Amano's wall mats?

[Bonsai_Swamp]

Originally Posted by Kim Leng

you can try using a wire mesh for the base and tie the mosses down by wrapping fishing line....

alternatively use a sheet of acrylic about the size you want...dripp holes for circulation...... lay the moss over it and then use the mesh from the supermarket

I like both those ideas - I imagine they'd stay put well.

[zapus]

Originally Posted by Bonsai_Swamp

Besides the excess length, I was worried about the (large) size of the holes and the possibility that some of my smaller loaches might work their way into the wall. (What are the chances a loach would do that, eh?)

I used the black 1/2" plastic hardware cloth from Lowe's for the moss wall on my nanocube. My only regret was that the clear suction cups I used turned white after extended immersion and really stood out until the moss grew over them. My kuhli loaches and cherry shrimp hide in it all the time, but I haven't seen one of them get stuck.

[codeflag99]

I have been using burlap cloth sold in garden centres for wrapping shubs for winter or as pond basket liners. I use it as the substrate and 'weave' the plants or roots into it.

I got the idea from a article writen by Peter Bradley in Practical Fishkeeping magazine.

Its also called Jute carpet backing, Hessian cloth.

George

[zhima]

I don't get how u can attach the mesh to the glass without leaving any gaps when all you use is suction-cups.

I think it's dangerous for the fish that likes to hide, for example the young dwarf ciclids.

[TommyBoy]

I've bult a small "carpet" of java moss for one of my nano's using plastic door screen mesh and a couple of criss-crossed loops of dark polyester thread. Within a month the moss completely hid the threads and mesh except when my apple snail digs under it and kicks it up, exposing a corner, some underside, etc.

I bought a 1.5 ft X less than 2 ft odd sized scrap of the door mesh for a dollar at my local ACE Hardware. The idea came to me while there shopping for something else.

HOWEVER, I too would sure like to know what the Japanese word is that is being translated in those Amano books so we can know for sure what he's refering to.