Leaf colourgreen
epiphyte on stone and wood nano tank
A creeping moss known in the aquarium hobby as 'Taiwan Moss', though whether it actually grows in the wild on Taiwan is unclear; it has been identified as Taxiphyllum alternans. Very similar to Java Moss, but branches more densely and regularly.
- Light
- low
- Difficulty
- very easy
- Height
- 3 – 10 cm
- Temperature
- 12 – 30 °C
Parameters
Plant typeepiphyte
Growth rateslow
CO₂ demandlow
Tolerates lightlow – high
pH5 – 8
Carbonate hardness0 – 14 °dKH
General hardness0 – 30 °dGH
Placementon stone and wood, nano tank
Propagationdivision, daughter plants
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
Shoots branch fan-wise, triangular in outline — like Christmas Moss, but this one looks finer. It differs from Java Moss by branching more densely and regularly under good light; under a microscope, the Taiwan moss has marginal leaf teeth only near the tip, while the Java moss has them along the whole margin. It differs from the mosses 'Spiky' and 'Peacock' (Taxiphyllum sp.) by shoots that feel thinner and softer — theirs are sturdier and wider. It differs from Christmas Moss by narrower leaves that do not stand out from the stem at nearly a right angle, and by feeling noticeably softer; Christmas Moss has wider, partly rounded leaves that narrow sharply into a pointed tip.
Keeping
Very easy: growth slow, light from dim to strong, CO₂ 10–40 mg/l, temperature 12–34 °C. Propagated by division.
Placement
Tied to hardscape, nano aquarium.
Trade names
In the wild it grows in temperate zones and adjoining areas at the edge of the tropics — in the southeastern United States and East Asia, on soil, exposed roots, rotting wood in swamps, and on rocks by streams and waterfalls. In the aquarium hobby it is known as 'Taiwan Moss'.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1034 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Swordtail GuppiesCobra GuppyBlood Red MollyButterflyfishRed Zebra CichlidJulii CorydorasFeatherfin SynodontisRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraKenyi CichlidCuckoo CatfishGolden SwordtailHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus Brokopondo
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Bengal LoachZebra LoachBurmese Border LoachEmperor BotiaSpined LoachMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva