Java Moss Plant Care Guide

Java moss is one of the easiest to grow, and hardy, aquarium plants around.

It belongs to the Hypnaceae family and is native to Southeast Asia. It is very common in moist tropical climates and grows on rocks, river banks, and tree trunks.

Due to its low requirements regarding water quality and lighting, it is perhaps the most common moss amongst freshwater aquarists and is widely available both in shops and online.

It is commonly used for aquascaping and can produce beautiful results. It also has many other benefits such as providing protection for eggs and fry, improving tank health and providing food for breeding fish.

Moss provides a natural, aging look and can give life to a bare and plain tank.

Java moss is relatively easy to install, grow and maintain and it’s almost impossible to kill it. It will attach itself to many different surfaces including gravel, driftwood, rocks and commercial decorations. It’s a delicate moss which has irregular small branched stems. The stems are covered in tiny, 2mm long oval-shaped leaves which overlap.

Java moss that grows under water has bright green leaves that are much smaller than the leaves that grow on land.

It uses rhizoids to attach itself to surfaces, however unlike roots, their purpose is only to attach them to an object rather than provide it with nutrients. Because it has no real roots, Java moss mostly absorbs nutrients through its stems and leaves.

Interestingly, there is still some confusion over Java’s scientific name, it was formally identified as Vesicularia Dubyana but has recently been reclassified as Taxiphyllum Barbieri. There is still debate surrounding the accuracy of the change.

Most of the name confusion stems from Latin names being incorrectly matched with common names. For example, Vesicularia dubyana (also known as Christmas moss or Singapore moss) is extremely different to Taxiphyllum Barbieri (Java moss), although they still belong to the same Taxiphyllum genus.

Always try to use the Latin name when you’re buying plants to avoid any confusion.