Java Moss...Again

[sirfugu]

Ok so I have a 75 gal tank I just built and am using Java Moss for the gorund cover. My question: should I spread the moss very thin or can I just grab it in clumps out of the fish tank it came from and lay it down over the bed a beast? I've read you should spread it thin but it doesn't look nice and may take a while to take off. Are there any good methods of doing this? The tank is lit by 4 23 watt CFs. Humidity is high. Thanks in advance.

[Dane]

The brighter the light the faster it will grow. As long as you have a good light source and keep the moss very damp at all times, spreading it thinly will lead to the best results. For the most part the java I've used has grown very slowly due to insufficient lighting. The only time I had it take off was when I was experimenting with a vert 10 that had a 65 watt CF floodlight over it.

[sirfugu]

Ok so I spread it out more so hopefully it will take off faster. Like I said I have a 75 will 4 23w CFs, so how soon can I expect it to start growing? Dane how long did it take for yours to take off in your vert? One more, when it does start to grow is it in a grass like fashion, I'm having a hard picturing this for some reason?

[Dane]

It only took about 2 weeks to start spreading rapidly, and I think you should have enough light with 4 cfs. It grows mostly by new shoots coming off of older growth, but eventually you'll see little stalks containing spores growing vertically, and the young sporphytes that these produce help fill in any gaps left by the branching growth.

has anybody else found that java moss growing beside the edge of a water section will never star to grow down into the water but if you put it under water attatched to a stone it will grow fine?