Constructing a moss wall

[budrecki]

http://www.aquamoss.net/How%20to%20create%20a%20moss%20wall/How%20to%20create%20a%20moss%20wall.htm

The only window screening that I can locate is vinyl covered fiberglass. Think this will be safe to use?

[DirkW]

I've been considering that myself. I'm planning to use the plastic backing used in cross-stitching.

[budrecki]

I've got that to use as the back, but the other sites I've looked at indicated the openings on the cross-stitch mesh a little on the large size. Apparently the smaller openings on the screening keep the moss from escaping.

BTW - black cross-stitch mess is nearly impossible to find! All I could find in my area was white and a neon assortment pack.... I hope the moss grows in quickly.

[EcoPit]

The only window screening that I can locate is vinyl covered fiberglass. Think this will be safe to use?
It sounds okay. That wall looks so cool. Ever since Roan posted that in a thread in the general fw forum I have been wanting to try it.

[Cathy G]

I've been trying to grow one for a month or 2 now. It is beginning to work but has a long way to fill in. I used willow moss and plastic mesh stitching things from a craft store - they were in the hooked rug department. I don't think the mesh is too wide at all - each opening looks about 1/8 inch or so and only little branches of moss are sticking out.

I also used 2 sheets of the same stuff for a bit of carpet in the foreground. That is doing much better - it gets more direct light than the back of the tank. I wish it would not float however... I have to weight it down with a couple of pebbles.

The really neat thing about these walls is the abundance of micro organisms
which love all the green stuff to eat. We QT'd some madagascar rainbows in this tank for about a month and since then it has been empty - or so I thought. Came back from a vacation to find rainbow fry. They have been eating the infusoria for probably 2 weeks or so! It was a great homecoming gift from the fishes!

Cathy

[joephys]

I can't answer your question, sorry, but thanks for reminding me that I was going to do that.

[Roan Art]

I'm making one for my 30g. I was working on cleaning out the garage the yesterday and I stumbled upon the rest of the roll of "dog proof" screening we used on the sliding patio door.

Looks PERFECT for this!

So, I'm in process and am not ordering the moss until the screen is done. I think I'll use Christmas moss as well.

Cathy --

Nod nod! I intend on putting one of these in all my breeding tanks.

Roan

[jtrotter77]

I did this a couple of years ago and now have the most growing nicely, I used willow/christmas moss as well and its great, it attaches to rocks,driftwood ect.. alot faster than java moss.

[tetras_rock]

Do think Riccia would be good for these moss walls?

[Roan Art]

Do think Riccia would be good for these moss walls?
You could try it and see, but riccia has much shorter leaves than Christmas moss does and might not grow long enough to poke through the mesh.

My wall is coming along nicely :)

Roan

[Dangerdoll]

I love it!!!! Now that I will be starting fresh in the new house, Mr. Doll has been talking about just getting a new 55 gallon set-up for me :D yaaaaaaaaaaaaay Doll!!!

[Roan Art]

Cool, DD! Don't forget the pictures ;)

Soon as I get some time (HAH!) I will be making another wall and writing a "how to" for our AquaFacts wiki.

Roan

[twig]

Can anyone share some pics?

I hear that using the plastic mesh used for that sewing stuff works great too...

[DaisyTattoo]

I was just gonna ask the same thing twig :) Anybody have any pics of their moss walls?

[Roan Art]

I have a video of my millenniums spawning in the tank with the moss wall:

http://aquafacts.net/stuff/millennium.mpg

It's still growing in and you'll have to pardon the banging and thumping around of the camera. One of my collies kept walking into it.

I used some extra window screening we had laying around.

Roan

[twig]

I'm going to try this with javamoss >.<

[twig]

ohya btw i would angle the bottom out a little bit ... I just spoke to a friend about it and he said if you don't do it the bottom will get light blockage and die.

[Dangerdoll]

It's still growing in and you'll have to pardon the banging and thumping around of the camera. One of my collies kept walking into it.

Roan
mmm-hmmmm.... you sure that wasn't just a Saturday night taping, Roan, ;)

[TomFromStLouis]

Does anyone know about the longr term health of one of these walls? My moss clumps grow and tend to die off underneath the fresh growth. Wouldn't the moss detach itself after a while?

[phanmc]

You still need to trim the moss wall to prevent excessive growth. If the moss anchored by the mesh dies out due to insufficient light, the moss wall will come apart.

[bumpylemon]

see thread

[NewObsession]

You could try it and see, but riccia has much shorter leaves than Christmas moss does and might not grow long enough to poke through the mesh.

My wall is coming along nicely :)

Roan
I have not tried it myself, but from what I've read, the problem with riccia is that because it grows so short, the underside dies of from the lack of light and it ends up floating. What was suggested, which makes good sense, is to grow in some of your moss, then tie the riccia to it, the riccia stays attached to the longer stands of the moss.
Just a thought I thought I would share

[mr.key]

I used riccia and HM and tied it to the cross stitching mesh and that worked really well for the carpet section and I working on a moss wall with an HM section in it as well towards the bottom just to see what happens... I forgot where I was going with this...