Moss cotton vs fishing line vs standard sewing thread?

[UrbanDryad]

Hello all!

I'm sure this has already been discussed here, but searching 'aquascaping thread' on a forum full of threaded discussions about aquascaping yields an overwhelming number of results 😅

So, I'd like to try the method of tying plants onto hardscape rather than gluing them, and I'd love to hear what has worked best for community members here.

I'm aware of products like the ADA 'moss cotton' which is coloured green to blend in with the plants, and apparently formulated to decompose later than cotton normally would, allowing more time for the plants to attach naturally - is this sales hype, or is it really worth the high price tag?

I've seen fishing line recommended for mounting epiphytic plants in the wider houseplant and terrarium community, and I think I've seen some YouTube aquascapers use it, but fishing line itself can be made of silk or plastic - which kind(s) have you had success with?

Finally, are there any kinds of sewing thread that might work equally well, or is there something about the dyes / construction that renders it unsafe, insufficiently strong, or otherwise not worth it? I've got sewing thread and embroidery thread in cotton and polyester.

Thank you very much for your time and expertise 😊

 

[Wookii]

I prefer fishing line - you can get incredibly fine hook link lines that are more than strong enough, or fine braided lines if you want the line to be a certain colour.

 

[UrbanDryad]

I prefer fishing line - you can get incredibly fine hook link lines that are more than strong enough, or fine braided lines if you want the line to be a certain colour.

Thank you! Do you use silk or plastic? Where would you recommend sourcing from?

 

[Wookii]

Thank you! Do you use silk or plastic? Where would you recommend sourcing from?

I'm not aware of any fishing line made from silk, they're pretty much all plastic polymers of one type or another.

You can get them from anywhere, either online or a local fishing tackle shop.

Here is some green coloured braid - only 10th of a millimetre in diameter:

Amazon product ASIN B00CPAHYOI
or some clear hook link line:

Amazon product ASIN B07RYRNCWB
Incidentally I should have added above, I still think it's easier to attach epiphytes with superglue than fishing line, but I prefer fishing line for mosses.

 

[UrbanDryad]

Wonderful, thank you!
I know nothing about fishing, so was just going off search results which cited silk as a traditional material and plastics as a modern material And yes, I was thinking I'd use it for mosses - specifically I thought it might work nicely with weeping moss on a branch. The kind of epiphyte mounting I'd heard of it being used for was the non-aquatic kind, where you'd surround the roots of something like a staghorn fern or orchid with sphagnum moss, and then tie that to a piece of bark - most of the aquatic uses I've seen were with moss. I could have been clearer there!

 

[Andy Pierce]

You don't see this much, but I very much like using waxed dental floss. Because it goes in people's mouths you can be confident it is non-toxic, and it has an 'it's easy to work with' aspect to how thick the floss is, how easy it is to tie off and how grippy it is being waxed.

 

[foxfish]

What you want is fishing bait elastic, nothing else will come close!

 

[UrbanDryad]

Thank you both!
@Andy Pierce I have some of this, but I imagine the menthol-infused version is not going to be great for fish 😂
@foxfish What's uniquely brilliant about it?

 

[jamiep]

if I want it to disappear/rot away after a few months, after the plant has attached: normal cotton thread
if I want it to not rot away after a few months: normal polyester thread

 

[foxfish]

What's uniquely brilliant about it?

Well it holds the bait on my hook when I cast out but apart from its designed purpose, bait elastic comes in white, black or clear and is very stretchy, self locking and is easy to use while affixing plants….. not much else to tell…

 

[Tim Harrison]

I use this...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. And much cheaper than ADA moss cotton.

 

[Tim Harrison]

For instance, I used it to attach this mini Christmas moss to the DW

 

[UrbanDryad]

Well it holds the bait on my hook when I cast out but apart from its designed purpose, bait elastic comes in white, black or clear and is very stretchy, self locking and is easy to use while affixing plants….. not much else to tell…

Awesome, thank you

I use this...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. And much cheaper than ADA moss cotton.

View attachment 210387

Very useful to know that you've not had problems with this, as I have this thread already! Your scape is gorgeous

 

[PARAGUAY]

Never used moss cotton ADA say it allows moss to grow much better and look natural. Suppose if they also used glue sales of moss cotton would fall off the cliff

 

[zozo]

Here is some green coloured braid - only 10th of a millimetre in diameter:

Amazon product​

I've used this braided Dyneema in several occasions, some only 0.06mm thick i still had left from my fishing days.

Positive sides are:
it's extremely thin it's Moss green in colour, its strong, will last forever, vissible strands look like plantroots, it's braided and moss and aufwuchs and even plantroots can and will attach to it. It's a slipery line and simple knots will slide easily in place. Since it's oftenly used as leader line only in the angling hobby most fishing gear shops sell it per yard, so you don't have to buy 500 yard bulk roles.

Negative sides are: None (IMHO) Can't think of any... Well one maybe, if you pull to hard you could cut your fingers.