Subwassertang

Plant Profile

Common Names: Süsswassertang, Subwassertang, Lomariopsis lineata, Loma Fern, Round Pellia

Süsswassertang is a moss-t fascinating anomaly in the aquascaping world! While it is often grouped with aquarium mosses due to its easy-care nature, it is actually the evolutionary gametophyte stage of a climbing fern. Visually, it looks like a beautiful cross between a flat liverwort, a freshwater seaweed (spoiler: its name is a German translation of this), and a classic moss, forming translucent, bright green ribbons with broadly rounded lobes. Because it develops these wide, flat fronds rather than thin needles, it provides an incredible amount of surface area for biofilm to colonize. This massive surface area makes it a premium, all-day buffet and grazing ground for dwarf shrimp, while giving tiny newborn fish fry a highly secure, shaded labyrinth to hide in.

Key Features & Benefits

• Unlike true mosses, this unique fern gametophyte grows into flat, interlocking ribbons that absorb nutrients exceptionally well, helping to naturally neutralize toxins and promote oxygen-rich water.
• The wide, rounded lobes provide vastly more surface area than standard stringy mosses, creating the ultimate playground for beneficial biofilm that dwarf shrimp love to graze on.
• Possesses no true root system, giving you the flexibility to let it tumble naturally as a free-floating bush or anchor it down to create dense green cushions.

Care & Planting Instructions

• Let it float freely as a tumbling green cushion, wedge it tightly into hardscape gaps, or secure it to rocks and driftwood using thread or aquarium glue until it naturally grips the surface.
• Maintain consistent water parameters, as sudden and drastic environment shifts can stall its growth or cause the ribbons to break down.
• Prune the dense clumps occasionally with sharp aquascaping shears to keep it compact and clean out any trapped detritus.
• While it thrives perfectly in low-tech setups, providing clean weekly water changes and a bit of CO2 will make it grow significantly faster and thicker.
• Simply tear or cut a large clump into smaller portions and place them wherever you want a new colony to form.

Quick Facts

Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. Team Buce Plant encourages you to do thorough research to ensure healthy growth!

• Family Name: Lomariopsidaceae
• Origin: Pantropical
• Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate (Explodes once established)
• Lighting Needs: Low to Medium
• Temperature Range: 68 to 80° Fahrenheit
• pH Range: 6.0 to 7.5
• Care: Easy
• Co2: Not necessary but highly recommended for dense growth
• Propagation: Cut, separate, or pull apart clumps