Stringy Moss

Leptodictyum riparium

An upright, loosely branched moss of a bright, almost transparent green. It grows fast, takes any temperature and is one of the simplest mosses to start with.

Light: low
Difficulty: very easy
Height: 3 – 10 cm (1.2 – 3.9 in)
Temperature: 4 – 26 °C (39 – 79 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: epiphyte
Growth rate: medium
CO₂ demand: low
Tolerates light: low – high
pH: 5 – 8
Carbonate hardness: 2 – 21 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: on stone and wood +2 on stone and wood, spawning plant, nano tank
Propagation: division, daughter plants
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

Slender shoots 3–10 cm tall with widely spaced leaves, so the clump looks airy rather than dense. The colour is a vivid light green.

Keeping

Very easy: dim light is enough, carbon dioxide is not needed, and it puts up with both cold and warm water. Growth is quick, so regular trimming is the price — untrimmed it turns into a tangle and traps debris.

Placement

Tied to stones and roots anywhere in the tank; popular in nano aquariums and used as cover for fry and shrimp.

Propagation

By division: pull a clump apart and tie the pieces down.

Water conditions match

The water suits 969 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Swordtail Guppies Cobra Guppy Blood Red Molly Butterflyfish Red Zebra Cichlid Julii Corydoras Featherfin Synodontis Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Kenyi Cichlid Cuckoo Catfish Golden Swordtail Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Zebra Mbuna

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 Spined Loach Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Molly sphenops Balloon Molly Lyretail Molly Marble Molly Hi-Fin Platy Hawaii Platy Blue Platy Pintail Platy Black Platy Chocolate Molly

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: Amblystegium riparium, Leptodictyum riparium "Stringy Moss", Leptodictyum riparium in Vitro, Leptodictyum riparium 1 2 GROW

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Hypnum riparium Hedw., Amblystegium riparium (Hedw.) Schimp., Amblystegium afrofluitans, Amblystegium ambiguum, Amblystegium brachypelmatum, Amblystegium brachyphyllum, Amblystegium brevinerve, Amblystegium brevipes, Amblystegium decipiens, Amblystegium finmarchicum, Amblystegium finnmarchicum, Amblystegium floridanum, Amblystegium gallicum, Amblystegium hausmannii, Amblystegium laxirete, Amblystegium leptophyllum, Amblystegium leptophyllum cylindricum, Amblystegium leptophyllum hausmannii, Amblystegium leptophyllum longifolium, Amblystegium madeirense, Amblystegium maderense, Amblystegium mexicanum, Amblystegium muelleri, Amblystegium octodiceroides, Amblystegium paludosum, Amblystegium riparioides, Amblystegium riparium, Amblystegium riparium bifidinervium, Amblystegium riparium elongatum, Amblystegium riparium fluitans, Amblystegium riparium fontinaloides, Amblystegium riparium longifolium, Amblystegium riparium riparium, Amblystegium riparium subsecundum, Amblystegium riparium tenue, Amblystegium riparium floridanum, Amblystegium riparium hausmannii, Amblystegium riparium abbreviatum, Amblystegium riparium brachythecioides, Amblystegium riparium debilinerve, Amblystegium riparium distichum, Amblystegium riparium felisii, Amblystegium riparium flaccidum, Amblystegium riparium genuense, Amblystegium riparium gracile, Amblystegium riparium homomallum, Amblystegium riparium inundatum, Amblystegium riparium leptophyllum, Amblystegium riparium longinerve, Amblystegium riparium obtusum, Amblystegium riparium pratense, Amblystegium riparium radicans, Amblystegium riparium reptans, Amblystegium riparium rigidum, Amblystegium riparium schulzii, Amblystegium riparium splendens, Amblystegium riparium stagnorum, Amblystegium riparium subdenticulatum, Amblystegium riparium submersum, Amblystegium riparium vacillans, Amblystegium sapjehinii, Amblystegium sipho, Amblystegium tenuifolium, Amblystegium tenuisetum, Amblystegium vacillans, Amblystegium varium leptophyllum, Amblystegium varium paludosum, Amblystegium yezoanum, Brachythecium pennellii, Campylium decipiens, Campylium polygamum longinerve, Campylium riparium, Campylium riparium vacillans, Chrysohypnum riparium, Chrysohypnum riparium longifolium, Cirriphyllum semiteretifolium, Dichelyma brevinerve, Dicranum weberi, Drepanocladus afrofluitans, Drepanocladus brevinervis, Drepanocladus sparsus, Fissidens weberi, Hygroamblystegium tenuinerve, Hypnum afrofluitans, Hypnum ambiguum, Hypnum brevinerve
Leptodictyum riparium: (Hedw.) Warnst.
Family: Amblystegiaceae

Stringy Moss

Tank conditions

Care and keeping