Moss tank questions

[MrLarner]

Hi guys, I'm on the verge of picking up another 60litre 2ft x 1ft x 1ft tank, i'll be running a fluval 205 on it with c02.
basically i want to create a tank full of moss.
moss carpet, moss all over the branches of wood
moss here, moss there
I'm going to be using aquatic soil capped with aquarium sand.
im then going to have a few smallish driftwood branches all popping out from 1 corner of the tank with some rocks around it.
i then want to get some java fern and narrow java fern for around the rocks and bottom of the wood.
but then i'll be placing lots of different moss around the tank, over all the branches and i'll even be aiming for a moss carpet.
so my questions are.......
anyone got any tips for me?
what moss is best for carpet?
what moss looks best hanging off branches?
is c02 better for moss or will it grow without the c02?
how do you clean your substrate if its covered in moss?
is alot of water movement needed for moss tanks?
i'll be running either 1x 24w T5 or 2 x 24w T5, would would work better?
this is the sort of thing im looking to achieve with not as many branches and a few more ferns in there.

 

[91]

In the tank you describe, Moss & ferns is there any need for soil if ttere are no plants planted in it ?

anyone got any tips for me? Add shrimp - lots of shrimp


what moss is best for carpet? fissidens fortunas. imo
what moss looks best hanging off branches? weeping, fissidens fortunas, triangle. imo
is c02 better for moss or will it grow without the c02? Yes on both counts
how do you clean your substrate if its covered in moss? Shrimp lots of shrimp. Waft & syphon
is alot of water movement needed for moss tanks? enough to ensure all over distribution of co2 & nutrients
i'll be running either 1x 24w T5 or 2 x 24w T5, would would work better? 1 x should be more than enough for a 60L tank. 2 x could be asking for troublle it's a lot of light

 

[MrLarner]

good point, i didnt think of that, suppose the main reason for having soil is in case i decide to plant at a later stage.
i was planning on having moss at the front and then the back around the wood and rock i'd have Staurogyne repens.

 

[foxfish]

Not an easy challenge! Moss is pretty high maintenance, you need to keep on top of the issues all the time.
The moss gets dirt trapped in the fonds & this in turn can causes nasty algae.
You need to trim the moss regularly to stop it getting leggy.
I guesse you need to try out your idea to find out for yourself but any tank without Co2 will be slow growing so if you go that route so have some patience & good luck.

 

[FishBeast]

I agree with milla. Lots of shrimp. At least 100. Once thread algae hits the moss you are in trouble. I just removed about 2 buckets of moss from my tank today because it just gets infested with thread algae and no matter how much you hassle it, it stays deep inside.

Riccia is even more messy but I attached it too the moss and because it out competes the algae it worked well.

 

[MrLarner]

What's the chances of getting thread algae if I have lots of water movement, its only a 2ft tank and ill have the fluval 205 external plus a small powerhead in there. Ill also be running c02.