Moss wall advice for novice aquarist

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 06:10

Hello all ,i found this site as i was looking into making a moss wall for my tank, iam new to this and finding it difficut to get the right type here in England . The problem i have is that my ph is 7.6 i live in a hard water area!! and i do not have co2, is there anyone with some advice for a novice

**kemp** · 1st Sep 2006, 10:08

Jan, welcome to AQ! Maybe you could let us know what types of moss are available at your place?

**mtanec** · 1st Sep 2006, 10:31

u can try using driftwood where you can tie moss on them.. a driftwood will somehow bring ph down a little.. but do be prepared for some tea coloring..

as for moss, some moss may complain about alkaline water, but some moss like java moss will slowly get used to it but growth rate is somehow slower.. just make sure temperature of water is below 28 degrees and below 26 dgrees for some moss like Fissiden..

**riccia** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:00

there should be "no gap" between your moss wall and the tank glass or it will create a death trap for small fishes. w/o CO2 moss will still grow but slower. temperature between 25 to 27 deg should be good. Anyway, your climate should be cooler than here.

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:06

Thank you for your replies.

The moss I can get hold of is Vesicularia ferriei (weeping moss) , Vesicularia montagnei (xmas moss), oh and java moss. Would rather have Taxiphyllum alternans (taiwan moss), or peacock moss. I keep tropical fish, so would these withstand the temprature??

**kemp** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:10

maybe you can try taiwan moss, from my past experience, it's one of the least demand type of moss. No co2 is ok, temperature slightly higher, about 28-29degrees seems ok too

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:30

I wish i could get hold off some!!

This is the one I am after but cannot get in this country!!

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:35

My tank is a Juwel Trigon 350 liters. So I would need quite a lot!! lol

**benny** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:36

Originally Posted by jan

This is the one I am after but cannot get in this country!!

If there is a will, there is a way....

Cheers,

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:41

Do you sell it?

What cichlids do you keep?

**benny** · 1st Sep 2006, 16:44

Originally Posted by jan

Do you sell it?

What cichlids do you keep?

I don't sell it, but you might find some retailers doing mail order that can send you some. Look through the forums.

I have some Apistogramma spp. at the moment. Nothing much.

Cheers,

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 17:02

Thank you Benny.

Not knowing how it grows ...do you have any idea how much I would need for that size tank?

...I keep & breed Microgeophagus ramirezi

**VTan** · 1st Sep 2006, 17:03

Originally Posted by jan

My tank is a Juwel Trigon 350 liters. So I would need quite a lot!! lol

Same here, I am using a Trigon 350... currently my taiwan moss is doing well which I tied to my giant driftwood, size about 1.5' width and 2' height. One on either side of the tank... I am considering a moss wall, but I guess it would look rather flat in appearance...

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 17:08

Hi Vtan do you have any idea how much i would need to do the two sides of a trigon

**VTan** · 1st Sep 2006, 17:43

Each wall is about 2.5'(width) by 1.8'(height)... X2 walls.
Plus the filter box about 0.5'(width) by 1.8'(height)... X2 surfaces
Therefore you need covered about 6' by 1.8'. That is about 10.8 square ft to cover with moss. I guess 1 tub covers about 1 square ft, my best estimate is 11 tubs should be sufficient. But you may want to try in small qty first to see if the type that you get can do well before you buy in large qty...

**jan** · 1st Sep 2006, 18:01

Thats great thankyou so much for your help ,Its finding some now

i wish i lived in Singapore

**richietay** · 1st Sep 2006, 18:07

Christmas moss for moss wall be the better option for me. it's growth rate though slow, but turn out quite nice. had setup my xmas moss wall for about weeks, will post a picture if possible.

Taiwan moss are pretty fast grower, had tried before which the moss grown rather thick and the inner part turned brown. after which the entire moss detached away from the wire mesh.