moss wall to surround/cover Fluval Ebi filter

[Dave-H]

I've alwys thought the big filter in my Ebi was an eyesore, and since I have generated a massive amount of fissidens in there I figured I'd go for a little DIY wall of moss around the filter!

I will use the same materials, conditions, tank, lighting as before so hopefully it will grow fast like before! Finally a plant I'm good at

Here we go:

After giving some away, here is what I had left from my last moss effort:



Using needlepoint blanks and fishing line, I made a little form and opened it up.

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I put individual strands of moss between the mesh, and sewed it up roughly with the fishing line. It can't be too tight, maybe 1mm between the two seems best.

Then I heated a little rigid acrylic and bent it and tied it on to help keep the rounded shape. I also added a little mesh at the bottom to hold the curve.



The bottom will be stuck into the gravel. Suction cup to keep the top in place.



In the tank, from the top. Still plenty of room for water to flow into the filter. I left lots of gaps to avoid obstrucing flow, and it will be easy to lift this out from time to time. Also I can easily get the filter out without disturbing the moss.



Tank view. Well, that is pretty ugly! But if it grows it it will be nice!



If this goes anything like my previous attempt, I will have a ridiculous amount of fissidens in 6 months!

[SpecGrrl]

So crafty and creative with a touch of applied engineering!

Fabulous!

[Dave-H]

Yea.. but really just a touch of engineering. It's pretty sloppy if you look close!

but, that was my technique last time. I didn't think much about it and just plopped it in and it grew like mad. I think i just have perfect conditions for fissidens by chance!

[Dave-H]

I spread the moss out very thinly between the mesh. It seemed like it was just going to die or melt away for many weeks, but this morning I noticed some little strands peeking out!



I am happy because once this stuff starts growing for me, it's steady! So, in 6 months I expect to have a square foot of the stuff with a 1 inch length!

[c_gwinner]

Will you have to do a lot of trimming once the moss takes off on the backside of your wall facing the filter? Since the growth could clog the filter up? Awesome Idea by the way

[Dave-H]

I doubt it. This stuff is kind of strong! It grows to about an inch then stops, and spreads into a shag carpet. But here is my observation: it grows towards the light, without exception, and will not grow on the back at all.