Riccia is really a great plant to use in Aquascaping, however, as most of us know, riccia also difficult to use because it is a floating plant. With the help of ADA Riccia Stones to put together we can make this riccia is fastened correctly and you can see how powerful a statement it creates within your planted aquarium layout. The image to the right is just one example of the many uses of riccia in a planted aquarium.Although Riccia is by nature a surface or floating plant, it can be beautifully grown underwater. However, to do so, Riccia must be properly and securely attached to stones or driftwood.
ADA Riccia stones are excellent layout materials you can use to attach Riccia, Riccardia chamedryfolia, and other various mosses. They are specially made thin and the flat shapes of Riccia Stone allow the creation of a beautiful foreground carpet of Riccia, and make the attachment process much easier as well.
How to Secure Dwarf Riccia
OK! we already know if riccia is fastened correctly, so we can see how powerful this aquatic plants creates within our aquascape aquarium layout. But, how exactly to secure dwarf riccia is? In this tutorial, I would like to show a method I have been using to secure dwarf riccia so that it grows full and doesn't float to the surface. I have included pictures that can be clicked for a larger version. Also, I have written a brief description of each step.
Mesh Body Sponge - I picked one up at Target or any local department store. They come in a bunch of different colors. I picked one that I thought would be the most invisible in my tank.... in this case greenish blue.
Unraveled - This is what the sponge looks like after it is unraveled. There is a piece of string in the center of the intact sponge that you must cut. After that string is cut, you can unravel it to look like this. In this case, the mesh is actually a sleeve, so the mesh was further cut to open the sleeve.
Riccia Stone - In this case, I am using an ADA riccia stone. Of course you can use any rock that you like. I think the flatter the better.
4" Zip Ties - You can pick these up at the local hardware store. These will be used to secure the mesh around the rock.
Spreading the Riccia - I spread the riccia on the ADA stone in a very thin layer. This is a sample, so in a real situation, I might use just a bit more riccia, but really not too much more.
Stretching the Mesh - Stretch the mesh around the top(covering the riccia) of the rock to secure the thin layer of riccia. Try to make sure the mesh stretches uniformly around the rock and riccia.
Twist the Mesh - Twist the mesh around the back of the Riccia stone. This pulls the mesh in the front tight around the riccia on the front of the rock. Be careful not to twist too much and rip the mesh.
Zip the Twist - Use a zip to secure the twisted knot. Position the ziptie as close to the riccia rock as possible to prevent the mesh from untwisting.
Trim the mesh and Zip Tie - Any pair of sharp scissors will do the trick.
Back of Finished Rock - If you have done the process correctly your knot will look similar to this and be farely secure.
Finish Front - All that is left is to place the riccia stones in your aquarium in the place of your choice.
Before and After - Here is a shot of our new riccia rock to the right. The riccia rocks to the left are about 2 months growth. Depending on your lighting, around this time you will have to retie your riccia rocks or do trims from time to time.Conclusion - Riccia fluitans need a supply of carbon dioxide in order to grow well. On the water conditions are suitable, Riccia fluitans will grow like a green carpet. And during photosynthesis, Riccia fluitans will produce thousands fine bubbles of oxygen continously. Because of its beauty during photosynthesis, Riccia fluitans dubbed "Night of Thousand Stars from the East".
Although these plants tend to drift to the surface of the water, but they can be drowned in a way attached to wood or Riccia stones ADA with the help of the net. However, Riccia fluitans is a fragile aquarium plant species. They break easily when they are attached to a piece of rock and they cannot create a thick and beautiful turf before they loosen and drift to the surface. I hope this riccia illustration can help and guide you when using ADA Riccia Stones fastened with hairnet to creates within your planted aquarium layout.