Christmas Moss

Vesicularia vesicularis

A moss whose side branches grow in even rows, so each shoot looks like a small fir branch. Slower and more demanding than java moss, and much neater.

Light: medium
Difficulty: medium
Height: 3 – 5 cm (1.2 – 2 in)
Temperature: 15 – 30 °C (59 – 86 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: epiphyte
Growth rate: slow
CO₂ demand: low
Tolerates light: low – high
pH: 5 – 8
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 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

Shoots 1–5 cm long with regular side branches, mid green, forming a fairly tight cushion. The branching pattern is what distinguishes it from the ordinary java moss it is often sold as.

Keeping

Moderate demands: medium light, carbon dioxide optional but helpful, and clean water. Growth is slow, which is an advantage on a shaped hardscape — but it also means algae can get ahead of it in a dirty tank. Trim it to keep the outline, or it grows into a shapeless mass.

Placement

Tied to wood and stone. It is also used as a spawning moss, and its dense structure shelters fry and shrimp. Suits a nano tank.

Propagation

By division: cut a piece off and tie it down elsewhere.

Water conditions match

The water suits 1033 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 Geophagus Brokopondo

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 Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

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: Vesicularia cf. montagnei "Krabi", Vesicularia montagnei "Christmas Moss", Vesicularia montagnei ’Christmas Moss’, Vesicularia cf montagnei Krabi, Vesicularia cf montagnei Krabi in Vitro

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Vesicularia dubyana var. abbreviata Fleisch., ? crassicaulis, Acosta conostega, Acosta meyeniana, Acosta rutilans, Ectropothecium amphibolium, Ectropothecium amphibolum, Ectropothecium arcuatipes, Ectropothecium caloosiense, Ectropothecium conostegum, Ectropothecium crassicaule, Ectropothecium eurycladium, Ectropothecium eurydictyon, Ectropothecium flavoviride, Ectropothecium leucocladium, Ectropothecium malachiticum, Ectropothecium meyenianum, Ectropothecium montagnei, Ectropothecium poeppigianum, Ectropothecium pseudorutilans, Ectropothecium rutilans, Ectropothecium subdenticulatum, Ectropothecium subdenticulatum latifolium, Ectropothecium surinamense, Ectropothecium thermale, Ectropothecium vesiculare, Ectropothecium vesiculare poeppigianum, Homalia rutilans, Homalia rutilans portoricensis, Hookeria meyeniana, Hookeria poeppigiana, Hookeria praelonga, Hypnum amphibolum, Hypnum caloosiense, Hypnum conostegum, Hypnum meyenianum, Hypnum montagnei, Hypnum poeppigianum, Hypnum rutilans, Hypnum subdenticulatum, Hypnum surinamense, Hypnum vesiculare, Leskea rutilans, Leskea rutilans portoricensis, Pterygophyllum montagnei, Rhynchostegium caloosiense, Vesicularia amphibola, Vesicularia arcuatipes, Vesicularia caloosiensis, Vesicularia conostega, Vesicularia crassicaulis, Vesicularia eurycladia, Vesicularia eurydictyon, Vesicularia flavoviridis, Vesicularia leucocladium, Vesicularia malachitica, Vesicularia meyeniana, Vesicularia montagnei, Vesicularia poeppigiana, Vesicularia pseudorutilans, Vesicularia rutilans, Vesicularia sigmatellopsis, Vesicularia subdenticulata, Vesicularia surinamensis, Vesicularia tamakii, Vesicularia thermalis, Vesicularia vesicularis amphibola, Vesicularia vesicularis crassicaulis, Vesicularia vesicularis poeppigiana, Vesicularia vesicularis portoricensis, Vesicularia vesicularis rutilans
Family: Hypnaceae

Christmas Moss

Tank conditions

Care and keeping