# Let's "out" Riccia!



## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

I've reached a point where I'm only keeping it as a safe haven for my baby Cherry shrimp. While it is pretty when it's all bubbly, for me it's just not worth the effort to maintain a manicured Ricca foreground. Of course, whether or not I can successfully control it is yet to be seen.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

Scolley, that gives me one more experiement to do: try to grow it in my non-CO2 slow tank :icon_bigg


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

I let a little float for O2 purposes ... I've never tied it down.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Come on Scolley! How long have you been growing Riccia? I have been growing and maintaining the plant for almost two years now, you don't hear me complaining! :hihi: 

Riccia is one of the most beautiful plants we use in our aquariums. It makes a great, easy foreground, and is a great nutrient indicator. I know if the Riccia is growing well and pearling, my water parameters are just fine! Nothing looks as great as a patch of pearling Riccia!

I love trimming the Riccia! Take a pair of long handled scissors and trim away! Skimming the trimmings is a breeze. I put on the radio, enjoy some music, sports talk or turn of the radio and enjoy the silence. That is one of the most relaxing times with my aquarium.

The key is the weights kids! I have been trying to tell you all that for a while now! Stop with the Riccia stones and the Riccia sandwiches. Those things are only _adding_ to your maintenance woes. Amano has an army of employees with miles of fishing line working for him, Momo doesn't! Once again: Take a good clump of Riccia and place it under a weight. The Riccia will grow around the weight and eventually overtake the weight. The weight will disappear. Once the Riccia overgrows the weight, the weight will actually slip under the Riccia. Reach under the Riccia and pull the weight out, and then place the weight over the patch of Riccia again. Then trim down the Riccia. No more winding or sandwich making. You cut the maintenance by more than half by using the weights.

Some plants are higher maintenance than others. Riccia and stem plants are some of them. If you want low maintenance, try Anubias or Crypts!  Anyway, to me maintenance is what makes this a hobby. Spending time working on the aquarium is fun! Riccia is not a static plant. While it requires some time and effort on the part of the hobbyist, *it is by no means the miserable plant it is being portrayed as*!

Mike


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

OK, let's see...

Shalu is going to see if low-tech can tame the beast. (Multiple beneficial bits of info coming out of that experiment. - Thanks!)

bharada - no slouch in this endeavor (don't believe me? look at his web site!), seems to be still working thru the problems of that Amano foreground. Hmmm... not trival it appears.

John P has figured out a great use! That is, I assume, as long a you can deal with the shadow of a 2" thick mat of vegetation.

But now, Momotaro-san, I'm so glad you chipped in!

You are making an EXCELLENT point. Use the right tool (wire weights), periodic maintenance (watch, replace weights, trim, and repeat), and the right attitude ("it requires some time and effort on the part of the hobbyist").

Got it.

Only 2 things I'm still curious about...

1) Buck (sorry to bring you up in this) was THE MAN, as I recall from reading old posting, who could really do a number on creating these weights that made it all worth it. But he just gave riccia up. Buck?

2)I've been reading everything I can, checking every web site out that I could for that last 9 or 10 months now, and I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE hobby site that has a magnificent riccia lawn, the kind so promanent in Amano pics. I still belive, that even given the tools (wire), or attitude (Momataro) that riccia still way too hard to deal with.

Or maybe I haven't used the right tools, with the right attitude.

Anyone else?


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## AW0L (Jan 15, 2004)

my personal experience is i got lazy.

i somtimes make a carpet to trade to lfs for stuff, mostly feeder fish and worms.

but i stopped trying to upkeep riccia along time ago. somtimes it got so bad it killed many of the plants by blocking out the light

when floating ,the plant is really easy to care for

making a carpet i use thoughs sowing plastic meshes dont know what they call them but knitters use them to make designs with., chop up riccia and let it float and grow a bit, it needs to be grown out anuff to keep the mesh afloat. then i lay the mesh over the riccia and let it grow into the mesh. since the mesh sinks, over time it goes to the bottom of the riccia but still kept afloat. then i just weigh down the corners and middle. and you have a nice matt.

anyone by any chance have any or knows where to find (riccia G) the riccia that dosent float


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

AW0L said:


> anyone by any chance have any or knows where to find (riccia G) the riccia that dosent float


I don't know what "riccia G" is, but I've got riccia that learned to stop floating, and I'm certain you don't want that. It's kind of like having a beautiful Kentucy Blue-grass putting green of a lawn, and saying "I'd like to try a little crab-grass".

Once you get it, you'll never get rid of it - it's a weed (to quote Buck) and it's not very pretty.


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

riccia is like a rite of passage, i think.
i just killed a bunch of it...the layer was too thick and the underneath smothered i guess. meanwhile it is floating in bits and not looking really attractive either...
oh well.
:tongue:


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Riccia looks nice in "your tank" it's just a pain in the a$$ for me. IMO, it's like the swimming pool metaphore: The neighbor has a swimming pool and its oh so inviting, so you buy one yourself and you curse it everyday 'cause now you gotta clean the S.O.B. :tongue: 

You said it, once you got it you can't get rid of it. It took me months to get rid of the last spec of that stuff. Incidentally I'm almost there with java moss too. I finally got rid of the driftwood that was harboring this stuff, but I'm picking pieces of it everywhere.  

Marcel


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Uh oooh! I was just thinking about buying some Java Moss...

Better re-think that plan.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

scolley said:


> Uh oooh! I was just thinking about buying some Java Moss...
> 
> Better re-think that plan.


There are better looking, easier to control mosses out there:
singapore moss, taiwan moss, weeping moss, erect moss, mini moss, christmas moss... I am going to try them all and let you know :icon_bigg


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

shalu said:


> There are better looking, easier to control mosses out there:
> singapore moss, taiwan moss, weeping moss, erect moss, mini moss, christmas moss... I am going to try them all and let you know :icon_bigg


That would be great! It would be even better if you posted a comparison and contrast of them all - kind of a guide post for the ignorant (like me) to use to guide them in a "moss" decision. :icon_wink 

It should of course, also post a link to this, or any other thread attempting to tell the full story on riccia (an erswhile moss alternative).


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

As for the sinking Riccia, I've had some of mine convert...it kind of looks like a scraggly Pellia.

If all the fish were gone from my 40 I would pull all the Riccia out and just let the HC go wild, but so long as I have new born shrimp to protect I'll fight the battle to keep it in check. 

I should probably consider getting rid of the hardscape and Crypts and letting the Riccia and HC have the tank entirely. Maybe when the Riccia I have now has grown out a bit and the HC spreads a little bit more...


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Java moss IMO is much more of a nuisance then riccia can ever be only for the fact that when riccia gets loose, it floats harmlessly to the surface where as when a small smidgeon of Java Moss gets loose it will cling to whatever it has hit and will grow on it. It has no regards for plants,equiptment or substrate... I have it growing from within my sub from when I accidently buried some. :icon_conf 
I love both plants and think that each are all-aquatic in their look but each can be a PITA in their own right. 
And for the record Steve the only reason I opted out of the riccia was A) I was trying to use it in small places tied to stone and B) MY DANG CONGO'S STARTED TO PLAY WITH IT ! I dont know what their sudden fascination with it was but everyday I was finding it stuck to the filter and floating on the surface.
Like Momo says... riccia is a breeze to grow and maintain but *only* if done in large patches with weights.
Any other way to scape with it is a masterbation of the brain. 
I agree with Momo that it probably one of the most beautiful plants to do as a foreground and if anyone has not had the pleasure of trying it out you are truly missing out on a great opportunity to WOW your friends and family. roud: 

Shalu... without CO2 its a waste of tank space IMO, the growth is abnormal looking and more stringy looking I have found. Without the awesome trademark in the pearling that riccia provides I think it loses its character.

Would I ever grow it again... HELL YEH ! It just dont fit in my tanks plans right now.Make no mistake about it though... it grows fast, needs to be grown in large quantities and without the weight system in place its gonna make you crazy.

Riccia fluitans rating... ************ 10 stars from me baby ! roud:


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Buck said:


> it is a masterbation of the brain.
> :


LMAO

AKA: Mind F*ck


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

Buck said:


> Shalu... without CO2 its a waste of tank space IMO, the growth is abnormal looking and more stringy looking I have found.


Thanks for the warning. But I have to try it myself. A lot of plants aren't supposed to do well at all without CO2, but they do fine for me. I do use some Excel right now.




Buck said:


> Without the awesome trademark in the pearling that riccia provides I think it loses its character.


Am I the only one that actually hates its heavy pearling? It just becomes a shiny white blob, I want to see some green


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Riccia fluitans rating... ********** 10 stars from me baby !


OH YEAH! 10+ from me! 

Once again:


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## cprroy73 (Nov 10, 2004)

By all means I am no expert on planted tanks and all the plant chores that go with it. 
I am just starting out.

The main reason I wanted to try a planted tank was because I was a little bored with fish only setups. Change water, clean glass and filters, and feed fish. The plastic plants looked awful as well.

I am growing glosso in my tank and I think it grows pretty fast. Lots of trimming and replanting after a little while. I can see where riccia can be more of a chore because it floats.

It is a beautiful plant though.
As far as maintaining riccia or any other fast grower thats just part of this hobby.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Shalu said:


> Am I the only one that actually hates its heavy pearling?


 LOL...you might be... 
I think riccia is the "only" plant that I enjoy the pearling on...it makes the tank look very fresh with a bed of O2 bubbles and its sheen.
However once it starts to release its bubbles to the surface it is annoying or worst yet , when a fish is swimming over it and hits it and you get a rooster tail of bubbles going to the surface...


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

While I defiantly cannot agree with the "10"s riccia's getting here, due to my lack of the proper tools, and bad attitude toward excessive maintenance...

I do have to chime in on the pearling. I LOVE it. :icon_bigg It think it is just beautiful, one on the most beautiful sights to be seen in a planted tank. That my friends, is why it frustrates me so.


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## SueNH (Feb 25, 2004)

I was given a small clump of it with a mixed plant trade. Didn't think I wanted to deal with it but didn't want to kill it. Left it floating around with the duckweed on top. Little by little most of it kind of got scooped out with excess duckweed. Few flecks here and there continue happily but no longer a clump. Went to rinse my little filter out a bit last night and noticed a small half dollar sized clump had managed to stick and grow on the outflow of the HOB filter. Leaving it there to see what happens. Looks pretty happy and extends down into the water of the tank. The outflow usually has BBA on it and all I can figure is the Riccia got tangled into it. It's growing. 

I've also got a bit tangled in some java moss in my 10 gallon tank that doesn't have CO2. It's slowly increasing. Curiosity gets the better of me so it stays.


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## Crs2fr (Sep 22, 2004)

i want to try it. i have a log full of java, i want to incorporate ricca in it.. i have glosso at the bottom that pearls. but nothing like the pic of ricca... that looks awesome... all my other plants pearl great.. pearling rocks~.. makes me feel my tank is in balance... and that is a great feeling.

chris


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

I tried riccia......grew really well but that wasn't the problem. Unlike the mosses it doesn't attach, so the maintenance is mind-boggling. Sooooo not worth the effort. Glosso, dwarf hairgrass, and dwarf sag make better carpet plants anyway. Little pieces of riccia were forever coming undone and ended up in my rotala indica.


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