Java moss is one of the easiest plants to grow in an Aquascape, and it's a great plant for beginners to get their hands wet in the aquascaping world. Let's talk about some of the common techniques that use Java Moss. Here's the wonderful thing about this plant: it's almost impossible to kill it. It'll grow more slowly in poor water conditions, but it almost never melts. (That's what happens when a plant starts decaying underwater.) Don't be afraid to get a big bunch of it and stick in your tank to see what happens! You can check out our favorite Java Moss here. Java Moss needs two things to grow quickly in an Aquascape: good water and good light. With those two things, it'll grow fast enough that you'll probably get tired of trimming it back. (If you need some help trimming aquarium plants properly then check out our guide here). If you can get your tank to these conditions, you'll have more moss than you know what to do with. Seriously, this stuff grows insanely fast. Getting the right aquarium heater is also important, more on that here.

Carpets are a beautiful addition to any Aquascape. Java Moss is an easily-maintained carpet that lasts forever, and isn't that hard to start growing. The key is how you anchor it to an object that's flat, textured, and non-floating. People use tons of different things to anchor Java Moss. Stones, rocks, driftwood, even other plants—it's all heavy enough to hold down the plant. (At least until it starts growing at a faster rate. You'd be surprised how much a mat of Java Moss can lift.) Most aquarists use a mesh net to pin it to the substrate. I've had success using window mesh to pin it down, and weighing each end of the net down with a stone, driftwood, or another heavy piece in your tank. (This kind works really well.) Substrate is another option for weighing it down. (Here is our guide on the best Substrate) Mix in the moss with your substrate (making sure not to pack it too tightly, especially if you're using a fine powder substrate), provide plenty of light for the next few weeks, and you'll start to see some growth coming up through the substrate.

The alternative is to simply buy pre-made java moss carpet. Here's a great source we've used from Amazon: Walls can be made the same way as carpets: using plastic mesh. Moss usually grows a bit faster on walls, since it's less likely to have its light blocked by other materials and fish. 5ft fish tank gold coastYou'll need some suction cups to anchor the net to the wall, but the Java Moss will quickly grow over the netting and cups, and you won't see them.cheap fish tanks chester Here's a great technique for preventing float-away: fold the net in half, and stuff the java moss in between each side. cheap fish tanks chesterThat provides the moss with a solid attachment while still allowing water movement through the net.buy goldfish tank online

These are little more tricky to pull off. But when it works, it can produce some of the most amazing aquascapes you've ever seen. The best way to get these results is to get a piece of driftwood that's heavy enough to hold down the moss, and has the texture to hold the tie-down string without slipping.fish tank top cover diy This is a driftwood supplier we've seen some success with: JBJ Lightingnew fish tank water cloudy One important point: insert the bottom of your tree into the substrate. You'll likely lose it to float-away if you don't. Java Moss has the amazing capability to lift up nearly anything. These are an easy way to bring some life to a smaller aquascape. They're tiny, easily-moved, and are great for water quality in smaller tanks. These can be made DIY, but if you're planning on buying moss in addition to the balls themselves, you'll likely come out cheaper if you buy premade moss balls for your first ones:

It's extremely common to use Java Moss with breeder tanks, grow tanks, or other situations where you need to provide cover for smaller fish or fry. (It can actually provide a food source for fry, which can be notoriously hard to feed.) This is the perfect moss for breeder tanks. Easily-grown in all types of water and light, great for water quality and keeping excess nutrients out of the water column, and it can feed fry, as well. Do yourself a favor and get a ball of this when you're starting any type of fry-tank. (Especially if you're looking to protect the fry after birth.) Since it grows so quickly in nearly any type of lighting conditions, Java Moss is perfect for new tanks that have few plants using the nutrients in the water column. The moss will pull all excess nutrients out of the column and help prevent algae from wrecking your newly-planted tank. Because it's also easily-moved on moss balls, it's perfect for just dropping a few into newly-made tanks while they're stabilizing.

There are tons of places where you can buy this stuff online. The quality of most isn't great. Here's where we've bought some of the Java Moss that we use in our tanks:Many aquariums nowadays are run open topped but there are cases where a tight fitting hood and built in lighting are necessary. Most bought aquariums will come with a hood and lighting but sometimes fish keepers will resort to making their own. This may sound complicated but it isn’t! Even the smallest of tanks come complete with a hood and some form of basic lighting. Hoods are normally made from wood, plastic or metal, deciding which one is used is purely personal preference. Aquarium hoods serve a few purposes. They will reduce the amount of evaporation from the tank water as well as preventing contaminants entering the tank from outside sources. Hoods also act as a base for attaching the lighting equipment to and with built in flaps give access to all areas. If the aquarium is bought as a complete package, the hood will be a perfect fit and will do its job well.

If making your own hood, measure carefully to ensure a tight fit. As mentioned above, this is personal choice. Plastic hoods are very light and easy to adapt if parts need cutting away to fit equipment into the tank. Wooden hoods are often used to match the décor of the room that the tank is situated in, any colour of wood can be used but it must be treated with a waterproofing to prevent the wood from swelling. Condensation trays should also be used with wooden hoods to help prevent any damage from the inside. Any hood that does its job and fits well is the best. Some of the more expensive hoods are priced purely on their decorative value and not their efficiency. Bear this in mind when looking for a hood for your own tank. I have bought cheap hoods in the past and they were far better than some of the more expensive ones. From my own experience of talking to other fish keepers, the plastic hood that just sits on the top of the tank seem to be the most commonly used. They will normally have hinged flaps that run along the front and back of the hood, this allows for ease of feeding the fish and also for tank maintenance.

Because they are so light it is also a simple matter to remove the hood completely if required for the larger maintenance tasks. There is only one way to determine this, measure the aquarium length and sides; this will give you the size of hood that will be advertised with the corresponding measurements. Read up about the hoods that are for sale as in the description it will also tell you the amount of access the hood will allow with the flaps. All good suppliers should have a guide to help you choose. There is a guide in the following article: aqua-fish.net/articles/aquarium-hoods-guide. It is another option to make your own hood and not that difficult. I prefer to use wood for my own hoods but plastic sheeting can also be used to great effect. Measure your tank carefully and create the sides, front and back using your measurements. The lid should be fixed at the rear bit add a piano hinge or similar to allow you to make a lifting flap at the front. And that is a basic hood, everything is screwed together and the wood is water proofed, if measured correctly it should sit snug on top of the tank.

If using plastic then the pieces will need to be fixed together with a suitable aquarium rated sealant. Yes you can, in a perfect world the equipment would just slot into place with out altering the hood but it never works out like that. The easy way to do it is to work out where the equipment is going and then simply cut away a portion of the hood to give it room. With a plastic hood this means just cutting out a small area with a hacksaw and if you have a wooden hood, use a small tenon saw. Using a hood with a planted tank indirectly helps the plants as the hood will host the aquarium lighting. With the lighting being as close to the water surface as is safely possible, it will be more efficient in aiding their growth. The hood will feel warm to the touch as the lighting gives off heat. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. The hoods are designed to withstand normal amounts of heat from the lighting but if it feels like that it is getting too hot, check out for faults in your lighting system.

The lighting can be modified to stronger tubes etc. If you add brighter tubes remember that the ballast that runs your lighting is rated to the same wattage as the tubes. If you use a stringer wattage tube, you must use stronger rated ballast. If you are converting to a longer tube then the tube holders should unscrew from the hood, then it is just a matter of drilling some fresh holes further apart and replace the tube holders there. Nowadays there are underwater lighting kits available that are very easy to install. Basically you just place the lights at the bottom of the tank or wherever you want them and plug in. Always ensure that they are waterproof lighting systems. These can range from single light kits for a few pounds up to a group of lights that will cost a lot more. The golden rule for aquarium lighting is 1-2 watts per gallon of water. This is more crucial with planted tanks; they generally will need 2 watts per gallon. Work out the water volume of the tank and then just multiply it by 2 to get the most efficient lighting for your aquarium.