# Moss Only Aquascape Ideas



## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

So I've been thinking about a new tank or converting one of my existing tanks (all are pretty high maintenance) into a lower maintenance design. One option is crypts, moss, and other slow growing undemanding plants. Another is a moss only aquascape.

I remember seeing a few photos of moss only aquascapes around, but if anyone has some or even better, has a moss only aquascape I'd love to see some pictures for inspiration! I absolutely love moss. 

Also, how do you keep different types of mosses from growing together and getting all tangled up? 

Any information or pictures would be appreciated!


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

what tank are you gonna change? oh i have a pic for you, its not 100% moss tank but it will give you some ideas










I forgot where i get that photo, its on my hard drive


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

taiwan moss, never trimmed in 3 months, ferts and excel once a week, no co2, 2wpg, one water change a week.


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## leonpetty (Sep 6, 2006)

XcooperX, I know that's not your tank, but do you happen to know what those plants are that look like palm leaves?


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## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Dj id do an all moss tank!  this one tank really inspired me to do a tank similar to this for my shrimp, Moss Tank di Jacek Debsky its only 54L but looks awesome.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

sorry kronik, i dont know that plant, i try to search again where i get the photos and i;ll let you know


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## Rand (Jan 23, 2005)

Those palm-looking-leaves could be the roots of a floating plant.



> Also, how do you keep different types of mosses from growing together and getting all tangled up?


By trimming a lot. I have three types of mosses in one large driftwood, and whenever they start to touch one another I usually trim it quick.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

check this thread http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/30975-my-3ft-tank.html


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

I have an all-moss 10gal shrimp tank. If I remember, I'll take a picture of it tomorrow evening.


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## tundrafour (Jun 8, 2006)

There are some beautiful all or mostly-moss tanks posted by users at killies.com. Here are links to a few posts:

http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3153
http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2906
http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2936

Hope these help you!


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## Moody (Sep 14, 2006)

Nice idea, ive been wanting to do just as you have mentioned.

tundrafour: I really like the second linked tank pic, that is very cool!

DJ- I want to have ago with growing Bryophytes mosses: Fissidens cristatus aparently it likes to saty cool, here in the UK thats not that hard with our climate.


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## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

Hi

Here you have "moss" tank:
AquaDesign Galeria
You can use it as exampel
Plants: java moss, eleocharis acicularis....low maintance tank


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## aquasox (Sep 11, 2005)

From ADA (Thailand I think) website.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

aquasox said:


> View attachment 3470
> 
> 
> From ADA (Thailand I think) website.


i can see some moss, but is that mostly trimmed hairgrass?


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

No Troy, that is all moss. After the moss grew in, Mr. Amano switched to all hc, and now it is all riccia.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

Wow, anyone know what type of moss that is? I thought it was microsword or some other small grass, too.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

Mikee said:


> Dj id do an all moss tank!  this one tank really inspired me to do a tank similar to this for my shrimp, Moss Tank di Jacek Debsky its only 54L but looks awesome.


sweet...

merciful...

crap...

that is hands down the best tank i have EVER seen.

if i could get a picture of it to hang on my wall, i would.

simply incredible.


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## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

Troy McClure said:


> sweet...
> 
> merciful...
> 
> ...


I agree, it's awesome. I have it as my desktop background.


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## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Yeah, when i saw it for the first time i was really inspired. Such a low maintenance tank but so beautiful. I think i fell in love with moss after that pic!  slowly im turning my tank into an all moss tank..getting more driftwood at a reasonable price is my only problem now..


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## aquasox (Sep 11, 2005)

DJKronik57 said:


> Wow, anyone know what type of moss that is? I thought it was microsword or some other small grass, too.


I don't really know, but Singapore moss is also known as mini moss...so maybe its that.


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## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

DJKronik57 said:


> Wow, anyone know what type of moss that is? I thought it was microsword or some other small grass, too.


This is Java moss (if you speak about this ADA tank)


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## fresh_newby (Mar 13, 2006)

leonpetty said:


> XcooperX, I know that's not your tank, but do you happen to know what those plants are that look like palm leaves?


Those aren't palm leaves..those are the roots of water lettuce drooping down from the water surface. It i good to have a nutrient-depleting plant like water lettuce in a tank of just moss, to prevent algae infestation~


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## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

I have a question regarding moss (only) tanks.. how do you avoid algae issues successfully?


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

> how do you avoid algae issues successfully?


Well, I suspect you don't. Like any other tank, it will be rough to start up, although it will likely be worse since the moss will not grow quickly and will not out-compete algae until there is a lot of it. Like my iwagumi tank, it's been MUCH harder than a traditional nature aquarium since there's only HC in there and it just doesn't grow fast enough until it is well established, giving algae a foothold.

I'd say dose ferts low, keep CO2 high if you use it, and limit the light period. Moss isn't going to suck up ferts like stem plants. And to start off with, add a ton of plants, even just floating plants you will take out later, just till it gets established.


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I'd say maybe start off with some floating plants like water lettuce and duckweed. They'll use a lot of the nutrients that the moss doesn't and block some of the light from getting into the tank. Then after the moss becomes more established you can just pull the plants off of the top if you want.


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## leonpetty (Sep 6, 2006)

fresh_newby said:


> Those aren't palm leaves..those are the roots of water lettuce drooping down from the water surface. It i good to have a nutrient-depleting plant like water lettuce in a tank of just moss, to prevent algae infestation~


Cool thanks fresh_newby.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

A moss-based tank has different demands than a regular tank. For instance, instead of light/ferts/CO2, it could be said that temperature and water movement become more important--the more the better. Of course moss, like all plants, will benefit from available nutrients and light but really I think keeping the tank really cold with continuous movement will be the deciding factors in the quality of the moss' shape, and the speed of its growth. With temps in the 60's, a powerhead or two constantly blowing, and moderate lighting, I think people will find the moss' growth to be rather fast, and having excellent shape. Ferns, and animals that will also thrive in these types of conditions will make the best companions to moss.

From an aesthetic standpoint, mosses look best in tanks with really strong, and complex/detail-oriented hardscaping. Because moss tends to give a tank a "fuzzy" look, and a consistant texture even when very different species are used, the hardscape has to pick up the slack in terms of providing visual complexity. Basically, a moss scape, for best impact, should have more hardscape material, with greater visual complexity-- moreover, the mosses should be attached to it selectively, and not cover it all up.

There are a few other tricks to presenting mosses:

Attention to detail:

-If you have a lot of different types (fissidens, nano, star moss) and want to show them off, a smaller tank will force the viewer to pay more attention to the differences.

-Since people naturally have their eyes drawn to movement, choosing animals that will sit on/interact with the moss, will make them pay attention to the mosses and their particular shapes. That's why fish like Apistograma can work well with moss to create a "jungle" look. And by jungle I don't mean what people call their tank when they haven't trimmed in a while. I mean going after the impression of a true tropical rain-forest.

-Smaller animals will also force the viewer to pay more attention to smaller details, but they have to be colorful enough or move enough to also draw the viewer's eye (a brown ramshorn snail does not get the job done). For these two reasons, Crystal Red Shrimp or other shrimp with striped patterns are almost the perfect aesthetic partners for moss in a detail-presenting set up. With their stripes and small size, and also their interation with the moss, they will force the viewer to look closely at them, and then therefore, also at the moss they are sitting on.
[Shrimp also make good partners for moss from a practical stand point. Most of the caridina species prefer cooler temperatures, and some water movement. Their continuous picking at the moss will prevent debree from getting stuck in it, and also help prevent algae. As a warning though, the larger shrimp like Amanos, can tear apart the more delicate foliage of some of the newer moss species like Christmas Moss or Fissidens]

The Big Picture:

-Moss scapes don't have to be detail oriented. With their small size and epiphyte nature, mosses can also be used as green highlights to a large tank that looks like a giant forest or mountain-scane.

-Most tanks like this will use just Java, as it conforms better to the shape of hardscape and is easier to shape (it doesn't as much desire as taiwan or singapore to create distinct triangles). Besides, in this tank the trick is the opposite-- to get people to pay attention to the largeness of the tank, not the moss itself.

--Cyprinids (rasbora, barbs, danios, minnows, sharks) with little color (silver works well) may be the best partners for this type of lay-out. They appreciate the same fast current that the moss loves, and often come from the same types of environments that our mosses (which are mostly asian) come from. If the tank has a strong current, the fish will school well, and by not interacting with the moss (as they race around the upper/mid-upper part of the tank) they will add to the feeling of largeness.

--For shrimp, it is still possible to try some of the less-obvious shrimp, like Amanos or "wild-form" neocaridina denticulata. Amanos are nice because they are big, clear, and if you only have Java you don't have to worry about their voracious nibbling.

General tips:

--If you can get it, there are some nice tricks the can be done with moss and mini pellia (ricardia sp.). With its small size, and less "sparkling green" color, mini pellia can be used with the bigger taxiphyllum/vesicularia (example: Java/Singapore) species to make dark and bright areas. Keep the plants separate, and in large enough spaces, and the places where the smaller, less-shiny ricardias grow will seem "darker," while the places where the larger mosses are planted will seem "brighter."

--White sand contrasts really well with moss, and can give the tank a "clean/clear" look that is especially nice with good water movement.

Just play around with it, moss is actually a pretty variable medium.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

:jaw: 
I don't think even Amano could have put it any better, because seriously, that last post was amazing. Did you come up with and write all that yourself? I'm going to print it out and use it as my bible. Really, Steven, thanks!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

No prob dude. That's all my thoughts but, I put them together by just looking at things, seeing what people have done, and thinking about it. It was nothing-- just hang around the moss nutz at killies.com for a bit, and stare at some aquajournals and the ideas will come together real quick.


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

Hi,

Just want to share, i've tried that type of aquascaping before and it looks great. Of course the first month is a painful months because regular water change of twoce a week is needed to get rid of the excess nutrients in the water.here it is ... 

Edwin


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

Edwin:

That tank is amazing! So frequent water changes during the first few weeks keep algae away? That's the biggest problem with starting a moss tank, I would think. Ever tried to clean algae out of moss? You can't...

Do you fertilize your moss tank?


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

DJKronik57 said:


> Edwin:
> 
> That tank is amazing! So frequent water changes during the first few weeks keep algae away? That's the biggest problem with starting a moss tank, I would think. Ever tried to clean algae out of moss? You can't...
> 
> Do you fertilize your moss tank?


DJKronik57,

Thanks, the frequent water changes i did it throughout the first month after setup. It will help in reducing the excess nutrients in the water that will give a chance for the algae to grow. During the first 3 weeks i didn't fertilize my tank. No CO2 during the first week too. Another better way to prevent algae is by putting floating plants that grows pretty fast until the plants is already stable. 
Cleaning algae from moss? thats hell ... really hard work. It is nearly impossible to clean it all.that is why try not to give chance for it to grow. You can introduce the 'Amano Shrimp' or cardinal japonica. algae eating shrimp. put more of it if the algae in your tank start to grow out of control.

Yes i did fertilize my tank. I am using Dennerlle product.s. It is good because they are speciallise for planted tank and it does not promote the growth of algae because of its composition.

Edwin


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## mrbelvedere138 (Jan 18, 2006)

nevada said:


> DJKronik57,
> Yes i did fertilize my tank. I am using Dennerlle product.s. It is good because they are speciallise for planted tank and it does not promote the growth of algae because of its composition.
> 
> Edwin


Dennerle products are not particularly special. There is no magic composition. You can get the same results with different fertilizers.


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

Dennis,

From what i understand is that in Singapore theres a lot of types of liquid fertilizer. Some of them goes as cheap as SGD$2.00 compared to a better one like tropica, ADA and dennerlle which is about SGD$15-$50. That is why when i used a cheaper one my tank tend to be invested with algae a lot. And when i start to asked around with another hobbiest to share about it, they conclude that because there is this certain compositions that promotes the growth of algae ... compared to those fertilizer with a more well known brand.
i mean i don't know how true but i saw a huge different result in my tanks ... 
This could be different with the market condition in US or other country as mostly they don't really sell low quality products.

Edwin


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