Product description
About the species
Riccia fluitans is a liverwort found all over the world that has traditionally been used as a floating plant. It consists of narrow, forking shoots without leaves and grows only one to five centimetres tall. Takashi Amano showed that it can be kept submerged as well, tied against a stone, and that is how it is mostly used in aquascaping today. In good conditions small oxygen bubbles gather on the shoot tips.
Facts
• Latin name: Riccia fluitans
• Plant type: Moss
• Origin: Widespread worldwide
• Height: 3–5 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Wood and stone
Light requirement
Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.
CO₂ & nutrition
Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.
Planting
Moss should never be planted in the substrate. Spread it in a thin layer over a piece of wood or a stone and secure it with thread, mesh or a few drops of plant glue. A thin layer knits together far more attractively than a thick clump, which easily rots from beneath.
Rinse all the gel off in lukewarm water before planting, otherwise it can cause bacterial cloudiness. The cup holds many small plants — divide them up and plant them in several portions.
Care & propagation
Trim the moss with scissors a few times a year and it holds its shape and grows denser instead of getting long and straggly. Pieces that come loose can be tied onto the next stone — that is all there is to propagating it. Siphon out debris that collects in the moss when you change water.
Position in the aquarium
It grows on hardscape rather than in the substrate, so it can be placed anywhere in the aquarium — on a piece of wood, a stone or a back wall. That makes it as useful in the foreground as high up in the layout.
Difficulty level
🟡 Moderate — wants stable lighting and regular fertilisation to look its best.
Delivery format
Delivered as 1-2-Grow! — a laboratory-grown cup holding many small plants in nutrient gel. Because the plant is cultivated in vitro it is completely free of snails, algae, planaria and pesticides, which makes it the safest choice for a shrimp aquarium.
Recommendation
Left floating it makes excellent cover for newborn fry, and tied against a stone it becomes a bright green cushion studded with oxygen bubbles. The shoots always strive upwards, so expect to trim them with scissors every few weeks.
