# DIY Moss Wall



## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

You will need:

2 x Cross Stitch grids. Check your local needlework supply store. (Michaels or JoAnns in the USA)

8 x Small, round, strong magnets

Aquarium Sealant

Non stretchy, nylon line (may be called monofilament. Get it from the beading section when you get your cross stitch grids)

Scissors.

A Comfortable seat. Time. Patience.










Take your first grid and glue a magnet to each corner. Cover the entire magnet in sealant. They will rust if you don't seal them in the silicone. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.










Then take your other cross-stitch grid:










...and cut the corners off as shown.

Now place the moss onto the first grid.










Place the second grid on top and line it up. Cut pieces of nylon line several inches in length. Thread each end through two adjacent squares and tie it TIGHT. Do this every one or two square inches along the grid. This takes a lot of time and patience. You may need to do it in more than one sitting. Take the time to do it properly and your moss wall will benefit. If the two grids aren't flush against each other, then they'll be space inbetween them. The moss wont get enough light to grow inside those little pockets, so it wont start to grow through the holes. Your wall will grow to look patchy and... not good.

Now, once it's all tied together nicely place it in your aquarium. Press it against the black glass, with the magnets at the front, that is do NOT sandwich the magnets between the glass and the grid. Instead you should have the glass at the back, the grid with magnets glued to in the middle, and then the grid with the corner pieces cut out at the front. This will keep your moss wall flush against the back and prevent any fish/shrimp getting trapped behind it. Now just use magnets on the outside to make it 'stick', and you're all set.

(Sorry, no more pictures as yet.)


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## filipnoy85 (Jan 26, 2006)

Wow! I'm going to do this! Thanks!


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## redFishblueFish (Feb 12, 2006)

Just a detail - you could use fishing line for the nylon line. It might be cheaper/easier to obtain. Also, rather than cutting short pieces of the line and tying adjacent holes, I think you might be able to use an over/under pattern to quickly squeeze the pieces together. Maybe thread the line through a sewing needle, then put it through a hole in one grid, through the second grid, out the other side, then repeat (but going in the opposite direction) with a hole a few inches away. I won't be able to try this for a while so if somebody does, tell me how it works.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Wow! I really like the magnet idea! I've been toying with making a moss wall for awhile, but the whole suction-cup thing I've read elsewhere, and the possible space behind it was a sticking point for me. 

Very cool! What type of moss did you use?

And what size magnets? They look about 1/4" diameter, right? Are there strength ratings for magnets? Would salvaged magnets from an old shower curtain liner work?

Also, the grid you used - was it the fairly rigid plastic grid I've seen at a craft shop, or is it more fabric-like? The pictures I've seen from elsewhere (Sinapore site, I think) showed a fabric-like material, and I've been hunting for something similar - window screening, weed barrier, etc.

Thanks for the great pictures and instructions! How's it growing in? (hint, hint - update picts? Pretty please?)

-Jane


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

redFishblueFish said:


> I think you might be able to use an over/under pattern to quickly squeeze the pieces together. Maybe thread the line through a sewing needle, then put it through a hole in one grid, through the second grid, out the other side, then repeat (but going in the opposite direction) with a hole a few inches away. I won't be able to try this for a while so if somebody does, tell me how it works.


A basic cross-stitch would probably work to hold the two together, If I am remembering it correctly... fitting though really, since you are using cross-stitch grid.

I am definitely going to try this... I especially like the magnets, the whole suction cup idea was making me stall my moss wall experiment. I've never had luck with them in the past, and I was pretty sure any wall I tried to stick up would just end up falling off in a few weeks.


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## Capt. (Nov 24, 2004)

Are the magnets just to get the wall to sink?


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## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

I used christmas moss... I think. It takes quite a long time to grow in so I don't have any updated pics yet, but as soon as it gets any significant density to it I'll be sure to post pics.

I think they were 1/4" diameter magnets. There are strength ratings and I think these were 10. Don't know if the strength rating is universal though. Shower curtain magnets might work. Give it a try!

Yeah, it's the fairly rigid plastic grid you've seen at craft stores. My first attempt used window screening for the top layer. It was much harder to keep the two grids flush against one another. If they aren't against each other, and there's a big gap between them, the moss just turns brown and dies (i guess) before it gets a chance to start growing through the hole and getting some light. It also grows in more patchy... By using a more sturdy grid it's easier to keep the two grids tight together, and hopefully eliminate this problem.

The magnets are to keep the wall in place.


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## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

Oh, and if someone tries this they might like to try using a grid with bigger holes. Maybe a different type of grid or something. I'm sure this moss wall can be improved upon further.

In fact, I think I'll hack at a cross-stitch grid and make the holes bigger and try another one too!..... anyone got a large amount of java?


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

If you want to find this on the 'net (or ask at your craft store) the official name for it is _plastic canvas_. (I know. I'm being picky. But I'm a needlewoman from way back.  ) There are several different types of canvas: 5, 7, 10 and 14 stitches to the inch. You can get it in a lot of different colors, including clear and green, either of which might be less noticeable behind the moss, at least until it fills in. (The 7-to-the-inch usually comes in the greatest number of colors.)

I had thought about doing something like this before, but I hadn't thought of the magnets so I quit. Do you need to have two sheets of the pastic canvas? Would it be possible to tie the moss directly to the back sheet the way you tie it to rocks?


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