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Weeping Meadow

Akwaskape

Akwaskape

Member
Joined
18 Mar 2015
Messages
216
Location
Southend, Essex
Hello
in this journal I plan to document a scape of a weeping moss terrain featuring a barclaya longifolia.

That's the plan anyway!

Im using a Juwel Rekord 700 a
70ltr aquarium with a 24x12 inch footprint. The filter and hood have been removed and the sides and back have been spray painted black.
It sits on a crude 1.75 square inch low stand topped with ply and cork tiles.

The light fixture is a 60cm dimmable 7000k led fixture.

The heater is an aquael easy heater 100w.

The substrate is a 1 inch layer of top soil which has been soaked, debris removed and some of the organic matter removed. This will then be capped with 6 ltrs of aquasoil.

The hardscape is lava stone.

I've decided to dry start this, never done dsm before. But I didn't want to be tieing or glueing. I'm hoping the moss will bite onto the moist terrain before filling.

Circulation will be prvoided by burried airlines driven by an eheim 400 air pump.

So here goes.
 
I've set up a humidifier in the form of a plastic bottle filled with water. A heater has been placed in the bottle with an airline. Once the tank is covered with shrink wrap this should make for a nice humid atmosphere inside the tank. Just to make sure we don't have any accidents i've tied a bit of airline around the bottle and used suction cups to hold it upright against the glass.
IMG_20150318_152839_zpssfgdjcrg.jpg
 
One pot of weeping moss has been finely chopped and sprinkled in. Ive since had another chop at it and spread it out a bit more evenly and across more areas.

20150318_192729_zps8oioldgd.jpg 20150318_192723_zpsk44xgyuc.jpg 20150318_192802_zpsef2sy0cc.jpg
 
Hi @Edvet
Here the airlines serve 2 purposes, the first is to create flow in the tank to move nutrient around. There is no filter / pump.
And the second is to oxygenate the water through surface movement. This allows a quicker breakdown of the organic matter in the sub dirt layer. Which in turn releases CO2 at a quicker rate during the early stages which helps the tank balance / settle quicker.
 
@Troi this is a low energy I'm putting together at the moment. It's a powerful light but im going to use really dimmed down.
 
Akwaskape said:
Hi @Edvet
Here the airlines serve 2 purposes, the first is to create flow in the tank to move nutrient around. There is no filter / pump.
And the second is to oxygenate the water through surface movement. This allows a quicker breakdown of the organic matter in the sub dirt layer. Which in turn releases CO2 at a quicker rate during the early stages which helps the tank balance / settle quicker.
Click to expand...


interesting theory , but your tank is full moss ?
 
Yes it is but when I fill it I plan to plant other bits. And that's when the airlines will do their thing. At the moment I just have damp moss sitting on stones and aquasoil. wrt to co2 release I'm pretty sure that's what happens when organic matter decomposes although I'm no scientist 😉
I'm also conscious of a tank full of nutrients with slow growers without co2 so this early boost of natural co2 should help strip the water column of excess nutrient through plant matter growth once filled. Along with some floating plants.
 
Last edited:
It's been a while, and I can conclusively say the dsm wasn't the best option here. But I wanted to try it for myself, I wouldn't rule it out in future fir different plants/set up I just think the moss wasn't suited.
Anyway I decided to fill and plant the barclaya longifolia and crinum natans I had ready in another tank.
So here's an updated pic 🙂IMG_20150416_150846_zps9b1sgeb8.jpg
 
Question to anyone who may know, does weeping moss actually weep or will it just grow up towards the light. Thanks
 
Can't say exactly for this tipe, but logic dictates plants should grow in the direction of the light, in order to get a better "place in the sun", not away from the light. Individual leaves/fronds can be shaped "away from the light", but the general growth direction will not.
 
Thanks Edvet that's pretty much what I was thinking. Will be interesting to see how this moss develops then.
 
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