# dying to try a moss wall!



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

Moss walls are soooooo 2008. J/k.

As long as the material is safe, then go for it. Fiber glass is aquarium safe. The fries and babies getting behind the screen will be impossible to prevent. Some will always find a way and die in there. There are alot of tanks here on tpt that have used moss walls. If you want to go the extra route... Try out a moss rope.

Check out this DIY:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/40170-moss-rope-ladder.html

And check out these kick ass mossed out tank:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...011-10-gallon-moss-scape-last-updated-12.html
http://www.emugii.com/plant1layout/files/attach/images/310055/371/311/l.jpg


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

PinoyBoy said:


> Moss walls are soooooo 2008. J/k.http://www.emugii.com/plant1layout/files/attach/images/310055/371/311/l.jpg


My last tank before this one was in 1988, so really that's not an insult


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

I'm starting to think that the fiberglass screen with the 'fold over technique' might be ok. I might cut the piece to an odd shape so that it better fits the tank/scape. Then I was thinking that to prevent fry/anything from swimming in there I could just take some kind of nylon thread or fishing line and a needle and literally sew the sides closed - do 3 sides and add the starter moss then close it off. Then the suction cups will hold the screen/wall about 1/2 inch from the back glass which should be safe enough. 

Easy! But, now I gotta pick which kind of moss to use


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Weeping or christmas moss is prettiest IMO.

Sent from my Ally using Tapatalk


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I say Fissiden or Mini Pelia for a mosswall!

Looks clean cut and stays fairly small. Downside is that it grows so slow it might discourage you from keeping the mosswall. Upside is once it starts growing, other members on this board are willing to pay hefty prices for golfball sizes of either one.

The thing that I was talking about on my other post is that the shrimp/fish might get stuck between the netting and the glass, not between the sandwiched moss.


----------



## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

You can check out my moss wall here:http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/112783-jmowbrays-hi-tech-72-bowfront.html

I have to get a new pic but it's coming in nicely.


----------



## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Fissidens and Mini P would take an INCREDIBLY long time to grow out a moss wall.

Best way to build one is getting the screen door mesh, measuring it to you tank size allowing for a single fold. After that, you will want to use a fishing line to sew it closed, and cut slits in the mesh for the suction cups.


----------



## james0816 (Jun 26, 2008)

I created one out of Subwassertang. I use the plastic needle point grid material and fishing line. Worked out pretty well I must say.


----------



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

peacock moss


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Ok, I'm gonna go for a moss wall using xmas moss or maybe weeping moss.

Since I have breeding CRS and some very small fish I am really concerned with the area behind the wall being a deathtrap. I'm trying to find a way to keep it flush up against the glass so that nobody goes back there.

I could maybe roll the screen a few times on the edges to make a sort of flange that would go up against the glass on the edges. I am planning on sewing the whole thing together (roughly) with fishing like so this would probably be easy enough to do. Then the suction cups would go in as normal but the edges would be up against the glass.

A better idea might be to use the plastic needlepoint screen-type material that people are getting at hobby stores. Then, I could use big suction cups and try to get the wall an inch or so from the back wall. That would create a water space back there and there's a powerhead aimed at that spot so maybe it would be ok! Or it could turn into a total nightmare 

I am also thinking about constructing a 3d shape out of that plastic and intentionally leaving big (1 inch+) spaces behind is to that the 'getting stuck behind' problem is eliminated. But, I'm not sure what kind of glue to use


----------



## herns (May 6, 2008)

PinoyBoy said:


> Moss walls are soooooo 2008. J/k.
> 
> As long as the material is safe, then go for it. Fiber glass is aquarium safe. The fries and babies getting behind the screen will be impossible to prevent.


You can use gutter plastic mesh guard. Leave about 3-5 inches gap below from the substrate if you have plants to cover. 

--BalutPinoy


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

I went to Hobby Lobby and got 2 pieces of cross-stitch material for 39c each. Unfortunately the exact material wasn't listed, but it feels like vinyl to me. It has nice wide holes (i.e. almost 1/4 inch) so hopefully it will be easy to work with.

I thought of a way to prevent any problems behind the wall and also a way to make it look nice in the tank and get the maximum light, since it's darker in the rear of the tank. I'm going to take a piece of acrylic that I have leftover from another DIY project and make a sort of square frame to go behind the wall - that will make the moss wall a bit rigid. Then I'll take the two pieces of mesh, thread as many pieces of Xmas moss through the two sheets and sew them together with a nylon thread to keep it together. Then I'll put a couple of suction cups at the top of the wall and have the bottom of the wall sitting on the substrate about 2 inches from the rear glass. 

This way, only the very top of the moss is actually against the glass. Most of the wall will be up to 1.5 inches away from it and there should be plenty of water flowing through because my powerhead is aimed right towards that back glass. 

I am liking this idea! Anyone care to throw in an opinion? I tend to over engineer things that could be done in a more simple way, but I love doing this kind of thing the 'perfect way' for my tank. This way, no problems with dead/tight spots in the back, and the moss will benefit from a slight angle towards the lights


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Well, being me I decided to over engineer a solution that is custom for my tank 

I bought:

1) 3 cross-stitch mesh things at Hobby Lobby ($1.50 for 3)
2) A bag of zipties at Home Depot ($2.99 for 40!)
3) Some Weld #16 for gluing acrylic ($10 bucks!!!)

I already had:

1) Some scraps of acrylic
2) time and the stupidity to do this.

I cut around the mesh to fit the corner of my tank, size, etc. I want the mesh to stay off of the rear glass, to make sure there is water flowing through there (there's a powerhead going in that direction along the back glass). So, I started very roughly scoring and snapping acrylic pieces and gluing them into little struts to keep the mesh off of the glass.

At the top of the wall, the mess will be just under an inch from the glass. At the bottom, just over two. This angle will help the moss catch light and will look nice (I hope) with the aquascape in my tank.




























Next step is to attach a suction cup or two at the top, wait for the Xmas to arrive in the mail, and lay it all out on the mesh. Then I'll sew it together with fishing line and we'll see how this goes!


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Well, I got the Xmas moss and cleaned it up. I sat down with the intention of pulling little bits of moss through the holes, which I had widened a bit on the 2nd sheet of mesh. Then, I'd hang it up and bingo - instant moss wall!

Let's just say that this didn't work at all! The moss is really hard to work with! It was so hard to get it through the holes that I'd either get a clump through and have a big moss wad hanging out or I'd just have one tiny thread. After about 30 minutes of this it was clear it wasn't going to work. So I just spread out the moss between the mesh screens and I'll have to wait for it to grow in.

So much for my DIY instant moss wall 

I thought I would be able to show off an instant moss wall that looks like a shag carpet on day one. I think I could have done it if I had some surgical tools!! Hmm now how long for this sucker to grow in


----------



## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

the spots where you were able to get just one tiny little thread to stick out is where it will start to grow the best.


----------



## deleted_user_9 (Feb 28, 2009)

I've been thinking about making one of these, and I have to wonder if it would be easier to keep an opening for the fry, rather than struggle to keep them out. I was thinking of a piece of material sized to just meet the substrate, then held down with several fishing weights embedded in the sand. The current wouldn't move it, but there would be space for the fry to come and go without risk of injury.

Then again, I keep small fish, so fry and adults are relatively similar. It probably wouldn't work for folks who keep big fish.


----------



## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

i wouldnt recommend it. just to be safe.


----------



## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

That would probably work fine. To me, the simplest solution was just to stick some supports back there and have a nice clear inch or so of open space. Hopefully that will help the water flow and the moss will be healthier.


----------

