# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk >  Outdoor Plant Grow Project - Fissidens

## Urban Aquaria

I started this outdoor project a month ago, it was originally meant as a way to keep excess harvested fissidens and get them to continue growing outside without taking up valuable space in my indoor tanks (and with minimal attention required).

Here is my setup...



To start with, i layer strands of fissidens on pieces of coconut shells (didn't bother to manually tie them on, the fissidens will eventually root in and attach on their own anyways) and then add abit of water into the container.

I prefer to use coconut shells as the base as they have a more natural curved shape once the fissidens establish (like small green hills), compared to using steel meshes which tend to create a rather flat artificial look.

This process is sort of like a "dry start method" (aka DSM) whereby the plants are grown emersed for a while before being submerged. The bottom layer of water will naturally wick up the coconut shells to keep the fissidens hydrated during this period of time.

The containers i use are just transparent IKEA plastic boxes. The lids are kept closed at all times to retain high humidity in the container (very important for fissidens undergoing DSM) and also to prevent mosquito breeding.



In the photo above, the top container has fissidens growing on coconut shells, while the bottom container has loose fissidens just grown floating in the water. The containers are stacked up to save space.

After 1-2 weeks, once the fissidens attach to the coconut shells, i fill the container with water and they will continue their growth submerged.

On a weekly basis, i do a full water change with de-chlorinated water, no fertilizers added. So far, i've not spotted algae in any of the containers, even in the presence of direct sunlight. Most likely the limited nutrients available are all used up by the fissidens and the sealed environment probably helps prevent external contaminants/spores from being introduced too.

Here is a batch showing the growth rate after around 1 month...



As you can see, there is "pearling" (excess oxygen bubbles from active photosynthesis) even from the fissidens... sunlight is a very powerful light source indeed!

Due to direct sunlight exposure and the covered container environment, the water temperature in the containers can often times reach 31-32°C (sometimes even higher), but interestingly the fissidens didn't seem to show any signs of deterioration and instead seem to grow even faster and greener (compared to my indoor tanks), so i guess fissidens can adapt and thrive in high temperature conditions too.

Looks like growing aquarium plants outdoors can be a useful method to cultivate them... sometimes even better than growing them indoors.  :Smile:

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## jlin

Hi bro, thanks for sharing. Amazing project, really a good way of cultivating aqua plants, very energy efficient too.
Did you dose excel?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi bro, thanks for sharing. Amazing project, really a good way of cultivating aqua plants, very energy efficient too.
> Did you dose excel?


Thanks!

I didn't dose any excel... just plain de-chlorinated tap water + lots of sunlight.  :Smile:

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## FabianLee

I've tried sunning my tank and all i got is algae, huge headache for me. Good suggestion on keeping it tightly sealed, shall try it with my ikea clear containers. Where do you get your husks by the way? I can't seem to find it.

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## AhVy

OH WOW! amazing UA! How come the fissiden won't "burn" out? haha

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## Urban Aquaria

> I've tried sunning my tank and all i got is algae, huge headache for me. Good suggestion on keeping it tightly sealed, shall try it with my ikea clear containers. Where do you get your husks by the way? I can't seem to find it.


I got my coconut shells from husks leftover from the market... basically just strip away the outer layer, cut and shape them into smaller pieces, then boil them to remove most of the tannins.

You could also get coconut shells from various LFS, they are sometimes sold as hiding caves for fishes or with plants tied to the shells, so you can re-purpose those too.





> OH WOW! amazing UA! How come the fissiden won't "burn" out? haha


I guess fissidens tend to brown out when there is a change of environment or if they are left directly under high intensity aquarium lights for too long. 

In the case of my fissiden containers, their lighting photoperiod follows the daytime sequence, which gradually increases and peaks at noon, then gradually decreases until evening... so even though the sunlight is very intense at noontime, it's only for a relatively short period of time. Maybe that somehow works well enough to encourage fissidens growth.  :Smile:

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## nicholasliao

Mine burned out after direct sunlight. Did you ever have to replace the water during the first 2 weeks? The water in my container turns yellowish so I always refill or replace the water.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Mine burned out after direct sunlight. Did you ever have to replace the water during the first 2 weeks? The water in my container turns yellowish so I always refill or replace the water.


Maybe you can try shifting them to an area with abit less sunlight exposure, see if it helps the fissidens to adapt gradually. Do make sure that the fissidens are constantly hydrated and don't dry out as that can cause them to melt too.

Are your containers covered? Perhaps the plastic cover and condensation in my containers helps to also somewhat diffuse the light.

For the first 1-2 weeks during the DSM period, i just leave the containers alone without changing the water... i guess yours could be yellowish because the shells or wood are still leaching tannins?

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## ckaidi

Super like this sharing!! Thanks!!  :Smile:

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## Thirteen

This is very interesting and inspiring.. i guess everyone at one point will have excess of any plant and maybe this method would work with certain plants. But it is definitely useful it is "documented" before by AQ member. Anyway, Fissiden is surely surprising to survive the singapore outdoor weather..
Anyone else try this method with other plants please share too!

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## angus

Bro, I am starting my project on this after getting inspiration from you. I had spent some time and effort to hack the full coconut earlier. Now the fissiden is on top of the boiled coconut. I hope to achieve good results like yours!

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## Mookie

Bro, you reckon is possible to use the same method to grow fissiden on rocks? Or the coconut husk provides the "water" the plant needs?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Bro, you reckon is possible to use the same method to grow fissiden on rocks? Or the coconut husk provides the "water" the plant needs?


Yes, you can use rocks too, but for best results use rocks which have a rough surface (ie. porous lava rocks) as the fissiden roots need something to grip on.

During the DSM period, the fissidens will stay hydrated from water wicked up through the rough/porous surfaces and the surrounding high humidity within the sealed container.

Smooth rocks could also be used too, but you'll need to wrap it with fine mesh netting to create a suitable surface for the fissidens to attach on to.

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## Mookie

> Yes, you can use rocks too, but for best results use rocks which have a rough surface (ie. porous lava rocks) as the fissiden roots need something to grip on.
> 
> During the DSM period, the fissidens will stay hydrated from water wicked up through the rough/porous surfaces and the surrounding high humidity within the sealed container.
> 
> Smooth rocks could also be used too, but you'll need to wrap it with fine mesh netting to create a suitable surface for the fissidens to attach on to.


thanks! Will go give rocks a try, seems like pretty fun  :Smile:

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## LideBoi

Interesting! I am also going to try this ~

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## Mookie

Off to daiso tomorrow to buy some containers for this

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## octopus

Wish to compliment you on your unselfishness to share the fruits of your labour. A very valuable piece of information very relevant to my present situation.  :Smile:

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## angus

my first trial failed with the fissidens rooted but burnt (turned black and staining the coconut in the process). My container was placed in the central of the living room away from direct sun. 
I am trying my second round, will probably submerge all the fissiden by the 5th day to prevent the fissidens from burning again. I will have to find a way to weigh down the coconut soon.

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## Mookie

I'm trying out the grinded fissiden method, using DSM. Where I cut up fissidens into small bits and rub them on a rock. Hopefully it works out too. Will share the outcome in days to come

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## angus

my fissidens are staining the coconut husk brown. then it will turn black and die again... HOw to stop this staining....?

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## Urban Aquaria

> my fissidens are staining the coconut husk brown. then it will turn black and die again... HOw to stop this staining....?


Thats strange, aren't the coconut shells brown in the first place? Not sure how fissidens could stain them either.

Do you have a photo of the fissidens, shells, container and where you usually place the whole setup?

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## ckaidi

I tried with small container and failed. I believe that this works with big container so as it can be kept at lower temperature.

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## Urban Aquaria

The containers i used are the smallest IKEA ones... only 28cm x 20cm x 14cm, around 7+ liters. Bigger boxes would be able to contain more pieces for cultivation though.

Temperatures of up to 31-32°C built-up within the containers didn't seem to be an issue for the fissidens (though that was measured earlier this year when the weather was cooler). With the current crazy hot weather, the in-container temperature will rise even higher, so it'll probably be better to move them away from direct sunlight to cooler/shaded areas but still with indirect sunlight. 

Sunlight and heat are huge variables with outdoor cultivation (everyone's location is different), so have to shift them around to find the ideal environment for their growth.

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## Mookie

UA is it possible to transfer mature fissiden from your coconut husk and to a DRiftwood? Can re-tie instead of using superglue?

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA is it possible to transfer mature fissiden from your coconut husk and to a DRiftwood? Can re-tie instead of using superglue?


Sure, you can either trim them or just pull out the individual strands/bunches, then transfer over and tie the loose fissidens on driftwood (or any other attachment method).

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## Mookie

Thanks! Looks like I'm gonna buy some mature ones and tie them on my dw, too lazy to wait for them to grow...I left them in a week in the tank and barely see any difference. Need lots of patient for this moss haha

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks! Looks like I'm gonna buy some mature ones and tie them on my dw, too lazy to wait for them to grow...I left them in a week in the tank and barely see any difference. Need lots of patient for this moss haha


Yeah, fissidens growth is usually measured in months... they are relatively slow growers even in the best conditions.  :Smile:

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## TheAquarist

Just a little something.
Terrestrial moss can grow at an amazing rate using UA's method. 

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## sthh

Very nice, and another great idea. Thanks for sharing.

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## angus

my mature fissidens are blackening at the base/roots. Is this sign of black hair algae or this is normal?

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## Urban Aquaria

The darker sections at the bottom of fissidens are usually the roots, though sometimes if the growth is dense enough the bottom older areas could die off due to shortage of light and turn black too.

Algae could be a possibility, though usually it occurs on top of the fissidens (where there is more light) rather than below it.

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## marle

love this thread. thanks for sharing

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## markus92

Any updates ? Keen to try! 😆

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## Urban Aquaria

> Any updates ? Keen to try! 


I've done 2 batches of fissidens on coconut shell pieces for my own tanks so far, its relatively straight-forward... just have to do regular water changes and wait patiently for the fissidens to grow out.  :Grin: 

Do give it a try, its an alternative moss growing method if you are short of space in existing tanks, or preparing moss decor in advance for upcoming scapes.

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## matashi

Can I know what kind of fissidens you using?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Can I know what kind of fissidens you using?


For this project, i used _Fissidens Fontanus_ (aka US Fissidens).

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## matashi

Oh thanks

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## lohsh

Could someone help identify this moss?

Do you reckon it can get itself anchored as I have not use any fishing line or string?

Thanks!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Could someone help identify this moss?
> 
> Do you reckon it can get itself anchored as I have not use any fishing line or string?
> 
> Thanks!


Hard to tell just from those photos, could be java moss. I guess as it grows out, you can check online and compare the moss photos to find the ID.

If it is java moss, then it will attach to the wood over time as it grows... java moss tends to have a rather messy growth pattern though, so you have to trim it regularly to maintain a nice shape.

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## Switchs

They look just like green Bread,so funny

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## flatearthling

Extremely fascinating to see how plants can quickly adopt to different environment. Very informative thk u for sharing

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## flatearthling

One important question is will the outdoor fissiden be able to adopt back in the aquarium environment especially the temperature difference once you bring it back?

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## Urban Aquaria

> One important question is will the outdoor fissiden be able to adopt back in the aquarium environment especially the temperature difference once you bring it back?


From my experience so far, there will be a short transition period when the fissidens are shifted to a tank with different parameters and temperature (same as how most plants will react too)... but the transition is relatively quick so they will usually resume growth in a short time.

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## fuurrr

Sorry to revive an old thread but since we're at this topic I guess it's better than starting a new one. Do you open the covers for air exchange during the DSM period and for how long do you let the air exchange for?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sorry to revive an old thread but since we're at this topic I guess it's better than starting a new one. Do you open the covers for air exchange during the DSM period and for how long do you let the air exchange for?


For my outdoor container setups, i open the covers every 2-3 days (sometimes only once a week if i forget) for a few minutes each time. Its mainly just to check the growth progress and maybe re-position any detached bits of fissidens and top up abit of water... other than that i just leave the fissidens alone to grow on their own.

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## fuurrr

Will the growth be faster after it's rooted submerged or emersed? I'm thinking of doing something similar but leaving it to grow as fast as possible for future use.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Will the growth be faster after it's rooted submerged or emersed? I'm thinking of doing something similar but leaving it to grow as fast as possible for future use.


I find that they tend to grow the fastest in emersed conditions under high humidity conditions (have to ensure that they don't dry out), so that is the type of environment to grow them out quicker.

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