This is an offshoot of those moss walls that are made of plastic mesh. There are plenty of DIY plans for moss walls but I got to thinking about the plastic mesh. It's so flexible and versatile that I thought I might try to make an arch. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people have already thought of this, but I did have a free saturday, some extra java moss, and flowing creative/crafting juices.
I used the same materials as a DIY moss wall:
1 Spool Nylon thread (or fishing line)
2 Sewing needles (optional, but will make life much easier)
Plastic mesh (from craft stores, look for it in the knitting section)
Java Moss
You can have the arch as wide or as tall as you like, it will be sewn to a sheet of mesh, which is meant to be buried as an anchor.
1. The Sandwich:
Just like a narrow moss wall: sew together two strips of mesh to make a hinge
2. The Skeleton:
Now sew the ends of your folded sandwich to a base of mesh. Be careful not to sew the sandwich shut, we do want to add java moss eventually.
3. The Stuffing:
Layer out the java moss along the inside of your sandwich. The more evenly you spread it, the more evenly it will grow. Sew your sandwich shut, and marvel at the result of your dexterity and artisan craftsmanship. I had some lace java moss I wanted to get off the substrate, so I stitched that to the top of the arch.
Here it is on the right of my tank in front of the filter. Now, before you dirty your clothes rolling on the floor laughin at my lack of plant growth, I'm new to planted tanks and this is my first planted RCS tank, gimme a break! :silly:
The MTS are inspecting my work for structural integrity and uh, algae, I guess. I hope I pass. I suspect that this would make quite a comfy hideout for a fish, too? Especially once the moss grows in. Heck, I'd live in one if I was a fish. I also think a miniature version could be used to anchor plants that are fussy about staying rooted. I love this plastic mesh stuff and if I only had a bigger plant, I could imagine expansive, roving hills of moss mesh (moss-scaping!) Hope this was useful to some.
Try it and have fun!
I used the same materials as a DIY moss wall:
1 Spool Nylon thread (or fishing line)
2 Sewing needles (optional, but will make life much easier)
Plastic mesh (from craft stores, look for it in the knitting section)
Java Moss
You can have the arch as wide or as tall as you like, it will be sewn to a sheet of mesh, which is meant to be buried as an anchor.
1. The Sandwich:
Just like a narrow moss wall: sew together two strips of mesh to make a hinge
2. The Skeleton:
Now sew the ends of your folded sandwich to a base of mesh. Be careful not to sew the sandwich shut, we do want to add java moss eventually.
3. The Stuffing:
Layer out the java moss along the inside of your sandwich. The more evenly you spread it, the more evenly it will grow. Sew your sandwich shut, and marvel at the result of your dexterity and artisan craftsmanship. I had some lace java moss I wanted to get off the substrate, so I stitched that to the top of the arch.
Here it is on the right of my tank in front of the filter. Now, before you dirty your clothes rolling on the floor laughin at my lack of plant growth, I'm new to planted tanks and this is my first planted RCS tank, gimme a break! :silly:
The MTS are inspecting my work for structural integrity and uh, algae, I guess. I hope I pass. I suspect that this would make quite a comfy hideout for a fish, too? Especially once the moss grows in. Heck, I'd live in one if I was a fish. I also think a miniature version could be used to anchor plants that are fussy about staying rooted. I love this plastic mesh stuff and if I only had a bigger plant, I could imagine expansive, roving hills of moss mesh (moss-scaping!) Hope this was useful to some.
Try it and have fun!
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Just wish I had more room to play with more mesh, but I gotta keep in mind it's an invert tank first and a planted tank second hehe.
