# Moss wall nearly killed my fish



## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

Whoops--this is the mesh I used. http://www.aqmagic.com/aqimages/PL-MO07-02.jpg


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Fish are notorious for getting behind moss walls. I had fry and others things trapped behind them.

You have 2 options:

Cover the entire back side of the tank, and silicone calk off the edges for a very snug fit (neons are small)

Or, get some plastic suction cup hangs are hang the moss 0.5-1" away from the back of the glass, so fish can freely swim back and forth.


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## cradleoffilthfan (Jan 19, 2009)

I took mine out for exactly that reason. Until it's fully grown in where it's blocked from fish getting around the sides, or through the holes, it's a trap. I had a few Espei rasboras die behind mine overnight.


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## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

my mosswall lasted only a winter time but killed two times ... these moss walls are evil .... now i let the moss free floating in my shrimp aquarium and tied up some on the lava rocks ... the winter is near now ..hummm i will build another wall again?


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## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

Jeez...they really are a menace! There has to be a way though. Really dont want to drain my tank to affix it to the glass with silicone but I liked xenxes idea of hanging it away from the glass so fish could swim freely. Only questions there are, won't the moss grow on both sides and be hard to maintain? And can't the neons still get stuck in the holes before its grown in? I guess you could line the back of the panels with something to prevent both problems, but what would you use?

Ugh I just want a pretty background! Whys it gotta be so complicated.


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## tobystanton (Jun 27, 2012)

Grow the moss wall in another tank, transplant it when its fully grown.


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## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

Toby--that does seem like the best solution but I don't have another tank to grow it in. I have a 28 gallon cycling but it's not big enough for these panels, especially considering the back is covered in rocks and I have no lighting for this. I can't invest in a light just to grow these panels.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I use soft cloth mesh from walmart (openings are very small, 2-3mm diameter) and suction cups. No problems with fish getting stuck. They hide behind the moss walls to sleep, it's pretty cute.

However.. I only keep mosquito rasboras, so the fish themselves are tiny


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## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

Diwu13--Mosquito rasboras are lovely! I hadn't seen those before. Eating the loss on the mesh and changing it out with something small like you have or backing what I have with something else seems to be the only answers. Do you hang yours away from the back so they can easily swim back and forth? And did you find the moss took longer to grow in fighting through the smaller holes?


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## Mark13 (Mar 11, 2009)

The moss will spread more rapidly with mesh of smaller holes, because it does not have to reach out so far to find a spot to grip.

Also, realize this---the moss does not attach to a hole, it bridges that gap. The 0.25 inch holes of the large mesh will still be there for the fish to find amongst the moss fronds, and they will easily push their way thru the moss to become stuck in the mesh. Better to use the 0.08 to 0.10 inch holes in the sewing/crotche` (spelling?) mesh from Walmart's sewing aisle, or a fabric store.

However, the one I use is not as flexible as cloth (as in diwu13's reply), but not rigid either. Walmart has three different mesh products in the sewing aisle, of three different flexibilities. Compare them all and use the "middle" one.

I know from experience the Walmart product is a plastic that is not harmful to fish, plants, or shrimp. They will have it in black, medium green, and dark green. Don't buy the white or yellow---it becomes even brighter and more obnoxiously noticable when the tank lights are on.


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## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

Gosh, Mark, that makes total sense. I feel like an idiot now thinking the opposite. I'm definitely going to check out Walmart ASAP. Then I guess hang it with the hook suction cups away from the back. Only thing is, that's going to interfere with the HOB filter intake, haven't figured that one out yet.


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## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

I've found the plastic crochet mesh at michaels too, bout a buck a sheet and cuts nicely with normal scissors.


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## Unikorn (Jun 14, 2012)

The way I avoided messing with my HOB intake, I just made sure the moss wall ended before it reached the intake


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

try using stainless steel mesh cut mounted flush to the rear tank wall by large stones and suction cups. The fine mesh and flush mount will prevent criters from going behind it but be warned that dead brown spots will develop in the lower regions due to lack of light. This is pretty common.

Moss walls are sorta like experimenting with Ricca. its fun for a little while but becomes an eventual eyesore.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

sinthesis said:


> Diwu13--Mosquito rasboras are lovely! I hadn't seen those before. Eating the loss on the mesh and changing it out with something small like you have or backing what I have with something else seems to be the only answers. Do you hang yours away from the back so they can easily swim back and forth? And did you find the moss took longer to grow in fighting through the smaller holes?


Yea I love how small and cute the fish are :3!!

I hang my mesh away from the back with suction cups. So there's maybe like 1/4 of an inch of space from the glass. The mesh is soft, so if fish are behind it, they can wriggle out if need be. Either way they sleep behind the walls just fine.

As for the mesh pore size, small pores but THIN MESH is best for moss. if you have THICK MESH and small pores the moss won't get enough light. If that makes sense.


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## sinthesis (May 23, 2012)

So I rebuilt my panels--thanks so much for all the help everyone! I still need to order more moss to complete the length of the tank, but most of it's covered. I got the green plastic mesh from Michaels for 58 cents a piece. They had it in white at Walmart but the green will look better I think!


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

sinthesis said:


> ..I was crying, went outside to smoke a cigarette, calm down, and come up with a plan.


Next time give the sig to the neon.

Glad it worked out well in the end.


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