Product description
About the species
Phoenix moss is a North American moss with feathery shoots that grow out in every direction into a dense ball. It is deep green and very finely feathered, grows slowly and stops at three to five centimetres. Unlike most mosses it wants a good amount of light to become really dense.
Facts
• Latin name: Fissidens fontanus
• Plant type: Moss
• Origin: North America
• Height: 3–5 cm
• Growth rate: Slow
• Position: Wood and stone
Light requirement
Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.
CO₂ & nutrition
Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.
Planting
Moss should never be planted in the substrate. Spread it in a thin layer over a piece of wood or a stone and secure it with thread, mesh or a few drops of plant glue. A thin layer knits together far more attractively than a thick clump, which easily rots from beneath.
Rinse the portion gently in aquarium water and divide it between several spots — it then covers a considerably larger area than if everything is tied down in one place.
Care & propagation
Trim the moss with scissors a few times a year and it holds its shape and grows denser instead of getting long and straggly. Pieces that come loose can be tied onto the next stone — that is all there is to propagating it. Siphon out debris that collects in the moss when you change water.
Position in the aquarium
It grows on hardscape rather than in the substrate, so it can be placed anywhere in the aquarium — on a piece of wood, a stone or a back wall. That makes it as useful in the foreground as high up in the layout.
Difficulty level
🔴 Advanced — requires strong lighting, added CO₂ and careful fertilisation.
Delivery format
Delivered as a portion of roughly one decilitre from our own cultivation. Because it is grown in our own aquariums it is used to the same conditions it is going to, and it has never been in contact with pesticides.
Recommendation
The handsomest moss we sell, and the only one that looks as good tied vertically onto a stone as lying flat on a piece of wood. Reckon on patience — it needs more light than Java moss and grows considerably more slowly.
