Boring black foils are a thing of the past: Plant the back wall of your aquarium with mosses or epiphytic plants. This gives your pool a fascinating and unique look. This can happen in many different ways. If you want to plant plants on the back wall of your aquarium, you will find a few tips and tricks here.
Different types of backgrounds in the aquarium
The back wall in the aquarium can be designed in different ways. The “classics” include:
- Foil for the back wall, which is applied from the outside on the back
- Black or milky white foil, cardboard etc. behind the aquarium
- Structural or 3D back wall that sits inside the aquarium
The third type, the structured background, is ideal for planting in the aquarium.
There is also the option of building an aquarium background yourself. Hobby hobbyists get their money’s worth here. Polystyrene, synthetic resin, stones, slate or bamboo – there are countless ideas. The internet is full of ideas and guides on the subject. 3D backgrounds, which are attached inside the aquarium, are given the icing on the cake by planting. Especially practical with the self-made version: the planting of the rear wall can be planned for when crafting.
Planting a 3D background in the aquarium: this is how it works
If you want to plant the back wall of the aquarium to get an impressive jungle look, it is best to use plants that do not need too much light. An exception are pools that are sparsely planted overall. Here, at least in the upper areas, enough light falls on the back wall of the aquarium and the plants that are supposed to grow there.
There are different ways to attach the plants to the back wall of the aquarium:
Glue the plants that you want to attach to the back wall of the aquarium with underwater glue. This method is quick and easy. However, the decision must be made quickly, because the glue hardens quickly. Subsequent redecoration is also not possible.
Carefully clamp the aquarium plants in columns on the 3D back wall. Be careful not to crush the plants as you may damage them.
Plants do not have to be planted or glued directly to the back wall in the aquarium. They can also be tied to a root with wire or string. You can find out how to do this in our article Attaching epiphytes. The root is then leaned against the back wall. Such a great layout can be created especially with several roots.
Plant the back wall in the aquarium: make a thicket of plants yourself
We introduce you to three great options for planting the back wall in the aquarium if you don’t have a structured back wall in your tank.
Glue plants to a plate with underwater glue
A completely overgrown back wall gives the pool an enchanting appearance. The easiest way to attach mosses for the aquarium. They can be glued directly to the subsurface with underwater glue. We recommend not sticking the plants directly onto the aquarium pane. It is easier for later removal to stick mosses on a thin styrofoam plate or something similar. Then it is either attached with suction cups or glued to the pane with a few dots of glue or aquarium silicone.
Buy aquarium plants on a mat and attach to the pane
A particularly simple solution: aquarium plants on a mat. For example, you can buy java fern on a mat that already comes with clips and suckers. This gives you a simple but effective decoration for the back wall of the aquarium or the side windows.
Since the mat is already densely overgrown, you don’t have to wait long: you can have larger areas of the aquarium greened in no time at all. The mat is also great for wrapping around roots.
Attach the homemade mat to the back wall of the aquarium
A popular solution is also to attach a thin filter mat or pond mat to the back wall of the aquarium. Here the plants can be attached in different ways. Mosses, but also plants such as anubias or java fern find a good hold on it. After some time, depending on the species, the plants grow into a dense green wall.
A few ways to give the plants support on the back wall of the aquarium:
- Stick on with underwater glue
- Secure with homemade plastic clips
To do this, cut a piece of the plastic part of a cotton swab. Cut the ends to a point. Crease it in two places. You will receive a clip that can be used to attach plants to the mat on the back wall. Later they grow tight and the clip can be removed. - Sew with nylon or fishing line
You can attach aquarium plants to the back wall with a thin fishing line. Just sew them in place with a few rough stitches. This method works very well on filter mats and pond mats.
With these tricks, you can easily create an individually planted back wall in the aquarium yourself. We hope you enjoy the planning and implementation.
Do you have any questions or suggestions about planting aquarium backgrounds? We appreciate your comments!
