Attaches to almost anything, grows in almost any light, and needs no substrate or CO₂. The default moss for shrimp tanks and breeding setups, because a dense mat gives more cover per square inch than anything else in the hobby.
What You’ll Receive
- Sold as a small loose portion, approx. 2" x 2" in size
- Perfect to attached to driftwood, rock, or stone
Plant Profile
- Common name — Java Moss
- Scientific name — Taxiphyllum barbieri
- Placement — Midground, on wood or stone
- Mature height — 1–3 in
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Low to medium
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 70–82°F · pH 5.0–8.0
- Feeding — Water column
- Propagation — Fragmentation
Grower’s Notes
- Tie it on thin. A thick pad browns and dies underneath where light and flow can't reach, and the dead layer lifts the living surface off the wood.
- Trim every few weeks once established. Cutting forces branching and keeps the mat tight; left alone it goes stringy and traps detritus.
- Cooler water gives denser growth. At the top of its range it grows looser and faster.
- Cotton thread rots away in a few weeks, by which time the rhizoids have gripped on their own.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Java Moss Care Guide, or our guide to the Best Aquarium Moss Varieties.
Notes
- Photos are for reference; portion shape, density and color vary with growing conditions.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praise the moss for arriving "healthy," "vibrant green," and "well-packaged" with generous portions. Many noted fast shipping and excellent value. However, some reported moss arriving brown and failing to revive despite proper care, with concerns about possible dye. A few mentioned high shipping costs and smaller portions than expected.
- My plants arrived in mint condition! They are doing wonderfully!
- Arrived in great condition and is very green and lush. Definitely recommend
- The only store that I have received such green and lush moss from.
A
Sold me 3 dead clumps of moss, with an artificial bluish green color, which might be dye. Its been 19 days under a good light and co2 injection and I've noticed zero growth or bounce back. The green present in photo was there from the beginning with no changes since.
K
The plants arrived healthy and mostly seem to be adjusting well to my aquarium !
I will defintely buy from here again if i accidently kill any of my plants or set up another tank!
D
That cost a fortune to have these two plants sent to me. They arrived brown and are still brown in my tank. That shipping fee was absolutely ridiculous at twice the cost of the moss itself. Then it took five days to get here.
D
Java moss was a generous portion. Packaged extremely well and arrived quickly and safely. Thank you.
A
Java moss arrived brown and hasn't revived. It's been 13 days. Spent $180.00 on the moss. I would hope your company will remberse me. You say your plants are healthy, so back it up. I feel I have been taken.
R
I bought a good amount of plants from APF both to set up a new 10 gallon Betta Tank and add to our existing 75 gallon community tank. The plants came in very well packaged and in great health. We just did a second order to add a bit more to the 75 gallon since we now know how great the plants are coming in.
S
The moss arrived in great condition and is taking well in my tank!! Definitely will order from here again!
T
Came in nice and beautiful. I attached it to my decor that had fake grass on it and now it looks amazing! I bought 2 got one free and was perfect amount!
C
5 starts, looks awesome!!
J
Was very happy with my purchases from APF. Packaging was great. Was pleased with the portions I received . Fast shipping! Will order from here again!
P
Healthy looking plants and fair amount for the price. I planned to use this primary for “leaves” on a bonsai armature I made. I glued small sections on and am waiting for it to fill in so I can shape it better. Looks great so far.
A
Java moss looks awesome. Ordered around Christmas so shipping was delayed and i emailed them asking if they thought they would be ok? They emailed me back a few hours later reassuring me they should be fine and they were right. Came withing 5 days nicely package and looking vibrant green. The buy 2 get 1 free is an added bonus.
A
Loved working with this moss and covering all my drift wood and rocks with it! Packaged well and was very healthy! Will order again for next project!
n
Java moss came in healthy and green.
K
I got my order quickly and it was great quality.
D
Java moss arrived a few days ahead of schedule and they were immediately placed in my shrimped aquarium. It’s doing well and my shrimp are enjoying hiding out in it.
J
Never have planted java moss before, so I don’t really know what to expect. The items came well packaged for delivery in the heat. Sealed packages had more than what I was expecting. I used the moss to cover a manzanita branch (a lot of work). Plants looked healthy and dark green.
E
I have a biorb 4 and a half gallon tank. I noticed it started getting cloudy more often. It has a filter, and I haven't made any changes. Once I started putting in the java mess plant in the fish tank. The water is very clear and my beautiful male Betta just loves it. I will order again.
B
This is my first purchase from APF and the Java Moss was for the driftwood pictured.
After doing some research on buceps, I converted a matured 50-Gallon tank to a holding tank (for the four sets of BUY2GET1FREE items labelled in the attached photo) as I'm cycling two other tanks that they'll be placed in. As this was my first purchase from APF, I didn't order all the plants that I intend to stock those other tanks with as I had no idea what condition their product would arrive in. However, based on the timeliness with which my order arrived, the obvious care with which the product was packaged, and the healthy plants (and extra plants) that I received, APF will now be my go-to plant supplier. As a matter of fact, I just ordered a few more buceps (Brownie Ghost).
Details: I am located in the Seattle area of Washington state. I placed the order on Saturday, June 27, 2020. APF sent an acknowledgement email with the USPS tracking number which initially indicated a delivery date of Friday, July 3, 2020 but was updated a few days later to Thursday, July 2, 2020. Delivery was made shortly after noon on July 2 (according to the USPS tracking info) but I didn't realize that they had arrived until about 2.5 hours later when I received a delivery notification email from APF. I was worried that everything would be baked but after retrieving them from my mailbox, I was relieved to see that APF's packaging included heat shielding and all sets of packaged items were sealed in moisture-retaining, custom-sized, plastic bags. I took them inside and left them in a cool area of the living room where the holding tank is located as I was still doing work-related stuff. Finally got to them around 8 p.m., opened up all the sealed plastic bags, carefully removed each set of buceps from their foam and lead weights, inspected, rinsed and trimmed (minimal trimming was required), got the buckets I had with hardscape soaking... one with driftwood and the other with Seiryu... and started super gluing everything... also added a few Anubias Nana that I had on hand. Finished around 11 p.m., gave everything a once over, then placed them all in the holding tank.
It's now 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 5, 2020 and I took the attached photo about 2 hours ago. Therefore, the buceps have been in the holding tank for a little over two days with no melting that I'm aware of. I'm totally satisfied with APF.
k
Plants arrived quickly and in good condition
K
received my package quickly and plants looked extremely healthy. Very pleased will order more.
A
well packaged and quickly delivered! Love my Java moss
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