Is Spiky Moss Good for Guppies?

Are you looking for the best yet simplest type of moss for your aquarium with Guppies?

Spiky moss, also known as Taxiphyllum Spiky, or the “older brother of Christmas moss”, is a popular and fast-growing variety of moss globally.

Spiky moss is suitable for any natural aquarium environment with its bright green coloration and leaves in the shape of small spikes. It’s also one of the simplest mosses to care for!

Is Spiky Moss Good for Guppies?
Is Spiky Moss Good for Guppies?

Table of Contents

Is Spiky Moss good for Guppies?

Guppies are relatively small fish when compared with other fish looked after in aquariums. Most adult males grow up to a maximum of 1 ½ to 2 inches, while some adult females even grow up to a length of 2 ½ inches.

Because of such comparatively small sizes, Guppies need shelter to be protected from other larger tank fish.

Spiky moss is a simple fish-friendly aquatic plant. Its clustered growth structure makes it an ideal tank mate for small fish such as Guppies. It gives Guppies, both adult and fry, a safe hiding place and a feeding environment.

Do Guppies eat Spiky Moss?

Guppies do not eat Spiky moss. However, they do eat algae trapped and growing within the moss!

A Guppy diet is very delicate and includes food like Brine shrimp, algae, fish food, or plant remains. Spiky moss is a hardy plant. Although not being a meal by itself other than an occasional nibble, it does serve as a dinner table for your Guppies.

Will my Guppies die if they eat Spiky Moss?

No, they will not.

Since a Guppy’s diet allows plant-based food and also since Spiky moss is a harmless plant to fish, an occasional nibble will not kill the Guppies.

However, if not fed timely, the constant nibbling by many Guppies can kill the Spiky moss growth.

Does Spiky Moss provide security to Guppies?

Spiky moss provides shelter and security not only to Guppy fry, but also to adult Guppy as well! The simple leaf structure and clustered growth structure help create many safe pockets for Guppies to hide in.

It is especially useful in breeding Guppy, as it provides security to Guppy fry, who can hide away from big fish until they’re able to fend on their own.

Is Spiky Moss good for all types of Guppies?

Spiky moss is a very versatile aquatic plant, which can be used in almost any aquarium.

However, the moss cluster should be properly maintained, to prevent overgrowth and rotting which can cause problems for the Guppies.

How does Spiky Moss help with breeding Guppies?

Spiky moss is ideal for breeding Guppies. This is because the simple flowy structure of the moss growth creates many safe pockets where the adult female can lay her eggs.

Once the fry are born, they can also be safe, away from larger fish who may try to eat them. The Spiky moss growth is an ideal home for the Guppy fry until they grow and become acclimatized to the aquarium.

Is Spiky Moss safe for baby Guppies?

With no immediate or harmful impact on the babies, Spiky moss only provides a safe haven for the young fish to survive in.

Is Guppy poop harmful to the Spiky Moss in my aquarium?

Guppy excretion is not harmful to Spiky moss. It helps provide nutrients that the plant needs and is therefore helpful. Large amounts of the excretory matter however can be harmful to the Guppies, as they will not be recycled as quickly by the moss growth.

Advantages and disadvantages of using Spiky Moss in my Guppy tank

Advantages of using Spiky mMoss

  • Shelter and safety – Spiky moss is the perfect aquatic plant for shelter for both adult and baby Guppy. The layered and clustered manner of plant growth creates many hiding spots for the baby Guppies to grow in without being harmed.
  • Acts as a dining table – As Spiky moss grows in a clump, it tends to trap algae within the leaves. This trapped algae then becomes a part of the Guppies diet.
  • Provides a natural environment – Providing a natural environment for your Guppies to grow in, makes a happy aquarium. This is an advantage not only for the fish, but it will also give you a refreshing and pleasant sight, soothing and relaxing you and your mind.
  • Breeding – Having a natural surrounding with moss plants such as Spiky moss also helps to promote breeding Guppies. Not only does it encourage breeding, but it also helps create a successful growth rate of fry from birth to adulthood.

Disadvantages of using Spiky Moss

  • Maintenance

This is a vital factor when maintaining both Spiky moss and Guppies.

Since Spiky moss is a hardy plant, it grows well even in moderate conditions of light and CO2. With a medium growth rate, it can very soon cover a large ground area in your aquarium. This will limit the space of movement for the Guppies.

Untimely pruning and limited space for movement can lead to the Guppies being stressed, which could create diseases and complications for the fish.

The death and rotting of lower layers need to be avoided by timely trimming and pruning the moss growth. This will help avoid any drastic changes in the water condition.

If your aquarium is used as a breeding ground, timely changes should be made to purify the water, as large amounts of Guppy excretion can be harmful to the fish.

Is it difficult to grow Spiky Moss in a Guppy tank?

Spiky moss is a well-suited aquatic moss for any tank. Thriving well under low to medium conditions of lighting and CO2, it grows at an average growth rate of about 1 – 1 ½ inches per month.

However, adding liquid CO2 and aquatic plant fertilizers will help the moss cuttings to grow healthier and at a faster rate.

How to grow Spiky Moss fast in my Guppy tank?

  • CO2 – One way to speed up the process of growth of your Spiky moss is by adding in liquid CO2 (carbon dioxide). Make sure the added amounts do not affect the Guppy in your tank, however.
  • Fertilizer – Adding in liquid aquarium plant fertilizer will also help to improve the rate that your Spiky moss culture grows. Since liquid aquarium fertilizers are produced in a way that is not harmful to fish, adding them into your tank will not harm the Guppies.
  • Lighting – Making sure your aquarium gets between 8 to 10 hour periods of lighting each day is important in the quick growth process of Spiky moss. However, the source of lighting chosen shouldn’t create a large amount of heat. The high heat of over 77 – 81 Fahrenheit can result in the moss plants melting and decaying.

Are fake Spiky Moss plants good for my Guppy aquarium?

Fake Spiky moss plants will be of no direct harm to your Guppy.

Although, the fake plants may not be as flexible as the natural plants.

This can limit the benefits of having many safe pockets, trapping algae, and might not even have the same effect of a natural environment for the fish. This could have an impact on the breeding process.

Conclusion

Spiky moss is, very clearly, a go-to plant for any aquarist, no matter the level of experience.

Maintaining Spiky moss along with Guppies is also quite helpful to both the fish as well as you.

So why miss out on the opportunity to enjoy all these benefits? Especially when all you need is just a few cuttings of Spiky moss?!

By Uswatta Liyanage

Hello. I'm Uswatta Liyanage from Galle, Sri Lanka. I am the founder of this website. Since my childhood I'm an aqua plant lover and I have professionally learned more about aqua plants. So I created this site for share my knowledge and experience with all of you. Now you can refer my site and feel free to contact me if any inquiry.