Hi I would like to know what is the best moss to use on wood and wich grow faster without co2. I only have two options : spiky moss or java moss. Are they so expensive where you live? I was shock when I saw that my LFS sold moss for 12$ just for a very small portion but maybe it is even more expensive in other places.
I have only ever had Java Moss, and it was free in the sense that it arrived attached to either wood or in the bag with new fish. I have it in every tank now, attached to various chunks of wood. It does not need CO2. The following profile is mine from another site, and a photo of this moss in my 10g tank when it housed a spawning group of 20-30 pygmy cories and Farlowella fry growing out is below.
Taxiphyllum barbieri
Family: Hypnaceae
Common Name: Java Moss
Origin and Habitat: Southeast Asia. Found growing in dry and moist places on the ground, on tree trunks and rocks, often on the banks of rivers that periodically flood.
Ideal position in aquarium
This moss can be allowed to float, weighed down to a gravel substrate where it will eventually attach itself, or affixed to wood or rock or wrapped around wood or rock to which it will become attached.
Lighting requirements Low to moderate for best growth. To some extent the shade of green (light to dark) depends on lighting intensity.
Growth rate Slow to moderate
Water parameters
Soft to medium hard (< 20 dGH), acidic to slightly basic (pH 5.8-7.5) water, temperature 18-29C/65-85F. It will not do well in very hard water. In warmer water, growth will be slow.
Discussion
This is a highly irregular moss that in its growth pattern can take the form of tree branches, long loose strands, and straight branches. Some surmise that the moss varieties known as Christmas Moss, Willow Moss, etc. may actually be variants of, or even the same as, the subject species.
Propagation is by breaking off chunks and positioning them wherever you want the plant to grow. It attaches itself to object with root-like structures known as rhizoids; these do not assimilate nutrients, which occurs through the tiny leaves. Regular liquid fertilization will improve its growth.
When allowed to float this plant will provide hiding places for fry and small fish. It will collect zooplankton and infusoria and be a good source of first foods for fry, invertebrates and also other fish. It is also suitable as spawning medium for egg scatterers.
In much of the literature Java Moss is described as Vesicularia dubyana, but this scientific name actually belongs to another very similar plant known as Singapore Moss. It is the subject species, T. barbieri or Java Moss, that appears to be the most widely available in the hobby. However, common names are not official and may in fact be applicable to any of several different species depending upon who uses the name.
Taxiphyllum barbieri
Family: Hypnaceae
Common Name: Java Moss
Origin and Habitat: Southeast Asia. Found growing in dry and moist places on the ground, on tree trunks and rocks, often on the banks of rivers that periodically flood.
Ideal position in aquarium
This moss can be allowed to float, weighed down to a gravel substrate where it will eventually attach itself, or affixed to wood or rock or wrapped around wood or rock to which it will become attached.
Lighting requirements Low to moderate for best growth. To some extent the shade of green (light to dark) depends on lighting intensity.
Growth rate Slow to moderate
Water parameters
Soft to medium hard (< 20 dGH), acidic to slightly basic (pH 5.8-7.5) water, temperature 18-29C/65-85F. It will not do well in very hard water. In warmer water, growth will be slow.
Discussion
This is a highly irregular moss that in its growth pattern can take the form of tree branches, long loose strands, and straight branches. Some surmise that the moss varieties known as Christmas Moss, Willow Moss, etc. may actually be variants of, or even the same as, the subject species.
Propagation is by breaking off chunks and positioning them wherever you want the plant to grow. It attaches itself to object with root-like structures known as rhizoids; these do not assimilate nutrients, which occurs through the tiny leaves. Regular liquid fertilization will improve its growth.
When allowed to float this plant will provide hiding places for fry and small fish. It will collect zooplankton and infusoria and be a good source of first foods for fry, invertebrates and also other fish. It is also suitable as spawning medium for egg scatterers.
In much of the literature Java Moss is described as Vesicularia dubyana, but this scientific name actually belongs to another very similar plant known as Singapore Moss. It is the subject species, T. barbieri or Java Moss, that appears to be the most widely available in the hobby. However, common names are not official and may in fact be applicable to any of several different species depending upon who uses the name.
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Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
I ordered some from my LFS at 4.99 a cup late last year, At Petco about the same amount was 8.99 when I looked at it 2 weeks ago. Nice looking tank Byron 
Thank you for all of this information.Also the tank looks very good!
Get Java Moss. Even if it is expensive. Java Moss grows really fast, even in low light and no Co2. I suggest having a pretty bright light though. It also grows better in warm water.
Nice tank @Byron!
That tank really was throw-together. I put the two chunks of wood in, and a couple of chain sword plants, to use the tank as QT fgor the grooup of pygmy cories. After several weeks, I changed my mind about which other tank I would put the cories, so I left them. A coule months later, eggs and fry started appearing, so the cories stayed in the tank for several years. I also used it to grow out the Farlowella fry. The way the moss expanded on the wood was amazing, more than once I have pulled most of it out and it grew back.
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
How did you get the Java Moss to look so full and green?
It just grows that way. I have it on chunks of wood in other tanks, and if left alone it slowly grows getting bushier and bushier. I have found it does well under low to moderate light (I have floating plants in all my tanks for shade) and I use Flourish Comprehensive Supplement once a week. I suspect it will adapt to different conditions, as noted in my profile cited earlier.
Why do you find it grows best in low to moderate light? Usually plants grow better in high lighting.
No, plants are designed by evolution to require a certain level of light for the species. There are bright light species, and low light species...same holds for garden plants. Some will grow only in direct sunlight, others (like mosses and ferns) are shade plants that tend to grow better (or only) in indirect light.
Mosses and ferns generally prefer less light. There are some exceptions.
So do you think I should get some floating plants for my 29g? (The tank that my java moss is in)
Well, I always have floating plants, for me they are essential primarily because they shade the light and forest fish do prefer this. And there is the benefit of rapid assimilation of nutrients (ammonia) from the water.
Specifically to your moss, it wil adapt to the light so far as I am aware. It doesn't like changing conditions though, but most plants are the same. For me, moss has always been slow to get going, but then it really expands provided I leave it alone (light, nutrients, water).
Java Moss by a country mile. Its grown fine as long as you don't let hair algae get in it. You can never separate them and it will kill the moss.
Keep it in bright light..just not intense all day light. It does like an hour or so of filtered sunlight. It loves Iron. But,in times past I had tons of it..no iron,no filter even. Just bright window light and a normal 40 watt gro lux over it and half the time I didn't put it on. White Clouds would breed in it and soon the 50 gallon had a mix of various generations of white clouds.
I also have Christmas Moss...much slower,touchy with no Co2. Does not like a current..or even moderate current over it. Falls apart easy. I had to really wrap it down to the wood.
Keep it in bright light..just not intense all day light. It does like an hour or so of filtered sunlight. It loves Iron. But,in times past I had tons of it..no iron,no filter even. Just bright window light and a normal 40 watt gro lux over it and half the time I didn't put it on. White Clouds would breed in it and soon the 50 gallon had a mix of various generations of white clouds.
I also have Christmas Moss...much slower,touchy with no Co2. Does not like a current..or even moderate current over it. Falls apart easy. I had to really wrap it down to the wood.
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