Aqua scape idea

I currently am planning to get another tank. Idk what size but I kind of have an idea that inspired me. Was watching a random documentary and saw some underwater algae forests and thought it would be pretty cool to imitate it with moss. Here’s a picture for reference.

My question is how would I go about this, or if it’s even possible. The hard part seems to be making a canopy of sorts with some moss as in the picture.



I love the overgrown look, and the shade it provides with the fish swimming through would be cool in my opinion.

looking for advice on how to setup the scape as well as what fish would be good for maybe a 55 gallon and above setup

 

Blue background
Anacharis for the "kelp"
Floating plants for canopy, moss might eventually sink

 

Blue background
Anacharis for the "kelp"
Floating plants for canopy, moss might eventually sink

I was thinking that I could tie some moss to driftwood for some of the main kelp “trees” in the scape, what would be a good loss of choice. Was thinking maybe subwasertang could look right but not sure

 

That would look good, I've never kept it so I can't comment on how well it'll grow. Like if it'll wrap around and grow upwards the way you want.
It's definitely worth a shot.

 

Moss will attach to anything so you could feasibly have it grow out to each other across the distance between the driftwood poles (I have some that has latched itself to the side of the tank and stretched just under the surface of the water, I did remove some so it isn't as tall now though).

 

Susswassertang is relatively easy to grow but grows very slowly, you will have a hard time getting significant coverage without buying a ton of it first or by waiting a long time for it to multiply.

Base tips: I agree with all the above responses. In order to make your aquarium look like an overgrown kelp forest, you will need lots of moss and floating plants. Start by making your hardscape. It should pre-dominantly be long pieces of straight wood, preferably different sizes to create a more natural looking scene. Tie some moss to these sticks and let it grow out. I use fishing line with mine as you can remove the fishing line later once the moss attaches, but you can also glue it but the glue will show in the water until everything grows in. Floating plants with extensive root systems can be used for coverage at the surface alongside the moss. Make sure the floating plants do not cover the entire surface of the water or your fish may experience oxygen deprivation.

Extra tips if you desire: You could also add a rock bed at the base of the tank like a forest bottom too to add interest and fill in your scape. Stem plants can be used to fill in if you desire but choose species that do not require high light as your tank will have plenty of coverage from the moss. Anubias Nan Petite and Java Fern Windelov may look great in the lower area of the scape where the rocks are. You should share some pics of the tank setup, it sounds like it will be amazing for sure.

 

And hey if the moss doesn't work you can always try the anacharis idea. Yeah it's a skinny plant but it grows tall and fast

 

So I know this isn’t exactly what you were thinking, but if you plant jungle val on either the left or right side of the tank, it can grow so tall that it covers the surface. Some people love the look of it and it would have a great canopy feel, but isn’t a moss.