Flame Moss

Flame moss is the aquarium trade name for a Taxiphyllum species that has not been fully identified. It probably comes from East or South-East Asia, though its exact origin is unknown. Under water the shoots grow upright in tight spirals, which is where the name comes from: a clump looks like a small flickering flame. It is an epiphyte and grows attached to wood and stone rather than rooted in the substrate, and it is a common choice for nano tanks. Growth is slow and care is rated medium. Light needs are broad, from low to fairly high, and the moss holds up anywhere between 12 and 30 °C, a wider span than most aquarium plants put up with. It accepts soft to medium-hard water with a pH of 5 to 8. Carbon dioxide helps it grow denser but is not required. Propagation is simple: split a tuft or cut off daughter plants, then tie the piece onto the hardscape until it attaches. The genus Taxiphyllum belongs to the moss family Hypnaceae, which also holds several other aquarium mosses.