Phoenix Moss

Fissidens fontanus

A dense deep green moss whose shoots look like little feathers. It grows downward as readily as sideways, so a stone covered in it looks like it is dripping green.

Light: medium
Difficulty: difficult
Height: 3 – 5 cm (1.2 – 2 in)
Temperature: 4 – 26 °C (39 – 79 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: epiphyte
Growth rate: medium
CO₂ demand: medium
Tolerates light: low – high
pH: 5 – 7
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 14 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: on stone and wood +3 on stone and wood, midground, nano tank, foreground
Propagation: division, daughter plants
Grows emersed: unknown

Appearance

Short flat shoots 3–5 cm long with leaves set in two rows, giving each shoot the look of a feather. The cushion it makes is much tighter than that of the common java moss.

Keeping

Difficult by moss standards, and the reason is light: it needs far more of it than other mosses, and in the shade it thins out and browns. Carbon dioxide makes growth noticeably denser. Growth is slow, so a covered stone takes months — but it also means little trimming.

Placement

Tied or glued to wood and stone, horizontally or vertically — it grows in both directions. Its fine texture suits a nano tank.

Propagation

By division: separate a piece of the cushion and tie it down elsewhere.

Water conditions match

The water suits 816 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Butterflyfish Julii Corydoras Featherfin Synodontis Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Homaloptera bilineata Red-tailed Rasbora Boraras naevus Lampeye Killifish Spotted Raphael Catfish Corydoras melanotaenia Festivum cichlid Pseudomugil paskai

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.

Other varieties: Octodiceras fontanum, Fissidens fontanus Phoenix Moss, Fissidens fontanus Phoenix Moss Pad 5 x 5 cm, Fissidens fontanus Grande, Fissidens fontanus Grande Pad 5 x 5 cm, Fissidens fontanus Phoenix Moss Cup

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Fissidens debilis Schwagr., Fissidens julianus (Savi ex DC.) Schimp., Fissidens mexicanus (Mull. Hal.) Mitt., Fissidens tuerckheimii (Mull. Hal.) Broth., Fontinalis juliana Savi ex DC., Octodiceras dillenii (Bach. Pyl.) Brid., Octodiceras fontanum (Bach. Pyl.) Lindb., Octodiceras julianum (Savi ex DC.) Brid., Skitophyllum fontanum Bach. Pyl., Conomitrium julianum, Conomitrium julianum mexicanum, Conomitrium mexicanum, Conomitrium tuerckheimii, Fissidens julianus, Fissidens julianus americanus, Fissidens julianus mexicanus, Fissidens mexicanus, Fissidens tuerckheimii, Fontinalis juliana, Octodiceras fontanum, Octodiceras julianum, Octodiceras julianum ohioense, Octodiceras mexicanum, Octodiceras tuerckheimii, Schistophyllum julianum, Skitophyllum fontanum
Fissidens fontanus: (Bach. Pyl.) Steudel
Family: Fissidentaceae

Phoenix Moss

Tank conditions

Care and keeping