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moss aquarium

sa80mark

Member
Joined
2 Oct 2007
Messages
859
Location
Leicester
Im wanting to rescape my 30cm cube tank and am wanting to do pretty much all moses and riccia, i am completely new to moses and have next to no experience with them. I know moses grow well in a low tech setup but I would like to have mine high tech,

Is it possible to do a high tech moss tank ? Or is it really more suited to low tech ?

Ive searched quite a lot and cant find many examples of high tech moss tanks, I know George farmers current tank is quite heavily moss based but am unsure if its possible in only a 30l tank

Tank info:

30 x 30 x 35cm
Eheim classic 2215 (620 l.p.h)
11watt dennerle cfl
2kg fe co2
Im thinking innert substrate
Ei dosing
 
Hi,
Moss does every tech you can imagine, just follow the same rules and you'll be fine.

Cheers,
 
Hi,
As Clive says the same principles apply for all plants. It's easy to make the assumption that those plants that do well in low tech set ups are 'easy' and they don't need looking after. Low tech they grow slow so produce less waste which negates some of the constant cleaning I think they require. Moss is a trap for waste and creates dead spots which means flow thought it and distribution to the inner core is quickly prevented which leads to browning and failure. In high tech set ups often growth is faster so this process happens quickly.....moss is like a filter sponge or floss in that it traps dirt, imagine not cleaning your filter sponge!......to prevent the plant 'suffocating' itself its best to keep it well trimmed where possible and 'waft' and agitate it regularly to remove dirt build up. Shrimps can help a lot in keeping the moss free from dirt as they constantly work it preventing it from tightening up and becoming stagnant dirt collectors, however not everybody keeps shrimp so regular moss maintenance is important in keeping it healthy and looking its best.
Cheerio
Ady
 
Many years ago, at least as far back as the 30s, Fontinalis, (being the only readily available moss for aquariums) was recommended for trapping dirt. People would grow some attached to a rock, and take it out and wash it once a week. Often that was the only mechanical filtration, and the plants the only biofiltration used.
 
Thanks Ady

Much appreciated I will definitely take on board your advice, I know this scape will be a lot of work maintenance wise but im determined to make this scape work :)

Sparkyweasel, thats really interesting I can see the thinking behind it, its strange to think even back then people were looking for ways to improve the hobby although I guess back then it wasnt so much a hobby, the early days of fish tanks, fish keeping must be fascinating
 
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