[MissMinerva]

Hi all!

This is my first post here. Please be gentle! :wink:

I recently purchased a riccia mat. It's about 7" x 9". Very healthy. My problem is, I'm not sure what to do with it! Yes, it was an impulse buy.

Since it is a mat, there really is no 'bottom' to it. If I want to attach it to driftwood, do I just pull some off and tie it on? Is there anything that can be done with the entire mat besides letting it float?

My tank is not high tech. It's a 55 gal. with 2 48" Zoo Med Ultra Sun lamps. I had read that riccia doesn't necessarily need high light and Co2.

I need to hear from some folks that have used riccia. Especially the different ways it can be used.

Thanks a bunch!

Jan

 

[niko]

Miss,

I personally think that your riccia will not do very well without CO2. If you let it float on the surface it will last for a long time though.

Attaching the riccia is simple - take thing green cotton thread, put a small amount of riccia over a rock or a piece of wood, use the thread to wrap the plant in place with a few loops.

Attached riccia has some downsides:

- Initially the riccia will look ulgy because you can see the thread. In a tank that has CO2 supplementation the riccia grows very fast and in a week the threads will not be visible. In your case the riccia will grow very slow and the ugly threads will be visible longer. An alternative is to use very thin clear fishing line.

- If the riccia grows fast the trimming becomes a weekly task. Small pieces of riccia end up floating everywhere and start to grow where you may not want them. Your light is extremely low - from what I personally know 64 watts over a 55 gal. tank will not grow good riccia on the bottom.

- If you let the riccia mat get too thick the bottom part starts to rot and one sunny day the nice top portion separates and tries to float up.

The problem with the mat is that it's hard to weigh it down AND keep it looking as a mat.

Don't let the above turn you off riccia. Experiment and you may find that you can and like to keep that plant, this hobby is about trying things and having fun!

--Nikolay

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

I have a bit of riccia growing in my low tech no co2 75 that is doing well. It doesnt grow very fast, but I dont want it to. It was floating around but now is stuck on a piece of driftwood/java fern. I really like it. Maybe one day I will have enough to cover a coconut shell or something.

 

[MissMinerva]

Niko,
Thanks for all the info. The lighting is actually a whopping 80 watts. I also have a very nice fixture that directs all the light down into the tank. I know that's still not much light, tho.

Sir,
That's very encouraging that you have it growing well in a low light tank. It doesn't actually attach itself to the driftwood & plant, does it?

I guess I will just experiment and see what happens. Maybe I can make as big a mess as I did when I first tried Java Moss! :shock:

And if anyone has tips on getting baby pond snails out of a Riccia mat, please let me know!!! I can't do anything with it til they are gone.

Any other experiences?

Thanks,

Jan

 

[JanS]

Hi Jan.
Nice to see you here...

 

[MissMinerva]

Thanks, and Hi to you too, Jan! So much info here!

Jan

p.s. plants are doing great!

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Yes it seems to do very well in my tank, just a slow grower there though. No it doesnt attach itself, its just hung up in between some java fern leaves and driftwood. Good luck getting the snails out...you'll probably have to do it by hand....

 

[tsunami]

Although it may grow, I don't think Riccia in a 55g with no CO2 and only 80 watts of normal output flourescent is going to look very pretty.

The plant will not bubble or grow as nicely like in Amano's aquariums. It'll probably revert to the dreaded, dark green sinking Riccia form.

Carlos

 

[BudiPT]

Without CO2, it'll be floating little greens. Thats what I have in my pond . In CO2 tank, the leaf gets larger and more beautiful. While its a great looking plant, personally I never keen to have it in a tank cause of the high maintenance.