In this case, at least, plastic needlepoint mesh has shown itself to be a suck substrate for Java moss. After seven months of very little progress, I decided to re-do the back wall of my West African stream tank. I ordered a random selection of driftood from AES and picked up a couple pieces of red lava rock.

Layout:

The masked-off section to the left is space that needs to stay free for the filter plenum.

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Foamed in (hooray for Handi-Foam!):

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Detail – with placeholder hose section – of where the water will return to the tank, producing a nice waterfall/drip wall.

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The waterfall in action with unidentified W. African fern, Bolbitis heudelotii and Anubias:

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More Anubias, some African begonia and an Aeranges biloba:

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The tank looks 100% better and I think it’ll only improve as the begonia grows in and covers everything – I’ll post some pix once things start to grow.