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Keeping Moss Looking Good

jameson_uk

Member
Joined
10 Jun 2016
Messages
879
Location
Birmingham
I have never struggled growing moss but I am struggling to keep it looking nice.

In my main tank I had some java moss attached to the top of a piece of wood and this went wild but when when I trimmed it ended up looking thin and straggly.

In the shrimp tank I have some wood with Christmas Moss and one end and Java moss in the other. Again this was looking good until I attempted to trim it.

If I remove the moss and reattach it then it grows nice again but as soon as it needs trimming it is back to thin and straggly. The moss never seems to properly attach to the wood so perhaps I am just not attaching it properly in the first place?

Any suggestions on how to keep it looking nice?
 
Hi
The secret about moss is to trim it a little at a time and more often.It is mandatory to have idea where and how U want the mosses to grow and get the right species with growing patern to suit your plan.
Java moss should attach easy to wood so probably is the way U attached it in first place.The Cristmas moss is not really good to attach to anything I used very thin fishing line to tie it and keep it in place.In my opinion its beauty is when a bit overgrown and developed the cool Cristmas tree shape so never use it to attach to wood where I want neat presentation.There was a discussion on here about how well different mosses attach to hardscape but dont remmember in which section. There is cool video from George Farmer about trimming with a airline hose tied to the scissors with elastic band so U dont get bits everywhere.
It requires quite a bit of efford to keep mosses tidy and I always admire scapers that have the dedication to do it especially in big heavily mossed tanks.
Regards Konsa
 
Slightly off topic but can I ask which fishing line do I ask for when I visit the tackle shop? Most of the videos about adding moss to branches just seem to mention "fishing line". Never having been an angler, I have no idea what to look for so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Mosses (and also ferns) will only actively attach themselves to a surface when light is adequate. So leaving them overgrown or tying them too thick (in ADA's videos, they always trim the excess after tying) will discourage them to do that. Frequent trimming (to let light through) will help increase attaching area.
 
Slightly off topic but can I ask which fishing line do I ask for when I visit the tackle shop? Most of the videos about adding moss to branches just seem to mention "fishing line". Never having been an angler, I have no idea what to look for so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

There is various strengths of fishing line breaking strain!
A thin diameter couple of pounds strain would do....2lb or slightly above!
These can come in different colours I think now......:rolleyes:
I haven't Course/Fly fished in a very long time;)
Look on Ebay.....for some idea.
 
When the scape is new and the moss is growing in I just trim it lightly every so often just to keep it in shape. Once it's growing nicely I tend trim it less often but a bit more severely. But it all depends on what look I'm trying to achieve. Either way I've found most mosses to be incredibly forgiving.

Also, I find fishing line difficult to use, even low breaking strain stuff, it's too springy and difficult for a ham fisted fellow to knot. I use this instead, you can find it on the end of aisle condolers near the tills in Tesco. It's polyester so won't rot, and comes in various colours, I prefer black.

36289889256_356b17bfb8_b.jpg
 
Thanks for the idea Tim.

I was just looking at a video on YT watching someone super glue moss onto Redmoor branches and although the chap in the video had obviously done it a few times before, he still managed to get moss stuck on his fingers. The polyester thread sounds a bit safer to me.
 
What everyone else has said already, plus, whilst java moss will still benefit from regular haircuts, it is still a straggly moss at the best of times.
 
Best javamoss I grew was in a tank with silver dollars, they kept it pruned to a thin fuzz. I've just glued some flat to a rock to practice my trimming on.
 
When the scape is new and the moss is growing in I just trim it lightly every so often just to keep it in shape. Once it's growing nicely I tend trim it less often but a bit more severely. But it all depends on what look I'm trying to achieve. Either way I've found most mosses to be incredibly forgiving.

Also, I find fishing line difficult to use, even low breaking strain stuff, it's too springy and difficult for a ham fisted fellow to knot. I use this instead, you can find it on the end of aisle condolers near the tills in Tesco. It's polyester so won't rot, and comes in various colours, I prefer black.

36289889256_356b17bfb8_b.jpg

If you ever run out and need some new line give this a try..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spider-B...d=231926931949&_trksid=p2385738.c100688.m4649

Take 10LB that's 0.14mm Thus super thin, extremely strong (don't cut your fingers), it's army green and almost indistinguishable from a plantroot or a piece of the moss it holds. Best propperties this line possess, 1st: it's super slippery, simple double knots keep sliding without much force wet and dry till it's tight. It also doesn't need much force to hold a plant. Anyway if you want the knot to hold the line strenght 10lb then you would need a special non slipping knot, it's that slipery. For us this slippery thing is a very possitive feature with simple knots. 2nd: it's braided, mosses attach also to the line itself, that would be army green with moss attached, camoe to the max. :thumbup:
 
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