# Help with Riccia fluitans



## fubuki99 (Apr 18, 2006)

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and recently I purchased a bag full of beautiful Riccia. I"m having a hard time trying to figure out how to keep the riccia from being submerged so I can have a beautiful grassy effect. Right now I'm using regular sewing threads to tie it to a drift wood. it's bubbling like crazy cause I have good light and canister CO2 in a 30 gallon tank. Will it eventually spread to the gravel and form a nice grassy look all over my tank?


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

It won't take root in the gravel or attach itself to hardscape, if that is what you mean. This is one plant that requires physical attachment at all times. People use hairnets, string, or a wire or plastic mesh. It will eventually grow through and around about anything.

I attach mine to medium sized rocks with fishing line. After several days of growout and trimming it starts to look pretty good. You need to keep it trimmed to a total thickness of 1/2 to 1 inch to keep the lower portions from dying. If that happens the entire clump will break free and float away.


----------



## djlen (Jun 22, 2004)

Try this:
Go to the pharmacy and pick up a package of small, fine hair nets. Clear is a good color to buy. They will have an elastic opening on one side. 

Take an object(a flat rock or similar), the size of the Riccia 'patch' you want to cultivate on the substrate, and lay a 1/2" - 3/4" bunch of Riccia over the object.

Now take the hair net and put it over the object and Riccia with the elastic on the bottom. To make it stronger, tie off the bottom(elastic) with fishing line as tightly as possible. 

Now, take some more fishing line and wrap the whole thing as tightly as you can make it to hold the plants and netting down securely.
Riccia wants to float and unless really tied tightly, will hover over the object if not tied down tight. You will not hurt the plants by making it tight.

The plants will grow through the netting and (especially well with good light) and hide it in a short period of time, and you won't even know it's there. CO2 helps the growth as well.
From there, all it will need is a periodic 'haircut' with scissors(careful not to cut the netting) to keep it short, and to look nice and uniform. 

Don't let it get much longer than 1/2" above the netting or the bottom plants will start to die off.

Len


----------



## JKCoyne (May 1, 2006)

That's a great tip, djlen. Do you have any idea if there is an online resource, which provides a review of similar techniques? I'd love to get that one bookmarked. (It's funny that in this stage of the game, as I am a complete novice, bookmarking websites is more my hobby than planted aquariums.) Thanks

-- J.K.


----------



## djlen (Jun 22, 2004)

Off the top of my head, no I don't know of any one particular site, but that's pretty much what these forums are set up to do. If you have a question there are plenty of people around with some knowledge about just about any question relating to all facets of aquarium keeping.
Just ask.
Riccia just happens to be an area I have a lot of experience with.
But it won't surprise me if someone comes up with a site that can supply just about all the information you need.

Len


----------



## JKCoyne (May 1, 2006)

djlen said:


> Off the top of my head, no I don't know of any one particular site, but that's pretty much what these forums are set up to do. If you have a question there are plenty of people around with some knowledge about just about any question relating to all facets of aquarium keeping.
> Just ask.
> Riccia just happens to be an area I have a lot of experience with.
> But it won't surprise me if someone comes up with a site that can supply just about all the information you need.
> ...


Thanks-- once I actually have a tank, and there are plants in it, I will certainly come to the forum for tips and guidance. I just like to read what I can before asking questions... scared straight by Rex Grigg's 'forum rules'....

-- J.K.


----------



## Salt (Apr 5, 2005)

I've never kept it, but I've read that hair nets can be dangerous to fish. I read somewhere where someone came up with "riccia weights," which is basically a weighted grid like piece of material; you simply set it on top of the riccia and it in time it grows through the grid holes and covers it.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help as to where I read it, here's a google search:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="riccia+weights"

Apparently someone named Gomer on the boards here knows how to make them, but since he was selling them, I'm not sure if he will share the info...


----------



## nasfish (Sep 26, 2005)

You may want to see this link Good info on working with riccia.

Best Regards


----------



## BSS (May 2, 2006)

I tried Riccia one other time. I went with the hairnet and rock, but found it to be a bit more work than I like.

On another board, I recent jumped on a 'kit' which included a bending jig and 1/8" stainless steel rods. Just this last week, I finally made my frog-inspired Riccia weights, and here's a shot of one of them...


----------



## artemism3 (May 21, 2005)

BSS,

Is anything else holding down or trapping the riccia other then the weight? I am assuming a hairnet, but not sure.


----------



## BSS (May 2, 2006)

Nope! Just the weight. Supposedly within a week or so, the Riccia will hide the weight. Then every so often, when the Riccia grows too much and breaks free, you pull off some of the older, bottom growth, slap the weight back on top and off you go.

I'll let you know how it goes. I should have a journal started here within a week or so.


----------



## artemism3 (May 21, 2005)

Sounds good! I will be interested to see how it works!


----------



## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I prefer the small black hairnets I get from wally world. Their three for a buck. BUT I have all so used plastic netting that comes on the bones I buy for Jaws (My little killer dog also know as Two Poo Poo Dog that's her rapper name) any way I use these nets to float mats of ricca. Once they start growing I sell them to my LFS. All you have to do is add a small rock and wall-A instant plant on a rock. When I use a hairnet I add my own rock. within two weeks I have a great looking plant that brings big buck at the LFS. I use this same method for moss too.

Hawk


----------



## djlen (Jun 22, 2004)

I'm with you 'Hawk'. I've never had any problem whatsoever with the hairnets.
Those weight things are ok in the short term, but very messy over time.

Len


----------



## james 3200 (Jan 23, 2006)

I find that using hair nets works well for stones and small bits, but you have to be careful if you have any bottom feeders as they can become trapped in the hairnets.

I have tried a number of methods, and the last is the best by far, that is using stainless steel mesh and sandwich the riccia between the layers

here is what i did a while ago










And in a few weeks it tuned into this :










And its looking better as time goes on.

Just trim the riccia reguarly and you wont have any problems with floating pieces.

Good luck

James


----------



## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

You can buy a plastic mess at wally world. I've used them at first but I don't now. They don't hold the ricca very long and takes longer for ricca to grow in to cover the mess. I would use a rock or plant weights tied to the bottom to hold them down. One plus to using them would be if you need to cover a large area. If you want a fast instant ground cover just let the ricca float until its the size you need, then use the hairnet. 

Good pic James!!

Hawk


----------



## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Hey Hawk, I think you mean "mesh" instead of "mess"  

So which of these methods makes trimming easier?


----------



## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

LOL!! Yes I do. I should take more time to proof what I write.

I don't trim. I let my ricca grow until it floats then reattach it to what ever was holding it down with the same hairnet. This way there is no grow in time. Just instant plant on a rock or what ever. This has been working well for me. At first I tried to trim with scissors, what a mess. Ricca is as bad as duckweed when it gets loose in your tank. By letting it stay in mats that float then attaching them to what ever you cut down on little bits of ricca every where.

Hawk


----------



## BSS (May 2, 2006)

Robert Hudson said:


> So which of these methods makes trimming easier?


That's really my goal here, to make maint easier. When I tried the netting a while back, I had trouble getting it secured tightly (could be related to my short, fat fingers  ). Then again, maybe I was trying to keep the netting too tight to the rock?!? I need to get another picture, but my weight is almost completely hidden already. djlen suggests that the weight is messier than the netting in the long run. I'm not sure I see this. Sure, you might be some extra plant bits floating up initially, but is it really worse than just using a weight? I guess time will tell on that one.

To me, once the top floats off, you pick up the weight, toss the old undergrowth, drop the weight back on and your done. Okay, so maybe you skim Riccia pieces for the next half hour...but that sorta goes with the plant, doesn't it?


----------



## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I used hairnets found in my local Walgreens, Rite Aid, Longs drugs locations in the hair product section. I cut them in half, and placed a thin, nearly see through layer, and placed rocks on the bottom to weigh it down. I closed the hairnet around everything with a twisty tie motion on the opening to seal everything in. I lowered the water level so it's easier to place the riccia where I wanted it without it flying all over the place out of the net, and after about a week it has filled in, and is sprouting out of the net. 

-John N.


----------



## sangpeiris (Jan 14, 2006)

james 3200 said:


> I have tried a number of methods, and the last is the best by far, that is using stainless steel mesh and sandwich the riccia between the layers


James:

Where do you buy the stainless steel mesh?


----------

