My nano paludarium

[parotet]

Johnbol your paludarium is amazing! I wanted to make something like this from scratch (try to make for the first time a glass cube, try local moss and plants) and without using any kind of energy: just natural light, no heating (that's easy in Spain), no air pump, no mist system (just manual spraying). I want two moss walls and a small jungle of plants... Just plants, no animals because it would be a 20 cm cube.

My question is: do you thing moss will do well on xaxim? To be honest it is the first time I hear about it. I've seen a guy in YouTube that runs a moss vivarium cube (this one more complex...well not complex but uses artificial light and air pump) but he uses Hygrolon. It looks that this tissue is very effective absorbing water so keep the moss always dump. I know that Epiweb works more or less like this (looks also that you pay well for it!). Do you think I can get a green wall using xaxim?

Jordi

 

[Johnbol]

Hi Guys!

Thank you all for your kind words! Means a lot to me.

I will try to post a "full frontal" picture of the tank in few days. As I look at the first photo I posted here it has changed since then a bit.

My question is: do you thing moss will do well on xaxim? To be honest it is the first time I hear about it. I've seen a guy in YouTube that runs a moss vivarium cube (this one more complex...well not complex but uses artificial light and air pump) but he uses Hygrolon. It looks that this tissue is very effective absorbing water so keep the moss always dump. I know that Epiweb works more or less like this (looks also that you pay well for it!). Do you think I can get a green wall using xaxim?

Jordi, I have been trying with xaxim since a while now. What I can say is that mosses shouldn't have a slightest problem covering it, providing it will be moist all the time and exposed to light. Plus you need to put pieces of moss of your choice on it to start with. Also other plants, like climbers and ferns, will easily penetrate xaxim with their roots. Orchids and other plants with thicker roots might have little problem.
The marketing around xaxim is in my opinion too exaggerated, as I don't think it has enough (if any...) spores of ferns and mosses to get green really fast. So I suppose you can have exactly the same effect with other materials you mentioned. In this case your only questions should be about the price, and the looks of the material (until it fully covers with moss that is) you prefer. Xaxim is also a bit tough to cut, unless you have access to some cutting power tools like a circular saw (mind your fingers though!). I used hand tools, and it leaves the material bit rough on the edges, and lots of mess around. Of course some stores might provide you with cut-to-fit sizes.

A friend of mine has a small vivarium with a xaxim wall he got from me. He's using high quality aquarium lamps plus has lots of humidity (vivarium is at a aquarium store), and in his case the wall looks even better - fully green. Maybe except the top part, where it gets bit too much lamp heat.

Cheers!

 

[Dominic]

This is looking awesome mate, how often do your orchids flower? truly beautiful.

Also in regards to xaxim, i've no experience with it, but i use hygrolon and it does stay wet all the time. Climbers root onto it very well, mosses grow onto it well too. Only downside to it, it does not look very 'natural' until it is completely covered, which i know would bug some people!

Keep it up johnbol!

 

[parotet]

Hi all

I found a small retailer in Spain that can post Hygrolon (50x50 cm) for 6 euros... Not bad. The prices I have seen for xaxim are higher and it looks like it is very difficult to certify its origin (you know sustainable practices).

Anyway, my concern now is if I will be able to grow in winter the plants without adding artificial light. As mentioned I want this small toy to have the lowest footprint and I was thinking about a mini photovoltaic panel or similar. This new setup could be placed in winter near my nano that is lit 7 hours a day. A small panel, something around 10x10 cm, could be placed near the light and should be enough for a small LED, maybe 2 watts? Moss won't need much light, probably it is just a matter of non stopping the growth.
Any idea of how to do this? (My skills regarding electricity are very poor... I can just change a bulb 😉)

Jordi

 

[Dominic]

I got a 100x100cm for around 25 quid so thats an extremely good price, i'd go for it mate.

And parotet, i think the winter lighting should be fine. I grew a 30x60cm tray of lilaeopsis brasilensis through winter by the windowsill just fine. What i have noticed, though, is too wet conditions and not enough light usually make rise to fungal growth... so it wouldnt hurt to add some extra light. Regardless i think it would be fine by the windowsill. Thats my experience.

Let's see what johnbol thinks.

 

[Johnbol]

Hi Guys!

I find light as an important factor when it comes to growing plants.
Anyway, Jordi, if you don't plan to put on additional light source for the winter, maybe you should consider creating a low cost reflecting panel, since you can move your emeresed set-up next to a tank with it's own lamp? You could wrap tin foil around a piece or cardboard, and place it on, or next to your emersed tank. Then just choose the right angle, so that as much light from your tank as possible would be directed onto your moss.

Cheers!