical climate: for example in India, riding a Philippines, Japan o Thailand.

In addition, it is interesting to know the fact that this kind of moss grows in its natural origin normally on the floor, But also on logs and rocks in the most humid environments and close to the water, although evidently the tropical climate is humid per se. Another curiosity about its place of origin is that it often grows in total symbiosis with one of the most famous and used plants in the aquarium world: the java fern, also known as Microsorum pteropus.

Although this is the place where he grew up in its origins, and to this day it continues to grow in the natural environment, the truth is that because has become so popular, and also thanks to globalization, nowadays can be found in any country, city and practically in almost any store of specialized products from the aquarium world. In fact, on our page Premium Divers you can find this and other ferns, if you click here, since they are also the ferns some of the most requested by customers.

El scientific name of Christmas moss It is, as we have already told you, Vesicularia Montagnei. Vesicularia is the name given to many of the moss species that exist today, and montagnei is the one that specifically designates this type of moss with the characteristic shape of Christmas fir. This moss also belongs to the Family of Hypnaceae, whose mosses are not only found in Asia and specifically in the tropical zone of this continent, but in many other parts of the world as Europe, Oceania or America.

Surely you are considering yourself as you read the description of Christmas Moss why is it a good type of plant to put in our home aquarium, if it is also found naturally in places that are not aquatic. The answer is simple, and it is that although it also grows in places out of the water, grows naturally under it and always, always, need very humid and quite shady places.

Do these conditions exist in a home aquarium? Definitely yes, and that's why we are going to tell you why mosses are a great option to include in the vegetation of our little home-made habitat.

MOSS IN THE AQUARIUM - WHY ARE THEY A GOOD CHOICE?

It is possible that if you already have an aquarium at home, or some kind of experience with aquariums due to a close person, you have realized that the mosses are by a landslide one of the most used plants to decorate and be part of the fish habitat.

Why? The truth is that there is many compelling reasons to have moss in our aquarium, and we are going to tell you some of them:

EASY MAINTENANCE

Moss is a plant species very easy to maintain. Especially when we are starting an aquarium for the first time, we will have quite a bit of homework worrying about water parameters and how these affect the fish as well how to cover all the needs of the same so that everything goes well.

Plants are very necessary in the aquarium, but you probably want plants that grow easily, that they do not need great cares and thus be able to enjoy as soon as possible a nice waterscape. Bill moss meets all these expectations, and almost does not demand anything, so the vast majority of people decide start the aquarium with him.

FISH AND PRAWN ADAPTATION

El moss is a ideal companion for the vast majority of fish species, but especially for a aquarium inhabited by prawns. The latter need to live well some kind of plant that is very leafy, and that allows them have hiding places for the breeding season.

Lots of fish they also need somewhere more hidden inside the aquarium because they have among their customs to hide, or look for food among the vegetationHow can it happen with the Corydoras.

ADAPTATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT

All the main characteristics of moss make it a plant that needs to be well only moisture and darkness. It is more than obvious that there is no nothing wetter than an aquarium, and also thanks to light regulation systems, we can give you exactly the darkness you need.

EXTRA HELP IN THE AQUARIUM CYCLING

El moss is a perfect helper in one of the most important processes in the aquarium: the nitrogen cycling. We have already told you in this post that cycling consists of cause a natural change in ammonia in the aquarium that arises systematically by the food scraps and fish droppingsBy nitrate and then nitrogen through some bacteria that inhabit the biological filter. The Facilities, and especially the mosses, help in this process because benefit from nitrate, Which is the intermediate process in this change and that it is harmful to fish. Have, therefore, a aquarium with a lot of moss, will speed up the process of having a water with enough nitrogen and no ammonium or nitrate.

AESTHETICS

Finally, the moss is also a good choice if we think about the aesthetic aspect of the aquarium, which is of course an important aspect, especially if we are within the aquascaping world o aquatic landscapes. Moss is one of the favorite choices of experts who have more thoughtful and better structured aquariums: it is a plant that has upholstery effect, that is covers any surface on which to put. It also gives a feeling like isolation in the part where we put it, and that helps give it realism. Finally it is very useful if what we want is cover some artificial elements that are ugly inside the aquarium, such as the fan for lower the water temperature in summer.

MAIN CARE OF MOSS CHRISTMAS MOSS

We have already told you that moss christmas moss o christmas moss es really easy to maintain. All mosses are, because in general they ask for very little, but the Christmas Moss is especially grateful with any temperature, light or water parameters.

As you know from other previous articles, water parameters are the ones who dictate the amount of chemical elements that the ecosystem has of our fish and plants, and sometimes some species of plants can suffer the consequences not to worry about this aspect. For example, it makes plants suffer lack of oxygen: lack of carbon dioxide.

But also in this mosses are grateful, and in general, as long as you keep some established minimums (which, on the other hand, you must maintain if you want your fish to be well), will be fine and will grow properly.

Let's, in any case, talk a little about what are the conditions in which Christmas moss usually grows:

IDEON LIGHTING FOR CHRISTMASS MOSS

We started talking about the ideal lighting for moss growth Christmas Moss because it is precisely a very interesting question. Usually the mosses prefer to be in shady places and with low light, But Christmas Moss fits perfectly to aquariums where there is little or a lot of light.

What is curious about this type of moss? What it will grow in different ways if we have it in an aquarium with a lot of lighting that in one that has poor light. Nap exposed to a lot of light, natural or artificial, will grow very dense or robust and with a glossy touch. Meanwhile, if it grows into a gloomy atmosphere, their way of developing will be more languid, that is, with finer ramifications and also of a characteristic dark green shade. In the event that it grows in darker environments, its appearance will be much more like famous java moss, and sometimes it is even difficult to distinguish them.

So it may be your decision the type of lighting that you put in the aquarium based on the way you see fit let the Christmas moss grow. If, for example, you want to allocate it to rear area of the aquarium, or to the central zone and that serves as a decorative element but that attracts little attention, you better have enough shade. If you want it for upholster some parts of the aquarium, it will be better that grow with light.

Regarding this, it is normal for you to decide the type of lighting according to what the type of fish you have chosen suits you. But it is always good to know what effects it causes on moss growth, to know what awaits you and also to check that it is growing healthy.

WATER TEMPERATURE AND QUALITY

Some plant species do not tolerate water that is too cold, and many of them do not tolerate the water too warm. As we have already told you, in general no type of living being tolerates the exaggerated rise in temperature of the aquarium water well when it reaches summer.

On the other hand, you also have to know when choose the type of fish that we are going to have, and also in general the type of plants, which is the quality of the water you need: The PH level, or how acidic or alkaline the water is, the KH or hardness, the levels of chlorine, silicates, oxygen or carbon dioxide.

But for your peace of mind, you will not have to worry about all these parameters when it comes to see your Christmas moss grow healthy, because it is one of the Facilities with greater capacity to adapt to any type of medium, even those who they are not healthy for other species animals and vegetables.

So you can devote yourself entirely to thinking about the needs of the other living elements of the aquarium and not think about how the Christmas Moss: can be in very cold, very hot water and with all kinds of chemical levels. Of course, you should know that in its natural habitat gets used to being in very acidic waters, that is, with the PH below 6. It is also usually in very soft waters, with little KH. But, we repeat again, that will be fine whatever the water quality and any type of temperature.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRUNING THIS MOSS

We have already told you that few demands has the Christmas moss, but if there is one that we should of course take into account, it is be pruned at least four to five times a year. This is not something weird, since in general if the plants are having a healthy and normal growth, there will be prune them whenever they touch the ceiling of the aquarium, or they start to take up too much space and intervene in the welfare of the fish.

Well, the christmas moss has a special need to be pruned. It is a moss that although it has a fairly slow growth, this is very challenge. When it is in healthy and good conditions, it grows a lot, and if it also has enough lighting, it grows very dense. This is, on the one hand, the reason why it is so precious in the world of aquascaping, But also can become a problem if we don't control it: growing so robustly, there is some parts of the moss that begin to enclose within others already stop perceive light, oxygen and dioxide. This parts they start to die, and can harm the most visible parts of the moss, so if we do not solve it in time, it may be the end of our moss.

In addition, as we will tell later, the Christmas moss usually needs us to anchor it to some of the elements of the aquarium, such as a rock or log. If the moss starts to grow out of control and with a lot of densityAlso will start to weigh a lot. This in many occasions means that loses its anchor to the stone or log, let go and start float through the water. This will cause visual impairment look very messy and even dirty, if they start to drop parts of the original moss.

All this is simply solves using the pruning shears occasionally, when we see that it is growing too much, so that it looks the same pretty way as at the beginning and also I got a lot of health.

CURRENTS IN AQUARIUM WATER

Another important point that you should take into account to make it easier for the Christmas Moss to grow well and fast, is the theme of the movement of water and currents that are made in the same.

A all the plants generally this movement of the water is good for them, since this makes it easier for nutrients and beneficial bacteria to travel faster through the water from the biological filter, and from all corners where they have expanded. In fact, the biological filter itself Usually have your own strength to create this movement in the water. If not, there is also other elements that will help the creation of this current, how is the circulation pump, or how can it also be the aquarium fan we use in summer to prevent the degrees of temperature rise exaggeratedly.

This type of products are not absolutely mandatory for the Christmas moss to grow healthy, but yes You should bear in mind that it is good for the water to move, so in one way or another we will have to find a way to make it so.

OTHER LITTLE CARE FOR CHRISTMAS MOSS

Finally regarding the care that this moss needs, it is important in addition to pruning it, clean it from time to time. The The leafiness that reaches not only can cause that there are parts that are left inside without water and without nutrients and die, but also that there parts that are not cleaned by running water and that get very dirty. In addition, waste and debris from the aquarium will be trapped inside it, which may even mean that the aquarium parameters are out of square without knowing why. As they get dirty, they will start to turning a very ugly dark brown, which can be expanded to the rest of the plant and finish spoil it.

To clean the Christmas Moss you just have to move it and scrub it a little with the help of your hands and with your own aquarium water. There is no need to worry about rough cleaning, as It's very tough.

DO YOU NEED FERTILIZERS TO HELP YOUR GROWTH?

All the plants, usually, they can grow in an aquarium in a healthy and natural way without using fertilizers. Thus they grow, in fact, in their natural habitat.

However, it is true that or many types of plants that are somewhat more complex: are especially sensitive to any changes that occur in the water, and the least we get distracted a little, they begin to weaken or stop growing at the proper rate. In fact, many of these plants suffer from consequences of any rise in a water parameter: when our fish are creating more organic debris, or when there has been a lowering of oxygen in the water. We have already told you this detail sometime, but in case you have Corydoras as one of the fish that live in the aquarium, you should know that when rise from the ground where they normally live up to the surface repeatedlyIs a notice that there is not enough oxygen. Many of the plants that you have will also begin to have a more deteriorated appearance as a warning that you should check the water levels.

For this type of more sensitive plants there great fertilizers that do not harm the other inhabitants of the aquarium and that help them grow independently so that the water is point by point to their liking.

Anyway, you do not have to worry in this regard, and is that the Christmas Moss It is not one of these plants with more needs, and it does not have no obligation to use a fertilizer to enhance its growth. You can, perfectly and very easily, grow naturally in the aquarium just being careful with how it anchors or the light it gives it. But, if you want to make sure that it grows well without worrying, or you are in a hurry to grow and you want to see the most immediate results, yes they exist fertilizers that come in handy: if you click here can you see a fertilizer high in potassium, magnesium and iron which comes in handy for him moss growth.

HOW IS CHRISTMAS MOSS PLANTED FOR THE FIRST TIME?

There are different ways to plant the Christmas moss for the first time. As we already told you in the article of the atlas of the best mosses for aquarium, this original type of plant it has no roots and does not need a seed to germinatewell it is hermaphrodite. Thus, there is no need to raise start a new moss in the aquarium substrate: your small roots can be placed where we we want and from there it will begin to grow.

El Christmas Moss, in addition, you can be positioned in many different ways and depending on how we decide to plant it for the first time, the form it develops will be one or the other. If what we want is that get that upholstered look in a specific area of the aquarium, soil, for example, what we will have to do is fix it to a decorative element such as a rock or a log, with the help of a tied thread that is very easy to put on. There are people, however, that what they seek from Christmas Moss is that completely cover any of the aquarium walls, for example the one in the background. For this, what can be done is place an element in the background It is known as growth mesh, and that you can find in our online store. This mesh is located on one of the walls and on it the moss can be rooted: it is possible that at the beginning, when the moss has just been laid, the mesh is visible and we don't like it aesthetically, but as the moss as it grows will cover it completely and this problem will cease to exist.

Finally, it is also possible letting the Christmas moss grow floating in the aquarium water. Some people choose this form of planting because many types of fish like to have a floating element in which they can hide, as is the case with fry or hatchlings. However, this way it is difficult to maintain properly, because possibly Due to the currents of the water it ends up anchoring in a place that we do not want. Everyone can do what they prefer and what they like the most, but if you ask us we believe that the best way to plant this Christmas moss is by anchoring it to a rock or growing net, which gives it a beautiful look.

REPRODUCTION OF CHRISTMAS MOSS

Is it easy to reproduce the Christmas moss? Maybe you have entered this article because you already have a Christmas Moss in your aquarium in some anchored area, and you would like take it to another part that is further away, without having to buy a new copy.

Don't worry, because this is really simple! Mosses, as we have already told you, they do not need seeds to reproduce and grow since they are hermaphrodites. This makes simply subtracting stem where rhizomes are found of, say, the mother plant, we will get that grow very easily elsewhere.

So, what you have to do is the following: simply pinch with your own fingers, some portions of the original Christmas Moss. It must have, necessarily, part of the stem or small root of the moss. These parts simply have to anchor them or place them in the new place that we have thought, as if it were the original item. For example, if we have Christmas Moss on a growth net on the back wall of the aquarium, we can tear off the new fragment and place it on the side walls because we also want to cover them. We tie them to new growth meshes or to some decorative element with the help of a thread and we let it develop.

As perhaps you are not experts, and you do not cut a fragment that is perfect from the original mother plant, we advise you to you add some extra products to make sure the growth is a success: this is a bit of subscriber like this that you can find by clicking hereAnd also a little CO2 or carbon dioxide to help make photosynthesis better.

TYPES OF FISH SUITABLE FOR CHRISTMAS MOSS

Another of the great questions What would you like to know to decide to to grow Christmas Moss in your aquarium or not, is to know if its presence is good for the fish that you are going to have. The vast majority of people does not choose the fish based on the plants it wantsbut the other way around, according to the chosen fish, take the plant that best suits the conditions that the animal needs.

However, we have already told you that the Christmas moss is able to adapt to any type of water, with very varied parameters and from the lowest to the highest temperature. It will never be an incompatibility problem choose the fish you choose.

As we have already mentioned before, the moss in general, and Christmas in particular, come in handy due to their leafy for groups of fry: baby fish. When they are born, it is convenient for them to be located somewhere more hidden until they grow and move more autonomously, especially if there is other fish of different species in a community aquarium.

It is also very positive the presence of the Christmas Moss in an aquarium where there is shrimps, which usually put the eggs in leafy vegetation places and they prefer this type of moss. The prawns have special and different needs of those that fish have, like different kind of food, which by the way you can find if you click here.

As for the specific fish species, we could talk about the perfect fish for this type of moss are those who prefer a quite acidic water, with low PH. An example of this is the typical guppy fish, about which we have spoken previously in another blog article.

The guppies need a neutral pH, and of course they do not take well to be in waters too alkaline, and they are also a species that needs as a main priority the presence of vegetation in the aquarium. The females of this species usually rest in lush surroundings, and they can suffer from stress if they don't find something like this in your aquarium.

Another type of fish Those who are very good at the presence of a moss like Christmas, is the barbos. Barbels are a rather complicated speciesBecause They are very territorial and it is not usually recommended to mix them with other types of fish in a community aquarium.

However, referred to this type of moss son unos perfect companions and will greatly enjoy the conditions of a moss like Christmas Moss. First, because they also need water with a neutral pH, tending to acid, and secondly because it is recommended so that they feel comfortable using plants with very narrow and resistant leavesexactly how is the Christmas Moss.

OTHER TYPES OF MOSS FOR BEGINNERS OF AQUARIUMS

Now that you know a lot more about Christmas moss, Christmas Moss o Vesicularia Montagnei, and that you will know when the moment is convenient to put it in your aquarium and when not, maybe you are interested know another species of moss that is good for a person who is just starting out in the world of aquariums and what you don't want a type of plant that requires too much care.

Well, as we have already told you, almost all species of mosses are a good choice for vegetation and not complicate your life with aquariums. But within all of these, there are several that stand out and that we are going to list below:

THE JAVA MOSS: THE WORLD'S MOST DEMANDED

Buy Vesicularia Java Moss

El java moss it is scientifically called Dubyan vesicularia, and it is by far, the moss more distinguishable and demanded by the vast majority of aquarium lovers, including the most expert.

In the same way that it happens with the Christmas Moss, Java moss is the preferred because it is very easy to care, it hardly needs any care, and besides grows upholstery, it grows robustly and covering any surface on which we put it, and this is very nice because it gives a natural aquarium look, as if it were the natural place where the fish really lived.

In addition, as an advantage to Christmas Moss, Java moss grows very quickly, while our protagonist today comes a time when he grows constantly, but at first need a little patience until it starts.

Another advantage of Java moss is that no need to root, but I know attaches naturally to any surface, including bottom gravel. If we put it on the ground itself, you will quickly create a carpet that can be very beautiful, although it is not the most suitable if we want to have fish like the Corydora.

THE PHOENIX MOSS: A MOSS WITH A DIFFERENT LOOK

Buy Fissidens Fontanus Phoenix Moss

Another moss species most in demand by beginners, and that you can also find in our online store, is the Phoenix moss. As with the christmas moss, Phoenix Moss does not need great care and grows very fast as long as I have one lots of light, natural or artificial.

La difference of this moss with respect to the Christmas Moss, and also Java moss, is that it has a aspect that has nothing to do with the previous ones: is from a much darker green color and appearance of its leaves is lighter, as if they were feathers. Give a beautiful appearance to the place of the aquarium where we put it, But will not cover upholstery like the other two.

THE NANO MOSS: A VERY SMALL SIZE MOSS

Buy Amblystegium Serpens Nano Moss

El NanoMoss, Also called Amblystegium Serpensit's another of the mosses most sought after by aquarium lovers, because it has a unique aspect that has nothing to do with all the previous species.

You have in common with the Christmas Moss or Christmas Moss who is capable of adapt to any type of water and circumstance: little or a lot of light, very diverse parameters and varied temperature as well. However, aesthetically nothing resembles this or the others on the list, because it is a very small moss, With a tiny leavesand that only grows to 6 centimeters.

It's a perfect moss for beginners because it needs almost no care, but it is only recommended to cover very defined spaces such as a rock or a log, and not for large surfaces how can it happen with him Christmas Moss.

We have reached the end of articlewhere we expect you have solved all your possible doubts regarding a species of moss as fascinating as the Christmas Moss. If you ask us in the search for a type of vegetation to start an aquarium, and make it look pretty in a short time, in addition to nice to your neighbors the fish, of course We would always recommend the use of a moss. And in particular, one of the species that we like the most is Christmas Moss: is a moss that if it grows well and healthy has a beautiful appearance, and that from experience we know that it is also one of the most enjoyed by the vast majority of fish.

Do not forget that although let's talk about the fact that Christmas Moss does not require great care, yes you have to keep an eye on it from time to time to check that everything is fine. We can not forget about its existence, and not prune or clean itBecause any kind of living being needs that little attention. We hope, in any case, that enjoy and see the results of their growth soon.

For any other duda, relevant information on the growth of Christmas Moss and others, you can write us through the comments. And if you want to know all our specialized products for the aquarium world, you can take a look at our online store and social media.