ScareCrow
Member
Yeah once the preciousesss are yours, your own, your precious it doesn't happen, at least not for me 😂. It started with hookeriaceae moss, then various buces and most recently crypts. Good luck
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Consistency Deficiency
- Thread starter Hufsa
- Start date
All your new rare mosses sound soooo exciting! V intrigued to see how all your mosses grow over the next year 
I have some cameroon moss, and it grows really beautifully for me attached with thread to wood in my hightech, it does slowly carpet the wood and it's grows out fluffy but in a beautiful neat way. I recently took out all my other moss on the wood (which had algae in it anyway) and got some more cameroon to cover the wood, I think it'll look awesome. So maybe some of your lovely big portion of cameroon moss can go on your hardscape! You will not regret it
I have some cameroon moss, and it grows really beautifully for me attached with thread to wood in my hightech, it does slowly carpet the wood and it's grows out fluffy but in a beautiful neat way. I recently took out all my other moss on the wood (which had algae in it anyway) and got some more cameroon to cover the wood, I think it'll look awesome. So maybe some of your lovely big portion of cameroon moss can go on your hardscape! You will not regret it
ScareCrow
Member
Yeah, just to be clear in case @Wookii applies his interpretation, it was the moss and nothing else
From there on it was a long and unexpected journey (trying to get as many LoTR and Hobbit refs in as I can now that you started it).
As @shangman says Cameroon moss is beautiful and it was another that got me obsessively searching for plants.
One thing I found with hookeriaceae moss, is that it's a lot like a cross between a stem plant and a moss. For me in low tech, it grows really slowly, gets outcompeted by most other mosses and doesn't attach itself to anything. I've not been brave enough to trim it so can't say how it would react.
Here are some microscope pictures of my two mystery liverworts from the cups. Both seem to have emerged from spores, or at least were very small when they hitchhiked along. My mossy cups were sort of a last minute idea for mosses that I didnt think would make it in the aquarium, but that I didnt want to throw out, and in my excitement over the whole project recordkeeping was not prioritized 😅
One of the subjects emerged from a cup of sphagnum moss, the other I am not entirely sure which moss it came with.
I had been out looking in an area for Riccardia incurvata, but was unable to find it. At the same site I did find some interesting sphagnum moss completely underwater, so I grabbed a few bits of that as well as a neighboring moss, and placed them in a cup. So for something to emerge from said sphagnum and actually be the thing I was looking for seems plausible I guess but also incredibly lucky, and I dont want to be too biased when trying to figure out what it is.
Also, at some point I put both mystery guests into the same cup, despite the little voice in my head saying it would be better to keep them apart, or at least note which guest came from where.
Stupid! So I dont remember any more which guest came from the one with spagnum in it 
Maybe its a good thing I didnt become a scientist, I would probably be the worst 😂
Subject 1:
It seems to have small branches, but its quite curly and twisty. But it might not be growing to its full potential in my dinky little cup.
I took a crossection of the stem (picture left) to see if it was curved, which it does seem to be. You can also see the curvature a bit on the right picture, which is a little piece that broke off from the main branch. Unfortunately my little handheld usb microscope doesnt zoom in any further than this, so I cant clearly make out the cells and whatnot.
I have a book about mosses here that contains identification keys for all the relevant nordic species, but without visible cells progress is stopped. The book has helped me narrow it down to a few likely "Genus". (Genus? Genuseses? Geni? Octopi?)
I think it may be unlikely to be an Aneura species, just based on that they seem to be much bigger than this.
But growth form could be influenced by it growing under water, so I dont know for sure..
Pallavicinia has a midrib, Subject 1 doesnt appear to have that. And the other suggestion was Moerckia but that one also looks quite large.
So maybe Riccardia incurvata isnt so far off? What say you @dw1305 , who actually knows things.
Subject 2:
This one my first thought was a Riccia, the branching way it grows just looks so much like it. The midrib is very visible compared to Riccia fluitans and im not seeing a clear reticulated pattern like my book says I should. Its quite small in growth, smaller and more densely branched than Riccia I have come across before.
One of the subjects emerged from a cup of sphagnum moss, the other I am not entirely sure which moss it came with.
I had been out looking in an area for Riccardia incurvata, but was unable to find it. At the same site I did find some interesting sphagnum moss completely underwater, so I grabbed a few bits of that as well as a neighboring moss, and placed them in a cup. So for something to emerge from said sphagnum and actually be the thing I was looking for seems plausible I guess but also incredibly lucky, and I dont want to be too biased when trying to figure out what it is.
Also, at some point I put both mystery guests into the same cup, despite the little voice in my head saying it would be better to keep them apart, or at least note which guest came from where.
Stupid! So I dont remember any more which guest came from the one with spagnum in it Maybe its a good thing I didnt become a scientist, I would probably be the worst 😂Subject 1:
It seems to have small branches, but its quite curly and twisty. But it might not be growing to its full potential in my dinky little cup.
I took a crossection of the stem (picture left) to see if it was curved, which it does seem to be. You can also see the curvature a bit on the right picture, which is a little piece that broke off from the main branch. Unfortunately my little handheld usb microscope doesnt zoom in any further than this, so I cant clearly make out the cells and whatnot.
I have a book about mosses here that contains identification keys for all the relevant nordic species, but without visible cells progress is stopped. The book has helped me narrow it down to a few likely "Genus". (Genus? Genuseses? Geni? Octopi?)
I think it may be unlikely to be an Aneura species, just based on that they seem to be much bigger than this.
But growth form could be influenced by it growing under water, so I dont know for sure..
Pallavicinia has a midrib, Subject 1 doesnt appear to have that. And the other suggestion was Moerckia but that one also looks quite large.
So maybe Riccardia incurvata isnt so far off? What say you @dw1305 , who actually knows things.
Subject 2:
This one my first thought was a Riccia, the branching way it grows just looks so much like it. The midrib is very visible compared to Riccia fluitans and im not seeing a clear reticulated pattern like my book says I should. Its quite small in growth, smaller and more densely branched than Riccia I have come across before.
I'm no expert in mosses, and probably has the same book as you (so no help there), but I would guess Metzgeria furcata for the second one. Metzgeria seems to have a more distinct midrib than Riccia, and M. furcata has a distinct branching pattern similar to the one you have.
plantnoobdude
Member
id'ing moss seems like an absolute nightmare
Depends on what you compare it toid'ing moss seems like an absolute nightmare
When I started my biology studies one of the first assignments was to make an insect collection, and it had to include a "slända" (Swedish name with no taxonomic relevance, basically any insect that's good at flying but is not a Dipteran or Lepidopteran). I managed to catch a dragonfly but couldn't bring myself to kill it, so decided to go with a caddisfly instead. That was a mistake. The thing was covered in long hairs (so you couldn't make out any details) and threatened to break as soon as you looked at it (and they had to be in perfect condition in order for me to get full marks). When I reached the part of the key that called for counting the number of joints on one of their mouthparts (they have a fair number) it was an even race to see which broke first, my nerves or the caddisfly. In the end I switched to a Psocopteran instead, but the experience has left me with a gratitude whenever I have to identify anything else "hey, at least it's not a caddisfly".
Hi all,
edit: It might be <"Riccardia multifida">, that grows with sphagnum moss.
cheers Darrel
Unfortunately not this time.
edit: It might be <"Riccardia multifida">, that grows with sphagnum moss.
cheers Darrel
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Errr.. about which part exactly?
Looking around a bit that would be my guess as well for number 1, at least if @Hufsa found it in coastal southern Norway (since it is otherwise very rare around here). If allowed to grow a bit more, each shoot should then divide 2 or 3 times in an even pattern.
I stopped by the LFS as I had planned, to pick up the JBL bubble counter and extra check valve now that it was in stock, and I was not to get any more plants.
No room in the budget for plants. None. Zilch
The clerk asks me if I need anything else.
Thinking: Dont ask for plants, just dont say plants
Me: "Yes I was wondering if you could fish up some plants for me today"
Thinking: Goddamnit
So I got some more plants
By rough account ive got some 41 species in the tank now, not counting the mosses from the mossy project.
Bucephalandra sp. Silver Gray up top and the very chlorotic thing in the bottom is maybe Cryptocoryne Silver Queen.
They are quite worse for wear and covered with algae, but ive got my best boys and girls on the job, as you can see.
Bucephalandra sp. Dark Achilles and Cryptocoryne striolata 'mini'.
Senior executive inspector Otocinclus is testing that the leaves are suitable for resting.
The report is not due til 2025 (you know how it is) but he was able to tell me entirely off the record that it looks like they will be granted approval.
Bucephalandra sp. Pearl Grey
This other pale crypt is possibly maybe Cryptocoryne Queen Vandom.
It should be a bit easier to tell when they put out some normal leaves, or so I hope.
Not so new plants:
The native Plagiochila is still sprouting up a storm. I have decided to call it Rosie Moss after @shangman 😁 So far so good
From left to right, two pebbles of Plagiothecium undulatum, one pebble of unnamed leafy liverwort.
These ones arent going to make it, I can tell already. They're going brown just like Scapania undulata did.
On the fairly bare pebble in the back, a piece of the assumed Riccardia sp. is sitting under the net. This one is still green, fingers crossed it grows and maybe a bit faster than in the cup, that would be nice! @shangman if you could bless this moss as well that would be superb, it seems to do wonders for the growth 😁
On the tank in general, still getting a fair bit of algae, staghorn, green spot, BBA, you name it ive got it. Digging up the root tabs soon and will vacuum the substrate a bit, there is a noticeable buildup of brown dust that comes out when the sand is stirred. Will clean the filters as well, just try to keep everything real clean.
No room in the budget for plants. None. Zilch
The clerk asks me if I need anything else.
Thinking: Dont ask for plants, just dont say plants
Me: "Yes I was wondering if you could fish up some plants for me today"
Thinking: Goddamnit
So I got some more plants
By rough account ive got some 41 species in the tank now, not counting the mosses from the mossy project.
Bucephalandra sp. Silver Gray up top and the very chlorotic thing in the bottom is maybe Cryptocoryne Silver Queen.
They are quite worse for wear and covered with algae, but ive got my best boys and girls on the job, as you can see.
Bucephalandra sp. Dark Achilles and Cryptocoryne striolata 'mini'.
Senior executive inspector Otocinclus is testing that the leaves are suitable for resting.
The report is not due til 2025 (you know how it is) but he was able to tell me entirely off the record that it looks like they will be granted approval.
Bucephalandra sp. Pearl Grey
This other pale crypt is possibly maybe Cryptocoryne Queen Vandom.
It should be a bit easier to tell when they put out some normal leaves, or so I hope.
Not so new plants:
The native Plagiochila is still sprouting up a storm. I have decided to call it Rosie Moss after @shangman 😁 So far so good
These ones arent going to make it, I can tell already. They're going brown just like Scapania undulata did.
On the fairly bare pebble in the back, a piece of the assumed Riccardia sp. is sitting under the net. This one is still green, fingers crossed it grows and maybe a bit faster than in the cup, that would be nice! @shangman if you could bless this moss as well that would be superb, it seems to do wonders for the growth 😁
On the tank in general, still getting a fair bit of algae, staghorn, green spot, BBA, you name it ive got it. Digging up the root tabs soon and will vacuum the substrate a bit, there is a noticeable buildup of brown dust that comes out when the sand is stirred. Will clean the filters as well, just try to keep everything real clean.
Wookii
Member
Oh I like the look of that Crypt! . . . and that Oto is gorgeous.
You are fortunate. It looks like your LFS has some very rare treats!
Maf 2500
Member
Indeed 😊
PremierFantasy88
Member
😂😂😂 I like this
"Algae and sickly plants" - a Hufsa (TM) evening special
Ugly staghorn/BBA on my lovely little umbrellas I think the main cause is just that my tank has gotten too dirty, it really needs a good cleaning but I didnt have time today.
I thought this was a neat process to show in picture. For just being otos, neocaridina and tiny snails I think they do a pretty good job.
A lil while back I saw that I was about to kill off yet another batch of Ludwigia Super Red, so I increased my lights by 5% on each bar and placed the immensely stunted stems front and center in the flow from the spraybar. Two stems have slowly unstunted, nice. I think this plant needs a certain amount of light, an amount which I am usually hovering right around the lower limit of. This is the main backside to using low light to limit algae, some plants will not do so great and some will straight up refuse to grow, like really light loving plants. All plants have individual requirements, and some will have narrower ranges than others. I got Christel Kasselman's wonderful book on plants for christmas, and a few pieces of the big puzzle have clicked into place in my brain because of it
My Blyxa is continuing to increase in size, which is good but not so good for the Cryptocoryne striolata 'Tiger'. Next water change I will relocate the Blyxa to prevent them overcrowding it. The Tiger has wonderfully patterned leaves, but grows so slowly. sigh This leaves it very susceptible to algae. I pinched off two of the worst BBA infested leaves after taking this photo. I think im going to have to really avoid creeping amounts of algae and any outbreaks if I want to get any decent mass on this plant. Im holding out a bit of hope that it will grow faster with better CO2 supply.
Similar but not exactly the same, the new Cryptocoryne striolata 'mini'. My phone decided that some of my pictures were gonna be yellow tinted today, and I could not persuade it otherwise, sorry about that. Will be interesting to see if the differences in leaf pattern even out significantly once I get leaves that are all grown in my tank. This one has a surprising amount of leaves actually, despite the pretty dismal conditions it was living in. Maybe its slightly easier to grow? Heh, one can hope. If Santa is listening I would also like a unicorn while hes up.
Ive done some reading on Cryptocoryne striolata, and they all say it is a slow and difficult grower, that prefers slighly acidic water. Plus, striolata does not seem to produce runners. Such a shame really. In order for a plant to be sustainable in the hobby it really needs to be able to be propagated.
From another angle. The Buce Dark Achilles in the background will be an interesting one, since so many report that it does not like to grow underwater. I took a closer look at the leaves and they all* appear to be emersed grown leaves, on Buce you can sometimes tell because the undersides will be beige/brown looking and sometimes a bit dirty. *The only leaf that looked to be submersed is the greener slightly curly one left of center. The plant also had like 4-5 leaf shoots it had started on but abandoned, peculiar and interesting
I wonder what caused it to abandon those. I pinched off all but one of the abandoned projects to make the plant a bit easier to monitor.
Cryptocoryne 'Silver Queen' is so pale, I really feel bad for this poor plant. All of these rare crypts and buces are from an import from Borneo one of my LFS did over a year ago. Usually we only have the Tropica selection of plants available locally, and whatever plants the odd enthusiast keeps. Back then I was not so confident in my plant growing skills, so I didnt pull the trigger on any crypts or bucephalandra. I think I have mentioned it before but I really admire the tenacity of these plants. The Dark Achilles for example, those emersed leaves were probably grown on Borneo somewhere.. and its just been sitting underwater for months and months, in really suboptimal conditions for plants, just waiting.. waiting for the time to start growing again. Im really looking forward to seeing the first leaf on the Silver Queen, if that is what it is. The tanks were labeled, so theres only so many candidates it could be. When I hold this plant up under the light it has a silvery pink sheen almost like a buce. I will try to capture it on camera some other time if the effect persists. I see it listed some places online as Cryptocoryne regina 'Silver Queen', but I cant find much info on C. regina.
Cryptocoryne sp. 'Queen Vandom', one picture in yellow tint and one in slightly washed out normal light. This truly is the height of documentation.
This variety is, from the few pictures I have found online, supposed to have light green leaves, with green stripes and a pattern of pink glitter-looking dusting. A bit like Silver Queen but also not, hm. Also very excited for new leaves on this. (Edit: Almost forgot, this one was one of several runners in the LFS tank, so I think I will be able to propagate it! )
I tried to capture the muted grayish green tones of the Buce Pearl Gray, but I only got gray. Better luck next time I guess 😅
I have figured out why I like this little mystery moss so much, the fronds grow out curly like the young shoot of a fern.
Motherskrip
Queen Moss is slowly sprouting new tips. I put waayy too much moss under this net, I should have done half the amount but I did done ran out of coconut shell that day. Denser is not always better, because the moss will choke itself under there if it is moss on moss. I should replant it soonventually now that I have bought more coconut, unless laziness takes me.
Its difficult to tell in the picture but the large masses of Fissidens rhizome is sprouting new fronds.
Lastly, crowded C. 'Tiger' 😅 I will help it no later than this weekend. Promise!
Ugly staghorn/BBA on my lovely little umbrellas
I think the main cause is just that my tank has gotten too dirty, it really needs a good cleaning but I didnt have time today.
I thought this was a neat process to show in picture. For just being otos, neocaridina and tiny snails I think they do a pretty good job.
A lil while back I saw that I was about to kill off yet another batch of Ludwigia Super Red, so I increased my lights by 5% on each bar and placed the immensely stunted stems front and center in the flow from the spraybar. Two stems have slowly unstunted, nice. I think this plant needs a certain amount of light, an amount which I am usually hovering right around the lower limit of. This is the main backside to using low light to limit algae, some plants will not do so great and some will straight up refuse to grow, like really light loving plants. All plants have individual requirements, and some will have narrower ranges than others. I got Christel Kasselman's wonderful book on plants for christmas, and a few pieces of the big puzzle have clicked into place in my brain because of it
My Blyxa is continuing to increase in size, which is good but not so good for the Cryptocoryne striolata 'Tiger'. Next water change I will relocate the Blyxa to prevent them overcrowding it. The Tiger has wonderfully patterned leaves, but grows so slowly. sigh This leaves it very susceptible to algae. I pinched off two of the worst BBA infested leaves after taking this photo. I think im going to have to really avoid creeping amounts of algae and any outbreaks if I want to get any decent mass on this plant. Im holding out a bit of hope that it will grow faster with better CO2 supply.
Similar but not exactly the same, the new Cryptocoryne striolata 'mini'. My phone decided that some of my pictures were gonna be yellow tinted today, and I could not persuade it otherwise, sorry about that. Will be interesting to see if the differences in leaf pattern even out significantly once I get leaves that are all grown in my tank. This one has a surprising amount of leaves actually, despite the pretty dismal conditions it was living in. Maybe its slightly easier to grow? Heh, one can hope. If Santa is listening I would also like a unicorn while hes up.
Ive done some reading on Cryptocoryne striolata, and they all say it is a slow and difficult grower, that prefers slighly acidic water. Plus, striolata does not seem to produce runners. Such a shame really. In order for a plant to be sustainable in the hobby it really needs to be able to be propagated.
From another angle. The Buce Dark Achilles in the background will be an interesting one, since so many report that it does not like to grow underwater. I took a closer look at the leaves and they all* appear to be emersed grown leaves, on Buce you can sometimes tell because the undersides will be beige/brown looking and sometimes a bit dirty. *The only leaf that looked to be submersed is the greener slightly curly one left of center. The plant also had like 4-5 leaf shoots it had started on but abandoned, peculiar and interesting
I wonder what caused it to abandon those. I pinched off all but one of the abandoned projects to make the plant a bit easier to monitor.Cryptocoryne 'Silver Queen' is so pale, I really feel bad for this poor plant. All of these rare crypts and buces are from an import from Borneo one of my LFS did over a year ago. Usually we only have the Tropica selection of plants available locally, and whatever plants the odd enthusiast keeps. Back then I was not so confident in my plant growing skills, so I didnt pull the trigger on any crypts or bucephalandra. I think I have mentioned it before but I really admire the tenacity of these plants. The Dark Achilles for example, those emersed leaves were probably grown on Borneo somewhere.. and its just been sitting underwater for months and months, in really suboptimal conditions for plants, just waiting.. waiting for the time to start growing again. Im really looking forward to seeing the first leaf on the Silver Queen, if that is what it is. The tanks were labeled, so theres only so many candidates it could be. When I hold this plant up under the light it has a silvery pink sheen almost like a buce. I will try to capture it on camera some other time if the effect persists. I see it listed some places online as Cryptocoryne regina 'Silver Queen', but I cant find much info on C. regina.
Cryptocoryne sp. 'Queen Vandom', one picture in yellow tint and one in slightly washed out normal light. This truly is the height of documentation.
This variety is, from the few pictures I have found online, supposed to have light green leaves, with green stripes and a pattern of pink glitter-looking dusting. A bit like Silver Queen but also not, hm. Also very excited for new leaves on this. (Edit: Almost forgot, this one was one of several runners in the LFS tank, so I think I will be able to propagate it!
)I tried to capture the muted grayish green tones of the Buce Pearl Gray, but I only got gray. Better luck next time I guess 😅
I have figured out why I like this little mystery moss so much, the fronds grow out curly like the young shoot of a fern.
Motherskrip
Queen Moss is slowly sprouting new tips. I put waayy too much moss under this net, I should have done half the amount but I did done ran out of coconut shell that day. Denser is not always better, because the moss will choke itself under there if it is moss on moss. I should replant it soonventually now that I have bought more coconut, unless laziness takes me.
Its difficult to tell in the picture but the large masses of Fissidens rhizome is sprouting new fronds.
Lastly, crowded C. 'Tiger' 😅 I will help it no later than this weekend. Promise!
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With unusual beautiful plants like those at your shop, nobody can fault you for not being able to resist!!! I don't have any space left and I'd still buy all of them too 😂 Cram em in.
I'm honoured!! 😍😂
~~~I bless these mosses, may they grow strong, healthy and green with no algae amongst them at all~~~
I'm honoured!! 😍😂
~~~I bless these mosses, may they grow strong, healthy and green with no algae amongst them at all~~~
