# Java moss wall



## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

I have been looking to add a moss wall to my 29g for a little while now and thought I would share my build here.

I wanted to make a nice place for platy fry and shrimp to graze. I added some java moss to my driftwood on the 15th of December and it has more than doubled in size since then, so it is growing well i would say.

The tank is a standard 29g, 18" deep with the stock 20w fluorescent light, no ferts no excel.

I started with some needle point plastic mesh from Fabricville, 18" x 24" sheets were 1.50$ or so, there are 7 holes to the inch. I used 1 whole sheet folded in half to sandwich the moss in between. this gave me a nice piece of 18" by 12" which fit perfectly on the side of my tank, you can cut it to size easily enough.



I added 4 suction cups to the back, which i realized later that i should of put a little more towards the middle to avoid the substrate.



I then spread some moss thinly over half the mesh, I would have liked to use a little more but that was all I had for the time being.



I then sewed it all together.



and put it in the tank, the water level was low as I was doing a water change at the time. this is when i noticed that the 2 bottom suction cups aren't really doing anything because they are too close to the sides and are over the silicone. live and learn



here it is lit up with the top back on



So this wall was started on the 21st of February, I will try to keep this thread updated as it grows, so far there are already a few little bit starting to peek through, Exciting!


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## eljefe0000 (Apr 3, 2013)

i tried this a while back and all my other plants were fine but this wall was a complete failure for me as the moss started to get yellow and not grow.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

A very good idea. To imitate. But as you have attached the Java moss to the grid?


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## garstrom (Jan 5, 2014)

Neat,, I have been thinking about the same thing to the back of my 55g, I found a plastic mesh with a little bigger holes, I might have to use plastic screws to hold it in place,
(it's a corner tank) with plastic in the back...I was thinking Java moss or xmas moss,
there is a lot of varieties out there so my decision is going to wait a little.
Plus it's so darn cold here in Minn. I'll have to wait for warmer weather probably April.
Yours is pretty cool keep us posted.


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## klauspabst (Feb 17, 2014)

Wow! Thank you so much for this idea!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Why not just attach moss to one side of "screen" with thread?By the time the thread melted the moss would have a good hold on the screen.This way the moss is exposed to more light and water flow and the" roots"only have to grow through the screen.The moss sticks to anything eventually.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> Why not just attach moss to one side of "screen" with thread?By the time the thread melted the moss would have a good hold on the screen.This way the moss is exposed to more light and water flow and the" roots"only have to grow through the screen.The moss sticks to anything eventually.


sewing the entire sheet with moss would have been much more difficult i figure.

maybe as it grows through i could cut of the back half and it should be all good


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I wouldn't sew every square! I would think you go over an inch with loops and it would hold the moss long enough?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Be careful of losing fish. It is a great idea and one day I may decide to do one on my 40 breeder.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

Update

I took some advice from here and made it a single layer of mesh with the moss sewed on the front, i figure i'll get much better growth like this, plus the shrimp can alrady graze on it this way


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I think it will grow faster and thicker the way you got it now!Good luck,and can't wait to see the growth!


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