Flame moss

Water parameters

Light and nutrients

Substrate type: epiphyte. Propagation: fragmentation.

Substrate compatibility

With fish

Origin and habitat

An Asian aquatic moss sold as Taxiphyllum sp. 'Flame', a member of the genus Taxiphyllum in the family Hypnaceae, the same genus as Java moss (T. barbieri); its exact species is uncertain, so it carries only a trade name. Its defining trait is the way it grows: the shoots rise vertically in a loose, twisting spiral that looks like a green tongue of flame, quite unlike the every-direction tangle of Java moss or the layered triangles of Christmas moss. Fronds stand a few centimetres to about 15 cm tall in dense clusters. The form was brought into aquascaping by Southeast Asian moss collectors in the 2000s and has been a favourite for vertical accents ever since.

Care notes

Attach it to driftwood, stone or mesh with a dab of glue or thread, and its rhizoids grip over a few weeks. The flame effect shows best on a vertical surface, the side of a piece of wood or an upright rock, where the shoots can climb freely; on flat ground it still grows up but reads less dramatically. Low to moderate light gives the tightest, most defined flames, while strong light tends to stretch the growth out. CO2 is optional but thickens it. Growth is moderate, slower than Java moss but faster than Fissidens. Trim across the top with scissors to hold an even height, and replant the clippings to start new patches. It is unfussy about water chemistry and happy around 20–28°C. The upright fronds make good biofilm grazing for shrimp and cover for fry. It costs more than Java moss because it grows slower at the nursery, and is stocked mainly by specialist shops. It is an ornamental aquatic moss, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.

Further reading

• Keeping shrimp with fish: what actually works