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Ferns and Mosses
Plant Care for Non-Flowering Aquarium Plants

Java Fern Microsorium pteroptus Photo: Exotic Tropicals

   Ferns and mosses are fun and interesting plants to decorate aquariums with!

   Ferns, Moss, and Liverworts are non-flowering plants. They are not capable of forming seeds but propagate by microscopic spores. The water loving Mosses and Liverworts (Bryophyta) are lowly spore bearing plants found all around the world. But only the common Liverwort, Riccia, and a few of the mosses are widely used in aquariums.

   Ferns (Pteridophyta) are also water loving, spore bearing plants, but these differ from Liverworts and Mosses in that they are propagated partly vegetatively and partly by spores. Ferns often produce roots from rhizomes, which attach to rocks or wood ornaments in the aquarium. For the aquarist, the easiest methods of propagation are vegetatively, either by dividing the rhizomes and stems or by separating new plantlets developed directly on the leaves of the parent plants.

Click on the small images below to learn more about each type of plant.

   Some aquarium plants deserve mention because they tend to be hardy handsome plants. In general these are easy aquarium plants to keep with normal plant care, tolerating a wide variety of water conditions and will fit in either small or large aquariums, They need moderate light for plant growth and propagate freely without aid. Here are a few of the ferns, moss and liverworts that tend to fit this description:

• Ferns: Water Sprites have a plant structure in either wide or narrow leaf forms. They are a beautiful light green with deeply cut fronds that can reach up to a foot long. They have good plant growth, are very fast growing and readily propagate. They grow well rooted or as a floating plant. Excellent for providing hiding places for baby fish, so are a favorite of fancy guppy breeders. A good example is the Oriental Water Fern, or Water Sprite, Ceratopteris thalictroides.
  
  
• Mosses: Of the moss types, the Willow Moss, Fontinalis, is a tough moss found in fast moving streams. It doesn't grow well in the aquarium, even with good plant care, and will slowly deteriorate, it is good cover for baby livebearer fishes and will receive spawns of some types of Panchax fish and other fishes. So it is used by breeders as a temporary plant.
  
  
• Liverworts: Crystalwort, or Floating Liverwort, Riccia fluitans, has bright green tufts and float just beneath the surface. They are great for hiding babies of livebearing fishes, but can interfer with the light needed for rooted plants below if allowed to cover the aquarium, and it doesn't do well in soft water.
  

   See a listing of the Types of Ferns, Mosses, and Liverworts below:

For information on planted aquariums see:
About Planted Aquariums, Adding Aquatic Plants For a Healthy Aquarium

Crystalwort	Java Fern
Riccia fluitans	Microsorium pteroptus
Malayan Aqua Fern	Water Sprite
Selanginella wildenowii	Ceratopteris thalictroides

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~ Types of Ferns and Mosses ~

Azolla - Floating Fern
Bolbitis heudelotii - African Water Fern
Ceratopteris - Water Sprite
Ceratopteris thalictroides - Oriental Water Fern
Microsorium pteropus - Java Fern
Riccia fluitans - Crystalwort, Floating Liverwort
Salvinia - Floating Fern
Vesicularia dubyana - Java Moss

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