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hanging moss ?

6K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  willow 
#1 ·
please forgive my crude explanation of what i'm after asking …
you know the trees in Floridia..you know the stuff that hangs off
of them,is there anything remotely like that for the aquarium ?
thanks.
 
#3 ·
hey..thanks for the reply.
it's just i'm re designing my tank…adding a little something here….
a little something there…and a small thought crossed my mind…
hmmmm never mind
 
#4 ·
Maybe you could get some kind of wire (thats aquarium safe...) and attach moss to it. I would think any type of moss or plant would be too bouyant to actually hang in water.
 
#5 ·
hey:-D
it's to be submerged though,what's that moss called that we usually attach to
bogwood with some cotton ?
 
#6 ·
Java Moss?
 
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#8 ·
i don't know much about moss, ... i have java moss in my tank ...

i have found it sinks right to the bottom if it can.

i don't know about other moss types.

from pictures i have seen moss in general tends to point downwards if it can.
i'm going with a personal hunch here - growing moss in water (our tanks) while it may have a tendency to sink (be heavier than water - personal experience only) i think it's density isn't going to be heavy enough to create a 'hanging' effect in the water.

i would guess it would create a round, or very fluffy round effect, ... maybe hanging, but i would guess more egg shape (heavier bottom kind of look) but not hanging enough to look the way it does in trees.
 
#10 ·
just a guess, ... search for the various types of moss & other carpet plants

i'm guessing carpet plants as once they are free from the substrate under them they have no support to push up on.

ganted many plants stay low only because they are getting sufficient light, if they feel a need for more light then they stretch up.

i am reminded of one person who had a floating island in the tank, foam or plastic or whatever, they he covered it in whatever plant or moss or whatever it was ...

the shape of the 'floating island' base (plastic or foam) could likewise be your start, ... if all you're interested in is a shape, ... for the true hanging visual seen in a forest that's kinda see-through as the moss hangs down, ... good question, it's not like most plants to hang when the alternative is to grow towards the light..

in your shoes, ... i would look into various types of moss & begin some trial & error, ... maybe my guess about moss creating more of a round or egg shape as it grows isn't going to ring true for reality, ... who knows, ... but i would start with a low light demanding plant (regardless what type you go for) so it's not tempted to want to grow towards the light and gravity can do the rest.

failing that, ... trim and prune your moss into the shape you want as it grows :)
 
#11 ·
The two others I know about are Christmas and Riccia. Christmas moss will certainly stay on the bottom but, as Flear said, will grow towards the light. Riccia isn't a moss at all but a floating plant that is used as moss (odd!) and even when tied on will 'breakaway' to the surface so definitely one to be avoided for what you are after.

Just wondering, if you want it to appear as if it is hanging then would using twigs (or something similar) , letting the moss grow up them and making them spread out more towards the top give you the effect you are after?

Or splitting a moss ball and spreading it and forming it into the shape you wanted. You could weight the 'down' end and quite easily disguise it.
 
#12 ·
or like flame moss, and invert it, ... instead of hanging down it could be trimmed to be rising up , ... i know thousands of other plants do this already, (grow up) so nothing special there (just considering alternatives)

yes, christmas moss (from the looks of people making those moss walls) does try to grow down, ... well out and down so it looks like regular branches from those evergreen trees that noticeably slope down as they grow out, ... but still gives a general 'outwards' direction instead of hanging.
 
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