The following was an article that I submitted to the KWAS (Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society) a few months ago.

Moss Walls



I have had quite a few people asking me lately about setting up a moss wall in their tank. So rather than creating a formal article I have chosen this time to outline the step by step process required to achieve a moss wall.

First and foremost is the choice of moss that one will use. I have personally used, and had success with, Christmas moss (Vesicularia Montagne), Singapore moss (Vesicularia dubyana) and Taiwan moss (Taxiphyllum alternans). I have yet to try Fissidens fontanus or Weeping moss (Vesicularia ferriei) but I believe that they would also work well. Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) although it is easily obtained and inexpensive is not a good choice for moss walls due to its stringy and elongated structure.

Once you have chosen they type of moss you will need to obtain a great deal of it. To give you a perspective, to start a 12”x12” section to cover one wall of a 20g tank you will need at least softball sized portion compacted. The reason this amount is needed is because without full coverage of your knitting mesh (to be discussed next) you will have large gaps in your wall and it will not look very good

Next step is to go to a craft store or dollar store and buy 2 sheets of knitting mesh; they come in either 12”x12” or 12”x18”. The size of the sheets that you buy will depend on the size of the tank that you have. Cut both sheets to the exact size needed for your tank. Take the moss that you are using and spread it as thinly and evenly as possible to cover the entire surface of one sheet. Place the other sheet on top of this and either sew or staple the sheets together. Get 9 suction cups, which have the protruding nipple on them, and attach them to the top, middle and bottom of your sandwiched sheets. This will allow you to suction cup the wall to the glass of your tank.







You must be patient! Moss grows very slowly. Depending on your setup you will begin to see the moss fronds poking their way through the mesh in a few weeks to a month. To obtain the final completed look may take as long as 3-6 months.

I have already done this and it does work very nicely and looks really good.

Awesome, thanks for the tips!