# Can I grow riccia without co2?



## JESTERX626

I have a 29 gal tank tank and i'd like to know if I can grow it with enough lightning, substrate, liquid ferts and no co2? Even if it means growing slow or not as lush, is it still possible to grow it? How many wpg do you guys suggest i should have if I was to have riccia? Would it pearl?


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## Happy Camper

It'll grow just fine if you float it, but I suspect it may not do as well if you submerge it without co2. But give it a try anyway and see what happens.


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## eklikewhoa

20% water change every week
flora-base substrate
18w coralife pc
occasional iron and excel
2.5gal

i have riccia growing that is shoved into the crevices of the driftwood, tied down and floating with no co2. i have red cherry shrimp in the tank and feed them every three days and since they are a bit sensitive i dont dose much or run co2 and the riccia is growing quite well.


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## JESTERX626

eklikewhoa said:


> 20% water change every week
> flora-base substrate
> 18w coralife pc
> occasional iron and excel
> 2.5gal
> 
> i have riccia growing that is shoved into the crevices of the driftwood, tied down and floating with no co2. i have red cherry shrimp in the tank and feed them every three days and since they are a bit sensitive i dont dose much or run co2 and the riccia is growing quite well.


I calculated u have about 7wpg correct? The light im ordering is 65 watts for my 29 gal and i'll have exactly 2.24 watts. Is this enough to grow riccia?

If what you say is true then how come people get so anal when it comes to riccia saying it needs high light and co2? =/


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## sarahbobarah

You know, I started a planted tank w/ your specs of 29 gallons and 65 watts. I grew riccia fine without CO2. It just didn't grow quickly.


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## JESTERX626

sarahbobarah said:


> You know, I started a planted tank w/ your specs of 29 gallons and 65 watts. I grew riccia fine without CO2. It just didn't grow quickly.


ooh gotcha. well good news. i guess i decided to venture into co2 and yea =]


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## sarahbobarah

JESTERX626 said:


> ooh gotcha. well good news. i guess i decided to venture into co2 and yea =]


In that case, it will grow like the weed it is!


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## John N.

Riccia loves light more then CO2 in my experience. With higher amounts of light, my riccia simply grows everywhere. Of course CO2 helps a bunch, but when compared to a medium light, pressurized setup like my 65w over 29 gallon, riccia didn't grow very fast for me.

-John N.


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## Burks

With zero CO2 my Riccia was growing pretty quickly. Didn't grow very dense but it grew outward. With CO2 and high light it grows dense but still quick.

It's one of those plants that almost takes a nuclear blast to kill.


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## Danger69

Sorry to thread jack this a bit but my question pertains to the same subject. I also have a 29g tank and I am getting a few plants, but what I want to know is how much CO2 needs to be injected into the tank? I am building my own CO2 reactor and I might put it inline with my canister filter.


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## John N.

Danger, it'll be different for each tank, but generally a 30-40 ppm is what we are looking for. Though not entirely accurate, see the pH chart in the Fertilization section to compare your KH and pH readings to figure out where you are without, and how much you need to drop your pH to get to the desired 30-40 ppm readings. 

Again it'll be different for each tank due do water parameters, and diffusion methods, but I find that 2-3 bubbles per second is a good place to start in my 29 gallon using a glass diffuser.

-John N.


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