Riccia fluitans is a floating aquatic plant found almost in any part of the world. There is quite a few geographic varieties which differs both in the way they look and in the way they grown in the aquarium. Here below are the various varieties of Riccia fluitans plant included pictures that can be clicked for a larger version.

Japanese Riccia Fluitans

Pictures below is the Japanese variety of Riccia, which is the most useful in the aquarium - either used in the traditional way as a floating plant or in the very beautiful submerged form. Left - the floating form. Right - the submerged form.

European Riccia Fluitans

The European form is not very useful in the aquascaping aquarium - this is particularly true for the submerged form. Left - the floating form. Right - the submerged form.

Thailand Riccia Fluitans

Photos of Riccia fluitans below are the Riccia variety from Thailand. In line with the European variety, the submerged form is unsuitable for the aquascape aquarium. Left - the floating form. Right - the submerged form.

Singapore Riccia Fluitans

Finally we have the variety of Riccia fluitans from Singapore. The submerged form of this variety is also unsuitable for the aquarium. Left - the floating form. Right - the submerged form.



The Japanese variety with relatively long thalli is the most suitable for aquascape aquarium use. The other Asian and European forms are much more fragile. 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.

However, Takashi Amano from Japan invented the technique of securing the aquatic liverwort Riccia fluitans to a piece of lava rock or slate and thereby keeping it submerged. Click this link to find How to Secure Dwarf Riccia with ADA Riccia Stones completely.

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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.

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Commonly known as Crystalwort, Riccia fluitans is a lush floating plant. Riccia is really a great plant to use in the planted aquarium, and due to its versatility, it is often used for intricate aquascaping in show aquariums. This does not mean that it is for experts only; even novice aquarists can normally keep Riccia fluitans without any trouble. The important thing to note for a beginners freshwater aquarium, Riccia fluitans should not be kept with vigorous plant eaters, because this plant does not cope well with such attacks.

Descriptions

Riccia fluitans forms thick clusters of bright green threads. If you refrain from pruning, Riccia fluitans will grow into a sphere shaped clump with slightly flattened “poles”, quite similar to planet Earth. Small clumps of Riccia fluitans normally float at or just below the surface. As the plant grows bigger and heavier, it will gradually sink down into the water.

Riccia fluitans does not develop any real root system, but it can anchor itself to solid objects such as rocks and branches. Use a piece of string or a rubber band to attach your Riccia fluitans to begin with and remove the string/rubber band when the plant has anchored itself. In some cases, there will be no need to remove the thread because it will be completely covered in lush green.

Riccia Fluitans in the Aquarium

As mentioned earlier, Riccia fluitans sp."Dwarf" is a truly versatile aquatic plant that can be utilized in a wide range of ways on the aquarium. Even though it is a floating plant, it can be grown completely submerged. A single piece of rock with Riccia will look decorative in any aquarium but you can also use more rocks placing them with a few centimetres apart, in groups and formations, and maybe at different levels in the aquarium.

Riccia Fluitans Care

Riccia is not a particular demanding plant although it prefers relatively soft water to thrive perfectly. Riccia can grown extremely fast providing you offer it sufficient light and CO2 and under such circumstances it is also necessary to supply micro- and macronutrients.

Caring for Riccia fluitans is not an arduous task, unless you wish to spend a lot of time pruning into specific shapes. Riccia fluitans is found in a rich assortment of various habitats in many different parts of the wild, and can tolerate a water temperature from 15 to 30 degrees C. This means that you can keep it with a wide range of different best freshwater fish for aquarium. The water can be medium soft to really hard and the pH-value can vary from 6.0 to 8.0.

In Fry Rearing Aquariums

Ricca fluitans provides great shelter for fry, and small fry can also feed on micro organisms that live on this plant. You can either let your Ricca fluitans float at the surface, or anchor it down and create a “lawn” in which eggs and fry can stay hidden. By including plenty of Ricca fluitans, you can actually achieve a rather high survival rate even when fry is left in the same aquarium as adult fish. If you do not wish to set up a separate fry rearing aquarium, adding plenty of Riccia fluitans is a great alternative for many species.

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