Java moss and Java fern

[DigitalBoy]

I am planning on keeping an aquarium just for mother with her fry (6 gallon Eclipse system). It does not have a good lighting, but I was thinking of just having java moss and java fern in it. What kind of lighting would be sufficient for them but not enough to have any algae problem?

 

[cmoreash]

java moss doesn't seem to need much lighting at all to grow. Same for the fern, but it grows really slow under un-ideal parameters. I would go with just the moss, because small fish like to hide in it. My new small apisto hides in my moss when the big guy is grumpy. :lol:

 

[DigitalBoy]

light requirements

Well. I bought the system - it is a 6 gallon, with not much lighting.. I put some Java fern and java moss in it. I wonder if I should keep the light on for 8 hours or not.. i am afraid of algae problem in such a small tank.

 

[cmoreash]

8 hours sound good to me.

 

[jowens]

Digital Boy,

If you're interested, I know there are a lot of Nano Reef people out there who have figured out how to rig up good lighting systems to their eclipse tanks. Nano's require even more lighting then your typical planted freshwater tank, so if you look around this site, you might find an idea or two on how to retrofit some solid lighting to your eclipse:

http://www.nano-reef.com/

For Java Fern, I'd just use a rubber band to attach it to a rock or some wood. It won't grow fast under low light, but it will make your tank more interesting to look at than just java moss and it will survive.

 

[DigitalBoy]

Thanks

I was thinking about it, but the thing is, I do not want any serious plant growth in it - it is too small of a tank, so the balance will be hardly permanent.
My concern is - what is the bare minimum of light java moss and java fern must get? There is only 8 watt lighting supplied, it stands on my table, right under the window, but facing the inside of the room. It gets some indirect sunlight.

For how long should I live my tank lights on in order to keep moss and fern alive and also not to get an algae problem (take into consideration natural window light), I live in Canada, it is a North side window, so there's not too much of it.

 

[jowens]

I think the java moss will probably live no matter what you do. As for the fern, even if it ends up dying, it will probably live for a quite a long time before dying. I would leave the lights on for 10-12 hours a day and see what happens.

Even with only 8 watts, you're still getting over 1.0 watt/gallon, which should be enough to grow the java plants.