# Ricca?



## jARDINI (Sep 2, 2007)

i have just received a free very small portion of ricca from a friend. the portion is about 1''. i ied it to a small rock. it is under 4 watts per gallon am i am dosing iron, phosphate, and flourish. will it get bigger under these conditions. it looks out of place now but if i can get it to make a nice carpet it wont. help me please


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Best to let it grow at the surface for a few weeks until you get a nice clump of it, then you can tie it down to a rock and it should be ok. 

It will look best with pressurized CO2 if kept underwater, otherwise the riccia will look flaccid.

Also, riccia is particularly sensitive to excel so don't dose it if you can avoid it.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

jARDINI said:


> i have just received a free very small portion of ricca from a friend. the portion is about 1''. i ied it to a small rock. it is under 4 watts per gallon am i am dosing iron, phosphate, and flourish. will it get bigger under these conditions. it looks out of place now but if i can get it to make a nice carpet it wont. help me please


Riccia is actually pretty easy to grow assuming you give it everything it needs. Why aren't you dosing Nitrogen? If your tank is average in size (10 to 20 gallons) and your running 4 watts you'll probably need co2 to make it all work.


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## bdement (Jun 4, 2007)

Zapins said:


> Also, riccia is particularly sensitive to excel so don't dose it if you can avoid it.


Really?! Why's that?


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## jARDINI (Sep 2, 2007)

o ya i am running DIY Co2 and the tank is a 10 gallon


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Once it adjusts to it's new parameters it will grow VERY fast


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

bdement: I don't know the biochemical explanation of this, but I have read quite a few threads/seen it in my tanks that when you dose excel riccia tends to die off or suffer. There are a few other plants that don't take well to excel either.

I don't know if its possible to acclimate riccia to excel.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Zapins said:


> bdement: I don't know the biochemical explanation of this, but I have read quite a few threads/seen it in my tanks that when you dose excel riccia tends to die off or suffer. There are a few other plants that don't take well to excel either.
> 
> I don't know if its possible to acclimate riccia to excel.


I've had that happen to me with Riccia when you OD excel, but I personallly have not had any problems dosing excel with Riccia according to the recommended amount.


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

I have not OD'd Excel but I use it in a couple of tanks and the Riccia grows fast. It also grows fast in a powered CO2 tank. I have not been able to determine if it grows as fast in the Excel tank as it does in the CO2 tank. I has become a pest of sorts. I keep dragging it to the Auctions and LFS.


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## Bikepainter (Sep 23, 2007)

Can you grow ricca using DIY CO2, or does it need to be pressurized?


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## NoSvOrAx (Nov 11, 2006)

I have riccia growing like crazy in my currently non-co2 cherry shrimp tank. Your DIY will be fine. The real punch that co2 adds is the pearling.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

And rigidity!!


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