Coryd55

I just finished my moss wall for my 29 gallon.

Materials:

Lots of moss of your choice
Plastic mesh(I used 1/2 inch hardware cloth. I think that was the name. Basically 1/2 inch plastic mesh.)
Measuring tape
Suction cups(Amount depends on the size of your tank. Space them out about 6-10 inches side to side and then go down.)
Zip-ties
Patience and some elbow grease

Directions:

Measure your tank's length(the inside, do not follow outside measurements or your wall will be to large). Take that measurement and multiply it times two. That is the length you need to cut your mesh.

Ex: My tank was 29 1/2 inches long on the inside. So I need to cut my mesh to 59" in length.

Now measure from a 1/4-1/2 inch below your substrate to 1/4-1/2 inch above where your waterline is. Now you have the measurements and you can begin cutting your mesh.

Once the mesh is cut, plan out where you will have your suction cups. If you install them now it will save time and it will be easier but you can install them later if you wish. REMEMBER that the suction cups will only be on one half of the mesh as you will be folding the wall in half later on in the process.

Get a bucket or bowl and put some water in it and put the moss that you will be using into the bucket. This prevents the moss from drying out and ultimately gives your more time to make your wall.

Take bits and pieces of your moss and spread it out on one half of your mesh(preferrably the same side as the suction cups but the other side will work as well).

NOTE: If you didn't install your suction cups earlier now is the time to do so.

The next step is to fold your wall in half. Get out your zipties and tie them around the edge every few inches (3-6). A few in the middle will keep it from warping more but it is not recquired.

Now you have a completed moss wall and it is time to install it.

MAKE SURE THE ENTIRE BACK OF THE TANK IS CLEAR: This includes, heaters, filter tubes, decorations, etc. Your wall will not work if there is anything in the back.

Simply take off your hood and slide the wall into place. Make sure all of the suction cups are securely fastened and then all you need is time.


If there are any suggestions or problems in my process please let me know and I will fix it. Thanks.


Mistakes to Avoid

1. Make sure the suction cups are large enough to fit through the holes and be secure but not so large that they don't fit. Same for smallness (not sure if smallness is a word haha)

2. Align the holes when you fold it in half. Makes it much easier when ziptying it shut. That way its not pulling different directions and it doesn't make large rolls.

3. Get a little more moss than you need (I barely had enough and I thought I had more than twice what I needed).

4. Suction cups are HARD to find. Lowes didn't have them, Home Depot didn't have them, and the employees at Wal-Mart couldn't find any but we(mom and I) found packages of 1" suction cups. Six in a pack for $1.76. I buoght two packs.

*I will add more as it grows and I notice different things.*


Pictures are coming tomorrow. I will do 1st day, end of 1st week, 2nd week, 3rd, 4th, etc. hopefully it will give those of you who have wanted to do a moss wall some extra guidance and mistakes to avoid. Also you can see how it will do under low-light using java moss. I was going to use christmas moss but i changed my mind as java moss was more readily available.

Sorry for the long post.

Cory

Coryd55

Attached Images

DSC05613.jpg (273.0 KB, 257 views)

Shawnie

that looks awesome so far cory...cant wait to see its progress...one question tho, after applying the suction cups and adhearing the moss wall, is there space behind it for the nosey fish to get stuck?

Coryd55

Thanks Shawnie.

If you have fry or other really small fish 1/4-1/2 in width or length, they might could get back there but they could easily get out at the early stages of the moss wall. There isn't very much room behind it though. But as it thickens a even very small fish would have to try very hard to get back there.

Shawnie

awesome..I love it!!

David C

It seems this wall would make a planted tank look nice and full. I can't wait to see it when it's grown out, may decide to build one for my 10g.

tzqng8

Question: How do you run your tank with NOTHING along the back?!? I feel like I missed something here.

My filter, airhose, and heater are all right along the back wall!

Coryd55

You take the filter tubes and heaters out during the installation. After your moss wall is in. Put the filter tubes back in and they should be in front of it. Put the heaters on the side of the tank close to the back. They still work and are harder to see.

You could leave airhose back there if you wanted but otherwise jkust take it out and then put it back in infront of the tank.

tzqng8

So it just needs to be clear for the installation. That makes much more sense! I like to have my heater right by the intake of my filter so that the water is warmed as it goes in. I heard that is good to do.

But, I might like to give this a try sometime. Would prolly look better than a background or painted back of the tank!

Very cool and keep us updated!

Coryd55

Correct.

The heater placement is better but I haven't noticed a change in temperature so it seems to work fine either way.

Darlene

Great job. I'm interested to see what it will end up looking like.

Coryd55

Update today:

You can begin to see the java moss grow out of the mesh. Just cmall 1/8-1/4 inch pieces once in a while.

Coryd55

Update:

New pictures taken July 15, 2008.

It has been around 2 weeks since the moss wall has started and it is at the point where you can start seeing some progress.

New driftwood was added to the tank. I think it looks ALOT better. Thanks to a fellow FL member for the wood =)

Coryd55

Pictures

Attached Images

	DSC05744.jpg (286.7 KB, 179 views)
	DSC05753.jpg (286.3 KB, 157 views)

Kayin1470

wow, thats really cool. I like this idea, I also have a 29 gallon tank, but I'm curious, where did you get the moss, and how did you make sure all the bugs/germs and other possibly harmful stuff out so it doesn't infect the tank?

Darlene

Looking good.

angelfish220

If I'm not mistaken, he has had his own growing for quite a while.

Coryd55

Dino sent me a majority of the moss but some of it I have grown on my own.

The moss was not taken from the wild and was grown in an aquarium somewhere. No dieseases or germs to worry about but if you are referring to the driftwood then you need to boil it a few times and soak it in hotwater for a few days.

Steve113

Looking good Cory.

I got some java moss from my LFS months ago - I thought from reading various threads here that the stuff just grew like wildfire, but as yet, I've not really seen much in the way of growth - sure it's grown and a few strands are seen to spread and settle in other areas of the tank but nothing like I immagined.

How long to you think it'd take to grow a substantial clump?

(my lfs doesn't sell it - I just had to scrape some off one of their decorative wood pieces so buying more is not an option...)

Rainsong

I've been tempted to buy one of those "floating moss balls" PetCo has, the ones that are Java moss around a styrofoam or rubber ball. Except the few I've seen that actually looked good.... were pond snail ridden. And $4.47 (or whatnot) just seemed like too much. But I'm starting to become desperate for the stuff... LOL

And when I eventually do find some, I soooo wanna do a moss wall like this... wow.

Steve113

I'd like to do something like this but I have corner tank so I'd have to do 2 walls in a 'v' shape into the corner - don't know how good that would look...
:S

FishFolk

Looks good!

Coryd55

Thanks!

It might take 2-3 months to get a good size clump going depending on lights and if you dose. Have you considered dosing your tank to get close to perfect levels of C, H, O, Fe, Mg, Zn, Cl, N, etc? If you want to know more about what you should dose with use the calculator on http://aquaticgardener.com/#plantcare

I think the 'v' shape would look awesome! Post pics when you get around to it.

Steve113

yeah will try to get some materials to try it out. thanks Cory.

should look ok I guess, I have plain reflective black backing on at the moment - makes the tank look bigger as it reflects - so It'll be interesting to see how it changes the look...

shellbell4ever

WOW!!!That's really cool!!!

Red1313

That moss wall looks gorgeous!!!

Shaina

Wow, this is brilliant...I'm picking up supplies this afternoon, haha.

My betta has been spazzing since I moved his tank...his reflection on the back wall is really distinct and it's driving him batty...

The java moss in my 29 gal is growing out of control and, ironically, I just cut out huge chunks of it last night and threw it all into my 10 gal becuase I didn't know what to do with it and didn't want to throw it out...now I have a use for it AND it should eliminate that drated reflection!

Thanks!

Steve113

it's a shame it's so expensive to buy the moss - you get very little for what you pay for.

Shaina

Where did you get this plastic mesh stuff? Is it really called hardware cloth?

I tried explaining it to the people at Lowe's and they claimed to have nothing like it... Looking for myself didn't get me any farther either...

Steve113

try explaining to them what you wish to do with it and I'm sure that the store could show you what they have - May be a little easier than asking for a specific item which they may not stock. Also try craft & hobby shops as well as hardware stores.

YOu could use anything - some sort of netting material would be fine - you may have to weight it or secure it at the bottom and top but just use your immagination - it's half the fun of DIY and it'll make your set up unique to you!