Boom Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 I know next to nothing about aquatic plants. But I was wondering if there is a low growing type plant like a moss on a rock, that I can have grow on the rocks / brick in my african cichlid tank? I will be adding some old style bricks and thought it might be really nice to have some green moss growing on them. I looked up java moss but that looks like it gets too bushy. I want the growth to be tight to the brick kinda like algae, but not algae. (or maybe thats the best bet?) Anyone have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Chances are the fish will eat pretty much any type of plant you use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Sounds like green beard algae is what you want. It might just grow spontaneously on the bricks, especially if you leave the lights on for 12+ hours a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Most Rift Lake cichlids are algae grazers in nature, so you may not get the desired effect by adding a vascular plant. Algae is probably the way to go. Lights on for 14hrs/day will do the trick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbert Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 I got green beard algae growing on some rocks in my aquarium exactly as jvision and werner described (not intentionally at the time). It actually looks quite pretty, so I'm leaving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 I always wanted to have a moss on my drift wood but java is just a pain in the arse. Ive seen green beard now if I could get my drift wood all bearded like that would just be sweet. But me and Algea just dont get along :P. Hey is there a way to produce green beard on my drift wood in a controled enviroment on the drift wood only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted April 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 If I just leave the lights on for long periods, is the result always the "green beard" algae. I really don't want brown algae or that long hairy stuff. I know my africans will probably eat it, but that's o.k, will save me some NLS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Brown algae (diatoms) usually comes with the initial setup, or in low-light set-ups. Hair algae shouldn't be a problem in your tank, as long as it's not getting direct sunlight. You'll basically have to experiment a bit, but you should be able to get beard algae growing with 12-14 hrs of light without much problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted April 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Excellent. thanks guys. Its a well established tank and no direct sunlight, so hopefully it works out. I'll post some pics after I've switched over to bricks. (Still have to find some more.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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